palzynski

I am currently testing the Apex inland but I have a very experienced friend who has tested it at the beach on the French west coast ( Bretagne ) and he said that the Apex goes deep and is a very good beach detector. From my standpoint I am not a beach hunter but I have a static test at home (a box filled with sand + salt water ) with a 2 euros coin at 10 inches depth , and I noticed that the Apex goes deep in the salt sand and hits the coin with both the Viper and the Ripper coil ... I have the 1.28 update

And regarding the inland Terra world ??? 🙂 🙂

Third outing with the Apex/Ripper. A less difficult area , a forest near a town. Modern coins from the 16th to the 20th century can be found here. Sandy moderated mineralized soil with medium iron trash . A bit lucky because I found a coin on the first signal 🙂... I know the Apex audio very well now , it is very reactive with short signals on targets I like this . As I already said the iron filtering is excellent and the Apex likes iron infested areas , however it is sometimes a little chirpy with erratic "bips" but I am getting used to this now ... I hope that Garrett will filter/eliminate those erratic signals in a future software update .. Total I found 3 coins , a 1770 louis XV copper coin , a 17th corroded copper coin and a 1966 demi franc nickel. The Apex is fun and easy to use , it is a light machine with the ripper coil. The audio is more basic than the MLs but it works very well . My settings during this outing : RELICS mode , sens max 8 , freq MF The corresponding pics below , plus a pic of the Apex electronics board rear side done at home ..

Todays outing with the Apex/Ripper in a different area , a wood occupied by 1st WW german camps, dating from 1918 . Sandy low mineralized soil. Usually I am not a war relic hunter and rather a coin hunter , but as I was invited by a friend who is a 1WW specialist I thought that it was a good occasion to test the Apex in a different environment from the previous roman outing. 1st WW camps are quite difficult areas for detectors because they usually contain a lot of iron trash , and lots of big irons like rusty tin cans . They are different from older medieval of roman sites. Medieval or roman sites contain hundreds ( thousands .. ) of rusty nails then much more targets than 1st WW camps but smaller . In both cases excellent areas for testing/comparing detectors .. I have spent 2 hours detecting in this wood with my friend . And as usual the Apex performed very well . I start to know this machine very well and I am always impressed by its excellent iron filtering and the sharp signals on targets. I found the Apex audio to be very different from the MLs Vanquish and Equinox , and actually closer to a Deus/Orx . The Ripper coil is fun to use because it is light and very accurate , and it goes deep for its size. No incredible find during this outing , mostly 1st WW ammunitions : German(Mauser) and French ( Lebel ). And a british 1st WW small buckle etc .. See the pic below . Again the Apex is very polyvalent and fun to use in the field , even in these quite difficult 1st WW camps areas. I like this machine ... 🙂 My settings during this outing : freq MF , sensitivity max , JEWELLERY mode If I had an improvement to suggest to Garrett, I think that their coils could be a little lighter , especially the Viper and the Raider , this compared to the competition ( the Vanquish coils for example ). Next time I will go to a park hunting for coins , I already know that the Apex will do a good job there ... 🙂

captorofsin said in his initial post "... I will be searching mostly beach, homesites, and parks. Jewelry and coins. I really am NOT concerned with prospecting or relics.... " . Does he need a max sensitivity on 0.05g grams targets ? Certainly not for coin hunting ... Jewellery ? I dont know ...

Jeff , I will not compare the 600 vs the 800 , I only compare detectors that I have tested in the field , and as I said I never owned a 600. But I know very well the 800 I have between 150 to 200 hours with it the field ( inland coin/relic hunting , mild soil , mostly iron trashed areas ) and during this time I could compare it with the competition , particularly vs the XP Deus , that I use since 2013 . On the other hand , ok lets say that the 600 has exactly the same audio/freq same abilities as the 800 . Even with this I would still prefer the Apex to the 600 for a single feature ; the iron filtering .For my kind of detection the iron filtering is the key feature , rather than depth , this because I spend almost all my detecting time on iron trashed areas. Now as we have a disagreement , it would be interesting to have other users opinions on the Apex , inland and at the beach. May be up to now there are only few feedbacks because the machine is very recent , and probably more infos will arrive during the coming weeks/months. I hope so anyway ..

