Quest Q40 Metal Detector Overview
The Quest Q40 is a lightweight VLF land detector with a backlit LCD, a built-in rechargeable battery and a weatherproof control box. The control box withstands heavy rain but can be damaged by submersion, so the Q40 is a rain-or-shine land detector rather than a wading machine. The Raptor TurboD 11 x 9 inch DD coil is waterproof, so wet grass, puddles and creek edges are fine at the coil. The Q40 has Coin, Jewelry, All Metal and Beach programs plus two user programs for your own settings, a 0 to 99 target ID, automatic or manual ground balance, six selectable tones and a frequency shift option for interference. It runs at 13 kHz on a 2000 mAh Li-Po battery rated up to 30 hours on the speaker and 20 hours on wireless headphones, and weighs 1.35 kg (3.0 lb) with the Raptor coil. Quest covers the Q40 with a 2-year warranty.
The Q40 ships with Wirefree Lite wireless headphones, corded headphones, a rain cover, an arm strap, a USB charging cable, the Raptor coil cover and the user manual. The Q40+ Pack adds a Blade 9.5 x 5.5 inch coil with its cover, a camo pouch and a Quest hat.
Quest Q40 vs Q30: Which Should You Buy?
The Q40 and the Q30 are both Quest Q line VLF detectors with numeric target ID, automatic or manual ground balance, built-in batteries and wireless headphones in the box. The Q30 is waterproof to 5 m (16 ft), control box included, with vibration alerts for the water. Both have a Beach mode. The Q40 keeps its control box out of the water but adds the larger accessory kit and two user programs.
If you hunt parks, yards, fields and the dry beach, we recommend the Q40. If you plan to put the whole detector under water, choose the Q30.
Quest Q40, Best For:
- First-time buyers who want headphones, a rain cover and an arm strap in the box
- Park, yard and field hunting in any weather
- Hunters who want two coils, with the Q40+ Pack
Quest Q30, Best For:
- Wading and shallow water hunting to 5 m (16 ft)
- Beach hunters who want vibration alerts under water
- One detector for land and water
Key Features That Matter in the Field
The two user programs are the Q40 feature worth learning first: once you have a discrimination and sensitivity setup that works on a site, you save it instead of rebuilding it each time. Coin mode accepts target IDs from 40 to 99 for parks, Jewelry mode opens up to 20 to 99 so small gold rings and chains are not rejected, and All Metal mode reads 0 to 99 for relic fields. The frequency shift option moves the Q40 off the frequency of a nearby detector or power line, which helps at group hunts. The wireless headphones in the box let you hear faint signals in wind or traffic noise. For trashy parks, we recommend swapping to the Blade 9.5 x 5.5 inch coil, which is much narrower than the stock Raptor coil and easier to work between targets.
Where the Quest Q40 Works Best and Its Limits
The Q40 is at home in parks, yards, school grounds, fields and on the dry beach, and the rain cover and weatherproof control box mean a shower does not end the hunt. The control box is not submersible, so wading and underwater hunting are outside its design. It is a single-frequency VLF detector; for regular hunting on wet saltwater sand, we recommend a multi-frequency detector from our beach metal detectors. For a fully submersible Quest, the Q30 is the step across.
Coils and Accessories That Fit the Quest Q40
The Quest Blade 9.5 x 5.5 inch TurboD coil fits the Q20 and Q40 (and the older Quest X5 and X10 Pro) and is the coil we recommend for trashy sites. CORS makes three DD coils for the Q20 and Q40: the CORS Cannon 14.5 x 10.5 inch elliptical coil for open fields, the CORS Shrew 6.5 x 3.5 inch elliptical coil for tight spots and the CORS Point 5 inch round coil for pinpoint work among trash. The Quest Q20 | Q40 control box rain cover is a spare for the one in the box, and the Quest 11 x 9 coil cover fits the Raptor coil. The Quest Q40 quick start guide is a free download, and a handheld probe from our Quest pinpointers speeds up recovery.
Quest Land Detector Comparison: Q30+, Q40, X1, X5 and X10
All five are single-frequency VLF detectors with waterproof coils and built-in rechargeable batteries. The differences are frequency, search modes, how far the control box can go in water, coil size and weight.
| Feature | Quest Q30+ | Quest Q40 | Quest X1 IDMAXX | Quest X5 IDMAXX | Quest X10 IDMAXX |
|---|
| Frequency | 14 kHz VLF | 13 kHz VLF | 12 kHz VLF | 12 kHz VLF | 12 kHz VLF |
| Search Modes | 4: Park, Field, Beach, Gold | Coin, Jewelry, All Metal, Beach, plus 2 user programs | 3: Coin, Jewelry, All Metal | 3: Park, Field, Gold | 4: Park, Field, Gold, User |
| Target ID | 99-point numeric | 0 to 99 numeric | Numeric, with low, middle and high tones | 1 to 99 numeric | 0 to 99 numeric |
| Ground Balance | Automatic or manual | Automatic or manual | Pump (hold the button) | Manual (pump) | Automatic (pump) or manual |
| Standard Coil | RaptorX TurboD 9 x 11 inch DD, waterproof | Raptor TurboD 11 x 9 inch DD, waterproof (Q40+ Pack adds a Blade 9.5 x 5.5 inch coil) | Blade TurboD 9 x 5 inch, waterproof | Blade9 9 x 5 inch DD, waterproof | Blade11 11 x 10 inch DD, waterproof |
| Control Box | Waterproof to 5 m (16 ft) | Weatherproof for heavy rain, not submersible | Weatherproof for heavy rain, not submersible | Waterproof to 3 m (10 ft) | Waterproof to 3 m (10 ft) |
| Battery | Built-in 3000 mAh, magnetic charging | Built-in 2000 mAh Li-Po, USB charging | Built-in Li-Po, USB-C charging | Built-in 1000 mAh Li-Po, USB-C charging | Built-in 1000 mAh Li-Po, USB-C charging |
| Weight | 1.15 kg (2.5 lb) | 1.35 kg (3.0 lb) with the Raptor coil | 0.95 kg (2.1 lb) | 1.1 kg (2.4 lb) | 1.26 kg (2.8 lb) |
| Wireless Headphones | Wirefree Lite included in the Q30+ package | Wirefree Lite included | Wired, 3.5 mm jack | Wired, 3.5 mm through the included USB-C adapter | Wired with the included adapter; X10 package with WireFree Lite headphones |
For a full walkthrough of the controls and programs, read our Quest Q40 review and walkthrough.
Why Buy the Quest Q40 Metal Detector from Serious Detecting?
- Free Shipping on Orders Over $99: Your Quest Q40 ships at no extra cost across the continental US.
- Authorized Quest Dealer: Showroom in Ypsilanti, Michigan, full 2-year manufacturer warranty and product registration support.
- Help Before and After You Buy: Our staff answer setup, coil and Quest Q40 questions by phone or email.
