Revisiting The Apex

[Bill (S. CA)]

Having spent the better part of the last two decades writing up field tests on metal detectors, I have had the opportunity to use a lot of machines.  Due to publishing deadlines, timing of receiving the unit, testing/learning the detector and a lot of behind-the-scenes tasks required to get a field test published, it is not the gravy train that a lot of folks think it is.  Yes, it can be fun, but it is work.  The toughest part on rare occasions was to not have the time to really flush out a new metal detector, especially when other articles and field tests were lining up.  While I could get a sense of using the detector and describing its features in the context of a field test, there were times that I really wanted to have more time to get to know a detector.

Well now that I am retired from writing up field tests due to Western and Eastern Treasures Magazine ceasing publication at the end of 2022, time has become available to revisit a detector or two.  One such case is the Garrett Ace Apex, Garrett’s first multi-frequency detector that was introduced in 2020. I wrote the field test on the Apex for the November 2020 issue of Western and Eastern Treasures and after that was delivered the detector basically sat idle until about 2 months ago.  With all the constant buzz about various new multi-frequency detectors, incessant “update” anxiety and the like, I found myself overloaded on the whole multi-frequency side of our hobby.  That led me to recall the Apex.  I remember that I liked it some, had good luck with it at the beach and decent but not overwhelming success with it inland.  After digging the detector out of my garage I put it on the charger and decided to do a little Internet research to see how the Apex had gone over since its introduction.  To my surprise, there were very few recent posts and videos.  Digging a bit deeper I discovered that Garrett had issued an update on 11/30/2022 that offered several improvements:

·         Improved overall stability

·         Faster and more accurate ground balance in saltwater

·         More accurate pinpointing

·         More distinctive tones to better differentiate good targets from bad

Just like with the Apex itself, this update garnered very little web/forum activity, again a bit of a surprise.  I wondered why the Apex, Garrett’s first multi-frequency detector, seemed to have been forgotten, lost in the wake of the multi-frequency whirlwind that hit the industry over the past several years.

That led me to this post.  Basically, over the course of the last two months I decided to revisit the Apex to see just what it could, and could not do.  I would like to make one thing clear before the post.  This revisiting of the Apex is of my own doing.  It was not requested by Garrett, nor do I, or have I ever, been consulted by them regarding developing or testing of their metal detectors.  This post is very simply reflective of my desire to spend more time with the Apex than my field test allowed. 

For those of you who are interested I’ve attached a copy of my original field test for your reference.

Comment if you wish, criticize at your own risk, and no matter what, dear God please don’t ask me what my settings are.  Fair enough?  Now, let’s revisit the Apex.

The Apex Itself

What I had forgotten about the Apex is how much I liked its “landscape orientation” control box.  Since the industry has gone all in on the pod design common to just about every new detector release, the Garrett approach is one that I find refreshing.  The display is nicely arranged, the menus make sense and aren’t buried, and the thumb wheel of control buttons beats any pod set of pushbuttons by a mile.

The detector is also very easy to swing and well balanced.  The Viper coil is one that I prefer due to it’s blade like configuration. While I have used the larger Reaper coil which does give greater coverage, I do not think you lose much with the Viper.  Plus it is lighter.

Setup to Detect

Given the fact that the Apex is part of the Ace line, there are minimal adjustments compared to higher end detectors.  You basically turn on the detector, select a search mode, adjust sensitivity and go.  What impressed me about this second tour of the Apex is that this lack of adjustability did not affect performance in my hunting environments at all.  Not to mention it made my hunts more enjoyable.

Features

News flash: the Apex DOES NOT HAVE A BOTTLE CAP REJECT SETTING.  NOR DOES IT HAVE AN IRON MASK SETTING.  How on earth can you hunt with such a primitive detector?

It’s easy thanks to Garrett’s Iron Audio feature.  Yes, when you have it on all  the time the iron grunting will drive you crazy.  SO JUST USE IT SELECTIVELY.  On the saltwater beaches, this feature was terrific at identifying suspect signals.  When I got jumpy numbers, or overly high numbers, all I had to do was turn on the Iron Audio.  If it was iron or a bottlecap it grunted every time. The only time it would get fooled was on those tiny screw caps that you find on airline liquor bottles.  The Apex was also the only metal detector that I have ever used that was not fooled by the most insidious of all bottlecaps: the dreaded foil-wrapped cap.  They read good on every machine I have used except the Apex. When you hit one with the Apex you will get a high slightly bouncy number and when you tun the Iron Audio on it grunts.  I also used this feature in the parks and it worked equally well.

I’d also like to comment on target ID on the Apex.  I love the old school bars across the top, they are a handy reference.  And the Apex’s 1 0 – 99 scale is pretty solid as opposed to other multi’s that I have used where the expanded TID scales result in jumpy numbers.  It’s not perfect but I could get pretty consistent numbers with multiple swings over targets.

The Beach

The Apex is flat out a great saltwater beach detector.  This second tour with it confirmed just that.  In my last four hunts I found gold three times using the Viper coil which excellent on small gold.  A thin 10K ring that read a solid 44.  A small gold earring that gave a good tone but had weird, jumpy numbers, from 40 – 55.  I almost didn’t dig it but the sound was, well weird.  It was different than jumpy bottlecap numbers.  I checked it with Iron Audio and got a partial grunt but also good tone.  The reason?  When I recovered the earring the clasp was open.  Closed it read a solid 55.  I had two buddies with their high-end detectors check the earring with the clasp open and both said they would not have dug it because it sounded like junk.  And finally, last week a 14K butterfly charm with inlaid diamonds that read 48.  All in the wet sand with one bar below max sensitivity.  The Apex falsed very little on the wet sand and when it did get a little noisy all I had to do was a quick ground balance.

