Garrett ACE APEX Metal Detector w/ 6 x 11" DD Viper Coil

The Garrett ACE APEX Metal Detector with the 6" x 11" DD Viper coil is the most versatile machine in the Garrett ACE lineup, and it is the one we hand experienced detectorists who want true simultaneous multi-frequency performance without stepping up to a flagship price. We have run the Apex from saltwater wash to plowed iron-heavy fields, and the mix of single-frequency selection, two multi-frequency modes, and a 175-point ground balance scale gives this Apex a working range that punches well above its bracket.

Why Experienced Detectorists Choose the Garrett ACE Apex

• Six selectable frequency modes, 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 15 kHz, 20 kHz, Multi-Frequency, and Multi-Salt, let us match the machine to the target and the soil instead of fighting either one.
• 175 points of ground balance resolution covers the same span as the AT Max, so we can tune from rich loam down to wet salt sand without losing target ID stability.
• The 6" x 11" DD Viper coil is a genuinely dual-purpose footprint, wide enough to cover a plowed field and narrow enough to thread iron in old homesite cellar holes.
• Built-in Z-Lynk wireless transmits up to six times faster than Bluetooth, which is the difference between catching a fleeting beep and digging the hole behind it.
• At 2.5 pounds with a balanced shaft, the Apex is the rare full-feature detector our team can swing for a five-hour relic day without a sore forearm.
• Iron Audio plus Iron Volume, eight pixels of iron in a twenty-pixel notch grid, gives serious trash-site hunters real control over what they actually hear.

What's in the Box

• Garrett ACE Apex metal detector
• 6" x 11" DD Multi-Flex Viper search coil
• Viper coil cover
• Micro-USB charging cable for the built-in lithium-ion battery
• Garrett 3-year limited warranty paperwork

Garrett ACE Apex in the Field

Coin Shooting Older Parks and Schoolyards

Old parks are won and lost in the iron lanes between modern trash and silver-era coins. We run the Apex in US Coins or Coins mode, lean on the 5-tone audio to separate ferrous bottle caps from a high-conductor target, and let the Multi-Frequency mode hold target ID stable across mixed mineralization. The 6" nose on the Viper coil is the real advantage here, it lets us drop into hot pockets near sidewalks and footings without the smearing that a wider mono coil produces.

• Search Mode: US Coins (or Coins for non-US sites)
• Sensitivity: 6 to 7 of 8 in moderate ground
• Frequency: Multi-Frequency for stable target ID; switch to 10 kHz if EMI rises
• Ground Balance: Auto, then lock when readings settle
• Iron Volume: reduce two steps to keep iron audible but quiet

We have found this setup brings older copper and silver to a clean repeatable signal even when modern aluminum is dense. The hybrid audio gives us a whisper on faint deep targets that a binary tone alone tends to miss.

Relic Hunting Plowed Fields and Homesites

Plowed fields favor coverage and depth. We push the Apex into 15 kHz or 20 kHz to chase smaller buttons and brass while keeping ground balance dialed to the local mineralization. The Viper's 11" sweep span is enough to make real progress on a long row, and the lithium-ion pack carries us through a full afternoon, since Garrett rates approximately fifteen hours of runtime per charge.

• Search Mode: Relics
• Sensitivity: 5 to 7 of 8, drop one step in hot rocks
• Frequency: 15 kHz for general relics, 20 kHz for small brass
• Ground Balance: Manual track, recheck every fifty feet
• Recovery: standard, raise only if iron density spikes

Iron Audio is the feature we lean on most in old camp sites, it tells us when a flat iron object is masquerading as a non-ferrous response. Once a target signal locks, we finish recovery with a Garrett Pro-Pointer AT to drop dig time on small relics in tilled soil.

Beach and Shallow Water

The Apex is rainproof at the control box and submersible at the lower shaft and coil, which makes it a true wet-sand and shallow-surf machine when paired with Multi-Salt mode. We sweep low and slow on the wet line, where heavy gold and silver tend to settle, and let the Multi-Salt logic strip out the conductive brine signal that overloads single-frequency detectors.

• Search Mode: Zero (all-metal) for maximum depth on smooth beaches
• Sensitivity: 5 of 8 in heavy salt, increase as ground stabilizes
• Frequency: Multi-Salt
• Ground Balance: Auto, locked to saltwater end of the 175-point scale
• Recovery: standard, slow sweeps preferred

The control box is rated rainproof, not divable, so we treat splashes and surf as fair game and leave deeper wading to a fully waterproof body.

Inside the Technology

Multi-Flex Multi-Frequency Architecture

Multi-Flex is Garrett's broad-bandwidth digital platform, and on the Apex it gives us four single frequencies plus two simultaneous multi-frequency modes from a single coil. Lower frequencies hit harder on large silver and copper, higher frequencies pull small gold and thin hammered silver, and the multi-frequency modes blend responses for stable target ID across mixed targets. For a detailed breakdown of how this platform behaves in different soils, our Multi-Flex technology guide walks through the practical choices.

