Garrett against the field
Garrett ACE 400 vs ACE Apex: One of These Wins Clearly
Quick answer
The ACE Apex at $384.99 adds multi-frequency and Multi-Salt modes, four single frequencies, Z-Lynk wireless, a built-in lithium battery rated at 15 hours and a 2.5 lb weight. The ACE 400 at $357.99 adds none of that. Buy the Apex unless the 400 is heavily discounted.
Garrett ACE Apex
$384.99Multi-Flex with 5, 10, 15 and 20 kHz plus Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt, Z-Lynk wireless, 6 by 11 DD coil, 15 hour battery, 2.5 lb.
Best for: a multi-frequency machine without a flagship price
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Garrett ACE 400
$357.99A 0 to 99 digital target ID, iron audio, electronic pinpointing and an adjustable frequency, made in the USA, with no multi-frequency mode.
Best for: park and field hunting on a mid budget
Check price on AmazonThis is one of the few comparisons on this site with a clear winner. For a small step up in price the Apex gives you Garrett Multi-Flex technology with a choice of 5, 10, 15 and 20 kHz single frequencies plus Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt modes, Z-Lynk wireless built in, iron volume control, a 6 by 11 Viper DD coil, a built-in lithium-ion battery published at up to 15 hours, and a published weight of 2.5 lb.
The ACE 400 is the top of the older ACE line and a decent machine on its own terms: Garrett publishes a 0 to 99 digital target ID, iron audio, electronic pinpointing through a non-motion all metal mode, an adjustable frequency to dodge interference, and manufacture in the USA. What it does not have is any form of multi-frequency, and that is the feature that decides this page. If you are unsure why that matters, the frequency chart sets out what changes.
Top pick
Garrett ACE Apex
Multi-frequency and Multi-Salt modes, four single frequencies, Z-Lynk wireless and a 15 hour built-in battery, for a small step up from the ACE 400.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
What does the Apex add for the money?
Garrett publishes Multi-Flex technology on the Apex: 5, 10, 15 and 20 kHz single frequencies, a Multi-Frequency mode and a Multi-Salt mode. That last one is the point. Salt water is conductive, and a single-frequency machine on wet salt sand cannot cleanly separate the ground response from the target response. The ACE 400 has an adjustable frequency for dodging electrical interference, which is a different feature entirely and does not solve that problem.
On top of that the Apex publishes Z-Lynk wireless technology, described as six times faster than Bluetooth, iron volume control so you can turn iron down rather than off, a 6 by 11 DD Viper searchcoil for separation in trashy ground, a built-in lithium-ion battery rated at up to 15 hours, and a weight of 2.5 lb. The ACE 400 listing publishes none of those figures.
How do the published specifications compare?
Two Garrett listings again, so the comparison is like for like, including in what neither of them prints.
Garrett publishes multi-frequency and single-frequency operation for the Apex and publishes USA manufacture for the ACE 400.
| Model | Price | Frequency type | Made in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett ACE 400 | $357.99 | - | USA |
| Garrett ACE Apex | $384.99 | Multi-frequency and single frequency | - |
Figures are taken from each manufacturer's own published listing and specification sheet. A dash means the maker does not publish that figure for that model, not that the feature is absent.
Feature by feature, what is the difference?
Nine rows, and the Apex wins or ties on eight of them. That is unusual on this site and worth stating plainly rather than softening.
The Apex publishes six frequency options including Multi-Salt, Z-Lynk wireless, a 15 hour built-in battery and a 2.5 lb weight, while the ACE 400 publishes an adjustable single frequency and USA manufacture.
| Feature | Garrett ACE 400 | Garrett ACE Apex | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $357.99 | $384.99 | ACE 400, by a small margin |
| Frequency options | Adjustable frequency, to dodge interference | 5, 10, 15, 20 kHz, Multi-Frequency, Multi-Salt | Apex |
| Wet salt sand | No multi-frequency mode published | Multi-Salt mode published | Apex |
| Wireless audio | Not published in this listing | Z-Lynk built in, 6 times faster than Bluetooth | Apex |
| Battery | Not published in this listing | Built-in lithium-ion, up to 15 hours | Apex |
| Weight | Not published in this listing | 2.5 lb | Apex, on published record |
| Coil supplied | Searchcoil cover included, coil size not published | 6 by 11 in DD Viper | Apex |
| Iron handling | Iron audio | Iron volume control, adjusted independently | Apex |
| Target ID | 0 to 99 digital target ID | Not published as a numeric range | ACE 400, on published detail |
| Made in | USA | Not published in this listing | ACE 400 |
From the Garrett listings for both machines. Rows marked not published are gaps in the listing rather than confirmed absences, and the ACE 400 may well publish more in its current owner manual.
Is there any case for the ACE 400?
Two, and they are narrow. The first is price: if you find one heavily discounted, the gap widens and a straightforward single-frequency coin machine with a 0 to 99 target ID and iron audio is a perfectly good way to hunt inland parks. The second is that Garrett publishes USA manufacture for the ACE 400 and does not publish it for the Apex, and for some buyers that genuinely matters.
Beyond those, the ACE 400 is the older design at almost the same money. If the budget is the real constraint, the honest move is to drop further down the range to Garrett ACE 300 or Garrett ACE 200 and put the savings into Garrett Pro-Pointer II and a digger, rather than paying nearly Apex money for pre-Apex technology.
What should you budget alongside the Apex?
A pinpointer first, because it is the accessory that most shortens the learning curve. Garrett Pro-Pointer AT is submersible to 20 feet and the one most often recommended without qualification; Garrett Pro-Pointer II is cheaper if you never detect in water. After that, Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones if you want to use the Z-Lynk wireless the Apex already contains, since the machine is published as wireless ready with headphones sold separately.
Coils come third. NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for ACE Apex is the published coverage upgrade for the Apex, which has fewer aftermarket options than the AT line, so check compatibility before buying anything else. The beginner setup lists the rest of a working outfit, and the coil size chart explains when a bigger coil is a mistake.
Sources
- Garrett ACE 400 owner manual and product listing
- Garrett ACE Apex owner manual and product listing
- Garrett Z-Lynk and MS-3 headphone specifications
- NEL Hunter coil for ACE Apex product specifications
Frequently asked questions
Is the ACE Apex worth the extra over the ACE 400?
Yes, and the margin is not close. For a small step up in price you get six frequency options including a Multi-Salt mode, Z-Lynk wireless built in, a rechargeable battery published at 15 hours, a 6 by 11 DD coil and a published 2.5 lb weight. The only published advantages left to the ACE 400 are the lower price and USA manufacture.
Is the ACE Apex fully waterproof?
Garrett publishes a waterproof searchcoil for the Apex rather than a submersible depth rating for the machine, so treat it as rain and stream-edge capable rather than submersible. The machines in this catalog that are published as fully waterproof state a depth in feet, such as 10 ft for the AT series and 16 ft for the current Minelab and Nokta bodies.
Does the ACE 400 have multi-frequency?
No. Its adjustable frequency feature shifts the operating frequency slightly to minimise interference from power lines or other detectors, which is a different thing from transmitting several frequencies at once. If wet salt sand is on your list of sites, that distinction is the whole decision and the Apex is the machine to buy.
Which is better for a first metal detector?
The Apex, because the multi-frequency modes mean you will not outgrow it the first time you visit a beach, and the built-in battery removes a recurring cost. If the budget will not stretch, the ACE 300 or ACE 200 with a pinpointer is a better use of the same money than an ACE 400 alone, because recovery gear does more for a beginner than one step up the model range.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.