Nokta Score & Double Score Metal Detectors Vs. Minelab

Nokta Strikes Back At Minelab X-Terra Pro and… SCORE!

Recently Minelab came out with the X-Terra Pro as the ultimate rebuttal to the Nokta Simplex Ultra. 

At first glance, the Simplex Ultra WHP (wireless headphones package) loses with price point of $389. However the X-Terra Pro doesn’t come with headphones at the $269.99 price point. You need to buy the additional $109 ML85 Headphones to complete the package. 

This brings the total to $378.95, still better than the Simplex WHP pricepoint. 

Anybody familiar with single frequency detectors knows that they do not perform well in salt water or wet sand. 

Despite whatever features Nokta added to the new Simplex Ultra, the machine still doesn’t perform well on the beach. 

However, the X-Terra Pro is ‘selectable single-frequency’, and somehow manages to perform quite well on the beach. 

In this case I would say Minelab is the clear winner. 

ENTER THE SCORE & DOUBLE SCORE!

Nokta has stated that the Score metal detector is like the middle child between the Simplex and the Legend. Turn-on-and-go, extremely easy to use, no ground balance necessary. 

At first glance the Score sounds like a Minelab Vanquish killer. However, Nokta takes it a step further by stating the Score has 3- multi-frequency modes and one (15kHz) single frequency mode. 

At under $500, fully carbon fiber, fully waterproof, and with dozens of features the Score beats the Vanquish series by miles. 

Unfortunately I believe Nokta shot themselves in the foot a little bit by making the target ID only 0-60. It is my opinion that a large target ID scale (at least 0-99) is critical for getting better accuracy. 

The Equinox 600/800 were a nightmare at 0-39 TID scale because the detector's processor would merge targets into the same TID, and I personally believe it made the machine much noisier (especially in multi-frequency). 

A compressed Target ID doesn’t allow you as the user to discern between targets as easily because your detector's processor is assigning them the same target ID numbers and crunching them together. 

I like to use the Where’s Waldo analogy: 

How could you find Waldo if you were crammed in a room full of people and you could barely see past any of them?

Now imagine you are in a big warehouse, with people spread out. It would be much easier for you to discriminate between everyone there to find Waldo wouldn’t it?

In the same way a larger TID Scale allows you to discriminate between targets more easily because those targets aren’t crammed together into the same TID numbers.

Although the Minelab X-Terra has 0-99 Target ID, it cannot compete with the multi/single frequency options and other settings the Score offers. However, I do suspect the Equinox 700/900 will be superior without even having to compare them. 

The Minelab X-Terra and Vanquish have a dirty little secret that Nokta borrowed from them. The X-Terra and the Vanquish 540 have a 12” inch coil to help it edge out more depth. The problem with this is it makes the detector heavier, and it makes target separation more challenging.

Nokta followed suit by giving the Score series a 13” inch coil! Again, increasing coil size is a sneaky way of getting one detector to edge out another detector in a depth comparison test. There is no extra power needed, and Nokta looks better in comparison videos. Brilliant sneaky advertising. 

As a buyer, just remember that the coil size will affect depth, target separation, weight, and sometimes Target ID stability. 

The Nokta Score are supposed to be released before the end of 2023. 

Here are some of the features Nokta has released regarding the Score, and Double Score