In terms of coins, the Apex did just fine on both wet and dry sand.  A mentioned earlier, I liked the Viper coil better than the Reaper at the beach and I think my results speak for themselves.

I should note that on these hunts there were up to eight other hunters gridding the same sections of the beach that I was hunting. Every one of them was using a high dollar, top end multi-frequency detector.  I did not feel like I was losing anything with my Apex.

Now, if you are a surf wash hunter, the Apex is not for you.  Yes, it does ground balance easily when submerged in salt water. But the wash will cause it to false with each pass of the whitewater.  Personally, since the Apex is not waterproof, only water-resistant, I would not hunt the surf line anyway.  Having been hit by a rogue wave years ago I’m not willing to take the risk.  If you do hunt the surf and in the water there are better options in terms of detectors.

Inland

Whatever they did with the update, the general hunting experience of the Apex has been improved in my view.  I ran U.S. Coins, which is a nifty option in that it includes all high conductors plus nickels (a range where I have been historically very lucky finding gold).  In my hunts in very trashy parks this mode worked great.  Some tabs read at the low end of zincs, around 66, and I was able to recognize them after digging several.  The Apex target ID numbers are very solid and not jumpy, which given the 0 – 99 TID range is an advantage. 

While not having a myriad of adjustable settings, the Apex performed pretty well in the high trash.  Yes, when you use Jewelry Mode the foil comes to life but that is the case with any detector.  I generally don’t hunt in this mode in trash because there is just too much noise to sort through.  Using U.S. Coins I was able to hit coin targets easily, even when there were multiple targets.  The Iron Audio is a huge advantage when used to check targets.  If I got a good hit but it was a bit clipped, turning the Iron Audio on would confirm for me that there was iron present as well.  The YouTube idiots who dismissed this detector when it came out because of the noisy Iron Audio just didn’t understand that you shouldn’t leave it on all of the time.

Bottlecaps were a cinch to ID.  When I got a good high target ID and a solid one-way target response it was always a bottlecap.  I checked first with the Iron Audio and confirmed that the target was iron.  This worked on everything except screw caps.

The other advantage that the Apex has in high trash is the Viper coil.  Due to its long, narrow footprint, it can sort out and pinpoint multiple targets easily, much more so than a traditional round coil.  By the way, I didn’t notice anything new about the pinpointing.  It works just fine but I didn’t have an issue with it when I field tested the detector.

I’m just noticing the page length here and need to restrict my field tester instincts before this becomes a full-blown article.  Therefore I will sum up this revisiting of the Apex by saying that in my personal view, it is a very cable multi-frequency metal detector that has not received its due.  It finds stuff and uses a platform that is markedly different from its competitors.  It is a very enjoyable metal detector to use.  I sincerely hope that Garrett continues to develop Multi-Flex and I believe that if enhanced in a higher end model it could be a completely unique offering in the world of multi-frequency metal detecting. 

FYI I intend to keep using mine.

Apex Field Test 11202020.pdf

[phrunt]

Thanks for taking the time to write that up.  Sounds like a fantastic detector to me, I think if they do continue to develop their multi-flex technology their high end AT replacement is going to be a detector to take notice of.  I'd like to own an Apex and try something different. 

[abenson]

It really isn't a bad beach machine. I never had a problem with it as a beach unit. On land there are better options IMO.

[Silver Saver]

Nice additional write up after spending more time with it. Iron audio definitely seems like a good tool for checking targets as you described

[Digalicious]

That was a very thorough and easy to read review. Well done!

I also prefer the landscape orientation screen.

[Steve Herschbach]

Great write up Bill. Add another vote for landscape pods versus tall copied from cell phone pods. Put some more power under the hood in this physical design and plenty of people would be all over it, including me.

[Bill (S. CA)]

Totally agree, Steve. I wish I could peer behind the curtain at Garrett and see what they are up to.  I can't imagine that Multi-Flex was a one off.  They really have an opportunity to differentiate their multi line from their competitors if they do it right.

[Tahts-a-dats-ago]

Great insight. For me, one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a detector is the fun factor. The Apex has it in spades.

[DIG5050]

I've enjoyed using both the Apex and the Deus 2-9".  The Apex lacks adjust ability and depth, but sometimes at some sites, you don't need the capabilities of the D2. As Tahts-s-dats-ago said above, the Apex has the fun factor.  I've found it fun to use and more than capable in some homesites that were littered with rusting iron square nails.  It just takes a little more time and coil wiggling to separate the non-Fe targets from the Fe ones. The Apex reigns as my backup detector.

I've really found the 5x8 coil effective in some trashy locations,too. If you get a chance to try it, Bill (S.CA), try one out. It makes swinging the detector for a longer period of time much easier. Of course, you do lose some depth but again, sometimes you don't need the depth of the larger coils.

I suspect the Microchip MCU they used for the processing core of the Apex has more HP under the hood to provide, but Garrett chose to limit its use in a mid-level detector.  Perhaps Garrett will take advantage of the extra HP in the future generation SMF detector.   I am hopeful that at some point they will provide a software update for Apex owners that test drives some of the features of said future SMF detector.   I quiz Steve Moore any chance I get to try to nudge along an update for the Apex, but so far, its crickets!

[rjk metal detecting]

Thanks Bill for taking the time to put this together. I've been using the Apex for 2 years now. In my opinion it's the perfect grab and go machine. Easy to use, runs stable and is light weight. My only wish is that it would have been waterproof. Other then that its a thumbs up in my book.