The Simplex Ultra is the machine that made everyone else’s entry-level pricing look generous. Full 5-metre waterproofing, a carbon fibre shaft and a three-year warranty for about £300 is a specification sheet that did not exist at this price before Nokta built it.
How we reviewed it: from Nokta’s published brochure specifications, the Amazon UK listing, and what UK detectorists report. We have not field-tested it ourselves.
The short answer
- Buy the Simplex Ultra if you want a genuinely waterproof detector for beach and shallow-water work without spending £500 or more.
- Buy a Vanquish 360 instead if your detecting is inland and you would rather have simultaneous multi-frequency handling mineralised ground for you.
- It is a very good first serious detector, and unusually it is also a reasonable only detector.
Nokta Simplex Ultra (about £300)
15kHz single frequency, an 11-inch waterproof DD coil, carbon fibre shaft, six search modes including 99 Tone, and full waterproofing to 5 metres with a three-year warranty.
Specifications
| Nokta Simplex Ultra | |
|---|---|
| Price | About £300 |
| Frequency | 15kHz, single |
| Coil supplied | SX28, 28cm (11in) waterproof Double-D |
| Weight | 1.2kg |
| Waterproof | 5m (16ft) |
| Battery | 2300mAh lithium, charges by USB or powerbank |
| Display | Graphic LCD, backlit, with keypad backlight and LED torch |
| Search modes | Field, Park, Beach, All Metal, 4 Tone, 99 Tone |
| Target ID | 01 to 99 |
| Shaft | Carbon fibre |
| Length | 63cm retracted, to about 132cm |
| Warranty | 3 years |
Specifications are from Nokta’s own brochure.
What £300 actually gets you
Real waterproofing. Not a waterproof coil with a rain cover over the control box, which is what most detectors at this price offer. The whole machine goes to 5 metres. For anyone detecting a tideline, wading, or simply detecting in British weather, this is the headline feature and it is not matched at the price.
A carbon fibre shaft. This is what separates the Ultra from the cheaper Simplex Lite, which uses aluminium and plastic, and the BT, which mixes aluminium and carbon. At 1.2kg the Ultra is not the lightest machine made, but the shaft keeps the balance good and it does not corrode.
Six modes including 99 Tone. Field, Park, Beach and All Metal are the expected set. The 4 Tone and 99 Tone modes are the Ultra’s additions over the rest of the Simplex range, and 99 Tone in particular — a distinct pitch for every target ID — is a mode experienced detectorists tend to love and beginners tend to switch off within an hour.
A three-year warranty, which at this price is unusual and says something about Nokta’s confidence in the build.
The honest limitation
It is a single-frequency detector at 15kHz. That is a sensible general-purpose choice, leaning slightly towards smaller low-conductivity targets, and 15kHz will find coins, buttons, buckles and jewellery perfectly well.
What it will not do is adapt. On heavily mineralised clay or wet salt sand, a simultaneous multi-frequency machine like a Vanquish sorts the ground out for you; a single-frequency machine chatters and you manage it with sensitivity and ground balance. The Simplex Ultra’s Beach mode exists precisely because of this, and it works, but it is a workaround rather than the same thing.
So the irony of the waterproofing is worth stating plainly: the Ultra is the better machine for getting into the water, and a multi-frequency machine is often the better machine for dealing with wet salt sand. Plenty of people buy it anyway, because 5-metre waterproofing at £300 has no real competition.
Who should buy it
Buy it if you want to detect beaches and shallow water, you want one machine that will survive being dropped in a stream, or you want the most detector you can get for £300.
Buy a Vanquish instead if your detecting is inland fields and parks, where multi-frequency earns its keep and waterproofing beyond the coil does not.
Our Nokta Simplex vs Minelab Vanquish comparison puts the two head to head, and the best waterproof metal detectors covers the rest of that category.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Nokta Simplex Ultra fully waterproof? Yes, the whole machine to 5 metres, not just the coil. That is unusual at this price and it is the main reason to buy one. Rinse it in fresh water after sea use.
What frequency does it run? A single 15kHz. That suits small to medium targets well, but it does not adapt to ground conditions the way simultaneous multi-frequency does.
Simplex Ultra or Simplex Lite? The Ultra has a carbon fibre shaft rather than aluminium and plastic, the larger 28cm coil rather than the Lite’s 24 by 15cm, and adds the 4 Tone and 99 Tone modes.
Is it good for beginners? Yes, with the caveat that you will probably ignore 99 Tone for the first few months. It is simple to start with and has room to grow into, which is a good combination.
How long does the battery last? Nokta quotes a 2300mAh lithium battery charged by USB or powerbank but does not publish a runtime figure. An optional waterproof 4×AA case is sold separately for long trips.
Does it come with headphones? The WHP version does. The standard package does not, so check which you are buying.