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Please help possible purchase for newbie

michaelsmetal

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2020
Messages
21
I have a chance to buy a White’s dfx with a big foot search coil and an invader dx1. Price is $500 plus shipping. He said he has all good presets installed but I’m hesitant because i feel like there’s a lot better set ups I could get for $500. Let me know what you think.
 
My opinion,that machine is a dinosaur. Much better setups for $500,especially if your new to the hobbie. If I were in your shoes,being new to the hobbie,, I would get a vanquish 540 pro pack. Great performance,minimal settings and 2 great coils.
 
You should listen to woodbutcher. Personally, I am a fan of the DFX but they are getting really old. Equipped with a Bigfoot they would definitely cover some ground for recent drops but if you hunt in an area with deeper silver, that Bigfoot will not reach them. In my higher mineralized dirt the DFX even with the stock coil or a Detech 8X6 SEF was a 6" deep detector in normal coin and jewelry mode in multi frequency.

You can definitely do better. Basically the $400 is paying for the Bigfoot coil and you are getting a really old detector and the dx1 for $100.

If you got him down to between $300 and $350, that would be a really good deal for a local purchase with no fees and taxes.
 
If whites were still in business it would nit be a bad deal but it is a complicated first machine to try out. I too would get something else that is new. Good luck!!
 
My opinion,that machine is a dinosaur. Much better setups for $500,especially if your new to the hobbie. If I were in your shoes,being new to the hobbie,, I would get a vanquish 540 pro pack. Great performance,minimal settings and 2 great coils.

+1 I agree with woodbutcher's excellent advice.

Another option would be the basic Vanquish 540 for only $369, or less, and fully up-gradeable to the Pro Pack, if you find you want to continue with the hobby...
 
Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I missed a clean White’s classic sl Idx for $140 by 3 minutes so I’m super bummed. But being that a lot of the research I’m doing is dated I feel you all know more about the current detectors that are good/ cheap.
 
My opinion,that machine is a dinosaur. Much better setups for $500,especially if your new to the hobbie. If I were in your shoes,being new to the hobbie,, I would get a vanquish 540 pro pack. Great performance,minimal settings and 2 great coils.

Is there anything you suggest that I might be able to find used/ new in the $150-$350 range that isn’t too dated? $500 is really more than I want to spend.
 
Is there anything you suggest that I might be able to find used/ new in the $150-$350 range that isn’t too dated? $500 is really more than I want to spend.

Nokta makro simplex is the best bang for your buck right now IMO. The vanquish is a great deal as well. The type of sites you hunt should also play a big part in your machine choice. Good luck on your decision, and let us know which machine you choose!
 
Nokta makro simplex is the best bang for your buck right now IMO. The vanquish is a great deal as well. The type of sites you hunt should also play a big part in your machine choice. Good luck on your decision, and let us know which machine you choose!

Oh thats funny I literally was just looking at that.
 
Nokta makro simplex is the best bang for your buck right now IMO. The vanquish is a great deal as well. The type of sites you hunt should also play a big part in your machine choice. Good luck on your decision, and let us know which machine you choose!

X2. The Simplex is an awesome buy. If you plan on hunting parks or any other trashy area I would highly recommend purchasing one of the smaller coils. Makes a world of difference. I am just starting out working with a used 540 I picked up here on the forum. It is super easy to use and my initial impression is that it goes very deep. I am not sure if you already have one, but keep in mind you’ll need a good pinpointer too. Just as valuable as the detector.

Good luck and have fun!
 
X2. The Simplex is an awesome buy. If you plan on hunting parks or any other trashy area I would highly recommend purchasing one of the smaller coils. Makes a world of difference. I am just starting out working with a used 540 I picked up here on the forum. It is super easy to use and my initial impression is that it goes very deep. I am not sure if you already have one, but keep in mind you’ll need a good pinpointer too. Just as valuable as the detector.

Good luck and have fun!

If you dont want to order the model with the wireless headphones is there a jack somewhere on the simplex to plug in? I cant tell from the pictures online.
 
Simplex

Its the best for the price....And there is a plug...
Crazy they can sell at this price?....but Great for you...and a warranty to boot!!!
 
If you dont want to order the model with the wireless headphones is there a jack somewhere on the simplex to plug in? I cant tell from the pictures online.

Yes, there is a plug on the front of the control box opposite where the coil connection is. It is a multi pin thread on plug. Nokta provides a headphone adapter cord for using wired headphones. This is also the charging port and data port for updates.
 
kinda scares me that the 440 only has 10 reviews on amazon. Have you heard anything about the Nokta Simplex+?

I don't own a Simplex or a Vanquish so I can't offer any suggestions on which machine is better for your area's soil, your hunting style, etc. I will suggest one very important thing though - regardless which machine you decide on, if you buy new, DO NOT buy your machine from Amazon. Please take a look at a few of dealers on the forum sponsor list and call them. They will save you at least 10-15% off of the list prices you see on Amazon, or any advertised price you find online.
 
kinda scares me that the 440 only has 10 reviews on amazon. Have you heard anything about the Nokta Simplex+?

Hi Michael,
Amazon reviews are the LAST place I would go for information about a detector. The vast majority of the "metal detectors" sales that are sold on Amazon are complete junk and are pirated Chinese (nothing against China by the way meant by this comment) versions of barely entry level US detectors. Reviews by at least intermediate level detector users are what you need to be reading. Not reviews by complete beginners.

Listen to the reviews on the metal detecting forums. If you type metal detecting forums into your browser you will likely see this forum and three more at the top of the list. You can trust these forums for honest opinions and for some brand loyal rants too. Buy your new detector from a US detector dealer or at least a reputable sporting goods store where the bill of sale will be honored for warranty registration. If you buy used, make sure to find out if the warranty is still in effect and transferable and get the original bill of sale if possible. Most are transferable except Fisher/Teknetics/Bounty Hunter FTP products.

The Vanquish and Simplex models are outstanding entry level metal detectors from outstanding manufacturers. You cannot go wrong buying one of these. They really do perform at levels way above their price points. The soon to be released Garrett Apex also looks like an amazing detector for the money=$500

You can spend less than $250 on some "new" Fisher/Teknetics/Bounty Hunter models that work very well along with the very basic Garrett Ace models. All of these are actually old tech that is still being rehashed. They do not have the advanced features of the Vanquish 540 or the Simplex+ and they will not perform above their price point by much.

You can spend around $250 on some used detectors by Whites, Fisher, Minelab and Nokta Makro like a Whites MX5, M6, Fisher F19, Fisher F44, Fisher/Teknetics Omega 8500, G2+, T2, Patriot, Minelab X-Terra 50, 70, 305, 505 or even a 705, and there are great deals on used Simplex models, Racer 2s and even some Kruzers. There are plenty more that I'm forgetting.

Tesoro detectors are really fun to use. Most do not have a numerical target ID display or more than one tone. They work great for a beginner BUT, if I was expecting to be really serious about metal detecting I would not use a Tesoro for my main detector for the majority of detecting situations.
 
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The Vanquish and Simplex models are outstanding entry level metal detectors from outstanding manufacturers. You cannot go wrong buying one of these. They really do perform at levels way above their price points. The soon to be released Garrett Apex also looks like an amazing detector for the money=$500

Jeff gives good advice as usual. The Vanquish and Simplex are new tech and give so much performance per dollar the math just doesn't work on most used detectors. Both have been on the market less than a year and they both are getting good reviews.
 
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