First Metal Detector

[mcjtom]

About two years ago I bought a Chinese Mental Detector for some $40 thinking they are all the same.  Kind members of this forum quickly set me straight and I got Vanquish 440.  By no means I'm experienced or even succesful, but I have a technical background and the interest and the time to read about metal detecting, ask questions, experiment with settings, and be happy swinging.  And I think by now I know enough to appreciate the complexities involved in metal detecting.

Now the problem: I've been asked, obviously being an expert :⁠-⁠), by a friend as to what fun detector to buy for his wife so that she could look for things mostly around their summer house in a forest in Europe (and maybe later elsewhere, like on a beach).  To my eye the ground there is mild, but I don't really know.  She probably doesn't want to look for anything in particular, just explore what may be under ground.  The detector should be sufficiently easy to use so that she doesn't get discouraged at first and not super expensive as he is not sure if his wife would like the new hobby.

The question I got was if the Xterra Pro was the right choice.  He also looked at the Simplex Ultra.  My answer was that the Vanquish 340 or 440 may not look as modern, but she may have a better luck with it as it may be simpler to set and more stable to operate and read.

Am I wrong? Is there something else that I should have said?

[Gerry in Idaho]

On 3/15/2024 at 2:19 PM, mcjtom said:

About two years ago I bought a Chinese Mental Detector for some $40 thinking they are all the same.  Kind members of this forum quickly set me straight and I got Vanquish 440.  By no means I'm experienced or even succesful, but I have a technical background and the interest and the time to read about metal detecting, ask questions, experiment with settings, and be happy swinging.  And I think by now I know enough to appreciate the complexities involved in metal detecting.

Now the problem: I've been asked, obviously being an expert :⁠-⁠), by a friend as to what fun detector to buy for his wife so that she could look for things mostly around their summer house in a forest in Europe (and maybe later elsewhere, like on a beach).  To my eye the ground there is mild, but I don't really know.  She probably doesn't want to look for anything in particular, just explore what may be under ground.  The detector should be sufficiently easy to use so that she doesn't get discouraged at first and not super expensive as he is not sure if his wife would like the new hobby.

The question I got was if the Xterra Pro was the right choice.  He also looked at the Simplex Ultra.  My answer was that the Vanquish 340 or 440 may not look as modern, but she may have a better luck with it as it may be simpler to set and more stable to operate and read.

Am I wrong? Is there something else that I should have said?

X-Terra Pro would be a strong choice as it has a variety of coil options from all 4 of the Equinox detectors (600, 700, 800 & 900) as all those coils will work with X-Terra Pro.  Also, the 100% Waterproof feature is nice. 

Yes the Simplex is a similar priced detector that is very popular as well.  I don't sell as many of them so I can't tell you the Pros/Cons of each, but I think coming from Vanquish to X-Terra pro would be easier than to a Simplex.

Hopefully this helps and wishing you luck.