Testing The Quest Q30+

[palzynski]

TESTING THE QUEST Q30+ RAPTOR 11X9  :
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Testing conditions : 
Coin/relic hunting , inland , low to moderately mineralized soil , low to very high iron trash

MY GRADING :  3,5 of 5   ( 14/20 ) 

THE PLUS :
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- excellent audio ,accurate and fast on targets 
- excellent in the irons 
- 14khz polyvalent frequency
- high quality manufacturing 
- IP68 protected to 5m
- easy to use
- lithium ion battery
- very stable / no EMI in my areas
- screen backlight
- very good telescopic shaft
- very good wireless headphones 
- very good value for money ( price 450e) 
 
THE CONS :
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- detector front heavy ( 1360g ) / Raptor coil heavy ( 470g )
- accessories/spare parts availibility

The Quest brand is quite popular in Western Europe and most of the MD dealers over here propose this brand to their customers.
There are 5 Quest detectors available at the moment :

- The X5 (170e) and X10 (240e)  : 12khz entry level detectors for beginners and more 
- The Q30 (350e) and Q30+ (450e): 14khz for more experienced users 
- The Q60 (600e)                : 5,14,21khz switchable freq / the Quest top level machine

https://www.metaux-detection.fr/fr/detecteurs-quest-c102x3814868

https://www.questmetaldetectors.com/

The Q30 and Q30+ have been released on 2020 . The objective from Quest was probably to propose a serious machine able to compete with the Nokta Simplex+ and the Minelab Vanquish. 

Notice that the Q30+ is almost identical to the Q30, except it has an embedded bluetooth transmitter plus wireless headphones . 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS :
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The Q30+ is very well build . The control box is IP68 rated to 5m . This is very useful when you need to wash the CB after a muddy outing , which often occurs at the moment .. The CB has a magnetic plug for charging the lithium battery, this is more reliable than a USB connector . The telescopic shaft is very convenient and robust .

The Raptor coil is a 11X9 size , it is a little too big for me I would have preferred a 10X8 or equivalent . Moreover it is heavy ( 470g without coil cover ) compared to other brands ( Equinox 11" 420g , Vanquish V10 360g ).

The Q30+ with the Raptor weighs 1,36kg . This is heavier than an Equinox 11 ( 1,26kg ) or a Vanquish 440 ( 1,2kg ). But a little lighter than a NM Simplex+ . I am a little disappointed by this I expected a lighter detector ..

Lets talk about the electronics. The Q30+ is a 14khz monofrequency machine . 14 khz is a very good choice because it is probably the most polyvlent VLF freq . The Q30+ has are 4 detection modes , PARK , FIELD , GOLD and BEACH. During this test I have only used the PARK and FIELD modes .  The multitones can be set to 4 tones max. 
The Q30+ has GB , sensitivity , volume etc ... plus a screen backlight.    See the details below :

 

 

The Q30+ wireless headphones :

 

You wont find advanced settings on the Q30+ like for example the reactivity ,this parameter is perfectly preset and I have never needed to change it during my field tests. Personnaly I like simple detectors , and this one is very easy to use .

OK its time to start the detector. As usual I sweep it over a few targets in my yard to have a better idea of the audio. This audio is very reactive and is similar to fast detectors like the Tesoros and XP for example . Good news because I am a great fan of these audios because they are fun and efficient to use in my detecting areas , usually fields with a lot of iron trash , old nails and 1st WW shell fragments ...

 

FIELD TESTS :
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I have done 5 outings with the Q30+ for a total of 8 hours. One in a little wood infested by old irons . The other outings have been done in open fields. The Q30+ has always performed very well especially in the irons and I have really been impressed by its audio , with an excellent iron filtering and very accurate and clean signals on targets.   The screen conductivity IDs are quite accurate and stable , a little less than on an Equinox or a Vanquish , but it is ok for me .

As I was expecting the Q30+ is front heavy with the Raptor coil and my Deus is much lighter . This is the only thing I did not like on this machine .

A few pictures below ...

 

SETTINGS :
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I have mostly used the PARK mode as it is a little more reactive than the FIELD mode.

CONCLUSION :
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I like the Q30+ . This detector is very good especially in the irons where it is fast with very clean and accurate signals on targets . It is probably one of the best audios I have ever tested . The detector is easy to use and the control box is very well protected  . It has a very recent/modern design dating from 2020 . The wireless headphones are great . Everything seems to be very reliable I had no issue during these tests either with the detector or the headphones .

Concerning the downsides ,the Q30+ would have deserved a lighter Raptor stock coil. For info there is an optional smaller 5X9 BladeX coil which is probably a killer . Unfortunately I could not order it as it is not available in France at the moment ...

Then to summarize at 450e the Q30+ is a very good detector for coin/relic hunting , that can easily compete with the ML Vanquish or NM Simplex+ to my opinion...  

 

A few pics :
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During one of the outings , ir was a windy day ...

 

A big coin ... :

 

It is a coin from Louis XVI ,  12 deniers 1791 B

 

A smaller coin , denier tournois 16th century , but very corroded :

 

And some rubbish in the big box  ... :

 

The Q30+ with my Deus1 Lite HF :

 

 

[DOOGY-MD]

If you had a choice to buy the Quest Q30, Nokta Simplex or Vanquish 540, which one would you buy?

[palzynski]

For my kind of hunting , inland and mainly open fields I prefer the Quest to the Vanquish and Simplex+ , this despite the Raptor coil weight ..  The Vanquish and Simplex+ are good detectors , but I definitely prefer the Q30 audio ...

 

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

I think Quest could earn a bigger slice of the US market if they could establish a reputable service network. It does seem that the people who have tried the more recent Quest machines like them.

 

For me, that stock coil would have to go. I'd probably try the Q30 if it came with the smaller blade coil (instead of the stock coil).

[GB_Amateur]

6 hours ago, palzynski said:

good value for money ( price 450e)

Quite a bit cheaper ($369 with shipping included) here in USA through Serious_Detecting.

[palzynski]

10 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Quite a bit cheaper ($369 with shipping included) here in USA through Serious_Detecting.

Yes it looks like a very good deal especially if you can order the 5X9 BladeX in the US ... 

[George Kinsey]

One of my personal favorites.

[BigSkyGuy]

George,

How does the Q30 handle mineral in your area? Does the Q30+ overload on cans like the Q60?

Thank you

[phrunt]

I've noticed my dealer has started stocking the Quest brand, how's it go for depth by comparison to the Simplex and Vanquish? For me here in my soils the Vanquish is the clear winner by comparison to the Simplex especially with its ID capability, the Simplex starts to think deep coins are iron when the Vanquish is still giving a correct ID on them, so it'd be interesting to hear how the Q30 compares depth wise of coin size targets.

[palzynski]

4 hours ago, phrunt said:

I've noticed my dealer has started stocking the Quest brand, how's it go for depth by comparison to the Simplex and Vanquish? For me here in my soils the Vanquish is the clear winner by comparison to the Simplex especially with its ID capability, the Simplex starts to think deep coins are iron when the Vanquish is still giving a correct ID on them, so it'd be interesting to hear how the Q30 compares depth wise of coin size targets.

The Q30 is much better than the Vanquish in the irons  ( where I detect the more often ) . However the Vanquish goes a little deeper deeper in clean soil with better id at depth to my opinion ..

btw I am not surprised that your dealer now sells Quest because they are great detectors  ..