Garrett Apex vs Minelab Vanquish - Metal Detecting 

Thanks for the info Mike 👍

Thx Pat!

Thx for watching William.

Thanks William. Glad your liking the 540. Glad the videos helped. 👍

Now that Garrett has acquired Whites I expect a solid counter punch. As far as build quality is concerned those two companies have always been the best. Clearly, minelab has owned the day for many years and myself I run the EQ 800. I will say...give it two years and I believe our homeland duo will punch back very strong.

Thanks Ron 👍

Don't forget, without Garrett the waterproof hobby machines like the Nox and Makro simplex wouldn't exist. The AT pro was a decent machine for it's time and still is if you buy one used as a beginner. Is it behind the times? Yes........because it's what 9 years old? Was it behind the times back then? No, it was a flagship, much like the Garrett propointer which was and is still a flagship piece of equipment. As long as sales of those items are still strong, Garrett will be fine. Garrett's only problem is over valuing their equipment but..........if it's selling is it really over value? Who can say.

I highly doubt the simplex will outperform the apex, it can't even outperform an ace 400i. You spend all day digging junk with the simplex. All the simplex is is a entry level detector, with a few good features, wireless, rechargeable battery and waterproof, other than that it's just a trash collector with the odd lucky good find.

Haha, I think next will be the Multi AT. Lets hope for a great machine 👍

Soil conditions have a huge impact here as well. The multi IQ on the Vanquish seems to really punch through here in RI.

Thanks Craig!

You obviously havnt used it you minelab fan boys are hilarious 🤣

@@sylverdetective5547 I only use top off the line! Lol

@@craigtalley i have nox 800, ctx, vanquish, ace apex, and Excalibur 2 🤣 how's that for top of the line ha ha!!

@@sylverdetective5547 talk about minelab fanboys, you just said 3 out of 4 of your detectors are minelab and you called them top of the line, bhahahahaha

Thx for watching Anthony.

Yea I agree TP. Was an interesting test. Thanks for watching.

Yea, not to good.

Thx Lee, lets hope the AT Multi is killer 👍

Thanks Jeff

Thanks Cynthia!

Thx for watching Clark. I wasn’t a fan of it for my type of relic hunting. I heard its great on the beach by i never tried it.

@@IffySignals I've got a equinox 800 and a full deus and to be honest I'n my opinion the deus is very over priced and over ratted I personally think the equinox is a cracking detector sadly a bit cheaply made , Guess every thing has its pluses and negatives .

Thx for watching SD 👍

Thx Andy! Appreciate it bud 👍

540 is great at the beach and very stable. Control head is not waterproof though.

Thanks SRA, appreciate it. 👍

Calabash digger put the apex argument to bed over the last few days . Worst modern detector and in usual Garrett fashion more false claims .

@@beachdetectingireland3984 I agree!

Wow, that’s impressive. Have not messed with an Apex in a long time. Hoping we see something new from Garrett. Waterproof multi would be nice.

Hey Papa, thats good to know they are working on it. TC bud.

Definitely not what i was hoping for. Hope we see better from there next AT. Thanks for watching. Take care, Mike

Lets hope the Multi AT when it comes is better 👍

Vanquish but look at the new Minelab Xterra Elite. Its a nice bump up from the Vanquish.

Yea I definitely like the red better than the yellow 👍

Haha Trey. My mascot 👍

Thx Terry

Thanks Al 👍👍

Thank you for the feedback. I agree and its great that these machines are updatable. Definitely looking forward to the AT line multi and possible updates for the Apex.

Seriously the Apex should cost$300. Not a penny more

Thx Big Dog. 👍

Thx for watching Stuart! TC, Mike

Thanks, yea definitely punches nice on the gold.

Nice choice Chuck!

Thanks Henry. Well at least there not in the thousand price range. Should be able to get back most of it if you were going to sell. Good luck. Mike

Hopefully they get back in.

Nice! You didnt like it either?

@@IffySignals Didn't even take it out of the box. Im only learning and only started detecting because i had a garret 250 i bought for beach for my kid. Lockdown sht happened here with the virus and they said everyone stay home and fk that i went out. I bought some cheap bigger detector with 13inch coil , TX sport. Its cheap and cheerful and i have found hundreds of coins and a bronze age palstave that the museum is gonna collect. Im not long back from the fields after getting chased by a fkn bull and thought my time was up. Used my spade in stopping the bloody thing killing me. It was mental but so much better than sitting on the sofa watching mind numbing television. Im rambling but it was a good day with multiple musket balls and impacted. Just gotta find the best bang for buck for this and i have a lot too learn but im seriously enjoying myself as i go along.

Nice! Yea its addicting. Best bang right now is the Equinox. Both 600 and 800 are both great. Vanquish 540 is awesome too but limited on settings. Who knows what 2022 will bring 👍

@@IffySignals Really appreciate that advice. I can bet that many people like myself making decisions based on wether they continue with detecting. Do you buy cheap and miss targets or go all in. I think i just gotta do what my brain is telling me amd save for an 800. Cheers bud 👍

Welcome La_Taupe. Thanks for watching.

