Is Vanquish 540, Apex, Or Simplex+ For A Beginner?

[phrunt]

I would think if tracking is disabled on the Equinox and no ground balance is performed then that's how the Vanquish would handle the ground? Possibly in beach mode as people think the Vanquish is almost the Equinox running in beach mode.   If that is the case and your Equinox works in those conditions where you typically hunt then the Vanquish will be fine, and as Jeff said, accurate target ID's are what the Vanquish excels at for me too.  As a beginner nothing is better than having accurate ID's to get you enjoying the hobby.

[abenson]

I've owned all 3 and used all 3 enough to know the in's and out's of them. Of the 3 I still have a Simplex. But of the 3 I would recommend the Vanquish 540 over the rest. The only reason I don't have the 540 anymore is because it's too close in operation to the Equinox and I already have the 800. IMO and from the feedback I've received from those I've lent them to. The Vanquish is the easiest to operate and you dig the least amount of trash. The target ID on the Vanquish is very accurate to almost full depth and that's in my mineralized soil.

They all have their pluses and minuses. The Apex is a great feeling and well packaged machine. But honestly the audio is a little tricky for a beginner and the modes available don't really give it that much versatility compared to the modes on the other 2. I let one of my friends that has been metal detecting a bit try out the Apex when I had it and his comment was this thing is all over the place with the audio. We were at a park and he was really having a hard time isolating targets in all the trash.

The Simplex is waterproof has all the latest features like rechargeable batteries, wireless audio, etc. just like the others. But it's a little nose heavy and the lower shaft is a noodle so upgrade to the carbon fiber if you get it. The ground balance and modes available on the Simplex give it great versatility as well. It's Really simple to use and all a beginner has to do is change modes  based on the site conditions and hunt. No need to change a bunch of settings to make it work. Great in iron trash (the best you'll find at the price) and respectable depth.

The Vanquish 540 lacks ground balance but I never had a place where I felt like I had to have it. The modes available are a lot like the Simplex, it's very versatile, even more so than the Simplex in some cases (Saltwater beach hunting). It struggles a little in iron trash at separation. But when it locks on to a target it really lets you know and the ID doesn't get dragged down as bad or the Simplex or Apex. The Vanquish is a little nose heavy and the overall appearance looks dated but overall I feel like it's the best choice for a beginner.

[CPT_GhostLight]

Thank you all for your very informative input. I think I've decided on the Vanquish 540 and since I'm use to the Equinox, it will make it easier for me to get her going in our mineralized soil. There are several dealers selling a 540 Pro Pack that includes the V12 & V8 coils and ML80 wireless headphones for the same price as the Apex, a little less than the ORX, and a little more than the Simplex+, so that just makes sense to me. Plus, if she doesn't like metal detecting, I'll have a nice back-up for the Nox. 😉 Thank you all again for your time and help!

[Jeff McClendon]

I think you made a good choice since your wife is a beginner and like others have said, for a beginner's detector, you can't get much easier than a Vanquish.

The 8" coil should feel really good.

If you run into issues with ground feedback in the -8, -9 iron mineralization responses using the horseshoe button because the ground it too mineralized for the internal ground balance, you can try what I did. I usually hunted in default coin or jewelry mode. I made a copy of coin or jewelry mode in the custom mode slot and accepted part of the iron range down to about -5 or -6. I would use that custom mode to check for iron instead of just pressing the horseshoe button while in coin or jewelry mode. That way I would not hear a lot of ghost iron responses from the ground mineralization.

I would really like to hear how this turns out. 

I don't know where you live in Colorado. Sportsman's Warehouse has been selling some Vanquish models. If you are in the Denver area, Sunny Mountain Prospecting has taken over and re-opened Gold.N.Detector's business in Golden after the owner's death. They have the full line of Vanquish models and would certainly appreciate any business you could give them.

[CPT_GhostLight]

Thanks Jeff, I'm in the Springs and a member of PPAL. You know our Club Pres, Dave, who owns Sunny Mountain Prospecting. 😉

[CPT_GhostLight]

Just a quick follow up on this...

