Deeptech Vista X Foreshore Performance

I'll admit that it took me a long time to warm to the Deeptech Vista X mainly because of the way it felt in my hands. For me metal detecting is all about feel and intuition and I don't want anything getting in the way of that. On the Vista X the S shaft design coupled with where the arm cuff is located makes it rather uncomfortable to swing for any length of time so 'with the bigger coils' it's nose heavy and uncomfortable. BUT ... with the small 5' inch coil it actually feels ok, I've found that if I grip the S shaft handle I get wrist ache pretty quickly but if I literally use my hand as an anchor point then it isn't too bad. 

For me the Vista X is another river machine, I have no plans on taking it into the fields, I'm blessed to live so close to the river Thames here in London and this allows me to use and collect an array of different detectors. This keeps the hobby interesting and it also gives me insight into the performance capabilities of each machine that I use. All the conclusions I arrive at are from hours of infield use, not by sitting on YouTube and the forums coming to unrealistic assumptions based on other peoples opinions, I have zero interest in what others have to say. You learn by doing not sitting on your butt glued to computer and phone screens.

The Deeptech Vista X Interface

So lets briefly cover the optics, in regards to the interface, I find it's angled a little to upright so you have to lift/angle the detector up to change any settings, the dials don't feel intuitive, they turn way too easy, I like something with a little more resistance. The carbon shaft is a nice touch and the sections lock into place tightly. The battery box literally looks like it's been randomly stuck on and the speaker that's housed within it really could do with being louder. All in all the overall design and build quality isn't great and this is what lets the machine down for me. I guess the best word I can use for the overall feel is "clumsy".

However, due to the performance that the X displays I can pretty much ignore all the above criticism, I understand that someone who has the ability to design a metal detecting circuit might not have the best mind when it comes to actual "metal detector" design and how to embed that circuit into a tasteful and tangible shell. To be honest with you I'm pretty cool with all of that, I'm far more interested in a machines performance and this is where the Vista X shines dam bright down on the river. Performance over optics is where I'm at with the machines I swing but it just so happens that I really love the look of most of my detectors.

The Carbon Shaft Is Sharp Looking

Like all the analog machines that I have, there are no unnecessary gimmicks bells or whistles, everything included on the interface is relevant. One element that I really enjoy is the adjustable iron audio, when set correctly it can add a cool 2 dimensional effect to your hunting. Also you have the alternate disc which enables you to be more selective about what you want to dig. This feature reminds me of my old Fisher 1265x, I personally don't use it because I like to dig everything but I know a lot of people out there will find it useful. 

Located underneath the interface are two switches, the one on the right engages the alt disc and the one on the left allows you to switch between alternate disc, all metal and the primary disc mode. You also use this switch when you're conducting the ground balance, dialling the machine in is really easy, this is done like all manual analog detectors, you lower and lift the coil until the noise phases out or until you get a steady threshold hum. The threshold sounds different to the standard hum that you get on other machines, I wouldn't say it's as smooth but it works great for detecting the slightly deeper targets. This was proven when I did use it on one of my fields for a short test outing. It became clear rather quickly that setting both the threshold and gain too high can make the machine really unstable - less is more with the X.

So let's move on to the performance, those that watch my foreshore videos will see just how loaded up with iron some of my spots are, it's really brutal in places. Any weakness within the performance of a detector can come undone pretty quick when the Thames is involved. To have a smooth experience I run my gain and threshold both at zero, I have the iron volume set at 15 and the disc set at 30. I run the disc high because it phases out all the tiny/small pieces of metal and lead but it will still detect small buttons and small silver etc. The disc on the X is fairly wide so you really don't have to worry about cancelling out small treasures if you plan to run it a little higher. Not only that but keeping my disc on 30 really does contribute to a quieter hunting experience, it seems to keep the machine in check.

"An important point to add, even with both the threshold and gain at zero you get MORE than enough depth when hunting iron loaded environments. Let us remember that on these types of terrain we're wanting separation as opposed to depth"

The nonferrous audio is smooth and sharp, the iron tone is low with a cool sub-phonic feel about it, when you have the iron tone slightly lower than the non ferrous tone it helps to, not only identify iron falsing, it also really helps to hear potential masked targets. Couple this audio with the overall speed of the X and you have a machine that you can confidently take into iron loaded sites with a sense that you're going to find the treasure if it's there. BUT LET US REMEMBER to be successful with any metal detector in iron you have to learn the audio and understand what the machine is telling you. You can be swinging the best unmasker there is but if you don't know what masked targets sound like then you might as well be swinging a mop.

A Silver Locket Found With The X On The River

Another element that really shines is the communication that can be achieved by using the perimeter of the coil, all my machines share this characteristic. By swinging the coil and drawing it both back and forward you can check a target to confirm if it's ferrous or non-ferrous. This technique actually allows you to run the disc lower in case you're worried about masking targets using a high disc setting. When running the X in single tone without the iron, if you're swinging over ferrous and you're getting a slight high tone, the signal will start to break up on the edge of the target as you draw the coil backwards. Doing this with the iron audio on will give you a merging of both the low and high tones, there will be a dis-ease on the edge of the signal and the coil.

If you're swinging over a perceived nonferrous target when you draw the coil back the tone won't break up or deviate on the outer perimeter of the coil. This 'pull back' technique can also be used to identify potential masked targets as well but this takes quite a lot of practice. Basically the audio on the X provides you with everything you need to know but you've got to learn its language, if you're not prepared to do this then don't waste your money on this machine. Just like all analog detectors, it isn't going to serve you, you have to work with it to get the best out it. 

I've pretty much covered the areas that I wanted to, so to sum up, the overall build quality lets the Deeptech Vista X down and if you're not careful this can override the desire to get to it's performance. So putting all the optics aside, it's a really fast and sensitive machine that performs brilliantly on the river where I take it, it has such a unique and telling audio which adds to the overall quirky uniqueness of this detector. If you're not to worried about the overall look of what you're swinging and you just want rock solid performance then the Vista X might just be what you're looking for, it's one hell of a metal detector that you can swing with confidence on clean ground or within heavy iron and to be totally honest, for the price you've got to go a long way to beat it.