I agree the Apex should not be underestimated , it is lighter than the Equinox (Apex/Viper/1.2kg vs Equinox/eq11/1.3kg ) and yes a S shaped shaped is more ergonomic than the Equinox straight shaft . I am currently testing the Apex for inland hunting and it is a very good machine , easy to use and very efficient in the field. I have a very experienced friend who has tested the Apex at the beach ( French coast ) and had excellent results with it . The Garrett MS3 wireless headphones are probably the best on the market. And the Apex is for me easier to use than the Equinox , the audio is more stable with sharper signals on targets . Concerning the freqs , the Apex runs higher than the 600 ( Apex: 5,10,15,20khz - 600 : 5,10,15khz ) then it is probably a little more sensitive to tiny targets than the 600 , at least for small coins. However even if I know the 800 very well, I have never used a 600 then this has to be confirmed ...

- The Minelab Equinox is waterproof 3m ( control box + coils ) - The Garrett Apex has a rainproof control box - coils are waterproof - The Minelab Vanquish control box has no specific protection - coils are waterproof Look at garrett.com apex tech specs , minelab.com equinox vanquish tech specs

Hi , I would add the Apex to your list and remove the F75 , then : - Vanquish ( release 2019 ) - Equinox ( release 2017 ) - Apex ( release 2020 ) Those 3 detectors have been designed recently, while the F75 is a little outdated now ( release 2006 ). The Apex is very polyvalent and performs very well either at the beach or even in high iron trash inland areas , and it is also easy to use . The Minelabs are a little deeper but a little unstable in the iron trash . Just my opinion .. HH

Yes the Deus is the king of separation in iron , but I have been surprised by the Apex during this "extreme" outing in thick iron trash . At this place I usually find from 3 to 8 coins with the Deus , and the Apex/Ripper found 6 coins , and this quite easily . So there is definitely something special with the Apex in iron trash . I need more hours with the Apex to confirm this however . Concerning the Equinox the Apex easily beats it in the iron trash to my opinion . The Equinox is too chatty , it does not filters enough the irons for me. I know that some people in this forum will not agree , but I have no doubt on this , at least for my European conditions ( mostly small coins in mild soil with thick iron trash ) ... Yes the T2 it has very good separation and electronics , but its design is dating from 2006 , a little outdated now ; too heavy for me ( 1.6kg ), no wireless headphones etc ..

As the issue with the Apex / Viper coil is now solved ( faulty Viper coil / new Viper coil sent by the Garrett support ) , I have restarted my tests from the beginning and opened new threads . See below for more infos about my last tests - thanks ...

The Apex balance/weight is very good but as I thought it could still be improved , I decided to update it a little bit ... 🙂 My modifs : 1) polymer lower shaft replaced by an home made carbon shaft : 30g saved 2) aluminium mid shaft replaced by an home made carbon shaft : 40g saved 3) rubber handle replaced by a lighter foam handle : 30g saved 4) armrest replaced by a lighter and wider ML Vanquish armrest 50g saved note : I have kept the original aluminium S shaped upper shaft , just the lower and mid shafts have been replaced by carbon shafts Total : 150g saved After these modifs my Apex/Ripper only weights 960g /2.1 lbs 👍! ( vs 1110g/ 2.4lbs for the original Apex/Ripper ) I spent a little time doing this but it was worth the effort , very few detectors weigh under 1kg , and now my Apex balance is almost the same as a Deus/Orx and it is very fun to use in the field ... 🙂

Hi , From what I have seen up to now , I am quite sure that you will have good results with the Apex concerning the "separation speed on mask of nails" , especially with the Ripper coil . Looking forward for your comparative tests ...

From my standpoint , the Apex factory recovery speed is correctly set and works very well in the field and I never needed to change it up to now , even in the extreme iron trash of this last outing . I think that Garrett has designed and tested the Apex to be very efficient in the iron trash, this to take advantage over the multifreq competition ( ML at the moment ) ... From what I have seen up to now they have succeeded. On the other hand the ML multifreqs like the Equinox and Vanquish go a little deeper than the Apex in clean soil ( low/medium iron trash ) and they have more accurate/stable VDIs . And lighter coils . So both brands have their advantages and disadvantages , and it is probably not easy to choose between them for a newbye ... Just my opinion ..

