palzynski

Dont forget that XP is coming with a new SMF machine . There will be competitors for the new NM machine in the field ... On the other hand competition is always good for the end users ...

I agree the Ripper goes deep for its size , Garrett could have proposed it as stock coil for the Apex because it is an excellent coil , very light , deep and great in iron trash

Hi, I have looked the video but could not see the Deus screen. Never mind I understand that detecting in mild soils and mineralized are very different things . And detecting in Colorado is very different from detecting in French mild soils. Might be interesting to inform the US XP support about this VDI shifting, and see what they answer about this issue ...

I have a profind35 since 2 years now and it works very well for me including the iron disc ... I dont understand what could be wrong with this poinpointer .. Or may be I have the only one working correctly ... 🙂

Yes have a nice trip Steve , looking forward for your pics from Alaska ... Alain

I dont like fiddling with my detectors settings. I largely prefer detectors with factory settings already perfectly set. This is the case with my Deus for coin hunting. I use the nr3 "DEUS FAST" mode , I have just changed the tones to FULL TONES. Thats all ... I have a friend that use a Deus for 1st WW relics hunting. He asked me to set his Deus for him. I set the nr1 "BASIC1" factory mode that he uses since 2 or 3 years with excellent results , I just changed the number of tones to 5 TONES, thats all. On my Apex I use the RELICS factory mode without any change , I like this machine because the factory settings are perfectly set . I also like the Vanquish 540 because it is easy to operate , no headache I like simple things ... 🙂 My favorite mode JEWELLERY Not so simple btw as long as it took me a little time to find the right detection mode for each machine 🙂 , this by testing in the field and also from infos given by forum members ...

True for clean soils , but a little different on high iron trashed areas . You would find very little with an Ace on some areas I know over here , where a fast detector with an excellent iron filtering like a Deus/Orx , Apex , G2 , Lobo etc is required ... ( small/very small coins among hundreds of rusty nails )

Weird , I have had excellent results with the Orx during my testing and it is known as an excellent detector over here in France . But we use it in low to moderate mineralizations , and its behaviour may be different in higher mineralizations/different conditions ... Concerning the Vanquish I agree the 440 V10 is a much better choice than the 540 V12 for lightness. The V12 coil weighs 440g and the V10 only weighs 360g , this makes a big difference when sweeping the detector

I would have added the XP Orx to your list , because it is the lightest machine of the market and a very good detector . Then my proposal is the following : 1. XP Orx 800g 2. Garrett Apex 1.17kg 3. Vanquish 540 1.3kg with the V12 4. Simplex+ 1.4kg If I had to choose , I would just keep the Orx and the Apex for the final decision , because the Vanquish 540 and the Simplex+ are a little front heavy with their stock coils. It also depends on the kind of detecting that your wife plans to do ( inland , prospecting , beach , etc )... Just my opinion

I dont worry for ML , they sell a lot of Vanquish at least over here in France, this even without the GB ... 🙂

It would be interesting to know the percentage of users detecting on mild soils and those detecting on mineralized soils , this over the world. In Europe we have mostly mild soils . In the US and other continents I dont know ...

Yes the Apex is a very good detector , especially in the iron trash, which is a huge advantage for my kind of detecting . I just still have some concern about interferences that I solved last time by stopping the Apex , disconnecting /reconnecting the coil cable connector and restarting the detector. Hopefully it happened only once over 6 outings with the Ripper coil. Never had this kind of pb with a Vanquish for example .

For info on my bed tests I have exactly the same depth results between an Equinox Park1 or Park2 and a Vanquish 540 , this for equivalent coil sizes. I use moderate mineralized ground ( from 80 to 85 on the Garrett Apex GB scale , I dont remember the GB value on the Equinox and I dont have this machine any more .. )

For me the Apex and the Orx/Deus have similar perfos in iron , which means that both are excellent . I cannot say up to now which one is the best , I will do more comparisons in plowed fields this summer . But the XPs have still the weight advantage vs the Apex , almost 300g difference . On the other hand the Apex is multifreq and has some interesting features like the iron audio button ... I will have more infos in a few weeks ...

I also agree on this . I use rather RELICS instead of ZERO , and when I have a doubtful signal , I activate the IRON AUDIO which tells me if it is a ferrous target or not. For me it is a big plus compared to the Deus /Orx because there is no dedicated/direct access AM button on the XPs , at least on my Deus Lite WS4... Looking forward for your next outings reports ...

Yes I agree on the "very abrupt clear signals" ... it took me a little time to get used to these sharp signals compared to the soft signals of the MLs but on the other hand these signals are short and accurate , and very reactive on targets. I have been a little disappointed at the beginning by this audio , but the more I use this machine and the more I appreciate it because it is fun to use and very efficient in the field.. If you want to save weight , the Ripper coil is the right tool , it is 70g lighter than the Viper this makes a big difference ... And it goes almost as deep as the Viper

Actually when I received my Apex last autumn I only had the viper coil and I did 6 outings with it and I had false signals during 2 outings . At this moment when I had the pb I just try stop and restart the Apex which did not change anything and I had not yet the idea to unplug and plug the coil connector in the field . Perhaps unplugging and plugging the connector would have solved the pb I dont know ... So I sent the Apex / Viper back to my seller who sent it to the Garrett support . Eventually I received a brand new Viper from them without any explanation about the pb . I just did 2 short outings with the new Viper coil and had no pb with it. As my seller sent me a Ripper coil to test, I decided to focus on the Ripper . As I said above I only had one false signals pb with the Ripper during 6 or 7 outings , that I solved by simply unplugging plugging the coil connector in the field. This story is still not clear for me and Garrett does not not help providing no info about the pb ... Yes the 6X11 is a good coil for open areas like fields , the 5X8 is more dedicated to small iron trashed areas like yards , gardens , paths , woods with vegetation etc , so both are interesting . The Raider is certainly the deepest coil in clean soil but probably a bit heavy compared to the Viper and Ripper...

