Tahts-a-dats-ago
Well-known member
The Apex caught my eye and after quite a bit of online research I ended up purchasing the Apex recently. I do like trying different machines, but I try to narrow any new machines down to something that will presumably provide a benefit above and beyond the machines I already own.
Mostly I hunt for coins - the older the better, but I am not opposed to modern clad and I am quite pleased with the occasional ring (or bit of jewelry). I’m not into relics (for the most part) but I do dig them - but very rarely keep them (I have a couple of friends who love relics, and I give them nearly every relic I find).
For me it is far more about finding the item, than it is about the item found.
I mostly hunt permissions with a fairly long history - some going back to the early 1700's. I tend to hunt those sites over and over - slowly removing trash that runs from modern to 200+ years old.
I don’t typically hunt salt water (I live about 40 miles from the ocean and only 12 miles from the bay) but I have some interest in doing a bit more hunting in the wet sand (not in the water).
In choosing the Apex I was looking for the following:
A machine that will compliment the other machines I own
A machine that can do well in wet salt sand
A machine that can unmask fairly well
A light weight machine
A simple machine that others can easily operate
A machine that is fun to use
Despite a number of unflattering reviews (of the Apex) I chose the Apex because I believed it met my criteria and would be a good addition to my current machines. I purchased the Ripper coil (to be used in trashy sites) along with the wireless headphones.
The weather was relatively nice today so I took the Apex out for a short hunt. I went to a site that is moderately trashy since it was my first use of the machine - wanting to test out its unmasking capabilities without being overwhelmed. I left the stock coil on for this maiden voyage.
I ran the sensitivity two bars down from the max, and ground balanced the Apex when I changed frequencies and/or modes (around 90). I ran iron volume at 2. I ran the regular volume at 8, and adjusted the headphone volume for my comfort.
I only hunted for about 45 minutes; during which I dug 3 wheat cents, 4 copper memorials, two half-eaten zincolns, a vehicle key, and a smattering of trash. I dug the trash knowing (for the most part anyway) that it would be trash, but I wanted to get an idea of how the Apex sounds on various targets.
I hunted in MF, 5kHz, and 20kHz - mostly in zero mode, but I did try the relic mode too. The only somewhat deep target (dug) was the key - it was a measured 8 inches in the soil and rang up loud and clear. I don’t recall the VDI numbers, but they did bounce around a bit. There was some iron about 4 inches away, but I did not dig the iron. The pinpoint (on the key) did seem to suggest a target that was just a tad larger than a coin - but the tone was good so I dug it anyway. The key was located while using 20kHz and in zero mode.
The coins were all 4inches or less, with good tones and target ID’s that varied very little. Some were very close to iron, but none were dug with actual trash in the hole. Some of the iron was close enough that I had to be very selective when pinpointing.
My thoughts on the Apex
It is a very well built machine. Very light weight and easy to swing. The controls are simple and intuitive. The headphones are very nice with no discernable lag. Pinpointing is accurate. It unmasks better than I expected (given some of the reviews I saw) and I expect the Ripper coil to perform even better in that regard.
I really like the ability to vary the volume of iron signals (most of my other machines do so) since I am used to hunting in such a manner. The Apex was noisy - but that’s because of all the metal in the ground (I couldn’t make a swing without several iron signals). Switching to relics mode (iron audio off) made things a lot quieter.
I think the Apex is an excellent choice for coin-hunting a park, or the beach. I suspect the Ripper coil will make the Apex a decent choice for very trashy locations (I will find out soon).
I like the ability to select an individual frequency, or simultaneous frequencies. I have no idea if the single frequencies offer an advantage over multi-frequency at this point (that will come with a lot more use). I did not compare frequencies on individual targets: I just located the target and decided to dig, or not.
It will take me a bit of time to learn what the machine is telling me, but I think the Apex meets all of my criteria and then some. It is a very fun machine to use.
Mostly I hunt for coins - the older the better, but I am not opposed to modern clad and I am quite pleased with the occasional ring (or bit of jewelry). I’m not into relics (for the most part) but I do dig them - but very rarely keep them (I have a couple of friends who love relics, and I give them nearly every relic I find).
For me it is far more about finding the item, than it is about the item found.
I mostly hunt permissions with a fairly long history - some going back to the early 1700's. I tend to hunt those sites over and over - slowly removing trash that runs from modern to 200+ years old.
I don’t typically hunt salt water (I live about 40 miles from the ocean and only 12 miles from the bay) but I have some interest in doing a bit more hunting in the wet sand (not in the water).
In choosing the Apex I was looking for the following:
A machine that will compliment the other machines I own
A machine that can do well in wet salt sand
A machine that can unmask fairly well
A light weight machine
A simple machine that others can easily operate
A machine that is fun to use
Despite a number of unflattering reviews (of the Apex) I chose the Apex because I believed it met my criteria and would be a good addition to my current machines. I purchased the Ripper coil (to be used in trashy sites) along with the wireless headphones.
The weather was relatively nice today so I took the Apex out for a short hunt. I went to a site that is moderately trashy since it was my first use of the machine - wanting to test out its unmasking capabilities without being overwhelmed. I left the stock coil on for this maiden voyage.
I ran the sensitivity two bars down from the max, and ground balanced the Apex when I changed frequencies and/or modes (around 90). I ran iron volume at 2. I ran the regular volume at 8, and adjusted the headphone volume for my comfort.
I only hunted for about 45 minutes; during which I dug 3 wheat cents, 4 copper memorials, two half-eaten zincolns, a vehicle key, and a smattering of trash. I dug the trash knowing (for the most part anyway) that it would be trash, but I wanted to get an idea of how the Apex sounds on various targets.
I hunted in MF, 5kHz, and 20kHz - mostly in zero mode, but I did try the relic mode too. The only somewhat deep target (dug) was the key - it was a measured 8 inches in the soil and rang up loud and clear. I don’t recall the VDI numbers, but they did bounce around a bit. There was some iron about 4 inches away, but I did not dig the iron. The pinpoint (on the key) did seem to suggest a target that was just a tad larger than a coin - but the tone was good so I dug it anyway. The key was located while using 20kHz and in zero mode.
The coins were all 4inches or less, with good tones and target ID’s that varied very little. Some were very close to iron, but none were dug with actual trash in the hole. Some of the iron was close enough that I had to be very selective when pinpointing.
My thoughts on the Apex
It is a very well built machine. Very light weight and easy to swing. The controls are simple and intuitive. The headphones are very nice with no discernable lag. Pinpointing is accurate. It unmasks better than I expected (given some of the reviews I saw) and I expect the Ripper coil to perform even better in that regard.
I really like the ability to vary the volume of iron signals (most of my other machines do so) since I am used to hunting in such a manner. The Apex was noisy - but that’s because of all the metal in the ground (I couldn’t make a swing without several iron signals). Switching to relics mode (iron audio off) made things a lot quieter.
I think the Apex is an excellent choice for coin-hunting a park, or the beach. I suspect the Ripper coil will make the Apex a decent choice for very trashy locations (I will find out soon).
I like the ability to select an individual frequency, or simultaneous frequencies. I have no idea if the single frequencies offer an advantage over multi-frequency at this point (that will come with a lot more use). I did not compare frequencies on individual targets: I just located the target and decided to dig, or not.
It will take me a bit of time to learn what the machine is telling me, but I think the Apex meets all of my criteria and then some. It is a very fun machine to use.
