Experts recommend Nokta Makro Simplex more than Minelab Excalibur II
As of 10 Jan 2025, experts prefer Nokta Makro Simplex over Minelab Excalibur II, but both Metal Detectors have solid expert endorsements.
As per this month's meta ranking, Nokta Makro Simplex received 4 recommendations: from Task and Purpose (31 May 2022), Popular Mechanics (3 Jan 2025) Metal Detecting in the USA (6 Jul 2023) and 1 other. By contrast, Minelab Excalibur II received only 3 recommendations from money.com (19 Dec 2022), Popular Mechanics (3 Jan 2025) and Metal Detecting in the USA (6 Jul 2023).
| Rank | Change | Price | Metal Detector | Task and Purpose  | money.com  | Bob Vila  | ZD Net  | BestReviews  | The Strategist  | Popular Mechanics  | Your Best Digs  | Metal Detecting in the USA  | Tech Metals Research  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | Check price |  Nokta Makro Simplex The Nokta Makro Simplex metal detector is a highly regarded and versatile device with advanced features, target identification capabilities, and ease of use, making it suitable for both land and underwater treasure hunting. | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | +1 | $1599 |  Minelab Excalibur II The Minelab Excalibur II is a highly praised metal detector with waterproof capabilities, advanced target identification, and customizable discrimination settings, making it ideal for underwater exploration and scuba diving. | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | 7 | - | 9 | - |
Curious to see this month's entire Metal Detectors ranking? It's here
Endorsement summary:
- On 3 Jan 2025 Popular Mechanics ranked Nokta Makro Simplex as #3 and Minelab Excalibur II as #7
Rank Metal Detector Comment ... ... ... #3 out of 9 Nokta Makro Simplex Best For Beginners... ... ... #7 out of 9 Minelab Excalibur II Best for Underwater... ... ... Source: www.popularmechanics.com - On 6 Jul 2023 Metal Detecting in the USA ranked Nokta Makro Simplex as #1 and Minelab Excalibur II as #9
Rank Metal Detector Comment #1 out of 12 Nokta Makro Simplex our pick for entry-level users... ... ... #9 out of 12 Minelab Excalibur II our pick for saltwater beach hunting... ... ... Source: metaldetectingintheusa.com - On 19 Dec 2022 money.com ranked Minelab Excalibur II as #5
Rank Metal Detector Comment ... ... ... #5 out of 6 Minelab Excalibur II Best for underwater detecting... ... ... Source: money.com - On 31 May 2022 Task and Purpose ranked Nokta Makro Simplex as #5
Rank Metal Detector ... ... #5 out of 5 Nokta Makro Simplex Source: taskandpurpose.com - On 8 Jan 2025 Tech Metals Research ranked Nokta Makro Simplex as #4
Rank Metal Detector ... ... #4 out of 6 Nokta Makro Simplex ... ... Source: www.techmetalsresearch.com
After counting and adding up the 70 expert endorsements of the January rankings, Nokta Makro Simplex outranks Minelab Excalibur II. This is not to say that Minelab Excalibur II is a bad option. Like Nokta Makro Simplex, it is recommended by experts, but less.
As can be seen below, Nokta Makro Simplex outranks Minelab Excalibur II by 11 positions. This indicates that, as of 10 Jan 2025, Nokta Makro Simplex is more critically acclaimed than Minelab Excalibur II.
| Rank | Change | Price | Metal Detector | Task and Purpose | money.com | Bob Vila | ZD Net | BestReviews | The Strategist | Popular Mechanics | Your Best Digs |
Metal Detecting in the USA | Tech Metals Research |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | Check price | Nokta Makro Simplex The Nokta Makro Simplex metal detector is a highly regarded and versatile device with advanced features, target identification capabilities, and ease of use, making it suitable for both land and underwater treasure hunting. | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | -1 | $71 |  Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV The Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker IV is a reliable and versatile entry-level metal detector praised for its reliability, versatility, and ease of use, making it suitable for beginners and casual users. | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | - | - | 2 | - | - |
| 3 | - | $270 |  Garrett Ace 300 The Garrett Ace 300 metal detector is a versatile and reliable option for general-purpose metal detecting, with impressive target identification capabilities and customizable discrimination settings. | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 4 | - | - | - |
| 4 | +4 | $299 |  Minelab Vanquish 440 The Minelab Vanquish 440 is a versatile and user-friendly metal detector with a waterproof coil, multiple frequencies, pinpoint mode, and accurate target identification, making it suitable for various treasure hunting scenarios. | - | - | 4 | - | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [9]
Total expert reviews: 9
- with a score: 2
- without a score: 7
| Highest score by detecthistory.com | 92 |
| Average score based on 9 reviews | 91 |
| Lowest score by fossickr.com | 90 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
Expert reviews [5]
Total expert reviews: 5
- with a score: 1
- without a score: 4
| Highest score by detecthistory.com | 96 |
| Average score based on 5 reviews | 96 |
| Lowest score by detecthistory.com | 96 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
From Seller:
- FULLY WATERPROOF. Our multi-frequency technology, housed in a rugged platform, makes the EXCALIBUR II the best deep-diving treasure detector around. Capable of functioning at depths up to 200 ft (66m), it's the industry leader in underwater detection.
- Read more
From Seller:
- IP68 - Fully submersible up to 3 meters (10 ft) and protected from total dust ingress.
- Iron Volume - Turns off or adjusts the volume of the low iron tone.
- Notch Discrimination - Discriminates Target IDs of unwanted metals.
- Read more