Garrett ACE Apex vs. Minelab Vanquish. As many of you already know Garrett Metal Detectors unveiled it’s ACE Apex back on May 15th 2020. But if you missed it, I’ll link their unveiling videos at the bottom of this article. The Apex was a surprise to many but a disappointment for some who were hoping for a new waterproof machine. Either way, Garrett put a lot of new technology into their new ACE metal detector.
Garrett fans should be excited for the future of Garrett Metal Detectors. Garrett’s ACE Apex brings along new technology and features that have been long over due. The unveiling of the Apex has shown that Garrett has been watching the competition but at the same time, they kept a tight lid on what they were up to, the ACE Apex.
The Elephant in The Room, The Minelab Vanquish.
In this article, I want to go right after the elephant in the room, the Garrett ACE Apex vs. Minelab Vanquish. The Vanquish is clearly the main competition to the Apex. Although some may think that the Nokta Makro Simplex is another competitor, I wrote an article that took a look at the Simplex and how it compared to the ACE Apex by technical specifications only. You can find that article HERE.
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, we don’t have any field tests to compare the Apex to any of it’s competitors. The only thing we can use to look at both machine is the technical specs for each machine.
To be as fair as possible we are only going to compare the technical specifications that have been released by each company to see which machine may have an upper hand. Once Garrett starts to ship out the Apex in July of 2020 and unbiased field tests come out, I will update this article. But for now, the tech specs will have to do.
Garrett ACE Apex and Minelab Vanquish Comparison Table.
For simplicity we will be comparing the Garrett ACE Apex Wireless package against the Vanquish 440.
| FEATURE | Garrett ACE Apex | Minelab Vanquish 440 |
| Multi-Freq | Yes (5, 10, 15, 20 kHz) | Yes (5, 10, 15, 20, 40 kHz) |
| Single Freq | Yes | Yes |
| Wireless | Yes Z-Lynk | Yes Bluetooth |
| Audio Tones | 5 | 5 |
| Backlight | Yes | Yes |
| Iron Audio | Yes | Yes High/Low |
| Iron Volume Control | Yes | Yes |
| Iron DISC | Yes (8 Segments) | Yes (Iron Bias High/Low) |
| Notch DISC | Yes | Yes |
| Search Modes | 6 | 5 |
| Target ID Scale | 0-99 | -9-40 |
| Sensitivity Adjustments | Yes | Yes |
| Ground Balance | Yes | Automatic |
| Depth Indicator | Yes | Yes |
| Search Coil | 6 x 11″ DD Viper | V12 12″ x 9″ DD |
| Pinpoint | Yes | Yes |
| Waterproof | Coil Only | Coil Only |
| Weight | 2.5 lbs | 2.8 lbs |
| Power | Lithium rechargeable | 4 x AA NiMH rechargeable |
| Warranty | 2 Years | 3 years control box and coil |
Look and Feel
As you can see the similarities between these 2 machines are many. But one of the main factors I see as more of an advantage for Garrett is the look and feel of the Apex. It’s sleek and redesigned. But its not over complicated and for anyone who is used to an Ace, you should have an easy time transitioning to the Apex. While the look and feel is different it still has a familiarity that previous owners will appreciate and at the same time, not scare off any beginners.
On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with the Vanquish but the look and feel doesn’t appeal like the Apex does. Minelab choose to stick with a similar look to what the older Ace series looked liked. This was probably done for a reason. However, moving forward, Minelab may have to update the look of the Vanquish to make it more appealing like the Apex. Garrett’s new design will probably become their new standard across all of their VLF detectors.
Beach Detecting With These Machines.
The Vanquish has already been proven to work really well on the beach specifically the wet sand. The bigger question is whether or not Garrett has figured out a way with their new “MultiFlex” technology to finally have a machine that works well on the beach?
In the past, most of the Garrett VLF machines really struggled on beaches. The dry sand didn’t seem to be a problem but hunting on the wet sand and in the surf was problematic. The new Apex may be something to consider. They have a “Multisalt” feature that just might be what beach hunters are looking for. We won’t know for sure until some unbiased videos or reviews surface.
Whats The Price Difference?
The best way to compare prices is to look at Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price or MSRP. The MSRP is not going to be the price you pay for either one of these detectors. Depending on the dealer, you should be paying less than the MSRP but it really depends on the package deals they are offering. I highly suggest checking the prices over at Kellyco Metal Detectors. They usually have very competitive pricing and they will usually thrown in a bunch of extra items for free.
Check the Garrett Apex Price HERE.
Check the Minelab Vanquish Price HERE.
As of the date of this article being written, the Vanquish is still a cheaper option but many vendors have not released their Apex pricing yet . However, you can pre-order the Apex from some dealers including Kellyco.
ACE Apex or Minelab Vanquish? Which One Comes Out on Top?
At this point we can’t really declare which metal detector is better. This article was an attempt to document what is already known about both Garrett ACE Apex and the Minelab Vanquish.
The Vanquish has obviously been around for a while now and has proven itself to be a very good choice for those just starting to metal detect. But the Vanquish also offers the ability to hunt beaches and wet sand better than any other entry level, multi-frequency metal detector on the market. The Vanquish is super easy to use and is packed with a bunch of features (see table above) and it includes a big 12″ DD coil.
On the other hand, Garrett has answered the demand with their own multi-frequency and multisalt metal detector known as the Apex. Also packed with a bunch of features, the Apex is a completely new design for Garrett that includes a sleek edge-edge interface that is easy to see and use. In addition, Garrett is including something new called their Viper 6″x 11″ Coil that will give you the coverage necessary to hunt those big open fields but it also enables you to hunt those trashy sites as well. Did they do enough for the entry level market? We will soon see.
To close, the tech specs don’t do each of these metal detectors justice but after looking at them side by side, once can easily see how similar both the Apex and Vanquish are. What will differentiate the two will be their performance, reactivity, and depth. We already know what the Vanquish offers. Now its time to see what the Apex will do.
Thanks for reading! – Mental Metal Detecting
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