First Hunt With The Ace Apex

[Bohemia Miner]

I got my first chance to take the Apex out for a test drive in a local park. I chose U.S. Coins mode because the area I was hunting is home to a Carnival with Rides and Game Booths every year. I must say, it ran fairly quiet until it hit a target. I will most likely use Zero in the future as the “Pre-set” modes may have more discrimination than I’m used to.  Or I could “Accept” some of the blocked-out segments to create a “Custom” Program.

Overall impressions: Simple, nice and light weight, well balanced, easy to adjust settings plus the Wireless Audio that you can hear your Pin Pointer through!  However, I watched a You Tube video of a hunt at a Boy Scout Camp.  The videographer mentioned that the Depth Gauge seemed to be “off”.  I experienced the same issue.  One target read 4” when it was right under the surface.  This happened more than once.

My 1.5 hours netted me some Clad coins, a Cinemark Token, a Fleur-de-lis snap or button cover and three strange washers.  I only found one other piece of “junk” which appears to be cast Aluminum.

Comparing it to the Minelab Equinox Series would be a bit unfair.  While they share similarities like Simultaneous MF, GB, Noise Cancel (Frequency Shift) and Preset Programs including Beach Mode, that’s where it ends.  The Nox has way more Features and Adjustments putting in a completely different league altogether!  The APEX is simply an entry level Multi-Frequency Metal Detector for those starting out or an upgrade for the many Ace Enthusiasts.

I’ve mostly worked with the White’s TRX which reads off the tip.  It will take some time getting used to the 360 degrees of the Garrett and Nokta Pin Pointers.

My only real concern other than the Depth issue is what problems, if any, may occur due to them being put together so quickly to fill the many preorders and back orders.

[Chase Goldman]

9 hours ago, phrunt said:

The thing I'm puzzled about is people often thinking the Apex is good as an upgrade for people with an Ace.  I would think people with an Ace that are ready to upgrade would jump up to something significantly better than the Apex. 

2 reasons both related to the Value that the Apex brings to the table vs. similarly priced competition:

#1 - Having a stable beach detector (a la Vanquish)

#2 - Getting a relatively inexpensive detector that you can run over a range of individual frequencies (a la Equinox 600, but $250US cheaper).  I know I sound like a broken record, but people are really sleeping on this feature which I consider even more significant than SMF on the Apex and something (along with the ability to ground balance) that the Vanquish does not have.

Also, wireless audio is really starting to become a popular and standard feature the Ace series does not have without investing another $100 in a 3rd party or Garrett wireless bolt on accessory.

Overall, features wise, it is a pretty signficant upgrade over the older Aces without much additional investment.  Not a bad move for an existing Ace user and they still have the Ace as a backup.

 

[Jeff McClendon]

Thanks for the excellent review Walt. I agree with your assessment especially after being at a group hunt this past weekend where one person had an APEX. They purchased it for the reasons Chase mentioned plus a few more. Being elderly, a woman, and very experienced they wanted:

something that was lighter weight and more ergonomic than their AT Pro (this was a big reason)

a Garrett detector that could use the Garrett wireless headphones they already owned (big reason)

a detector with a really big display (this was also a big reason)

a detector that worked well in saltwater situations (SMF multi salt)

a detector with more tones and more reliable target ID (they like the tones, ID not sure yet even with SMF)

a detector that worked as well as their AT Pro for coin and jewelry (again not sure yet due to quality of Garrett's SMF and target separation) 

a detector that was a Garrett

Jeff

[mh9162013]

11 hours ago, phrunt said:

I don't see the point going entry level to entry level.

Says the advanced metal detector user who purchased a Vanquish! 

Granted, you got a 540...

But seriously, going from an old Ace to the Apex is a prett big jump, is it not? Even if Garrett's SMF tech works only have as well as Minelab's, it's still a nice upgrade. I guess for someone who wants to really push their metal detecting limits, in terms of areas to hunt and skills to develop, it may not be a big jump. But someone who wants to keep things casual and doesn't expect to go underwater, it's a nice upgrade.

[Chase Goldman]

I want to like the above two posts but I'm on "like" probation until tomorrow.  (Thanking too many people on their response to my odd 2-cent piece beach find).  See how I turned that into cheap self promotion. 

Anyway, in focusing on Simon's comment, I forgot to also thank Walt for his review and congrats on the nice finds.  Nail board tests etc. notwithstanding - the Apex will hold its own under most detecting situations based on what I have seen of the unbiased "real world" in-the-field videos so far.  But there are definitely higher priced detectors that do beat it on separation, discrimination, tones, and other features such as multiple SMF profiles.

[Joe D.]

For once Chase, i still have some left!!👍

 I really want to see Garrett do well with the Apex! If for no other reason than to move up to an AT version! But they are going to have to step it up, to better compete with ML, and the other soon to be multi competitor's!👍👍

[Joe D.]

Simon,

   As you have said before, you are definitely not the norm, when it comes to buying detectors! Most of us can't get that many past our wives!🤣

  I really want Garrett to succeed due to the competition aspect, more than anything! We don't need any more companies closing up shop; not just in the US, but anywhere! With the exception being China and there damn counterfeiters! 

   Like you say, its nice to have a variety to keep prices down, and innovation up! It would be expensive, and boring, to have ML be the only show in town!👍👍

[Joe D.]

And Good Morning Simon! Just checked NZ time! Have a nice day!!👍👍

[mh9162013]

3 hours ago, phrunt said:

I don't like settling for second, third

I don't understand. You say you want the best, but then you got a Vanquish 540 when you already had an Equinox 800. From a form factor perspective, I agree that Vanquish > Equinox, but from a technical capability perspective the Vanquish is inferior to the Equinox, right?

I concur 100% with you that the Apex isn't that big of a jump from the old Ace line. But that doesn't mean it doesn't serve a particular group of detectorists. There are so many reasons why someone would want to buy the Apex. 

I'm a believer in that one should avoid the "muddle in the middle" as much as possible. For instance, if I wanted a SMF detector, I'd try to get either the Vanquish 340 or the Equinox 800. I'd avoid the Equinox 600 or the Vanquish 540/440 like the plague. My general philosophy is to go cheap or go all out; kinda like Yoda, "there is no try." If you can't afford the Equinox 800, but can afford the 600, just wait to buy the 800. If you can afford the Vanquish 540/440 but don't need the Equinox 800, get the 340 and save the left over money for other things, like a pinpointer, paying bills, buying another toy, etc.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to get a Vanquish 440/540 or an Equinox 600. Some of them may actually apply to me. But getting one of those machines goes against my general philosophy.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you buy or think, phrunt; I just don't follow your reasoning. I mean, I'm considering a Tesoro as my next detector. Why? Because I get to tinker with the knobs, not worry about my machine getting superseded by a newer model (that ship sailed a decade ago) and figure out how to replace its 9V battery power source. Yeah, those aren't the most practical or logical reasons.

 

[mh9162013]

Ahhh, that makes sense.

But if someone had an old Ace and wanted to upgrade, I still think the Apex could be a reasonable recommendation (depending on their specific needs, of course).