Nokta Simplex Ultra vs Garrett ACE 400: Waterproofing vs the American Standard

Garrett's ACE 400 marketing leans on features that reduce false signals and dig time, iron audio and adjustable frequency chief among them, rather than on physical specs. Nokta's Simplex Ultra marketing leans the opposite way, leading with build and waterproofing. Neither approach is dishonest, but it means a side-by-side spec table has real holes on the Garrett side, and you should not assume the ACE 400 lacks a waterproof coil just because this listing does not say so. Garrett's other ACE-family machines mention waterproof searchcoils explicitly; the ACE 400 listing in our catalog does not repeat that claim for this specific model.

What follows is only what each brand states in this listing.

You want a documented waterproof rating before you commit, or your sites include wading and wet sand. At $299.00 it also costs less than the ACE 400 while publishing more about itself. The full Simplex Ultra review and Simplex Ultra settings by site type are the next two pages, and Simplex Ultra vs Double Score covers the step up within Nokta's own line.

USA manufacturing matters to your purchase, or you specifically want iron audio and adjustable frequency documented in the listing rather than inferred. Decades of ACE-family use also mean a deep well of published settings advice. The full ACE 400 review and ACE 400 settings by site type are worth reading before your first hunt, and ACE 300 vs ACE 400 is useful if you are deciding within the ACE line itself.

A pinpointer before a second coil. Garrett Pro-Pointer AT works with either machine and the how to use a pinpointer guide explains the recovery-time math. From there, run the dig time calculator against your own typical site to see how much of your afternoon is actually spent swinging versus digging, which usually reorders the next purchase on its own.

Whichever machine you buy, spend a little on carry gear before you spend anything on a second coil. CKG Finds and Digger Pouch keeps recovered targets off your belt loop and out of your pocket, and a basic pair of NoCry Professional Gel Knee Pads pays for itself the first time a dig takes longer than expected on hard ground. Neither line item changes what either detector finds, but both change how many hours you are willing to put in on a given afternoon, which over a season matters more than any single spec on this page.