Is the Nokta Simplex+ fully waterproof?

Yes — the entire detector, control box included, is submersible to 10 feet. You can hunt a freshwater beach up to your shoulders, work a creek bottom, or swing through rain without a cover.

Is the Nokta Simplex+ good on salt water beaches?

Only up to a point. It's waterproof enough for the surf, but as a single-frequency machine it falses on wet salt sand. Dry sand and freshwater are fine; for serious salt-beach hunting you want a multi-frequency detector.

Is the Simplex+ good for beginners?

Yes. There are preset modes that work well straight out of the box, and the extra settings sit out of the way until you want them. It's a machine that stays useful as you improve rather than one you outgrow.

Does the Nokta Simplex+ come with headphones?

Yes — wireless headphones are included in the box on the standard package, already paired to the detector. Confirm the specific bundle before ordering, since retailers occasionally list a stripped configuration.

Review · By Metal Detector Nerd · August 4, 2026

Nokta Simplex+ Review

Name: Nokta Simplex+
Brand: Nokta

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through a link here I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. It pays for coil covers and gas money, and it never changes a verdict. Full disclosure.

The Nokta Simplex+ is a fully waterproof 12 kHz detector with wireless headphones and a rechargeable battery built in — and it is, dollar for dollar, the most detector anyone is selling at the entry-level price. Short version: if there's any chance you'll hunt water, beach, or rain, buy this instead of a comparably priced dirt-only machine.

It's the machine that forced everyone else to take budget detectors seriously. Nokta put features on it that used to cost twice as much, and the rest of the industry has been catching up since.

The verdict

The best value in metal detecting, full stop. Waterproof to 10 feet with wireless audio at a beginner price is still a little unreasonable.

4.5/ 5

Check current price on Amazon

01Specs that actually matter in the field

12 kHz single frequency

A slightly high single frequency, which biases it toward smaller targets and gold jewelry over deep silver. On dirt and in freshwater it's an excellent choice. On wet salt sand it will still chatter — waterproofing and salt handling are two different problems.

Waterproof to 10 ft

The entire machine, not just the coil. You can drop it in a creek, hunt a freshwater swim beach up to your shoulders, or keep swinging through a downpour without a second thought. This is the feature you're paying for.

Built-in rechargeable battery

Charges over USB and runs a long day on a charge. No hunting for 9-volts before a trip, and no battery door to leak — which is part of how they got the waterproof rating.

Wireless headphones included

In the box, already paired, low enough latency that the audio lines up with your swing. Detectors twice this price were charging extra for this when the Simplex launched.

Adjustable ground balance

You can tune out mineralized soil manually or let it do it automatically — unlike most machines at this price, which lock it at the factory. It's what lets the Simplex keep working in nasty red clay where cheaper detectors fall apart.

2.9 lbs

Light and well-balanced, which matters more than any spec sheet suggests. It's noticeably less tiring than the heavier entry-level machines over a three-hour hunt.

02Who it's for (and who it's not)

Buy it if water is anywhere in your plans — creeks, rivers, lake beaches, or just hunting in weather that would send an Ace 400 back to the car. It's also a superb travel and backup machine for people who already own something bigger, because you genuinely stop worrying about it.

Buy the Garrett Ace 400 instead if you'll only ever hunt dry dirt and you value US-based parts and support over waterproofing. And if salt beaches are your main target, save up for a multi-frequency machine like the Equinox 800 — that's a different tool for a genuinely different problem.

03The honest scorecard

+What's great

Fully waterproof to 10 feet at an entry-level price. Nothing else at this money does it as convincingly.
Wireless headphones and a rechargeable battery included — the machine is complete out of the box.
Adjustable ground balance, which is rare down here and makes it usable in genuinely bad soil.
Light, well-balanced, and comfortable for long hunts.
Nokta ships real firmware updates, so the machine has gotten better after purchase rather than frozen in time.

–What's not

Single frequency, so wet salt sand still causes falsing. Waterproof does not mean salt-capable — that's the most common misunderstanding about this machine.
The screen is small and washes out in bright direct sun.
Fewer target-ID segments than pricier machines, so the numbers are a bit coarser when you're trying to separate a nickel from a pull tab.
US parts and service are thinner than Garrett's. Coils and spares often mean ordering and waiting.
Nokta has since refreshed the line, so make sure you know which version you're buying before you order.

04How it stacks up

The two beginner favorites, and how to pick between them.
Nokta Simplex+ vs Garrett Ace 400
Where the Simplex fits in the water-hunting lineup.
Best metal detector for beach & water
The upgrade path if salt beaches become your main hunt.
Minelab Equinox 800 review
The rest of the Nokta lineup.
Nokta brand hub

05FAQ

Is the Nokta Simplex+ fully waterproof?: Yes — the entire detector, control box included, is submersible to 10 feet. You can hunt a freshwater beach up to your shoulders, work a creek bottom, or swing through rain without a cover.
Is the Nokta Simplex+ good on salt water beaches?: Only up to a point. It's waterproof enough for the surf, but as a single-frequency machine it falses on wet salt sand. Dry sand and freshwater are fine; for serious salt-beach hunting you want a multi-frequency detector.
Is the Simplex+ good for beginners?: Yes. There are preset modes that work well straight out of the box, and the extra settings sit out of the way until you want them. It's a machine that stays useful as you improve rather than one you outgrow.
Does the Nokta Simplex+ come with headphones?: Yes — wireless headphones are included in the box on the standard package, already paired to the detector. Confirm the specific bundle before ordering, since retailers occasionally list a stripped configuration.

Bottom line

The Nokta Simplex+ is the easiest recommendation on this site. Waterproof to 10 feet, wireless audio, rechargeable, adjustable ground balance — at a price where you normally get one of those, maybe two.

Its one real limit is wet salt sand, and that's a limit of single-frequency detecting rather than of this particular machine. If salt beaches are your main hunt, budget up to multi-frequency. For everything else, this is the most detector per dollar available.