Hunting With The Garrett Apex

[phrunt]

Keep in mind things like tone options are what separate entry level machines from high end machines, they can't throw everything at the lower end machines as they have to justify the much higher price of the high-end models 🙂

Apex was designed around being a beginners or casual hunters' machine being put into the Ace lineup, not many in this thread would be buying as many here tend to buy the high-end models of various brands as they appreciate the higher end detector features.  To someone coming from an earlier Ace who enjoyed that detector then the Apex would seem like a Ferrari, and that's how Garrett positioned it.   Now suddenly their Ace 200 upgrade can allow them to hunt beaches with wet sand, they have all this new ability they didn't have with their Ace 200.

I guess by releasing their first SMF as an Ace has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works as it encouraged people that were not normally interested in buying an Ace model into buying one, and of course that's not going to go well for everyone.

 

[Chase Goldman]

Would like to return to this thread after the "storm" arrives.  I'm thinking a lot of the folks who thought the Apex just slightly missed the mark for their detecting environment are rooting for Garrett to close that remaining gap with their next generation VLF detector design.

[abenson]

Yea it's been approximately 3.5 years since the Apex was released. I though it would be the first of many models to come. Let's hope the Storm is something we can all appreciate. Anything short of a Legend/Deus2/Equinox/Manticore is going to be a disappointment. Or at least a series of storms with different options and features. Maybe a Hurricane, Tornado, Cyclone, etc. 

[phrunt]

6 minutes ago, abenson said:

Yea it's been approximately 3.5 years since the Apex was released.

That's human years, in detector years that's a few days when models stay on the market for a decade or three 🙂

 

[Bob Sickler]

6 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Just a reminder - this is the Garrett Forum for people who like and appreciate their Garrett detectors, where they can do so without people telling them that Brand X is better. You want to make brand to brand comparisons, take it to the Comparisons Forum.

I also do not find the Apex to be a powerhouse in my soil and have said so, but I don’t make it my mission to make sure I repeat that on every thread on the Garrett Forum to people who are happy with theirs.

I truly feel sorry for people who own and enjoy a Garrett Ace 150 or a Bounty Hunter. They go out and have fun and find things. Then they find a forum or get on Facebook, and get told what they own is not “the best” by all the people who are sure they own “the best.” There is a general elitist attitude on these forums that can’t tolerate anyone saying anything good about anything other than a dozen detector models. Own anything else and you will rapidly be made into a second class citizen here… and leave.

Great, maybe your car is better than my car, but truth is I like my car and I don’t want your car. Maybe people just like and want to support Garrett products regardless of whether somebody else thinks they should not.

Steve, I'll do better about comparing detectors in a dedicated brand topic. Given the fact I have been comparing detectors for many years both privately and publicly, it's a hard habit to break. But you are right, we don't want to downplay one detector against another because we do well with it. To me, that's about where to take it. I only did so because these were two detectors I owned recently and had experience enough to talk about them. I'm not to speed" on most all the newest detectors. Can't say I want to be anymore. I just want to hunt.

I remember one of the few times my wife actually went metal detecting with me and I gave her a popular non-motion discriminator I was testing at the time. I was using "old faithful". I asked her if she would like me to set it up for her... "No, I'll be fine!" I gave her some brief instruction on how to operate and she was gone across the school field extending the lower rod as she went. After two hours she returned to where I was and I noticed the searchcoil was swiveled around so the majority of the coil surface was under the pole! I started to smirk until she opened her hand, it was filled with coins, many were silver! She said, "How'd you do?" I had "red crickets"! 🙂 You are a good Admin, thank you.

[DIG5050]

I relic and coin hunt in my local area mostly at old homesites. I’ve done this type hunting for about 40 years when time and family life allowed for it. My first factory made detector was a Garrett back in the ‘80’s. 
 

I enjoy using both Apex detector and D2-9”. I bought the Apex soon after it was released.  I had previously owned a ML Sovereign so I knew the virtues of SMF machines. More recently , the GTI-2500 was nice technology, but the Apex felt like heaven to my arm to swing especially since I’m older.  I learned the Apex and could hardly wait for each day I could go out and use it. I still like it and use it today, anywhere the soil conditions allow. Being rechargeable, having wireless headphones and 5 tones, SMF like the Sovereign, but so much lighter than my old machines was and is a win-win for me. 
 

I will use the D2 when the soil conditions are tougher, and like that I can tweak a few settings to the soil conditions. I wish I could do even a subset of similar adjustments with the Apex as it would be the icing on the cake for me. 
 

I eagerly await the “Storm” like a lot of other Garrett fans, and I hope they address some of the (lack of) adjustability of the Apex. 
 

Meanwhile I’ll keep using and enjoying with both machines. Let’s hope it the Storm appears soon. 

[Bob Sickler]

11 hours ago, DIG5050 said:

I relic and coin hunt in my local area mostly at old homesites. I’ve done this type hunting for about 40 years when time and family life allowed for it. My first factory made detector was a Garrett back in the ‘80’s. 
 

I enjoy using both Apex detector and D2-9”. I bought the Apex soon after it was released.  I had previously owned a ML Sovereign so I knew the virtues of SMF machines. More recently , the GTI-2500 was nice technology, but the Apex felt like heaven to my arm to swing especially since I’m older.  I learned the Apex and could hardly wait for each day I could go out and use it. I still like it and use it today, anywhere the soil conditions allow. Being rechargeable, having wireless headphones and 5 tones, SMF like the Sovereign, but so much lighter than my old machines was and is a win-win for me. 
 

I will use the D2 when the soil conditions are tougher, and like that I can tweak a few settings to the soil conditions. I wish I could do even a subset of similar adjustments with the Apex as it would be the icing on the cake for me. 
 

