Quest X10 PRO – The Best Budget Metal Detector You Can Buy?

Good quality metal detectors don’t come particularly cheap. If you want a fully waterproof, submersible machine with a built-in rechargeable battery, backlight, and several different search modes including coin, jewellery, all-metal and a user slot to save your settings you would expect to pay more than £200 for it right? And yet, Quest has managed to put all those features into their X10 PRO and you can buy one now for less than £200 (with a discount code).

The Original Quest X10 was a great machine and very popular due to its combination of features and low price. But times change and the market moves ever onwards. So Quest has updated the original concept to bring us the X10 PRO.

The main difference between the new and old versions is that the X10 PRO is now fully waterproof and submersible to a depth of 3 meters. And the frequency has been changed from 7.9 kHz to 12 kHz which makes it more sensitive to smaller conductors.  

There is also now a combined USB-C charging/headphone port and the addition of a vibrate function.

Everything else is familiar territory to anyone who had used the original X10. Actually, it will be familiar if you have used any of Quest’s machines as they all use a similar interface.

The Spec:

• Detection Platform: CVX Compact VLF
• Display: 3″ LCD 60x45mm
• Search Coil: Waterproof Turbo-D BladeS 9×5″
• Internal Battery: 1000mAh Li-Po battery for 8-12Hrs
• Recharge Method: USB-C Port
• Audio output: Built-in speaker, 3.5mm or USB-C wired headphones
• Waterproof: Yes to 3 meters
• On-Screen information: Battery level, Audio level, Target ID, TID bard (10 segments), Target Depth, Sensitivity level, Search modes, Threshold level and number of Tones.
• Search Modes: 4 – All Metal, Coin, Jewellery and User Customizable
• Shaft Adjustment Range (measured from handle to coil): 55cm (22″) to 104cm (41″)
• Operating Frequency: 12 kHz
• Target ID Range: 1-99
• Armrest: V shape with built-in stand to hold upright
• Unit Weight: 850 grams (1.9lbs) without middle section. 947 grams (2.1lbs) with middle section.
• Non-Motion pinpoint function: Yes
• Ground Balance: Yes. Auto and manual
• Flashlight: Yes
• Backlight for screen: Yes

Build Quality:

The X10 PRO is very well made. The all-plastic housing with rubber surround feels sturdy and the control panel has a reassuringly solid feel.

The user interface is well laid out with my only criticism being the buttons on the side. They can be hard to locate and press with a gloved hand and I do think it is always better to keep the controls to the front rather than have them at the side. It is a minor thing though and you soon get used to it. 

The screen has a switchable backlight but there is no function to have it only light up when there is a target signal. However, in terms of clarity, everything is well laid out and easy to read. There is also a flashlight built into the back of the control box which illuminates the coil area. 

There is no wireless module built-in although the back of the control box casing still indicates that there is one. This was an issue with the original X10 and I had hoped to see that removed by now.

The coil connector is smaller than on the original machine so coils are not interchangeable between the two. It fits snugly and has a quality feel to it.

As mentioned there is no wireless module fitted so you will need to use wired headphones or a wireless transmitter. The connection is USB-C but there is an adapter for a standard 3.5mm jack provided with the machine.

Something I think Quest could change on any future model is the way the control box mounts to the stem. Currently, you have to remove the screws from the handle and split it in order to mount it to the stem. This is obviously a cost-cutting measure and given the price, it is hard to complain but I much prefer the system used on the Quest Q30. 

The stem is of the hollow aluminium tube and spring clip design and is functional rather than ideal. There is also some minor sideways movement but nothing I would be too concerned about.

All in all a well-built machine for its price point.

Performance:

I mainly search beaches so this is where I tested the Quest X10 PRO. It is not marketed as a “beach machine” and it has no beach or saltwater mode so expectations were not overly high. Although having used the original X10 along with the Q40 and Q30 I was sure the machine would work well on the dry sand at least. But how would it perform on the wet sand?

The machine is pleasingly lightweight at just under 1 kg which makes it ideal for a long day detecting. You won’t suffer any arm ache swinging the X10 PRO. The lack of weight also makes it ideal for children. You can remove the centre stem to bring its size down and reduce the weight even further.

I initially used the auto-ground balance by holding the gb button and pumping the coil. It settled at 42 and as there is a fair bit of junk on this beach I switched to coin mode which notches out everything below 40. This eliminates a lot of the trash without missing too much of the good stuff. 

I spent the first ten minutes or so digging junk but then hit a strong and steady two-way target registering 72 on the display which turned out to be a very pretty but thin silver ring. It wasn’t particularly deep at around 6″ but it was definitely a good sign.

After another 30 minutes and various bits of junk later, I hit another ring that came in at 78-80. This was a mood ring so not valuable at all but a ring is a ring and I will take it every time. There were also a few modern coins. A £2 piece that registered at 80 on the screen and a £1 at the same reading. The £1 coin was about 8″ down and came in very strong.

And so onto the wet sand. For this, I manually ground balanced to zero and dropped sensitivity to 65. It worked faultlessly! No chatter, not sparky at all. I even put the coil in the surf and again it was quiet. This was the same experience I had with the Q30 which does have a wet sand mode. No finds worth reporting but it was an interesting test for the X10 PRO.

I have spoken about this to several people and we have come to the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that the X10 PRO is using the same firmware as the Q30 and just altered to suit the lower price point. 

The only caveat to this sterling performance by the X10 PRO is that, as with every other single frequency machine I have tested, it is susceptible to hot rocks and you cannot notch them out. At least not the ones on my beach. They come in between 80 and 90 on the readout and, for whatever reason, this cannot be notched. However, once you get used to the target response of these hot rocks you can very easily ignore them.

Conclusions:

There is so much to like about the Quest X10 PRO. The company has taken what was already a good machine and improved it in several important aspects whilst maintaining the low price point. The build quality is generally excellent and the performance, especially on the wet sand was impressive for a machine that costs so little. 

Would I change anything? Possibly. Those buttons on the side could be made slightly larger or the functions moved to the top of the panel but it is definitely not a deal-breaker.  Given the build quality, features and price point, you simply cannot buy a better machine for the money.

Pricing & Availability

The Quest X10 Pro is available in the UK from: 

https://joanallen.co.uk/

https://www.lpmetaldetecting.com/

Links

https://www.questmetaldetectors.com/

Quest Metal Detectors Facebook Group

Treasure Hunting World Facebook Group

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