The Quest Q60

[palzynski]

I have tested the Quest Q60 for a French MD shop 3 months ago in Nov 2020. Briefly it is a very good machine with a great audio , fast and very good iron filtering . Switchable freq 4 , 14 , 20khz.  And a very nice and robust design . However Quest has had the bad idea to deliver it with a very big 32X25cm and heavy coil ( 520g without coil cover ) .  This coil is OK for relic hunting in clean soils , but it is too big for coin hunting in trashy areas for example, and not very funny to sweep , at least for me .... A 28X18cm coil or 22cm round would have been much more polyvalent and lighter.

For my kind of detecting  ( coin hunting / often trashy areas ) , the Q30 which has a smaller/lighter coil  would certainly be a better choice ...

Full Q60 test link below. In French . I hope that the Google English translation will be understandable ... 🙂

TEST QUEST Q60 DISQUE 32x25 (metaux-detection.fr)

 

[Soky72]

I think I'd read somewhere else that the office in California may have closed but its listed on the detector box as the US location so who knows. Ive also read if you have problems contact the dealer who sold it to you. Not having a site in the US to repair these would certainly be headache but I can't see a physical problem arising. Its an extremely sturdy and solid detector, so much so I think it could lose a little weight. The Q30 and Q60 already have an update out from Quest I think back in December. Evidently they weren't showing VDIs on deep repeatable targets. The detectors are updateable through the Quest app on your Smartphone another clever feature. Ive downloaded it but looked at it yet but supposedly you can log your finds and make a map of your hunt?

[Soky72]

I'd have to agree with palzynski that this coil is heavy. The Q30 comes standard with the 9 x 11 coil called the Raptor. It might be a better choice for weight without losing much depth. They also make a 5.5 x 9.5 called the Blade which I have on order. It's about 2 ounces lighter than the NEL Sharpshooter. Again I'm not a coin guy but I wanted to see how the Blade coil would stack up against the Deus 9" HF coil in a bed of iron. 

[Soky72]

1 hour ago, palzynski said:

I have tested the Quest Q60 for a French MD shop 3 months ago in Nov 2020. Briefly it is a very good machine with a great audio , fast and very good iron filtering . And a very nice and robust design . However Quest has had the bad idea to propose a very big 32X25cm and heavy coil ( 520g without coil cover ) as stock coil.  This coil is OK for relic hunting in clean soils , but it is too big for coin hunting in trashy areas for example, and not very funny to sweep , at least for me .... A 28X18cm coil or 22cm round would have been much more polyvalent and lighter.

Full test details link below.  Sorry it is in French . Hope that the Google English translation will be understandable ... 🙂

TEST QUEST Q60 DISQUE 32x25 (metaux-detection.fr)

 

 

Very nice review palzynski! It's consistent with what I was told before I bought this machine. I'd really like to see NEL get their Superfly coil available for this detector quickly. 

[Soky72]

1 hour ago, palzynski said:

I have tested the Quest Q60 for a French MD shop 3 months ago in Nov 2020. Briefly it is a very good machine with a great audio , fast and very good iron filtering . And a very nice and robust design . However Quest has had the bad idea to propose a very big 32X25cm and heavy coil ( 520g without coil cover ) as stock coil.  This coil is OK for relic hunting in clean soils , but it is too big for coin hunting in trashy areas for example, and not very funny to sweep , at least for me .... A 28X18cm coil or 22cm round would have been much more polyvalent and lighter.

Full test details link below.  Sorry it is in French . Hope that the Google English translation will be understandable ... 🙂

TEST QUEST Q60 DISQUE 32x25 (metaux-detection.fr)

 

 

Google's translation of the review. 