I eagerly await the “Storm” like a lot of other Garrett fans, and I hope they address some of the (lack of) adjustability of the Apex. 
 

Meanwhile I’ll keep using and enjoying with both machines. Let’s hope it the Storm appears soon. 

Yes, I too wish Garrett would add another menu item for processor speed in high trash in the new release. But remember, the faster the recovery speed, the less depth you will get. Extreme depth is sometimes not that important around old homesites. Maybe they could also give the operator the choice between modulated vs. full-on target response. Add to that user selectable number of audio pitch divisions. Personally, for a long time I have hunted using both audio and visual conductive reference and have liked an infinite range of pitches, low to high continuous. Oh yeah, simulated analog audio tone would be great.

OK, now you got me going... I'd like to see carbon fiber upper and lower rods, infinite camlock adjustment and the rods to have a shape other than round to hold the searchcoil and display in proper alignment to the housing. I'd like to have the lithium power source (replaceable) removed from the control housing and placed beneath the arm cup to add counterbalance to coil weight... Thus producing even better overall balance similar to like what Garrett did with the old GTA 1000. All-Terrain? All I care about is the whole detector is more rain resistant, I'm not an underwater hunter, other than searching streams. The Viper style coil does that extremely well. Rain resistant versus submersible would also be a good cost option for those who need it. I honestly do not care for portrait style, cellphone-like control housings, pods, and the like to be mounted far above the center of gravity. Don't lose the beautifully simple designed Apex display and the perfectly simple menu structure actuated by the current button tactile pad array! Maybe they could make the control "S" rod with two swivel joints that tighten to your preferred angle or slant. Add to that a replaceable foam grip in the attachment style we use to cover hot-water pipes in the home. In short, keep it simple, ergonomic, lightweight, solid, and affordable for all. At my current age, it's all about comfort and the fun I originally started the hobby to have.

[Bill (S. CA)]

On 4/22/2024 at 8:12 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Just a reminder - this is the Garrett Forum for people who like and appreciate their Garrett detectors, where they can do so without people telling them that Brand X is better. You want to make brand to brand comparisons, take it to the Comparisons Forum.

I also do not find the Apex to be a powerhouse in my soil and have said so, but I don’t make it my mission to make sure I repeat that on every thread on the Garrett Forum to people who are happy with theirs.

I truly feel sorry for people who own and enjoy a Garrett Ace 150 or a Bounty Hunter. They go out and have fun and find things. Then they find a forum or get on Facebook, and get told what they own is not “the best” by all the people who are sure they own “the best.” There is a general elitist attitude on these forums that can’t tolerate anyone saying anything good about anything other than a dozen detector models. Own anything else and you will rapidly be made into a second class citizen here… and leave.

Great, maybe your car is better than my car, but truth is I like my car and I don’t want your car. Maybe people just like and want to support Garrett products regardless of whether somebody else thinks they should not.

Well put for about the 1000th time, Steve.  I hope maybe your words stick but I doubt if that will happen.  Every detector used by anyone on these forums has quirks that some don't like.  There are no exceptions.  Like you, I am weary of this constant "well you may like yours but it isn't for me" stuff.  Honestly, I could care less what anyone on this forum thinks of the detector I like; if I was soliciting opinions I would ask for them.  This is why I post for a while and then vanish.  When I found forums years ago it was all about hunting and the stuff you found.  Now it seems that no matter how well-intentioned a post is, someone grabs onto a couple of words within that post and comes out swinging like it is their obligation to set the record straight.  Like you said, if that's your deal then go to the comparisons forum and have a field day. But stay the heck out of brand forums that are a place for folks to talk about their detectors of choice.

I've been on the shelf for three months after a partial knee replacement and am going to hunt for the first time since late January.  I'm going to use a Garrett Apex because I like it.  If I find a bunch of crap and a couple of zincs I will still have fun.  That's why I got into this hobby in 1972.

Bill

[Chase Goldman]

7 hours ago, Bob Sickler said:

I honestly do not care for portrait style, cellphone-like control housings, pods, and the like to be mounted far above the center of gravity. Don't lose the beautifully simple designed Apex display and the perfectly simple menu structure actuated by the current button tactile pad array!

Agree!

[Steve Herschbach]

56 minutes ago, Bill (S. CA) said:

Well put for about the 1000th time, Steve.  I hope maybe your words stick but I doubt if that will happen.  Every detector used by anyone on these forums has quirks that some don't like.  There are no exceptions.  Like you, I am weary of this constant "well you may like yours but it isn't for me" stuff.  Honestly, I could care less what anyone on this forum thinks of the detector I like; if I was soliciting opinions I would ask for them.  This is why I post for a while and then vanish.  When I found forums years ago it was all about hunting and the stuff you found.  Now it seems that no matter how well-intentioned a post is, someone grabs onto a couple of words within that post and comes out swinging like it is their obligation to set the record straight.  Like you said, if that's your deal then go to the comparisons forum and have a field day. But stay the heck out of brand forums that are a place for folks to talk about their detectors of choice.

I've been on the shelf for three months after a partial knee replacement and am going to hunt for the first time since late January.  I'm going to use a Garrett Apex because I like it.  If I find a bunch of crap and a couple of zincs I will still have fun.  That's why I got into this hobby in 1972.

Bill

It works both ways. On a brands only forum one can easily sing the praises of a detector without having to say another detector is bad by comparison. I also did a lot of detector reviews, and I rarely did them by comparing to some other machine. I just talked about what I liked about a particular detector and offered tips for how to get the best out of it. I’d mention a thing or two I did not like also - no machine is perfect. But it never required comparing to some other detector. That’s the best way to go on a brand forum as using the place to knock some other brand ends up chumming for pushback.