Quest X5 & X10 – Are Third Party Coils Really Compatible? Yes they are!
Some time ago just after the launch of the Quest X5 and X10 I wrote to Quest and asked them about coil compatibility. Could, for example, a coil from the Q20 or Q40 be used with these new machines. They replied saying that yes, coils are compatible across the range. So any coil made for the Q series would also work on the X series and this included third party coils.
So far so good. This made the X5 and X10 really versatile machines at an incredibly low price point. However, we are now being told this is actually not the case!
An admin on the Official Quest Facebook group recently contacted Mars coils to confirm that their Q series coils would work with the X series. The answer was surprising.
Apparently each coil they make is specific to a single machine. So one of their Q20 coils will only work on the Q20 and you cannot use it on an X5 or X10.
This came as a surprise to me and is incredibly frustrating. I had, of course, trusted Quest’s initial response and had been recommending the X5 and X10 on that basis ever since. The fact that it now seems likely that you would need to purchase a specific coil for the X5 and X10 makes them less versatile machines than I had first thought.
But who are we to believe?
Do we take Quest’s word that all coils are compatible? If so then we would have to assume that Mars is not being honest and instead are simply claiming you need to buy a specific coil in order to boost profits.
Given the very inconsistent information that has been coming from Quest about its products over the past 4 years, I have to say I would have initially given Mars coils the benefit of the doubt. They have a good reputation and I don’t think they would put that on the line just to make a few bucks more out of Quest coil sales. However, they were not exactly being clear about why the coils are incompatible. Read below.
UPDATE Feb 2020: Since writing this article we have found out that all the coils made for the Q20 and Q40 WILL work with the X5 and X10. The only difference is in the lug mounting which varies slightly between the Q series and X series machines. A little judicious filing soon sorts that out.
For more info and discussion visit the two Quest Facebook Groups: Quest Official Facebook Group and Quest Metal Detector UK Group.
