Garrett Apex Review

The Ace that finally grew up

For years the ACE line was the honest, simple, single-frequency beginner kit a lot of us cut our teeth on. The Apex changed that. Launched in 2020, it was Garrett’s first machine with proper multi-frequency, their Multi-Flex system, and that is the whole reason it matters. It dragged simultaneous multi-frequency, the technology that had been the preserve of pricier machines, down into reach of someone buying their first or second detector. That is a big deal at this price, and it is the first thing owners point to.

What Multi-Flex actually buys you

Multi-frequency is not just a spec to wave around, so here is why it helps. A single-frequency machine is always a compromise: low frequencies see big deep targets better, high frequencies see small ones better, and you cannot have both. Running several frequencies at once, as the Apex does, gives you a steadier target ID and a broader spread of what it can hear, which in plain terms means the number on the screen lies to you less often and you miss fewer odd targets. The Apex also lets you pick a single frequency from 5kHz up to 20kHz if you want to, plus a dedicated salt mode for the beach. That flexibility, at this money, is what put it well ahead of the old single-frequency Ace 400.

The good, from people who have put the hours in

Beyond the multi-frequency, owners consistently praise three things. It is light and well balanced, around two and a half pounds, which matters because a comfortable machine is one you swing properly all day instead of getting sloppy when you tire. It separates well in trash, helped by that compact stock coil, which is genuinely useful on rubbishy ground where good targets hide next to junk. And it is a strong beach performer in the salt mode, with plenty of owners reporting happy days on the sand. The built-in Z-Lynk wireless for headphones and the rechargeable battery round it off as a tidy, modern package.

The gripes worth knowing before you buy

This is where honesty earns its keep. The recurring complaint, by some distance, is depth. The Apex’s depth gets described as solid but unspectacular, and a lot of that comes down to the stock 6 by 11 inch Viper coil being smaller than the coils rivals ship with. The community finding is that deeper targets, beyond roughly seven or eight inches, start slipping past it, especially in ground with a bit of iron about. For trashy, shallow sites that is fine. For a deep pasture field where the old stuff has sunk, it is a real limitation.

The other thing to be clear on is water. The Viper coil is waterproof, but the control box is not. This is a rainproof, splash-the-coil machine, not a submersible one, so it is for the beach edge and dry land, not wading or diving. And while it is sold as wireless, that is the headphones only, not the whole machine the way an XP Deus is.

Who it is for, and the rival you must look at

I would happily point a beginner or improver towards the Apex if they want genuine multi-frequency on a sensible budget, a light all-rounder for parks and fields, and a machine that holds its own on the beach. I would steer away the depth-chaser and anyone whose detecting is mostly in the water, because neither is what this machine is built for.

The one machine you cannot ignore alongside it is the Minelab Vanquish 540. It is the direct cross-shop at this level, also multi-frequency, and ships with a slightly larger stock coil which can edge it on depth. If you want a clear step up in outright performance and full waterproofing, that is Minelab Equinox 600 territory, for more money. The Apex is not trying to beat those on raw depth, it is trying to give you a light, reliable, modern multi-frequency machine cheaply, and on that score it largely succeeds.

I know the ACE family from owning the older ones, but I have not swung the Apex myself, so this is the community’s experience rather than mine. If you own one and see it differently, drop me a line through the contact page.