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Vanquish - Now We Know!


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7 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

 

Not my cup of tea however so that’s about all I have to say about Vanquish. When an Equinox alternative appears I will perk up, until then I have some detecting to do! :smile:

My sentiments as well. If I were looking for  an entry level detector I would be all over the Vanquish as opposed to the Ace series but  at this point I am looking for the best technology available that I can afford. Right now that appears to be the Equinox and the Explorer series of detectors. 

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17 hours ago, phrunt said:

I don't understand why people keep trying to compare it to the Equinox

I think the reason for the inevitable Equinox comparisons, is that ML has been promoting this detector heavily and in a similar manner to the way they promoted the Equinox.  If I look at the videos they released, they seemed to be targeted at the mid to experienced level detectorist (including all the Equinox users on the ML email list!).  Entry level detectorists really would not have the appreciation for what ML was trying to "say" in their video promotions, frankly.  So in the absence of detailed specs, there was a lot of speculation as to whether the Vanquish was indeed entry level, although the leaked information from whoever clearly showed that the Vanquish was landing somewhere between the GO FIND and the Equinox 600, so I knew it was not a "Nox killer" and was clearly never intended to be, yet the debate, speculation, and rumors persisted with the promotion hype, until the specs actually landed.  Still folks seem to be confused as to what the Vanquish is all about, with some still arguing that it can go toe-to-toe with Equinox or complaining that it can't, etc.  That is just what naturally happens when you get a bunch of people with a common interest but individual perceptions and opinions together.  In other words, same as any other group of folks.  As far as I am concerned, I will observe the entry level detector wars with bemusement while I enjoy the detectors I have now and am content to not necessarily want for a detector at this time.  We'll see what the future holds, however....

4 hours ago, phrunt said:

Well, I've been thinking about it, Minelab have in a way devalued the Equinox by doing a Multi-IQ entry level as for some the Vanquish maybe all they now need, they never intended the Equinox to be the high end machine either, it just became one in the minds of it's users.    What they've done is made Multi frequency the new standard for entry level machines.... a real blow to the competitors who mostly run single frequency even in their high end machines.  I think having multi-IQ in both is why people keep comparing it to the Nox.

It now all comes down to how well they market it the world over as to a beginner going to buy a machine a lot may come down to looks and marketing and what some guy on Youtube or a TV show they like watching is using.

I just wonder what's coming next with Multi-IQ, they're obviously concentrating on it being their new base for detectors so I am sure a lot of effort is going into improving it.  I very much look forward to their new high end Multi-IQ machine when the day comes which I am sure it will.

Agree, great move to get Multi IQ out to the masses, to compete with Simplex, and hopefully give Garrett a swift kick in the you know what to start innovating again.  I don't think, however, the Vanquish devalues the Equinox, at least not to those who really understand the differences between the detectors and ML's objective to aggressively move into the entry level market.  Unlike the Equinox to eTrac/CTX comparisons, Vanquish brings nothing compelling to the table vs. Equinox regarding performance.  However, Equinox did bring speed, simplicity in operation/user interface, comparably light weight, a dedicated prospecting mode, and fundamentally different, mode-dedicated multi frequency search profiles (vs. just user settings differences) and some other "pluses" to the table vs. eTrac/CTX while some of the sophisticated features of the FBS2 detectors remained intact and untouched by Equinox (CO-FE target ID, 2-D discrimination mapping/programing).  This resulted in a true dilemma amongst FBS2 loyalists and those who felt the lower price point of the Equinox enabled a sophisticated multifrequency experience vs. their higher priced FBS2 cousins.  That debate continues today as there are things Equinox with Multi IQ does better than FBS2 and vice versa.

I look forward to the next development cycle which will hopefully spawn a few simultaneous multi frequency competitors to ML in the guises of XP and Nokta/Makro while ML works on perhaps a higher end Multi IQ machine with some of the sophisticated target ID and 2-D discrimination features that are now solely residing in the FBS2 machines (eTrac and CTX).  I also look at the Vanquish 

I also look forward to see what ML has done with the imminent Equinox firmware 2.0 release, that is hopefully not vaporware.

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I never expected the Vanquish to be a competitor of the EQX even when I first got wind of it.  Given Minelab's statement that the EQX would "obsolete all single frequency machines" I saw it more as an obvious  X-Terra replacement and an super upgrade to the GoFind.  I'll get the 440 for my granddaughter for just that reason...an upgrade to her GoFind 40.

Yes, I wish it had been waterproof but when the time ever comes that she actually enters the surf to detect, an EQX will be in her future.  Until then, weather/water resistant it will be.

Just the view from my foxhole...

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So.....will the Vanquish series have the equivalent of the Nox FE1 or the new FE2?  Or possibly a hybrid?  I suspect that there's better than a 50/50 chance that this new FE improvement was realized during the Vanquish development, and ported to the Nox code with increased adjustment range.  A low priced detector with good bottle cap rejection would be a boon for sales.

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F2 seems to be very level dependent on the Nox.  The simple high/low Fe adjustment on the 540 might be useful but on the 340/440 you just have "High" with no option to even turn it off on any Vanquish model, so one might be sacrificing some non-ferrous masking for the sake of bottlecap rejection regardless of if it is Fe or F2 bias.  Not a tradeoff I would be willing to make, but for the casual detectorist, probably ok.

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Doubtful. As stated earlier in the thread, the number of individual frequencies on the Equinox is unrelated to the number of simultaneous frequencies used in Mult IQ other than the Multi IQ frequency profile range encompasses the the 5 individual frequencies.  Since Vanquish does not have a single frequency mode, the coil diagram "clue" really doesn't correlate.  But who knows, ML appears to revel in these ambiguous pseudo technical graphic design references.  I personally find it lies somewhere between insulting and annoying.  Hate the marketing,  but love the detectors.

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34 minutes ago, Chase Goldman said:

Hate the marketing,  but love the detectors.

Yes, Minelab is annoying in more ways than one.  But if their detectors give us the best chance to perform in the field, then all that annoyance is tolerable.

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