New Garrett Ace Apex Versus The Rest

[Nuke em]

With the word ACE in the title its going to replace those I think or at least be a big boost to them. The Apex is I think going to kill Vanquish sales , its likely to be far better and has many more settings than the Vanquish. 

I don't care about waterproof on this machine. They are going for a lower end model not middle or top end. And I know some will say Simple X "As I call it"!  That is simple and has 1 frequency and is I have heard a lover of Iron . I actually think it is a middle end machine and will take orders from their own top enders like the AT series.

I will be buying the Apex . With numbers from 1 to 99 and 5 tones it will outgun the Nox on target info "multi tone on the Nox is poo" . It can be used in single freqs though there are not the places to save your own programs in each mode like the Nox.

As for battery replacement , if the machine isn't waterproof then it most likely can be stripped down , maybe the battery can be done by any old Joe Bloggs ? 

Anyway I am on the list and I haven't anything that puts me off. Yet.

 

[Steve Herschbach]

41 minutes ago, Nuke em said:

The Apex is I think going to kill Vanquish sales , its likely to be far better and has many more settings than the Vanquish. 

I'd agree but for one pesky fact. Price. A $199 Vanquish 340 and $259 Vanquish 440 have some killer value and the Apex is not their competition, the lower price Aces are. I know which I'd bet on there.

I think Apex will steal more Equinox sales than Vanquish sales. Like Steve Moore said... not everyone needs waterproof.

[Nuke em]

19 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

I'd agree but for one pesky fact. Price. A $199 Vanquish 340 and $259 Vanquish 440 have some killer value and the Apex is not their competition, the lower price Aces are. I know which I'd bet on there.

I think Apex will steal more Equinox sales than Vanquish sales. Like Steve Moore said... not everyone needs waterproof.

I think the 540 and the Nox will suffer . And why buy something that has very few functions like the Vanquish 340 and 440 and pass up a new lighter and more modern looking machine for something that looks like a blushing Ace ? 

I do need waterproof but not for £300 + more than the non waterproof , and that's what will affect sales of the Nox when others see that for themselves.

I am looking forward to seeing and buying an Apex . 

And another post that I will put on here will explain much more clearly why . Not the machines though !

Must get typing .

[Steve Herschbach]

6 minutes ago, Nuke em said:

And why buy something that has very few functions like the Vanquish 340 and 440 and pass up a new lighter and more modern looking machine for something that looks like a blushing Ace ? 

Because people have budgets and metal detectors sell at all price point levels. I sold metal detectors for 35 years, that’s the way it works. When you have $200 to spend on a detector, you buy the best detector you can get for $200. It’s the same for a zillion products, metal detectors are no different.

[Nuke em]

21 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Because people have budgets and metal detectors sell at all price point levels. I sold metal detectors for 35 years, that’s the way it works. When you have $200 to spend on a detector, you buy the best detector you can get for $200. It’s the same for a zillion products, metal detectors are no different.

I think because of the limited target numbers and functions on the Vanquish I think it will not take as many of the sales of the 300i and 400i as Minelab would like. And the Apex is likely to wipe the floor with the 540 and even the 600 Nox .

My other post is on Minelab section as that's where my issue is right now. 

Roll on the Apex . I think this is going to be a good machine. I think there will be a higher ender soon too.

[EL NINO77]

Here, everything will depend on the performance of Apex .... clearly, the 100-digit ID provides a certain advantage ... how we will see next ...but in my opinion it will surpass the AT models, and perhaps the GTI....

 

[Cal_Cobra]

One large benefit I immediately see with the Apex already, is that Garrett generally offers a larger selection of search coils, and doesn't lock out the ability of 3rd party coil makers to produce coils.  It's disappointing that ML never expanded the EQ search coil catalog beyond the three it offers, and no aftermarket coils.  

I''ve seen that the Apex has 5 audio tones mentioned several times, but does it offer a larger tone option?  Although it had a learning curve, I really like the 50 tone option on the EQ.

[Jeff McClendon]

On 6/2/2020 at 11:04 AM, Nuke em said:

I think the 540 and the Nox will suffer . And why buy something that has very few functions like the Vanquish 340 and 440 and pass up a new lighter and more modern looking machine for something that looks like a blushing Ace ? 

