First impressions on the Simplex+

Thought I would do a short initial impressions on the Simplex+, a detector that has really intrigued me for a while now. With Nokta/Makro offering the Simplex+ in a package with the pulsedive pinpointer and wireless headphones, it was a too greater temptation to pass up after mulling over a purchase. I tell you what, for an entry to mid evel detector I was simply gobsmacked on the quality, ergonomics and features on offer with this machine. Why would you even consider a detector like a bare bones AT Pro International with wired headphones at nearly twice the price (both being waterproof).

It may not be multi-frequency and you wouldn't expect it to be for the price, but in my my view design wise it trounces the Equinox in many areas, especially how it feels in the hand with the rubberised grip, angle of the grip and a notch on the top of the grip to prevent your hand slipping northwards (common complaint on the Equinox). The buttons have a very positive feel to them vs the touch pad style Equinox buttons - and did I mention they are also back-lit. The excellent backlit screen has more dimmable settings than on my Nox 600, not to mention an led torch on the front of the control box and vibration feature should it be required. Nice little details like the backlit screen illuminating when a target is encountered adds to what is already a bag full of goodies.

Assembly was a breeze with the three section shaft assembly and camlocks, I much prefer the square tube design vs round as on the Nox - very similar to that found on my Deus. The optional carbon fibre lower shaft is much stiffer than the stock one, looks great and only weighs 75gms vs stock 115gms. The coil design is also very robust and lightweight with much more substantial lower shaft mounting ears than the Nox, so I doubt we will have any fears of cracking (especially in the water with lateral strain).

One of the glaring omissions on my Nox is the inability to run a wireless pinpointer via the headphones for full silent operation, the Simplex coupled with the Pulsedive and wireless headphones offers this ability, something usually only found in detectors heading well northwards of $1000. I really think this makes for a well rounded package, something I wish Minelab would hurry up and rectifiy on the Nox with a new model wireless pinpointer.

Another couple of attractions to this detector are how proactive Nokta/Makro are on updates and adding new features upon requests from their customers, already a whole new program has been added for improved depth and more stable VDI's utlising a slighly slower recovery speed. The other is aftermarket coil support from third party manufacturers like NEL coil, with them recently announcing a full suite of coils for the Simplex. I think this detector would make a great pairing with the optional factory 8.5" round coil for relic hunting, striking a good compromise between depth and separation abilities, and greater overall balance of the detector (Christmas wishlist).

I am pretty fussy when it comes to tones being mainly a tone hunter vs using solely target ID's, hence why I sold my unliked Fisher F75 to fund this particular detector. I do find the tones on the Nox and Deus very agreeable and am so far really warming to the tones on the Simplex - especially regarding the modulation of the tones (ie. being able to judge target depth/size from the audio alone).

Next up will be a few trips to the field to have some fun learning the Simplex, am really looking forward to it. :Y:

Excellent first impressions review, Goldpick.

One thing I've been wondering is how warranty issues are handled in Australia. Is there a local service centre?

I've recently bought the PulseDive with 8" coil. Having fun in the water and it seems to work pretty well going by the pile of lead I've found.

Clodmaster said:

Excellent first impressions review, Goldpick.

One thing I've been wondering is how warranty issues are handled in Australia. Is there a local service centre?

I've recently bought the PulseDive with 8" coil. Having fun in the water and it seems to work pretty well going by the pile of lead I've found.

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Most detectors these days are just swapped out for new units or parts replaced under warranty if any defects or issues arise, Nokta/Makro in particular are well known for their good/prompt service and communication with customers.

Can't say I have ever had to send back any of my coils or detectors in the past. Usually more likely to be issues with software these days hence why it is a good idea to have a detector that accepts updates (ie. Nox, Simplex & Deus).

Sometimes it is good practice to wait a while to make a purchase on a new model detector, gives the manufacturer a chance to debug any issues that derived from customer feedback. The Simplex has been through a few software updates since its conception, and the latest 2.78 software version has received plenty of good feedback so far on both performance and additional features.

Goldpick, did you get the carbon shaft in the package deal as well? If not are they readily available?
What did the whole package set you back?
Im thinking of adding to my Nokta arsenal.
Cheers.

Great Value machine Good Write up Gold pick

cheeps and pops on the beach just lower the sensitivity a notch or two but no problem keeps you on your toes you cant scrub the coil on the sand like the Nox but for the dollars fully water proof not just the coil carbon lower shaft a great improvement love mine and i have the nox as well google Nokta australia main Dealer i think is Dectec Ed great to deal with and super fast postage

OzzieAu said:

Goldpick, did you get the carbon shaft in the package deal as well? If not are they readily available?
What did the whole package set you back?
Im thinking of adding to my Nokta arsenal.
Cheers.

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The Simplex+ with pinpointer and wireless headphones was $629, the carbon lower shaft was an extra $59 and readily available from the Detect-Ed website. Not sure whether other Oz dealers are offering the same package, though over in the US the same package was also being offered at Kellyco. You also get a decent finds bag and Nokta/Makro cap in the package.

The added Pulse diver pinpointer was a deal breaker for me considering it usually retails for $179, have been wanting to try one for a while now.

It seems like a good start off detector.

Thanks GP.... a head to head performance comparison with the nox would be of interest if you could manage it down the track.
Also out of all the pointers that you have, which do you prefer ?
Cheers.

OzzieAu said:

Thanks GP.... a head to head performance comparison with the nox would be of interest if you could manage it down the track.
Also out of all the pointers that you have, which do you prefer ?
Cheers.

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Out of my current ones, the XP Mi6 is my favourite, mainly due to the wireless connectivity to the Deus and no speaker holes to gum up with mud. Second would be the Garrett Carrot - it is the loudest and had the brightest LED light of the lot. The Nokta/Makro Pulse dive is yet to have a run and is physically much larger than most pinpointers, though being PI & waterproof should prove good at the beach and in reactive soils that make other pointers false. It is also much cheaper than all the mentioned pointers and has wireless connectivity to the Simplex.

I doubt the Simplex will match the Nox for overall depth ability, especially on more mineralised ground, though luckily the ground around here is not very mineralised and I suspect the Simplex should hold its own. The Nox is so far proving to be one of the deepest detectors I have used in recent years, maybe ever more so than my Deus. That is to be expected when comparing to a single frequency detector, I am more interested in how it will perform regarding recovery speed/target separation as most of my sites are riddled with iron, and depth ability is often a secondary consideration.

You can't change the recovery speed on the Simplex as the inbuilt programs offer varying degrees of recovery speeds (ie. park modes are fastest with field mode running slower though with improved depth ability). You have to expect that there will be some compromises on a detector in this price bracket, it simply isn't going to be a fair run against the Nox considering it is 2-3 times the price of the Simplex and with a lot more adjustabilty and MF in its favour.

Your show and tell finds thread will tell the tale...

Yes the Simplex is indeed an awsome value for money detector.
It has been 1 of our best selling metal detectors.
Available from just $475.

So, can anyone confirm a gold find using the Nokta Makro Simplex+? Also, keen to hear any thoughts on how it handles over high ferrous ground? Thanks all.