Nokta Simplex LITE vs Simplex ULTRA: Which One to Buy

Buy the Nokta Simplex LITE if you want a waterproof first detector for parks, yards and freshwater beaches and would rather learn the hobby than learn settings. Buy the Nokta Simplex ULTRA if you expect to hunt old homesites full of iron, want to shape the audio yourself, or want Bluetooth. Both run at 15 kHz, both are IP68 waterproof to 5 m (16 ft) and both weigh 1.2 kg (2.6 lb), so the choice comes down to control and coil, not depth.

What the Simplex LITE and Simplex ULTRA share

The two detectors in Nokta's Simplex New Generation line are closer than the names suggest. Each has automatic and manual ground balance, notch discrimination, 30 sensitivity levels, a 01 to 99 target ID, frequency shift, vibration, a backlit display and keypad, an LED flashlight and a built-in battery that runs about 12 hours. Both carry Nokta's 3-year warranty, and both take the same SX24, SX28 and SX35 coils. The Simplex ULTRA does not automatically detect deeper than the Simplex LITE. Our Simplex comparison chart lists every row side by side.

What the Simplex ULTRA adds

Recovery speed is the Simplex ULTRA's most useful advantage. We raise it when targets sit close together, so the detector answers a coin and a nail separately. Nokta's manual states the trade-off: higher settings give better separation and less depth, lower settings more depth and less separation. In cleaner ground, where depth on a single target matters more, we leave it lower.

The tone controls let you decide how iron and good targets sound. That is worth having on older properties with both relics and a lot of iron, and you may never use it if you prefer to leave the menu alone.

The Simplex LITE's smaller coil is a choice, not a downgrade

The Simplex LITE comes with the SX24 9.5 x 6 inch coil, and the Simplex ULTRA with the SX28 11 inch coil. A larger coil is not automatically better. Around playground equipment, trees and trashy park corners, the compact SX24 is easier to work with and makes it simpler to pick one target out from its neighbors. On open ground the 11 inch coil covers more with each sweep. Either detector takes the other's coil, so the coil in the box is a starting point and not a limit.

Where the answer changes

An older park

Picture an older Michigan park with modern pull tabs, bottle caps and the occasional older coin. With the Simplex LITE we would begin in Park mode with moderate sensitivity and sweep slowly enough to hear individual targets. The smaller coil helps when a good signal sits close to a piece of iron. With the Simplex ULTRA we would also start in Park mode, learn its normal audio, and only then try 4 Tone or 99 Tone. The 99 Tone option gives more varied audio, but it is not necessarily better for a beginner. For a park that you visit now and then, the Simplex LITE may be all you need.

An old farmhouse with iron

Square nails, rusty hardware and the occasional brass relic scattered around a foundation are where the Simplex ULTRA earns its place. We would start in Field mode, ground balance over a clean patch of soil and settle on a stable sensitivity. Where iron is closely spaced, we would try a higher recovery speed and the 4 Tone mode. A questionable signal that gives a repeatable non-ferrous response from several directions is worth investigating, even when the target ID is not perfectly stable. The Simplex LITE can still find coins and relics here; it just gives you fewer ways to adjust its responses.

A freshwater swimming beach

Both detectors are waterproof to 5 m (16 ft), so either works in shallow freshwater swimming areas. Beach mode is the place to start. Settle on a stable sensitivity and search where swimmers enter the water or gather near docks. Do not expect every gold ring to give a high target ID: many gold rings read in the same range as aluminum trash. The Simplex ULTRA's Bluetooth works only while the system box is above water, so for underwater listening you need Nokta's waterproof headphones on either model.

Open farm fields

On a relatively clean field the Simplex ULTRA's standard 11 inch coil covers ground more efficiently than the Simplex LITE's standard coil. We would keep sensitivity stable and avoid aggressive recovery speed settings. If you spend most of your time on large open areas, the SX35 13.5 x 12.5 inch coil adds coverage. We would switch to the smaller SX24 close to foundations, around roots or in heavy iron.

Wet ocean sand

Neither Simplex is our pick for regular saltwater beach hunting. Both run a single 15 kHz frequency, and Beach mode does not make either one the equal of a simultaneous multi-frequency detector. For wet ocean sand we would step up to the Nokta Legend 2, or to the Nokta Score series as the lower-priced simultaneous multi-frequency option.

Mistakes we see with these detectors

• Rejecting too many targets by their ID number. Deep coins, nearby iron and odd target angles all make identification less reliable.
• Running sensitivity at maximum. A stable detector is easier to read than one that keeps giving false signals.
• Assuming the Simplex LITE's smaller coil is inferior to the Simplex ULTRA's larger one.
• Raising recovery speed on the Simplex ULTRA without understanding the trade-off in depth.
• Changing tone break, sensitivity and recovery speed together, so you cannot tell which adjustment helped.
• Assuming 99 Tone mode finds more targets. It gives more information, not more finds.
• Assuming the Simplex ULTRA is a multi-frequency detector because it has more search modes. Frequency shift only moves the 15 kHz frequency slightly to avoid interference.

Our verdict

The Simplex LITE is the better value for someone who wants straightforward operation: beginners, families, teenagers and anyone adding a second detector for the household. The Simplex ULTRA is our preferred Simplex for people who expect to spend real time detecting and want room to experiment with recovery speed and target audio. If you are unsure, ask yourself whether you will change settings in the field. If the honest answer is no, buy the Simplex LITE.

For the rest of the range, see our best Nokta metal detectors guide.