In this Post I will provide you with all what you need to know about the Minelab VANQUISH Metal Detector series!
I personally feel that not many hobbyists understand the real added value of this series, especially that the company already offers the GO-FIND series and Equinox series!
I have my own reasons why Minelab will dominate the Market by this recent series of machine that I will share later in this Post …
… One of those reasons, is that this machine bring the Multi-Frequency Feature at a Relatively Lower Price (Check its Current Price Here at Amazon)
Below, I share the most important technical features of each model so you will be able to understand exactly what this machine series bring to the table.
Minelab VANQUISH Series General Review
You have the choice between 4 different options depending on the features you need or simply looking for … Below I break down each one of them!
1. VANQUISH 340
This is the first and the cheapest one of this series, it is adapted more for beginners who are looking for a simple machine with fewer settings to mess up with … Below are the most relevant features that the Vanquish 340 (Check it Here at Amazon) brings to the table:
- Search Modes: you’ve got 3 (Coins, Jewelry and All Metal) and that’s it … There is no custom mode that could be beneficial once you learn the machine fully, but this remains a good thing for beginners or those who like to keep things simple.
- Iron Bias: (High) This feature was first introduced in the Equinox Series and allows you to deal with situations when junk iron is close to an actual good non-ferrous target. In this case you have only the possibility to set Iron Bias to high which means that your machine will only focus on clean non-ferrous targets.
- 4 Levels of sensitivity: When we talk about sensitivity we generally refers to the target size/depth and conductivity … In other words, if an object is small, made out of a low conductive metal and buried pretty deep, then you will need to set a higher sensitivity to allow your machine to pick it up.
- 3 Target Tones: Bass, Low and High depending on how conductive your target is.
- 4 Depth Indicator Levels: Will allow you to estimate the depth of your target … Each level is about 2 and half inches … Thus, you won’t need to dig a deeper hole to extract your find.
- Coil: a Double-D 10*7 which is an average dimension and suitable for all purpose usage.
- Batteries: You will get a 4 AA replicable batteries!
- The Coil is Waterproof up to 3 feet.
2. VANQUISH 440
The 440 is the second model of the series, pretty similar to the 340, yet it has some additional useful features that you can utilize for your own benefit to come up with more finds …
… Compared to the 340, these are the additional features that the 440 brings:
- Search Modes: In addition to the conventional 3 search modes I’ve talked about earlier, the Vanquish 440 offers a 4th relic mode in case you are looking for antique stuff (like WW or old battlefield targets) and a 5thcustom mode in which you can actually define the exact settings you think you will need depending on the ground conditions and the target you are looking for … I don’t recommend using the custom mode unless you’ve learnt your machine quite well using the 4 default modes.
- Sensitivity: Instead of 4 levels, you’ve got in this one 10 levels … This will give you the possibility to be sensitive to even smaller targets.
- 5 Depth indicator levels instead of 4.
All in all, I would say that the 440 will allow you to deal with more target types, more ground conditions and pick up stuff a little bit deeper.
3. VANQUISH 540
This Model (Check it Here at Amazon) is also similar to the 440, yet it has a set of supplementary characteristics that will provide you with more detection options and more ease hearing and recognizing your targets …
… Below the additional options the Vanquish 540 offers in addition to what the 440 already has:
- Wireless headphones: this model supports 2 technologies to pair it with wireless headphones … Conventional Bluetooth which is a common way for that purpose … And the aptX technology which will provide you with a much faster response by ensuring a much lower latency (only a 40ms delay). If you are interested, you can check these Good Wireless Detection Headphones!
- Larger Coil: Still a Double-D one, yet it is a larger one with 12*9 inches of dimensions… This will make the machine about 0.3 pounds (100 Grams) heavier (not significant I would say …) yet this will allow you to cover much more space while detecting.
- Display: This model has a little extra feature (red backlight) … So you will be able to visualize the screen on Darker Conditions, especially at night.
- Battery: the 540 comes with rechargeable batteries instead of replaceable ones that the 440 and 340 have.
- Iron Bias: (High and Low) the 340 and 440 support only a High Iron Bias option … However, this one supports also a Low Iron Bias which means that your metal detector will also pick signals of non-ferrous targets that are very close to iron.
