Naturally, I’ve been closely following the release of the Garrett Ace Apex since it was first announced back in May of this year. Let’s take the time to discuss the features of this new metal detector from Garrett.
Multi Flex simultaneous multi frequency technology on the Garrett Ace Apex
The Garrett Ace Apex is Garrett’s first simultaneous multi frequency metal detector. If you don’t fully understand metal detector operating frequencies, then you should definitely check out the article that I wrote about metal detector frequencies. Having already written extensively about operating frequencies, and without reinventing the wheel; I will tell you this; lower operating frequencies are best suited for detecting highly conductive targets such as silver coins, whereas higher operating frequencies are best suited for relic hunting and gold nugget prospecting. The Garrett Ace Apex uses Garrett’s new Multi Flex technology, and is capable of transmitting and receiving at 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 15 kHz, and 20 kHz simultaneously!
Iron volume on the Garrett Ace Apex
Unfortunately, I received my Apex in the mail just as a storm front moved in, but I plan on doing a live demo of the Ace Apex as soon as the weather clears up. Although I literally just received this metal detector, I did go ahead and pre-read the instruction manual that Garrett provides on their website. For all intents and purposes the Garrett Ace Apex seems to at least offer the same features as the Garrett AT Max. The Ace Apex of course also features the multi frequency capabilities that I had previously described plus a really handy feature called iron volume. Iron volume allows the user to control the volume level of the lower iron tones separate from the volume level of non ferrous tones. The ability to hear some iron is important as it alerts the detectorist to the fact that people were once in the area that he / she is currently metal detecting at. Naturally, people tend to drop things, sometimes they even drop things of value! However, it can be mentally exhausting to constantly be hearing iron. Needless to say, the ability to control the volume level at which iron objects sound off at is a welcome feature indeed!
I am also really interested in seeing the Viper Coil in action! At 11 inches long and 6 inches wide, the Viper Coil gives you the best of both worlds. The length of the coil will not result in lost ground coverage, providing that you keep your swing speed under control, but the narrow width of the coil will allow you to work the coil into tight, hard to detect places.
Garrett’s place in the hobby metal detector market
I don’t think that I want to spend much time discussing features at this point, at least not the ones that are redundant with the Garrett AT Pro / AT Max. If you’re wondering; why would Garrett release a metal detector that appears to be very similar to the AT Max, but isn’t as capable as the XP Deus or Minelab Equinox; you are not alone! First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way. Garrett did not build this particular metal detector with the intent of directly competing with either the Equinox or the Deus. Garrett had it’s sights set on the entry to mid level markets, and at under $500, the Ace Apex offers a lot of bang for the buck! Also, as Steve Jobs famously said “if you don’t cannibalize yourself, someone else will.” You can interpret this to mean that Garrett is currently working on a replacement for their AT series of metal detectors. On the surface, it might appear as if Garrett has been idle in the market and has lost some of their edge. Fair enough, but let’s not forget that Garrett has strong product offerings in the security and public safety markets. There is a lot of competition in the hobby metal detecting market, I think that Garrett took its time reading the market, buoyed itself using income from its other divisions, and is working on a killer next generation metal detector.
For now however, the Garrett Ace Apex seems like it has a lot to offer! Go ahead and checkout the video that I made about the Garret Ace Apex over on You Tube!