About a month ago I posted a question asking which would be a good "starter" detector because my wife had expressed an interest in detecting. I needed something easy to use, good quality, and lightweight. The overwhelming response recommended a Vanquish model, so I bought a gently used V540 with 12" coil from a nice member here and got an 8" coil and other essential accessories for her birthday. I figured if she didn't take to detecting, at least I'd have a nice backup to my Nox.

I tested the 540 after it arrived to check it out and I must say, I was quite impressed. It hit deep coins and separated good targets from iron in my highly mineralized soil very well. It's a great turn on & go detector. So I cleaned it up and wrapped it all up for her birthday.

We finally got to go out detecting Sunday before last and after a quick rundown of the basics, I set her loose. After a little over an hour of finding mostly old trash I hear a yell from across the field. I look up and my wife is holding something up that has a familiar glint in the sun. She hit a ring on her very first time detecting! It turned out to be Titanium, but a ring is a ring and now she's hooked on it. She loves her Vanquish so now it looks like I have to look for another backup machine. 

 

[☠ Cipher]

This is good to know. I’m always a little hesitant to recommend some of the deeper and sensitive machines to new users. Vanquish and Simplex have raised the bar for beginner depth, though user feedback suggests Vanquish maintains stability that can be lacking in other machines at more fringe depths. Overdriving can lead to frustration, particularly when you’re digging deeper plugs only to find a bottle cap etc. or in some cases a “ghost” signal. Early success in finding anything useful in the 4-6” range goes a long way to motivate a new user. Less capable machines are usually very stable cherry pickers. BBS and FBS brought that stability to greater depths (at great expense and increased complexity). But that’s the magic of Multifrequency. I wondered if Multi IQ which can run hot on equinox could capture that stable ID and bring more reliable depth to new users without complexity. 

[mh9162013]

38 minutes ago, ☠ Cipher said:

I wondered if Multi IQ which can run hot on equinox could capture that stable ID and bring more reliable depth to new users without complexity. 

After using the 540, I don't think the issue was bringing MIQ to new users without complexity. I think the challenge for Minelab engineers was finding the right balance between showing users what MIQ could do in the Vanquish series without cannibalizing Equinox sales. 

In my opinion, the right balance was found by not giving the Vanquish machines the ability to ground balance. While I wish the 540 could ground balance, I completely understand why Minelab chose not to include that feature.

On a metal detector capability scale (for the typical detectorist) from 0 to 100, with the Equinox 800 being 100, it's my somewhat-educated opinion that:

0 = Using your hands, a fridge magnet and a shovel

35 = Go Find 22

60 = Vanquish 340

65 = Vanquish 440

70 = Vanquish 540

85 = Vanquish 540 with ground balancing (doesn't exist, I know, but if it did...)

92.5 = Equinox 600

The absolute numbers aren't the point. The point is that adding ground balancing to the 540 takes the 540 too close to the 600 for the average metal detectorist.

 

 

[☠ Cipher]

Now you’ve got me wondering if it at least has some kind of automatic tracking or if it’s just preset at each mode. Can’t find any info that mentions it. 

[mh9162013]

37 minutes ago, ☠ Cipher said:

Now you’ve got me wondering if it at least has some kind of automatic tracking or if it’s just preset at each mode. Can’t find any info that mentions it. 

From what I've read here and in other message boards, the modes in the Vanquish detectors may have some ability to adjust or otherwise deal with changes in ground mineralization. But it's not adjustable and it's probably not ground balancing as we understand it. Rather, it's probably that MIQ tech has a built-in ability to deal with different ground conditions, but only up to a point. Whether this "point" is naturally a part of MIQ or manually put in there by Minelab engineers, I don't now.

Here's a good thread that discusses this issue: https://www.detectorprospector.com/forums/topic/16241-official-minelab-vanquish-ground-balance-info/?tab=comments#comment-167663