Finally, you can say that this model offers an ease to detect in Darker conditions, possibility to cover more space while swinging and ability to detect longer due to the rechargeable battery and wireless headphones usage.
4. VANQUISH 540 Pro Pack
Compared to the regular 540, there is not much stuff to say about the 540 Pro Pack (Check it Here at Amazon) other than the fact that it comes with 2 different coils:
- Small: 8*5 inches Double-D in case you are seeking for more sensitivity regarding smaller targets … However, this coil won’t cover lots of space and couldn’t go very deep.
- Large: 12*9 inches Double-D if you are looking for more space to cover while swinging and more depth … But this could be in detriment of sensitivity towards small sized items.
For me, if you don’t really have a specific need for these kind of details, then the regular 540 is more than enough!
Why Minelab has released this series?
There are several reasons why I believe Minelab has decided to release the Vanquish series … And would love to share some of them with you:
1. Business reason: In the last decade Minelab used to introduce to the Market each 2 to 3 years a new series of machines in which they introduce new technologies and features (such us the aptX low latency, Muti-IQ, Iron Bias …) …
… And I feel that the company needs more time to develop something new to overwhelm the market with and releasing this series of detectors will allow them to gain at least 2 to 3 years to release something new from a technological stand-point!
2. Technical Reason: Before if you wanted to have a Minelab multi-frequency machine with Iron Bias feature you had to acquire an Equinox model which is not affordable by everybody!
The company has decided, it seems, to produce this series to offer these possibilities at a lower price tag! This is all good …
3. Marketing Reason: We all know that Garrett Electronics has dominated the market since the beginning and still does so … And one of the reasons for that, is that it offers good low entry models especially the Garrett Ace Models (150, 200, 300, 400, Euro …) …
… I am almost sure that the Vanquish models are a direct competitor of the Ace series … and if people pay attention well, it is obvious that the Minelab models offer far more interesting stuff! Garrett people should probably think and consider that!
Minelab VANQUISH series vs EQUINOX Series
I am not going to put on a detailed comparison between the 2 series … I only want to highlight the most relevant differences so you will be able to pick what would suit you the most:
- Options: As I’ve list below the Vanquish series offer basically 4 models that you can choose from … Instead, Equinox has only 2 models 600 and 800!
- Pricing: Vanquish models are significantly cheaper than the Equinox … For example; you can Check the Equinox 800 Current Price Here at Amazon!
- Conductive Soil: If you are dealing with a ground rich in minerals and/or magnetic particles, Vanquish detectors won’t be able to deal 100% perfectly with it unless you’ve learnt your machine perfectly … On the other hand, Equinox detectors are designed to deal with mineralized soil properly!
- Gold Nuggets: Vanquish machines could find gold in its pure form but they are not designed for that usage, they might struggle to do so … Equinox 800 has a dedicated Gold mode that allows it to pick them up!
- Waterproof: All Vanquish models have waterproof coils, but only the coil, the control box is definitely not … Thus you can’t submerge them underwater … However, the Nox 600 and 800 could be submerged underwater up to 10 feet … Thus you can do some underwater detection if you want to!
So if you are not planning on Gold Prospection or underwater detection then any Vanquish model is probably enough … Otherwise, investing in an Equinox model is probably worth it!
Reasons why you should opt for Minelab Products in general!
Most leading companies do a great job with their products (You can Check these Metal Detector Brands for more Ideas) …
… However, I particularly think that Minelab has such a particular caliber that I appreciate a lot:
- Their Post sale services are great! If you are not pleased with what you’ve got they will find a way to satisfy you …
- For many of their machines they provide you with the possibility to upgrade the software freely by downloading the new version from their website and uploading it to your machine.
- Their documentation is off the chart, you won’t be lost or lacking any particular information whatsoever … The documents are extremely well done and easy to follow! You will feel like an expert after reading their guide without even touching the actual machine.
- For each machine you acquire, it’s almost a guarantee that you will own the latest detection technologies for the category of machine you had.
Conclusion
Really hope I’ve got all your questions answered about this Machine series! If not, if you are still not sure about something specific, please let know …
… If you’ve always wanted to own and use a multi-frequency machine at a lower price tag, then that’s probably the right choice!
Finally, for more models like these, I highly invite you to check these minelab metal detector models! There are some solid choices in there.