Very nice and precise audio Very good on medium / large targets on ground with little ferrous pollution Good on ferrous sector Manual multi-frequency 5, 14 and 20kHz Reliable and easy-to-use detector Robust and quality construction Water resistant to 5m Very practical telescopic rod Deteknics Wirefree Pro excellent wireless headphones Detector unwieldy with the 32X25 disc No small disc available as an option No user manual  1) GETTING STARTED / ADJUSTMENTS: Summer 2020, QUEST releases the Q60, the brand's first multifrequency. Please note, the Q60 is not a simultaneous multifrequency like the MINELAB Equinox or Vanquish, but a detector with manually switchable frequency like on a Deus. Small reminder, the interest of changing the frequency is to adapt the detector to what you are looking for: The higher in frequency (at 20khz for example) and the more the detector will be sensitive to small or even micro targets but it will go shallower on medium / large targets in depth. The lower the frequency (to 5khz for example), the more detection depth the detector will gain on large targets such as large coins, but at the cost of a loss in sensitivity on small targets even close to the surface. When opening the box of the Q60, no problem everything is tidy. There is the detector and the Deteknics wireless headset, but also a wireless reception module to which you can connect a headset of your choice. However, there is no user manual, just a quick start brochure. And I couldn't find the Q60 user manual on the internet. Fortunately the quick start brochure is detailed enough to be able to master the settings of the Q60 fairly quickly ... The detector battery is charged via a magnetic plug which sticks to the detector housing, it is well designed, even if it seems strongly inspired by MINELAB Equinox plugs. Side settings, there is a fairly classic ergonomics with 4 detection modes, namely PARK, FIELD, BEACH and GOLD. Ergonomics that can also be found on the Minelab Vanquish, Equinox and on the Nokta Simplex. In this test of the Q60, we will limit ourselves to the PARK and FIELD modes, the other 2 modes being reserved for beach prospectors and gold diggers. On the detection disc side, the Q60 is delivered with a large disc (32X25cm). It is definitely fashionable to deliver detectors with large discs, see the Vanquish 540 or the Nokta Simplex. However, this is not necessarily a good idea because in the field, these large discs are not very effective on ferrous sectors and moreover they are heavy. Concretely, the 32X25cm disc of the Q60 weighs 520g without disc protector. Not great knowing that for example the large 30X25cm V12 disc of the MINELAB Vanquish weighs 440g, and the V10 25X20cm only 360g. The complete Q60 detector weighs 1.4kg. Again it is not extraordinary, we should not expect exceptional handling with this detector. So it's time to go to testing. 2) 10C NAP3 DEPTH TEST AND 2g SMALL COINS ON TEST BENCH (EARTH BIN): The test is very simple and reliable, they are bins filled with packed earth under which a coin is placed. Just scan the disc above the bin to see if the detector is able to sense change. For each target, the soil thickness was chosen so as to push the detector to its limits. There is a first tank with a 10C Nap3 under 30cm of packed earth which makes it possible to evaluate the capacity of the detector / disc to locate a large coin in depth, knowing that at this depth we are at the limit of detection for a VLF detector , this whatever the brand. The other tray with a small bronze coin of 2g under 15cm of earth allows the detector / disc to be evaluated on a small change. There too we are at the detection limit for a VLF. 10C Nap3 test at 28cm: In PARK mode at 14kHz we get a slight signal. The signal is sharper at 5khz. So a good result which places the Q60 at the same level as an Equinox in depth on large coins, which is very good. Small change 2g to 15cm test: There too no problem, the target is well detected whether at 14 or 20kHz. So no bad surprise, the Q60 does the job on this depth test. That said, VLF detectors all use the same technology and there is currently no "miracle" detector whatever the brand, with equivalent disk size and frequency of course. Total test time: 3h This wood is one of my favorite test sites because it is highly loaded with ferrous material so it allows me to quickly assess the capabilities of a detector on ferrous; reactivity, ferrous filtering etc The soil is sandy and little mineralized. I know I'm setting the bar a bit high for the Q60 because large drives like the Q60's 32X25 are more designed for clean sectors. On the other hand, if the detector goes well here, I know that it will go everywhere else, which can do more can do less. Let's go with the Q60. I discovered the audio of QUEST, a brand that I had never had the opportunity to use before. From the outset, I'm comfortable with the sounds of the Q60, the audio is quite close to Tesoro and Teknetics T2, it filters iron very well and it's very precise on target. To tell the truth I did not expect such sound quality. The detector is therefore quite silent on the ferrous carpet, it is not bad at all given the large size of the disc. On the other hand, the use of a pinpointer is strongly recommended with this large disc because it is difficult to center the targets and a pinpointer will save a lot of time. Otherwise the Wirefree Pro wireless headphones are very comfortable, and there is no noticeable latency in the audio. Nothing to say on that side. The downside, as I expected, it is this 32X28 disc which is heavy and too large to pass well between the ferrous, I would have much preferred a smaller disc like the 28X22 Raptor delivered with the Q30, too bad. I'm not going to make any extraordinary finds during this outing, especially debris from the 14-18 war (shell casings, shell belts etc) for lack of luck. But the Q60 found new targets here, that's the main thing so good result ... As for the settings, I used the PARK mode, first in 14kHz, then in 20kHz to gain responsiveness. Change of location with a field located 2km from the previous location. This field was occupied by a field hospital during the war so it contains iron, but less than in the previous wood. Here the large disc of the Q60 goes better than in the wood and I take out a lot of targets including a French aluminum button 14-18 which is good because the exit was quite fast. As in wood, I will use my pinpointer a lot here. So no problem with the Q60 in this field, the detector is pleasant to use despite its somewhat bulky disc. As for the settings, I stayed in PARK mode at 14kHz, a frequency that goes everywhere offering good performance whatever the size of the target. No doubt, this Quest Q60 is a good detector. Excellent audio, responsive, flawless build quality, IP68 waterproof, great wireless headset, easy to use. So many positive points. But what an idea to offer such a large disk on this detector! We now expect from QUEST a smaller disc that would make the Q60 much more versatile and more suited to our European lands. For info the price of Quest Q60 is 599euros.