Hey Dan! Thanks for visiting from down under. I would go with the Equinox. Coastal you will prob be near the water and the Vanquish is not waterproof. Good luck! Mike

Agree, great machine and so easy to use.

Thx for the review Larry, i was not able to play with it with the update but i agree with you. I hope they have a great AT line multi in the works.

Love your opinion of apex Larry sigers

Awesome! 👍

Welcome Lee 👍

Thanks Buried History! Could be all three, I really don’t know. I have a feeling the speed is there but its not breaking fast enough to process the new target info. Maybe an update can fix it. TC Mike

Nice choice Paul

Thx bud. Appreciate it.

Been a while. Not sure if its had any updates

Thx for watching William

Iffy Signals oh yes good video on apex vs vanquish that I own love that detector also have the etrac that I call a microwave oven cause it got to many buttons just run in fe coins

Because they also have airport/school business and they are good at advertising.

Thanks to all the Ace series. The most sold detectors

Agreed .my 20 plus year old tesoro cutlass 2 umax out finds my friends AT pro every time....beep dig..no bells tones n whistles lol

Garrett was smart enough to be into the security metal detector business, and when 9/11 turned the world upside down, Garrett was there to capitalize on it. The Feds buy a ton of their walk through and hand held scanners, as do private firms. They make a lot of money on their security side of the business.

Thanks Dan. Thats a nice ML collection 👍

@@IffySignals when I watched the video today. I went and put the 8'' coil on the 540 and went to a highly trashed spot. Did not find much but who knows what will still be there. i did however find s dime in with rusty metal in the same hole. Pretty cool..

Nice Dan! Congrats on the silver!

Thanks Wayne 👍

Thx for watching Bill. Good info 👍

Agree 100% it makes the Apex look worse if iron audio is on, Biased or doesn't know how to use a garrett.

Definitely not biased Tim, ill use anything and always pulling for a great machine from the USA. Thx for watching TC, Mike

I don’t see what the difference is with iron audio or not, it still should see the coin, I run my ctx with iron audio on and can hear iron and a high tone in the same plug

Thx Fastday. Appreciate the feedback.

Thanks! Let me know how you like it after giving it a workout. I use both depending on where im going. I like the coil selection and style on the Vanquish. The 10” is a nice size for anything and the 8 is perfect for the woods. I have the 6” for the nox but prefer the 8”.

Thx Chris!

Thanks allot Chuck! Appreciate it.

Hey Ivan, they both offer different coil sizes. With 11/12” stock coils the Vanquish.

@@IffySignals I can't decide which of these two models to buy. Who would recommend me?

@@ivantrifonov1742 Vanquish is allot better in my opinion.

Hey Wayne, I like the slim control box and its light. Can definitely do without the old twist style cam-locks. Really surprised they are still being used. TC, Mike

@@IffySignals I agree 100 %

Hahahaha. Had me laughing. Have a good day bud. Talk to ya soon.

Mission accomplished. Hey can you turn down the sensitivity and see if it’s not overloading. I would never run The Garrett products on full blast.

Hi Pete, i use the Equinox 800 and the Vanquish 540.

That would be cool Mike, im sure they are working on something for the AT line. Thx

@@IffySignals 3 years later, we are FINALLY getting a chance to see what Garrett is going to counter with on June 18th when they debut their new “VORTEX” series...

Thx Jay! I agree. Not in the same league. I am hoping there next machine kicks ass because imo they are falling behind.

@@IffySignals Hi ; I was not sure if I would get a reply. I own both a Equinox 800 and a Vanquish 540 with the pro pack in Australia! I got the 540 on Sale at $549 which is $150 under its normal price here in Australia. ( in Australian Dollars) Good value for the money. I haven't tried the Vanquish out on the Gold Coast beaches in the State of Qld yet but will be soon. I will try and do a comparison between my two detectors but I am not expecting the Vanquish to out perform. However it will be interesting to see if the Vanquish is as quiet as it is on American beaches !? Will try and let you know what I find out .

The Vanquish is awesome at the beach here. Purrs like a kitten just like the Nox. I have both as well and chopped my Vanquish stem some to fit in the saddle bag of my dual sport so i can take it in trails to hunt for cellar holes. Great machine for someone who is used to the Nox but wants something that can be tossed around as a backup.

Thanks Mike! Good luck at PTG. Send some pics if you go.

Hey R&R, thanks. I watched yours as well. 👍 nice job on your videos. TC, Mike

Hahahaha. Thanks

Even though I am not impressed ,the Apex has a place in metal detecting but I believe its companies claims need to be reviewed along with its price ! The company needs to wake up to itself and start to actually put more effort into engineering something that matches their claims !! The metal detector no doubt can find coins but it clearly doesn't perform as well as some machines !! For me I will be sticking with my Minelab machines. Equinox 800 and Vanquish 540.