Thanks Slavomir , yes the Ripper coil is the right coil for hunting small areas littered with iron trash and I like it . I have tested a little the Viper since I received the new one from the Garett support , this coil also works very well ; excellent iron filtering and reactivity on targets. The Viper will be the right coil for open areas like open fields , beaches etc I think ...

Actually I found that the Apex manual is not very clear about this "Iron Audio" function . I just discovered in the field that pressing the Iron Audio allows to hear the low ferrous tones and that works well for me at the moment ... I will try to understand the Iron Audio details when I have some time available... I have never tried the all metal ZERO mode yet, yes may be an interesting mode I will try it. On the other hand yes I have had teething pains 🙂 last year with my Apex because of this faulty Viper coil . The reason why my first reports were so negative ... I hope that Garrett has solved this quality issue now ... Anyway I have a totally different machine compared to the one I had last year and I enjoy it now ... 🙂

I went today to one of my favourite testing areas , a very old site in a forest , low mineralized soil but infested with thousands of nails. It is my first outing there with the Apex . I decided to use the Ripper (5X8)coil instead of the Viper ( 6X11 ) because of its smaller size which means better separation , and also because it is lighter than the Viper ( 330g instead of 400g ). Up to now I had only done a few short outings with the Apex in less difficult areas , so I have some experience of the machine and its settings . I already know that it works very well in iron trashed areas , but I am wondering if it will do the job in todays "extreme" outing ... Ok lets start the detector . First thing the Apex is very stable , almost silent on the nail bed. There is no noise at all compared for example with the ML multifreqs like the Equinox or the Vanquish , which is a very good thing. My settings : Jewellery mode , freq MF , sens MAX. Apex soft. version : 1.28 I found my first coin only after 5 minutes . Very good news because it is difficult to find new targets here. The Ripper coil has the perfect size for hunting (very) small roman coins . It is also very easy to center the targets with that coil , no pinpointer required. The MS3 wireless headphones are excellent and very reliable , it is a pleasure to use them. An important thing , in case of a doubtful signal I always press the Iron Audio button to have more audio info. This "Iron Audio" is just equivalent to the Equinox and Vanquish AM ( all metal ) function. I dont know why Garrett did not simply call this button AM instead of "Iron Audio" ... The signals on targets are sharp and clean , may be a little too sharp , I would have preferred a little "softer" audio , but it works very well and this is the most important Long story short , I found a total of 6 coins during 1 hour , which is a very good result.🙂 I am not sure that I would have found more coins with my Deus HF which is a reference in iron trashed areas. So I confirm that the Apex is a very good detector in iron trash. It outperforms the ML multifreqs in iron trash to my opinion. It is very good on tiny targets as it can be seen on the pics below. Compared to the XPs the Apex is probably quite close to the Deus in terms of separation , but the Deus has the edge concerning its weight ( 800g for the Deus instead of 1100g for the Apex/ripper ). On the other hand the Apex is probably much better than the Deus at the beach, and could be a good choice for users looking for a detector performing very well on both inland and beach hunting ... So conclusion of this test the Apex is a very good detector , both easy to use and very efficient in the field , especially with the excellent Ripper coil ... GARRETT APEX + RIPPER COIL -- PLUS AND CONS : THE PROS : . excellent on iron trashed areas . very good audio / excellent iron filtering . sensitive to tiny targets as well as bigger ones ( multifrequency ) . fast and reactive/accurate on targets . a light detector , weighting only 2.4lbs (1,1kg ) with the Ripper coil . the thin control box . the lithium/ion battery . easy to use even by beginners . the excellent MS3 wireless headphones THE CONS : . VDIs a little unstable . the rod outdated compared to other brands . the coil cable too short for tall persons ( above 6 feet/ 1,85m ) . no dedicated backlight button . the running freq info ( 5k,10k ... , MF..) NOT displayed on the main detection screen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A few pics of todays outing below ... 1) First coin with the Apex/Ripper : 2) A bigger one ... : 3) Total 6 coins : 4) Back home , after cleaning , a nice roman coin : Constantinus , AD 360 , 1660 years old ! : legend : CONSTANTINUS PF AUG reverse legend : GLORIA EXERCITUS 5) The Viper 6X11 and the Ripper 5X8 :