175-Point Ground Balance and Iron Volume

Most detectors at this price ship with a coarse ground balance scale that snaps in five-point increments. The Apex offers 175 points across the full ferrous-to-saltwater range, the same resolution Garrett uses on the AT Max, which is what keeps the target ID stable as we walk from a dry park bench across a damp pond bank. Iron Volume then handles the audio clutter, letting us drop only the iron tone while non-ferrous targets stay at full volume.

Build, Weight, and Controls

Lightweight 2.5-Pound Frame

The Apex assembles to between 43 and 56 inches, collapsing down enough to fit a daypack and extending tall enough for taller detectorists. At 2.5 pounds with the Viper mounted, it is one of the lighter full-feature detectors on the bench, which matters more on hour four than on hour one.

Direct-Drive Buttons and Backlit LCD

Garrett uses direct-drive buttons for the most-used controls, sensitivity, frequency, mode, ground balance, with deeper menu adjustments behind a soft-key. The backlit LCD reads cleanly in low light, and the large digital target ID numbers on the 0-99 scale are visible at a glance without slowing the swing.

Built-In Lithium-Ion Battery

The internal lithium-ion pack supplies approximately fifteen hours per charge and recharges through the included Micro-USB cable. There are no AA batteries to swap in the field, which keeps weight down and removes a common point of failure on older ACE detectors.

Audio: Z-Lynk Wireless and Five-Tone ID

Built-In Z-Lynk Wireless

Z-Lynk runs at up to six times the speed of Bluetooth, and Garrett builds the transmitter directly into the Apex housing. Pair compatible Z-Lynk headphones once and the audio tracks the swing in real time, which is essential when running fast over iron lanes. A 1/8-inch jack is also present for wired headphones.

Five-Tone Hybrid Audio

The Apex audio system uses a hybrid model, binary clarity for confident targets and proportional response for faint deep signals. We have found this is the single largest comfort upgrade over older ACE detectors, since the Apex stops shouting every signal at full volume and lets us hear a deep edge before we sweep it.

Coil Options for the Apex

Included 6" x 11" DD Multi-Flex Viper

The Viper is engineered specifically for the Multi-Flex platform, low impedance and broad bandwidth, and it doubles as a coverage coil and a target-separation coil. The 11-inch length sweeps a productive lane on open ground, and the 6-inch width lets it slip between iron in tight sites. Note: this Multi-Flex coil is not backward compatible with older Garrett ACE detectors.

Optional 8.5" x 11" Raider

The larger Raider trades a little iron handling for added depth and is the coil we reach for on tilled fields and beach hardpack. For a deeper discussion of how coil geometry changes depth, separation, and coverage, see our coil sizes explained guide. Both coils are available in the Apex Coils collection.

Garrett ACE Apex Specifications

• Operating Frequencies: 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 15 kHz, 20 kHz, Multi-Frequency, Multi-Salt
• Detection Modes: Six (Zero, Coins, US Coins, Jewelry, Relics, Custom) plus Pinpoint
• Ground Balance: Auto and Manual, 175-point high-resolution scale
• Target ID: 0 to 99 segments with large digital display
• Notch Discrimination: 20 pixels including 8 pixels of iron resolution
• Audio: 5-tone hybrid, Iron Audio, Iron Volume
• Sensitivity Levels: 8
• Wireless: Built-in Z-Lynk, up to 6x faster than Bluetooth
• Headphone Jack: 1/8 inch
• Search Coil: 6" x 11" DD Multi-Flex Viper, fully waterproof
• Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion, approximately 15 hours runtime, Micro-USB charging
• Length: Adjustable from 43 inches collapsed to 56 inches extended
• Weight: 2.5 pounds (1.13 kg)
• Water Resistance: Rainproof control box, fully submersible coil and lower shaft
• Display: Backlit LCD with large target ID numbers
• Operating Principle: Multi-frequency VLF
• Warranty: Garrett 3-year limited

Why Buy the Garrett ACE Apex from Serious Detecting

We have been an authorized Garrett dealer for years, which means every Garrett ACE Apex metal detector ships with the full 3-year Garrett limited warranty registered to your name and a real human on our side of the phone if anything goes sideways. Our team detects the products we sell, so when you call about settings, coils, or a new site, you reach a detectorist, not a script. We back the order with free shipping, a 30-day return window, and a price-match guarantee against authorized US dealers. If you are weighing the Apex against the rest of the lineup, our Garrett ACE 400 collection is the next step down for single-frequency hunters who do not need Multi-Flex.