In 2020 Fisher Research Labs released approximately 100 of their latest pulse induction metal detector to the general public to test and review. In January 2021, I was able to obtain one of the Impulse AQ metal detectors to review.
The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited is the latest pulse induction (PI) metal detector from Fisher Research to enter the market in limited quantities in 2020. The Impulse AQ is designed to perform as a 100% waterproof machine for both beach and shallow underwater metal detecting. The current version of the Impulse AQ Limited was only sold to approximately 100 paying customers. This was done in order to obtain feedback from customers to help the developers make additional improvements to the machine prior to a full public release that is expected sometime in 2021.
NOTE: It is important to point out that by the time you read this post it is highly likely that Fisher Research Labs will have made additional changes and modifications the the Impulse AQ.
In this post I’ll cover the following topics:
- Who is Going to Use The Fisher Impulse AQ?
- What Comes Inside The Box of the Fisher Impulse AQ Limited
- What is The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Designed to Do?
- How Much Does The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Cost?
- Is The Impulse AQ Limited a Light or Heavy Detector?
- What Does The Impulse AQ Limited Look Like?
- How Long Does The Battery Last in The Impulse AQ Limited?
- What are The Documented Features of The Impulse AQ Limited?
- What are the Pros and Cons of The Impulse AQ Limited?
- Who Will Be The Competition to The Impulse AQ?
- What Do We Think About The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited?
Who is Going to Use The Fisher Impulse AQ?
The Impulse AQ is NOT designed to be a metal detector for beginners. If you have never used a PI machine it takes some time and practice to get used to what the machine is telling you.
If you are a beginner and looking for a good beach metal detector, I recommend checking out my other article on the Minelab Equinox and its use at the beach. The Fisher Impulse AQ will be a machine for the more experienced user. However, that doesn’t mean that a beginner couldn’t pick up the AQ and have success. They certainly could, it will just take some time to figure out.
Unboxing The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Includes The Following Items:
- Owners Manual
- An additional box that contains a power cable, and charger.
- Lower shaft that includes the 12.5″ “mono” searchcoil
- Upper shaft that includes the control box, arm cuff, and battery.
- Headphones
What is The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited Designed to Do?
The Impulse AQ is a pulse induction (PI)I metal detector that is designed to sniff out rings. If you like to detect the beaches, this might be a machine to have in your arsenal. As one of our Facebook members pointed out, he likes to take this machine to quiet beaches where he can reach the deep gold targets that other machines have missed.
However, PI machines are what we call a “dig or don’t dig” metal detector. You don’t get a lot of information other than the sound of a target. But after using any machine long enough you begin to pick up those slight sound variations that could differentiate a good target from a bad one. The Impulse AQ will be no different. The more hours you put on the machine the more familiar those good targets will sound over the bad.
The Impulse AQ Limited has 4 modes:
- All Metal Mode = All targets will give off a high tone. Preferred mode to obtain the deepest targets but uses the most power. Best mode to be in at clean (not trashy) beaches.
- Tone = Targets gives off a high tone for low conductors but iron and high conductors will give you a low tone. This setting is also used with the Reject Control Nob. Some depth is lost. This mode is more susceptible to EMI than All Metal Mode but may have an advantage in high concentrations of iron.
- Mute = Low conductors will give off a high tone while iron and high conductors are muted. This setting is also used with the Reject Control Nob. This mode may reject coins and some depth is lost. This mode is best used when experiencing EMI and/or on beaches with high concentrations of iron.
- Volcanic Sand = This mode is used for the most extreme magnetic black sand conditions. Using this mode will decrease your depth up to 50% but could work on beaches where other detectors couldn’t.
How Much Does The Impulse AQ Cost?
If you were lucky enough to get one of these early development “Limited” models you paid over a $1000 for it. The future release of the Impulse AQ is expected to top over the $2000 mark but we don’t know for sure until it is finally released.
Is The Impulse AQ Limited a Light or Heavy Detector?.
The Impulse AQ is incredibly light for a PI metal detector. The machine only weighs 4.2 lbs. It will be easy to swing for most detectorists hunting the beaches and in shallow water. I was able to use the machine for several hours at the beach without any discomfort or fatigue.
What Does The Impulse AQ Limited Look Like?
We took a few snapshots of the Impulse AQ as we were reviewing it. If you want more details and more close ups there will also be a link to our YouTube video (coming soon) that will compliment this article and give you addition views of the machine. One thing that stands out immediately is the control box. Most PI machines (to include this one) do not have any type of video display interface or VDI. If you were hoping the Impulse AQ was going to come with a VDI, sorry to disappoint you but it doesn’t.
Another thing we noticed is the way the coil is mounted to the lower shaft. Most metal detectors use 1 bolt and a screw to secure to the coil to the shaft. The Impulse AQ Limited is using 2 bolts/screws which were very difficult to line up and tighten but once we were able to get everything aligned, the coil tightened up nicely and it feels really secure.
How Long Does The Battery Last in The Impulse AQ Limited?
Based on the owners manual the Impulse AQ Limited will last for approximately 3.5 hours. The full production release of the Impulse AQ is expected to last approximately 8 hours.
Where Can I find a List of All of The Features of The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited?
We found a really good list of features over at DetectorProspector.com (link provided below). What’s also important from this list of features is the mention of upgrades/improvements that will probably be made to the Impulse AQ prior to a full release in 2021. To see the list click here.
What Are The Pros and Cons of The Impulse AQ?