I have used the XP goldmaxx from 2007 to 2013 , then the Deus from 2013 to now . A total of 14 years with XP .... I agree that the Deus has the best target separation in iron trash from all the machines I have used since 1998. In Europe separation is the key feature because we very often detect on nail beds here , this is why I am curious about this tarsacci... 🙂

Yes wet ground is more conductive than dry ground. But I have never had any issue with either my 540 or my 340 in mild ground , either dry or wet. Looks like the above "false signals" pb is a combination of very high mineralization + wet ground . However I am not a specialist of hot grounds we have only mild grounds over here in the north of France ... Slavomir ( El Nino77 ) do you have hot grounds in Slovakia ? thx

All the Vanquish have fixed GB. In mild soil the Vanquish has an excellent iron disc , impossible to dig nails with it in mild soil. So the pb perhaps comes from your soil mineralization .

Ok for mineralized soil but what about the Tarsacci in mild soil with iron trash ? Does it perform better than the Deus there ? thx ..

Hi Dancer , Actually I should have said that if my Deus HF is running at 14khz in this area and despite my experience, I would find nothing . You start to find things there at frequencies above 20khz , either you are experienced or not, and whatever the detector. The only exception is the Teknetics T2 14khz that is performing well with its FA mode, this detector has something special ...🙂 The funny thing is once you know the correct settings , the Deus is very easy to use , even by a beginner and even on these nail beds . The Deus is far easier to use there than an equinox/vanquish for example , With a Deus you dont hear the irons because it filters them , and it just beeps on the good targets. The pb with the Deus is the number of settings, for example 11 detection modes . The beginners are messed up with all the settings and for example they often use the wrong detection mode . Btw it took me 2 years to understand that the Deus Fast mode was the best mode for my kind of hunting. For beginners , the Orx is simpler and a better choice than the Deus to my opinion btw I dont remember why we are discussing about the Deus settings in the Garrett forum 🙂 ...

If the original coin weight is 1.3 to 1.4g ,and yours 3.1g , then yours is very probably a fake coin. The hammered medieval coins are very thin it is an easy way to recognize them ...

Yes I agree . I have a little story about this . Once I was in a "sea of iron nails" with my deus hf set at 30khz and there was an other guy , that I never met before , who arrived at the same time with an Ace , I dont remember which model . Two hours later we compared our finds , I had 15 small coins in my hand and he had found ... nothing. I was really disappointed for him actually btw ... Conclusion in this area you absolutely need a specialized high freq machine if you want to find something . You would find very few with a machine running under 15khz there .. This was a very interesting ( and not planned ) field test , which simply means that you need the right tool for the right job . Concerning the software update yes I consider it as a very interesting feature , even if sometimes I get excited when microsoft blocks my PC with a windows update and I have something urgent to do lol ... 🙂

I am a little surprised by this , the Deus/Orx are for me the best machines in heavy iron trash. They can pick up very small coins ( then low conductors ) among nail beds when using high freqs like 30khz and this is the reason why they are references over here in Europe. What I mean by nail beds are for example antic house roofs that have collapsed resulting in soils containing thousands of rusty nails and their fragments... From the other detectors that I have used since 1998 , only the Tesoro Lobo and the Teknetics T2 ( FA mode ) were able to compete with the Deus and Orx . Probably the Tek G2 would do the job , but I have never used/tested one up to now... Concering the Apex , from what I have seen during my first tests it is good in iron trash but not as much as the XPs , but I need to confirm this in the field with more hours detecting. The only thing that I can tell at this time is that the Apex is better than the ML multifreqs ( vanquish , equinox etc.. ) on these areas, which is a very positive feature 🙂 ..