Minelab Vanquish 440
The Vanquish range are Minelab's mid-level detectors, offering excellent results with simple and easy to use functionality. While they may lack many of the features and customisation options of more expensive detectors, they use the same technology that powers the more expensive Equinox range and offer great performance in most conditions.
Vanquish 440 Review
The Minelab Vanquish 440 is the mid range model in the Vanquish range. Its a decent machine that can perform well on both beach and land settings thanks to Minelab’s innovative simultaneous multi-frequency (Multi-IQ) technology. This means less messing around changing coils or settings to suit your environment. It strikes a great balance between features and cost, at £299 its an affordable option with enough features and settings to give a decent detecting experience.
It’s Multi-IQ technology is some of the best on the market. This means the detector excels in all terrain and conditions, without the need to switch coils or continuously fiddle with settings. Minelab were the first to the market with this technology and their competitors are only just catching up.
It’s definitely a beginners detector, but compared to some entry level detectors it does a good job of discriminating out iron and achieves some good depth of targets. The build quality feels good and its comfortable to use. It performs far better on beaches and in shallow water than most other brands of detector with similar prices, but as the control box is not waterproof it can only be used in the shallows.
Overall the Minelab Vanquish 440 is a great choice of entry level detector for someone looking to get into the hobby. The extra features make it feel less like a starter detector than the 340, and at £100 cheaper but with very similar performance to the 540, it offers great value for money too. If you plan on detecting beaches, this is the best option in this price range. If your only detecting on land, the Nokta Simplex is definitely worth considering too.
You can see a comparison of the different Vanquish models below on our handy comparison chart. For detailed technical specifications, please visit the Minelab Website.
Pros & Cons
Pros
All terrain Multi-IQ technology
Good build quality
Decent on beaches
- Simple interface
Value for money
Cons
Performance
Limited Features and settings
Battery Powered
Range Comparison
Vanquish 340 | Vanquish 440 | Vanquish 540 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Retail Price | £229 | £329 | £429 |
Weight | 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) | 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs) | 1.3 kg (2.8lbs) |
Length | Extended: 145 cm (57 in.) Collapsed: 76 cm (30 in.) | Extended: 145 cm (57 in.) Collapsed: 76 cm (30 in.) | Extended: 145 cm (57 in.) Collapsed: 76 cm (30 in.) |
Technology | Multi-IQ | Multi-IQ | Multi-IQ®, Bluetooth, aptX™ Low Latency |
Waterproof | Coil (1m) / Control Box (No) | Coil (1m) / Control Box (No) | Coil (1m) / Control Box (No) |
Detecting Modes | Coin, Jewellery, All Metal | Coin, Relic, Jewellery, Custom | Coin, Relic, Jewellery, Custom |
Noise Cancel | Auto (19) Channels | Auto (19) Channels | Auto (19) Channels |
Bluetooth Audio | No | No | Yes |
Sensitivity | 4 levels | 10 levels | 10 levels |
Iron Bias | High | High | High (Default), Low |
Tones | 3 tones (Low, Mid, High) | 3 tones (Low, Mid, High) | 5 Tones |
Discrimination | 5 Segments | 12 Segments | 25 Segments |
Target ID | -9 to 40 | -9 to 40 | -9 to 40 |
Depth Indication | 4 levels | 5 levels | 5 levels |
Standard Coil | V10 10" x 7" Double-D | V10 10" x 7" Double-D | V12 12" x 9" Double-D |
Display | Monochrome LCD | Monochrome LCD | Monochrome LCD with red backlight |
Supplied Batteries | 4 x Standard AA | 4 x Standard AA | 4 x Rechargeable AA |
Battery Life | Approximately 10 Hours | Approximately 10 Hours | Approximately 11 Hours |