Your welcome

Hey NZ! Thx bud. Were doing good. Little less filming lately but have still been getting out now and then. Another hunt tomorrow 👍

Hi, Definitely Vanquish 540. 5 tones and constant multi frequency.

Hey Dan, thx for the feedback. I agree that being honest and showing positives and weaknesses is the best way to help our small community of detectorists with deciding what works for them. There is not a perfect machine out there for my needs but many of the top models are neck and neck right now which is great. I think the truthful feedback also helps with updates and new technology heading our way in the future. Thanks

Lol, ummm. Good question.

It does yes , but I think they call it the power button , soon as you power it on it shites itself .

Greetings back at ya 🥳

I think it can help having a larger scale but then things can het jumpy. I am used to the ML scale

Hey Spike! Just with all the new features and being multi frequency its better than 250 or even 400. Its updatable so let hope for the best. 👍

Thx Ray! Appreciate it.

Thanks for watching Lance 👍

First Nox 800 or 600, Second Vanquish 540. I cannot recommend the Apex at all because when i tested it is was a turd. I heard they have an update to help but the original was pretty bad.

Thanks for watching Chris 👍

Hey Jim, I definitely like the build style of it and for the small coil it has good depth. It will be a monster when the big coils come out. But that is not going to help the recovery speed from drowning out targets near iron. TC bud.

I am a relic Hunter and I own mindlabs . I've been doing this for over 45 years .My go to machine is an XP Deus!

@@denisshort3622 hello Dennis, the Deus is one machine i haven't had the pleasure to try, I know people on RU-vid that swear by it, all the power to you mate 40 years is 7 years more than me, I got involved in the hobby back in 1987, love this hobby and because of that i sometimes think about people are easily mislead in getting gear that will make them confused and not carry on with the hobby, take care my friend ATB Jim.

Noktaa makro anfibio is a good reason

Don't get me wrong the Minelab 800 is a great machine For the money I don't think that can beat it .Nice to see somebody else has been around the block a few times to. Happy Hunting Denis

Thx Scott

Minelab Vanquish 340 👍

Thx R Dogg 👍

I heard the Apex does really good on the wet salt. I know the Vanquish does but never took the Apex.

The Apex needs to be run on MS not MF when detecting on the beach. It was picking up targets in the salt water then but it wouldn't work in MF . I am going onva video a guy did. Still I think the Vanquish would out perform and certainly the Equinox would out perform the Vanquish and the Apex.

Im definitely a fan of the Nox, ive used the Anfibio for a little bit on a hunt but never owned one. Have a great thanksgiving.

I was trying everything haha. Thx

Thanks Brian. Good info 👍

Hey Nick! It is updatable so that would be great. I gave all those machines away or I would have tried it. Imagine that!

The firmware is rubbish . Would be like saying maybe the Atari 1 will send a update and allow me to play C.O.D on it . Can't happen .

Thanks MD Roundtable. Appreciate the feedback & glad it helps. TC, Mike

Minelab for the Win!! Although, my friend, who mainly hunts on the beach, just picked up the Apex and found a couple gold rings, chains, and someone’s 14k gold upper grill, lol. It was pretty incredible. When are you going to make it down here to Florida?🤔.

Thanks Jerry and Amanda haha. We used to go once a year but its been a few. Congrats to your bud. You upgrade yet?

Iffy Signals I’m still not ready to play with the big dogs yet, lol. I do have the hang of the Ricomax and I’m going to go with the Nox 800 when I do upgrade. I’ll probably get it here in the next month. I’m checking out the link you posted now.

Awesome congrats! You kids grow up so fast hahaha. Keep me in the loop 👍

Iffy Signals 😂😂. I definitely will!

Yes! Dig it all

Thanks Oleg!

Hey RJ, Anytime your in RI you can definitely come for a hunt.

@@IffySignals im sorry dude. We're miles apart. Im from philippines i like your videos that's why I subscribed your channel.. It's hard to find hidden treasure here without proper gear like yours. BTW thanks for your hospitality.. God bless

Thanks for watching!

Hey Mark, yup they were ready to go 👍

Thx for watching Eli

Hey Moore, sorry i no longer have the Apex. It was on loan for testing.

@@IffySignals Yes, i just realised that.. Thank you anyway!

Awesome. Thanks JP.

Hopefully they catch up. Ive been using the vanquish for a while now and its working great no issues. Not a fan of the red but I’m over it.

Morning Johnny!

Hey Bob, yea some people love those tones.

@@IffySignals I know they do. I have Garretts , but it's from when they had calmer tones. They are food at keeping wildlife away in the woods. 😆

Haha. I Like the AT Pro just wish it has an adjustment for the iron audio volume.

@@IffySignals I have heard that from people.

Welcome Jamie