[Steve Herschbach]

2 hours ago, Soky72 said:

but I can't see a physical problem arising

I wish I had that kind of confidence in metal detector manufacturers, but I don’t. Local service is important to me, and there are plenty of choices. But seems like a decent detector, I’m not denying that.

[Sven1]

Don't think there was ever a build  issues with any Quest detectors. It was always based on high quality so it would distance itself from other inferior, inexpensive Chinese detectors. And be on par with other European brands.

 

[GB_Amateur]

This sounds like it's meant to be a competitor for the Nokta/Makro Multi-Kruzer (with similar selectable frequencies) but I didn't notice if the Quest Q60 is waterproof.

My Q&D search of eBay didn't find any of the Q60 model, but Serious Detecting has both the Q30 for $300 and the Q40 for $470.  (Anyone know what the Q40 is?)  They appear to have the same 9"x11" open coil.

I had two Deteknix Transmitter-Receiver audio units (bought back in 2016, I think), one with their on-ear headphones and one with a 3.5 mm socket allowing the user to select headphones.  The first one was horribly uncomfortable and the second one crapped out after not that many hours of use (100 or so) when the socket got noisy -- I'm assuming something worked it's way loose internally.  Interestingly(?) these were released/marketed before the Garrett Z-Lynk so in this case I don't think they were copying someone else, unless they got ahold of an early Garrett prototype, drawings,...  I think Quest has since upgraded their audio T/R products so hopefully better quality.

 

[dogodog]

I'm not sure the Q60 is meant to compete with the simplex or the multi kruzer, (maybe?) But most likely the NOX 600. If it has similar performance, It might draw a few people in it's direction. That being said, without a US based service center and the vagueness of their website, I doubt that most people will take a chance with that purchase. The huge following of Minelab will most likely over power the thought of taking a chance on something like saving a few bucks. Most reviews I see are good but not amazing, Which leads me to believe we have another decent detector. I hope this turns out to be a great machine, But I'll wait to see what the future brings. 

[GB_Amateur]

58 minutes ago, dogodog said:

I'm not sure the Q60 is meant to compete with the simplex or the multi kruzer, (maybe?) But most likely the NOX 600.

 

It seems to be a tall order for single frequency IB/VLF detectors (and even selectable single frequencies such as this and the Kruzer, Anfibio,...) to compete toe-to-toe with the best multifrequency detectors except in mild ground.  XP/Deus and ORX, Tarsacci MD80 and (the latter under special condition of water detecting) come to mind as at least being in the fight ring.  Compete with (or even out perform) the Garrett Apex, White's DFX, Fisher CZ's -- quite possibly to even probably, and the White's V3i and VX3???

But until we see more results it's still an open question.  I and a lot of others here will be impressed if it can hold its own vs. the ML Eqx 600.