Minelab Vanquish 440

Product Information

Note of appreciation: I want to thank Kellyco Metal Detectors for providing the Vanquish 440 for me to evaluate as well as my hunting buddy and good friend Gary Bronga (pictured right) for his valued contribution to this report. Each of these metal detectors would be a great investment for a beginning detectorist. Minelab’s Vanquish line is changing the game by offering a true multiple frequency metal detector at an entry-level price. The Vanquish 440 is a great all-purpose metal detector and the Multi-IQ technology is a huge advantage. The lower frequencies are more responsive to highly conductive metals like silver. Higher frequencies are more responsive to low conductive metals like gold. Many ore producing areas have difficult ground conditions. For example, the places I usually metal detect in Utah and Idaho are known ore producing regions.

Probably the most exciting feature of the Vanquish Series, which puts it way ahead of others in its price range (and above), is the inclusion of Minelab's unique Multi-IQ Simultaneous Multi-Frequency Technology, as seen in the Equinox Series which made it a real game changer in the metal detecting world and by far the best selling metal detector in 2018, 2019 and probably all-time to date. Discrimination is not recommended when gold prospecting with a metal detector, because gold can often read on the lower end of numerical target ID, like iron. If you know you will be metal detecting in a trashy location, or a location with a lot of iron targets you are not interested in, you can use your discrimination feature to notch the unwanted metals out, while keeping the desired metals notched in. One huge advantage for the Minelab Vanquish series over the competition is the ability to run on multiple frequencies simultaneously. None of the other entry level metal detectors (besides the Minelab Equinox line) feature this technology. No other entry level metal detector offers operating frequencies as high as the Vanquish series, either. The frequencies range from 5 kHz to 40 kHz, so this detector is perfect for finding all types of metals. Many single frequency metal detectors struggle to find gold, as gold is best found at a frequency of 18 kHz or higher. This metal detector can find even small gold with its higher frequency. The Nokta Makro Simplex+ is one of my favorite metal detectors. The Simplex+ is designed to be an affordable detector for beginning or intermediate detectorists. The Simplex+ is Nokta Makro’s first entry level metal detector and is very easy to use. This model comes with automatic ground balancing and 4 search modes: Field, Park, Beach, and All Metal.

ALL-TERRAIN

As with the 440, the 340 is not fully waterproof but is water resistant. As with the 440, the 340 features 19 channels of noise cancellation, but has only 3 adjustable volume settings compared to the 440s 10 levels. The 340 also does not feature a pinpoint mode. Despite the discrepancies in features, the 340 is less expensive than the 440. Both are designed for new metal detectorists and are very easy to use. The 340 comes with a 3-year warranty, same as the 440.

To cut the long story short, it seems that for the first time in the last 10-15 years the market of metal detectors experiences a real revolution, and the Vanquish series is a big chunk of this revolution. Now, let’s see what interesting features this revolution brings. This model has 12 discrimination segments, so you can customize it to work in all terrains and all soil types. It features 19 channel automatic noise cancelling, 3 target tones, lag-free audio, and 10 volume adjustments. This model is lightweight, at just 2.6 pounds, and comes standard with Minelab’s V10 10” by 7” Double-D waterproof search coil. It should be noted that the control box is weatherproof, not waterproof, so it should not be submerged in water. Take caution when hunting near water or you risk ruining the metal detector. I see that Minelab and … Nokta got the idea. Right, this is Nokta Simplex that I consider as a main rival to these devices. Especially, for beach hunting fans.

Vanquish 440 has four search modes: coins, relics, jewelry, and custom. As for me, I use Relics mode more often. I’d advise using All metal at the beginning, but you should pay attention to how each target sounds, including iron. This way, you’ll learn to hear what kind of metal is under the coil, and then you can switch to other settings and feel more confident when using them. With Minelab's simultaneous multi-frequency it's like using all your coils in one sweep of your machine. Three Simultaneous Frequencies

Frequencies Three: Low, Medium & high Simultaneously Noise Cancel Auto (19 Channels) Iron Bias High Sensitivity Levels 10 Volume Levels 10 Target Tones 3 Target ID Range -9 to 40 Discrimination Segments 12 Depth Indicator Levels 5 Audio Output The Vanquish 540 weighs a few ounces more than the 440, at 2.9 pounds. This model has Bluetooth compatibility so it can be used with wireless headphones or wired headphones. The 540 comes with rechargeable AA batteries and is the only model of Vanquish with rechargeable batteries. However, if you set Iron BIAS to Low, the metal detector will perform better when detection coins among iron rubbish. This function does provide clearer signals from coins, but during the testing process, the metal detector functioned in All Metal mode. We didn’t perform testing at various discrimination modes; thus, I’d recommend using this function with care in this case. Models Minelab Vanquish 340A: It depends on how you will be using the detector. A good rule of thumb is the bigger the search coil the more area you can cover and the deeper it can go. But deeper is not always better. Large coils have less sensitivity to smaller targets and are susceptible to electromagnetic interference. The 540 comes with a 12” and 8” search coil. So, the 12” coil will cover more ground and search deeper but may suffer the effects of electromagnetic interference. VANQUISH welcomes tough terrain. It dominates at the beach in wet sand and salt water, outperforming other detectors that can’t compete. 12 discrimination segments deliver control over what metals you want to accept or reject. This is an automatic setting, that is adjusted right after the metal detector is turned on. There are 19 channels available. Iron BIAS function I was impressed how adjustable for overall length this detector is. Not only can you adjust the lower shaft for length but the arm cuff shaft as well. This again is perfect for those little ones in your family just getting into the hobby.