Yes I installed the 1.28 one month ago . It did not solve the "false signals" because it occured again ( only once during 7 outings with the Ripper ) . If it happens just stop the machine , unplug and replug the coil connector , restart it , and everything should be ok ... The only difference I noticed when using the 1.28 is the backlight activation when pressing the MENU button , I did not see other differences vs the prev version . From what I have read on the Garrett internet site they have improved the detector stabiility on the wet salt beach , but I only use the Apex inland .. I appreciate the Apex lightness and iron filtering , you should not be disappointed by this machine I think . I am looking forward for your results in the field ... 🙂 For info my Apex settings during this last outing : RELICS , SENS 8 , MF , GND 83 HH

My cousin proposed me an outing today on a 1st ww area near my village. Finally I decided to use the Apex /Ripper again as I am very confident with this detector/coil now . My cousin proposed me to dig , so I had just to sweep the Apex and listen to the signals, cool ... 🙂 My cousin was expecting 1st ww war relics , and me coins as we were quite close from a little town. We did find at the beginning 1st ww ammunitions but no coins . Hopefully at the end of the outing we found a very nice Napoleon 1st "garde imperiale" button in a very good state, dating probably from 1814 , a year of battles between Napoleon 1st and the coalition ( Prussia , Russia , Great Britain )... French 1st Empire relics are quite rare and we were very happy to find this nice little button .. Now I have 15 hours with the Apex/Ripper , again I am very happy with this machine because of its very reactive audio , performances in iron trashed areas and its lightness... 🙂 About the cons I noticed that the Ripper connector is difficult to insert/remove in/from the control box. Garrett should pay more attention to this kind of details , I dont know if that occurs on other Garrett detectors , I will try to find a solution ...

Looks like the 2 batteries sizes are different on the pic above ... Just an optical illusion ?

12 coins / 15 minutes which means almost 1 coin every minute , not bad .... 🙂

I am not a beach hunter but from the feedbacks that I have from local sellers/users , very few people use Deus/ Orx for salt beach hunting over here . They mainly use the MLs Equinox, Elite etc which are known here as killers for beach hunting.. This is probably why XP is currently developping a MF machine btw .. The ORX and Deus are rather references for inland hunting over here , especially in iron trashed areas ..

3 more outings with the Apex/Ripper . Wood and forest , moderate to high iron trash . THE GOOD NEWS : - I confirm my previous feelings ; the Apex is a fast machine and fun to use , I have used it for coin and 1st ww relic hunting and it works very well. I like the short "bips" on targets. The Ripper coil is excellent , very accurate , very light , sensible to tiny targets , great separation and easy pinpointing with a good depth . Excellent MS3 wireless headphones etc ... 🙂 THE BAD NEWS : - I had false signals again during my last outing , this as soon as I started the Apex... 🤔 As I was using the MF mode , I decided to try the single freqs. The 20 and 15kh were still noisy , only the 10 and 5khz were quieter and I decided to carry on with the 10k freq. A few minutes later , I decided to do a test : I stopped the MS3 and the Apex , unplugged the coil connector, replugged the coil connector and restarted the machine . And miracle , the false signals had totally disappeared after this , even in the MF mode... And I could detect up to the end of the outing without any pb ... Weird ... The good thing ; now I have a bypass in case of false signals 🙂 .. However I have never seen such a behaviour on a detector , I will call my seller tomorrow about this , so that he can inform the Garrett support .. CONCLUSION : Up to now I have a total of 6 outings with the Apex / Ripper , total time 13 hours. Apart from this false signal "mystery" , the Apex is a very good machine especially for European areas which require fast detectors because of their often high iron trash density... To summarize : - fast and reactive - very light ( especially with an home made front carbon shaft , a new foam handle and arm rest / 2,1 lbs with the Ripper ) 🙂 Now I will focus on the Viper coil , I will open a new thread for the Apex/Viper testing..

ok I saw some other people on the forum using the Apex for beach hunting , but they certainly use it away from the water.. I hope that Garrett will soon propose a fully water protected machine , it should not take a long time because they already have the electronics with the current Apex ...

Hi , The lightest multifreq machine is at the moment the Garrett Apex : 2,6lbs/1,17kg with the stock 11X6 Viper coil . And this can very easily be reduced to 2,4lbs/1.07kg by just replacing the rubber handle and the arm rest with lighter parts. For info an Equinox with the 11 stock coil weighs 2,8lbs ( 1,26kg ) .