Garrett ACE Apex Multi-Frequency Metal Detector with Raider Coil and Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones

The Garrett ACE Apex with Raider Coil and Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones (Garrett part number 1142365) is a multi-frequency metal detector that comes with Garrett's larger 8.5 x 11 in Raider coil and MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones. It runs four single frequencies plus two multi-frequency modes, so one detector covers parks, fields and the beach.

It weighs 2.6 lbs with the Raider coil and adjusts from 40 to 53 in long. The coil and lower shaft can go underwater, but the control box cannot, so this is a detector for land, wet sand and wading, not for diving. Garrett builds it in the USA and covers it for 3 years.

Who This Package Is For

This package suits coin, relic and beach hunters who spend most of their time on open ground and want wireless headphones from day one. It is simple enough for a first serious detector and has enough settings to grow into.

A different choice may suit you better if:

• You mostly hunt tight, trashy spots. Garrett sells the same detector and headphones with the smaller 6 x 11 in Viper coil (part 1142325), which is easier to work between roots and iron.
• You already own Z-Lynk headphones. The same detector with the Raider coil and no headphones is part 1142360.
• You want to take the whole detector underwater. The Garrett Vortex VX5 and the rest of the Vortex series are submersible to 16 ft (5 m).
• You want more frequencies and a fully submersible beach machine. Look at the Garrett Vortex VX9, in a higher price band.
• You want something simpler for less. The Garrett ACE 400 is the single-frequency model below the Apex.

What's in the Box

• Garrett ACE Apex detector with built-in rechargeable battery
• 8.5 x 11 in DD Multi-Flex Raider coil
• Raider coil cover
• Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones with USB charging cable
• Micro-USB charging cable for the detector

This package has one coil, the Raider. The smaller Viper coil is not included.

You will also need: a USB wall charger. Garrett supplies the cable only.

Warranty: Garrett covers its metal detectors for 3 years against defects in materials and workmanship. Batteries are not covered.

What Multi-Flex Means in the Field

Garrett calls the Apex platform Multi-Flex. In practice it gives you six choices: 5, 10, 15 or 20 kHz on their own, or Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt, which run several frequencies at once.

Why that matters: low frequencies are better on large, conductive targets like big silver and deep relics, and high frequencies are better on small, thin targets like hammered coins and gold. Wet salt sand and mineralized dirt make single-frequency detectors noisy. Multi-Frequency handles mixed ground in parks and fields, and Multi-Salt is the mode for the beach.

Ground balance is automatic, with 175 points of adjustment that Garrett says run from ferrous ground all the way to saltwater. You don't have to set it by hand to get started.

Search Modes in Plain Terms

The Apex has six search modes plus pinpoint: Zero, Coins, US Coins, Jewelry, Relics and Custom. The names tell you where each one belongs. US Coins adds coin icons to the screen, and Custom is where you set things up your own way.

Start in Coins or Zero, learn how targets sound, and change settings from there.

The Raider Coil: Why the Bigger Coil

The Raider is Garrett's 8.5 x 11 in Double-D coil for the Apex. Garrett describes it as covering a large area with each sweep while still separating targets that are close together, with good depth on coin-sized and larger targets. It is fully waterproof, so you can work it at the water's edge.

The bigger footprint is what you want in open fields, pastures, large parks and on the beach. Where iron is thick, a big coil hears several targets at once, and a smaller coil sorts them out better. That is where the Viper or the 5 x 8 in Ripper comes in.

• Other coils that fit: 6 x 11 in Viper (part 2223600), 5 x 8 in Ripper (part 2223800) and 14 x 11 in Reaper (part 2223900).
• Coils that don't fit: coils from older ACE detectors will not work on the Apex.

Browse Apex coils in our metal detector search coils collection, or read our guide to coil size and shape.

Reading Targets: Tones, Numbers and Iron

• Target ID: a number from 0 to 99 on a backlit screen, plus a depth indicator.
• Five tones: different metals sound different, so you can hear the difference before you look.
• Hybrid audio: a strong shallow target sounds different from a weak deep one.
• Iron Volume: eight steps. Turn iron down instead of off, so you still know it's there.
• Notch discrimination: 20 segments, 8 of them for iron, to reject specific kinds of targets.
• Sensitivity: eight levels.

Where It Works Well

Open Fields and Parks

This is the Raider's home ground. It covers a field faster than the smaller coils, and the battery lasts up to about 15 hours, so a long day doesn't end with a recharge.

On open ground we run Multi-Frequency in Coins or Custom, sensitivity at 6 or 7 of 8, and drop a step if a power line makes it chatter. We keep Iron Volume low so iron is a quiet grunt in the background, and we notch out iron only.

See our guide to metal detectors for coins.

Old Homesites and Relic Ground

Relic ground is full of square nails and iron scrap. Iron Volume lets you hear iron quietly instead of cutting it out, so brass, copper and lead still come through clearly.

We use the Raider to cover the yard and outbuilding areas, then switch to a smaller coil right at the cellar hole. Our guide to relic hunting detectors goes deeper on iron-heavy sites.

Wet Sand and the Beach

Multi-Salt is the mode for wet salt sand, and the Raider and lower shaft can go in the water.

One thing customers often miss: the Apex control box is not waterproof. Garrett says it should never go underwater, and its rain protection depends on the rubber covers being fully seated in the USB and headphone ports. Keep the control box above the waves.

On wet sand we run Multi-Salt in Zero or Jewelry mode, sensitivity at 5 or 6 of 8, and leave the notch open so small gold isn't rejected. Our guide to beach metal detectors covers settings and machine choice.

Wireless Headphones and Battery

• Z-Lynk built in: no transmitter to clip on. Garrett says Z-Lynk is up to 6 times faster than Bluetooth, and the MS-3 page gives the delay as 17 milliseconds.
• Other Z-Lynk gear works too: including Garrett's Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk pinpointer, which plays through the same headphones. See our Garrett pinpointers.
• Bluetooth headphones don't work with the Apex. Wired headphones plug into the 1/8 in jack. See our metal detector headphones.
• Battery: built in, up to about 15 hours depending on settings.
• Charging: Micro-USB. Garrett recommends 4 to 5 hours before first use, says a 500 mA source gives the fastest charge, and says to switch the detector off while it charges.
• Updates: Garrett says the Apex can be upgraded through the Micro-USB port.

Quick Specs

• Frequencies: 5, 10, 15, 20 kHz, Multi-Frequency, Multi-Salt
• Coil: 8.5 x 11 in DD Raider, waterproof
• Search modes: Zero, Coins, US Coins, Jewelry, Relics, Custom, plus pinpoint
• Target ID: 0 to 99
• Weight: 2.6 lbs with Raider coil
• Length: 40 to 53 in
• Water: coil and lower shaft submersible; control box rainproof, not submersible
• Battery: built-in rechargeable, up to about 15 hours
• Warranty: 3-year limited
• Made in: USA

Why Buy From Serious Detecting

We're an authorized Garrett dealer with a showroom in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Not sure whether you need the Raider or the Viper package? Call us and we'll give you a straight answer. Every ACE Apex package is in our Garrett ACE Apex collection, and the rest of the Garrett range is a browse away.