Based on what we reviewed we found that we really like a lot of things about the Fisher Impulse AQ Limited. But there are some things we didn’t like so we broke up our Pros and Cons in the table below.
| PROS | CONS |
| Easy to use for experienced PI users | Others may struggle. This is not a machine for beginners. |
| Lightweight for a PI beach metal detector | Battery Life Only Approx. 3.5 hours. (Expected to increase to 8 hours in later models) |
| Easy to swing | Depending on your swing, the wires may interfere with your swing. |
| Hits hard on rings | Loves bobby pins and other non-desirable targets in certain modes. Difficult to avoid. |
| Provides 4 modes of detection. | Depending on the mode and rejection you could eliminate some desirable targets. |
| All Metal Mode gets great depth | Loss of depth could be experienced in modes other than All Metal Mode. |
| Better discrimination than other PI detectors. | If you are hunting for targets other than rings the discrimination may be too much. |
| Headphones are comfortable to wear. | Headphones do not come with noise cancelation for the “Limited” model. |
Who Are The Competitors to The Fisher AQ?
When Fisher Research Labs decides to fully release the Impulse AQ to consumers they will be up against some tough competition. We predict Minelab to be the top competition to the Impulse AQ.
Minelab’s Excalibur II, CTX 3030, and Equinox have all been proven to work really well on the beach and underwater. We’ve included those machines below but there are others to consider. See the chart below. The links will take you over to Fort Bedford Metal Detectors where you can learn more about these machines and check prices.
| Beach/Wet/Dry Sand/Submersible |
| Minelab Excalibur II |
| Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II |
| Minelab CTX 3030 |
| Minelab Equinox 600/800 |
| Garrett ATX |
| Fisher CZ-21 |
| Whites TDI Beach Hunter |
Final Thoughts About The Fisher Impulse AQ Limited.
Even though Impulse AQ Limited is still considered to be in development, it will turn out to be a very capable metal detector for beach and underwater detecting. There is no doubt that this machine is really designed to find rings based on the testing I did. If you are a dedicated dire hard beach detectorist and your primary past time is combing the beach in search of those lost rings, this machine may be for you. But if you are a beginner this machine may be a little too advanced for you.
I was fortunate to get some time on this new machine at a beach in Delaware over New Years weekend. The Impulse AQ performed as described in the owners manual. In fact, I had no trouble at all operating the machine in wet sand or in the surf. It ran very stable and quiet which I really appreciated.
However, if you have ever used a White’s TDI on the beach, my experience with the Impulse was very similar to using a TDI. But what I like most about the Impulse AQ was being able to toggle through the different modes to listen to a target. This technique may eliminate many undesirable targets and I really liked that feature of the Impulse AQ.
Ergonomics/Craftsmanship:
Overall, the ergonomics of the detector is great. It fells great and doesn’t seem too heavy to swing. The construction and craftsmanship of the detector seems to be very good. Solid and strong is how this machine feels when you swing it. The shaft tightens up and there is no wobble in the shaft. The hand grip feels awesome. That may seem minor to some but this detector feels good in your hand. I’ve experience hand fatigue with other machines but I don’t believe you will experience any fatigue with the Impulse AQ.
Pin Connectors/Cables:
The pin connectors to the battery and to the machine itself make me a little nervous. They could easily be the weak points of the detector as they are with most metal detectors. However, they do tighten up well and nothing feels flimsy. My only concerns is that they could easily be broken if you aren’t careful. Watch where you lay the machine down and pay close attention to the bend in the cables. Otherwise, you should be fine.
If you have a very wide swing you may feel the cables hitting you on your side. While this may be a minor irritant to some, the concern of cables breaking from doing this repeatedly is something Fisher Research Labs should be concerned about it.
It Will Knock Out Coins if You Aren’t Careful:
Like I previously mentioned, pay close attention to which mode you are in when using the Impulse AQ. Stay in All Metal Mode if you can. That will get you the deepest targets but you will dig a lot of undesirable targets as well. To minimize those bad targets switch over to Tone and Mute Modes to compare the signals. You will eliminate digging several targets but there is a chance that you could be missing coins. If you are strictly hunting for rings, this shouldn’t bother you. Rings seem to ring loud in any mode you pick.
Performance:
The performance of the Impulses AQ Limited seems to be a deep seeking machine. This machine is going to find a lot of targets. But by finding a lot of targets, you will find a fair share of undesirable targets (to put it lightly). This machines will utilized best at clean beaches where you can take advantage of All Metal Mode and get those super deep rings that everyone missed. It will be interesting to see what will be offered for purchase once all of the development and testing is over.
Would I Buy This Machine?
That’s a hard question to answer. With endless pockets of cash, I would buy this machine. I really like some of the features of the Impulse AQ for the type of machine it is supposed to be. However, The price tag will be the real deciding factor for me.
If Fisher Research Laps slaps a hefty price tag (over $2000) on the future release, I’m afraid it won’t be for me. But to be fair, I only hunt beaches 2 or 3 times a year. This type of machine would not make sense for me to purchase. It would make sense for someone who is a dedicated beach hunter to purchase. This machine is really designed for those experienced beach hunters.
Hope this was helpful to some, thanks for reading.
Watch The Video to Learn More About The Fisher Research Labs Impulse AQ
Mental Metal Detecting would like to give a big shout out to Fort Bedford Metal Detectors for putting this new Fisher metal detector in our hands to review. We highly recommend checking out Fort Bedford for all your future metal detector needs. You can find their contact information below.