If the Apex actually turns out to be an excellent detector I think (it is already happening on USA Ebay btw) not only will the old stock Ace series sales get hit hard, but the sale of new AT Pro and AT Gold units will also suffer along with the Simplex, Vanquish 540 and Nox 600 here in the USA. The sell off of used Ace series, AT Pros, AT Golds along with GTI 2500 has already begun big time on Ebay and on Craigslist at least in my area.

Cal Cobra, it is my understanding that the Apex is 5 tones, pitch is not adjustable, tone breaks are not adjustable, tone breaks may not be the same in different modes.......?  I am just glad Garrett is producing a detector with more than 3 tones!!!!!

Jeff

[Nuke em]

2 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

If the Apex actually turns out to be an excellent detector I think (it is already happening on USA Ebay btw) not only will the old stock Ace series sales get hit hard, but the sale of new AT Pro and AT Gold units will also suffer along with the Simplex, Vanquish 540 and Nox 600 here in the USA. The sell off of used Ace series, AT Pros, AT Golds along with GTI 2500 has already begun big time on Ebay and on Craigslist at least in my area.

Cal Cobra, it is my understanding that the Apex is 5 tones, pitch is not adjustable, tone breaks are not adjustable, tone breaks may not be the same in different modes.......?  I am just glad Garrett is producing a detector with more than 3 tones!!!!!

Jeff

I don't think its a replacement for the cheap Aces. Its more of a replacement for the 300i and 400i etc . 

The GTI is old and way past its sell by date I think. 

The AT types are being replaced by a better model later I think I heard or read . 

As for the Simple X  LOL , the price of that machine should insulate it a bit. But the Simple X is simple though not too bad , it does love Iron a bit I have heard a lot .

As for the tone breaks and tones . 5 are enough , multi tones as Cal_Cobra said aren't important . With only 40 numbers on the Nox and supposed 50 tones in multi and its very much harder to tell tones on the Nox than the old Terra 705 I think the Garrett is better . Even the lack of advanced settings like the Nox wont matter much . The 99 numbers on the Apex are a much better deal than the 40 on the Nox in trash etc. 

I am so convinced of the Apex that along with buying the Apex I am going to buy another E.Trac to give me the better tones and overall target info and at £750 new from a certain dealer cannot be missed . It will give me the capability for many years along with my other ET. 

I am also selling my Nox 800 and all its stuff that I think I wont need. I have had a love slightly hate relationship with that machine for all the time I have had it and being a throw away machine once the warranty runs out makes it much more expensive than a top end machine if it went wrong later. 

It does do the job in most places but the target info is so vague where I need better info that the ET for me with the right toned headphones (see my Detectors and Headphones thread) makes the ET a better machine and quicker for i.d. and recovery of targets . Even if slower in recovery speed. 

Minelab for me made an awful move when selling out to Codan . They are a public company only really thinking of the shareholder and since the ET's release they have been dragging their feet in the relic / coin machines for the last 12 years .

The CTX was way to heavy , still lacks coils , it is cumbersome and complicated in the field to master the more awkward menu and being waterproof a bit more risky for repairs after warranty . Though no where near as bad as the Nox.

The Nox . Too me looks cheap in construction , had many issues with water getting in , and very poor target info. Worse than the Terra 705 in target info by far , really !!

The Vanquish is a step backward , looking like an embarrassed "red" Ace 250 and the Apex has well and truly caught Minelab on the wrong foot.

Even if the tech in the Apex is based on FBS and V.Flex I think it will work well and neither of those systems are a let down for me. 

I'm not anti Minelab , I have had many and will always have an ET for as long as I can swing a detector . But they have let the side down too many times and in future I will be checking the machines out in the shop before even considering buying them. 

And in my last thread I started , why put in the box low toned bass headphones with a high toned fluty toned machine ? Low toned headphones make it harder to hear deep targets when in multi tones and defeats the purpose of the multi toned machine and its edge in target info as a whole.

 

[Nuke em]

The X.Terra are brilliant on dry tops and the numbers were accurate on UK coins. Cashless society is killing that now.

Also my thread about headphones applies here.

The Nox has 40 numbers and most low tone coins are in most low tone rubbish. 

On the ET it is so easy . and the tones are brilliant. Again my headphones thread.

Minelab need to supply the right headphones with high toned fluty machines. Or depth and difference in target I.d. cannot easily be achieved.

Anyway Nox is going. Maybe Minelab will tempt me to a new machine or maybe not ?