Review — Performance & Use

The X5 IDmaxX is Quest’s refresh of their entry-level X5, and it lands squarely in the UK “permission starter” space: light, simple, and focused on the essentials. On paper it keeps things straightforward—single‑frequency VLF at 12 kHz, three modes (Field, Gold, Park), and a compact 9x5 inch TurboD coil—but those choices suit most of what new detectorists actually do here: tramping pasture, raked stubble, and plough with a day bag and a flask. The telescopic rod collapses small, so it slips into the boot without a faff, and the all‑in weight is around the kilo mark depending on whose listing you read, which matters when you’re eight hours into an open permission and your shoulder starts arguing with you.

Set‑up is friendly. The menu is linear rather than labyrinthine, and there’s proper ground balance rather than just a factory fixed number. On freshly turned ground the semi‑auto balance settles the machine quickly, and nudging the sensitivity down a notch or two tames chatter on iron‑shot pasture. Owners on UK forums repeatedly describe the X5 as “chattery” out of the box until they learn its voice; that’s consistent with many lightweight, fast VLFs and isn’t a deal‑breaker—more a reminder to keep sensitivity sensible and to sweep cleanly. The 1–99 target ID scale with five ID bars makes for quick “glance and go” decisions, and the audio is sharp enough that shallow moderns and .303 brass jump out distinctly from the background grunts.

Where the X5 IDmaxX earns its keep is separation. That 9x5 coil has a narrow footprint and picks between iron blobs on old pasture surprisingly well. On nail‑rich headlands the Field mode with a moderate recovery speed (and, again, not maxed sensitivity) pulls usable two‑ways where larger stock coils smear targets together. That’s exactly the kind of scenario that turns up cut quarters and thin coppers in the UK, and a small, lively coil is what you want when the soil is noisy and the junk is medieval‑to‑modern. Depth is adequate rather than heroic—this isn’t a deep‑seeking plough‑only machine—but in typical soils you’re not leaving the easy 6–8 inch coins behind if your sweep is disciplined. The Gold mode is less about nugget hunting here and more a high‑gain option for tiny low conductors; on clean ground it will ping small buckles and buttons your mates might stroll past, at the price of extra chirps.

Ergonomics are better than the price suggests. The control box is weatherproof and the whole unit is tidy in the hand; the U‑shaped armrest with kickstand is a simple quality‑of‑life touch when you’re kneeling over a hole for the fifth time that hour. Battery life (quoted at 8–12 hours) has proven realistic in cool British weather provided you don’t run the backlight constantly. Charging via USB‑C is modern and less fiddly than micro‑USB relics you’ll still find on some budget gear.

Audio is an area to think about before a club dig with mandatory headphones. The X5 IDmaxX routes audio via the speaker or through a wired connection; there’s no built‑in Bluetooth on this model, so if you want wireless you’ll need a separate transmitter/receiver set or Quest’s own Wirefree kit. A recent UK forum thread highlights confusion over whether to use the 3.5 mm jack or USB‑C for wired cans; the practical takeaway is to test your setup the night before, confirm you have a compatible cable, and carry a cheap right‑angle adapter so the lead doesn’t poke your elbow while swinging. Once sorted, tones are crisp and easy to learn—three‑tone ID is limited but coherent for beginners and keeps the brain space free for the spade.

On farmland the Field program is the default, but Park has a place too when permissions include modern trash near public footpaths or rugby touchlines. Park’s discrimination and tone behavior make bottle‑tops and canslaw less of a time sink. On pasture that’s seen livestock and centuries of nails, running a conservative discrimination and letting your ears do more of the work seems to net more keepers. Semi‑auto ground balance is quick enough that you can re‑tap it when you cross from clay to lighter loam at the hedge, and the pinpoint function is bang‑on once you’ve learned how the ID bars compress at depth.

Beach chatter is a common question. The manufacturer talks about “beach hunting” and the coil is waterproof, but a single‑frequency VLF like the X5 will always be at a disadvantage on wet salt. Dry sand is fine and fun; on black sand or in the intertidal, knock the sensitivity back, keep the coil height consistent, and accept that multi‑frequency machines will run calmer in that niche. That reality doesn’t undercut the X5’s value proposition on inland ground, which is where most UK beginners spend their time.

Build quality seems to be holding up in the UK market. Local retailers list the IDmaxX version with the same telescopic design we liked on earlier X‑series Quests, and nothing in the community chatter suggests widespread stem wobble or flaky battery issues. The biggest “consistency” gripe you’ll see is that some listings quote slightly different weights and spec details; that’s not unusual around a refresh, and the manufacturer’s page should be treated as the tiebreaker. The other frequent theme is that once people move beyond the first season, they start wondering about a larger coil or a step‑up machine; that’s a perfectly normal progression and not a black mark against the X5—entry‑level detectors are meant to get you started, not to lock you in forever.

Bottom line on UK farmland and pasture: if you want a light machine you can learn on quickly, that will unmask non‑ferrous among iron bits on old ground, and that doesn’t punish your shoulder, the X5 IDmaxX makes a very solid case at its price. You aren’t buying top‑end depth or fancy wireless, but you are buying a clean signal path, enough control to grow into, and a coil that suits the sites most of us actually swing on a Saturday.")