Quick Answer: The Garrett ACE Apex ($429.99) is Garrett’s budget entry into simultaneous multi-frequency detection — six modes including four single frequencies (5, 10, 15, 20 kHz) and two simultaneous multi-frequency settings, one built specifically for salt beaches (Multi-Salt). It undercuts Garrett’s newer Vortex VX5 (~$450) by only around $20 now — a gap that’s shrunk from roughly $50 since launch — and still gives up whole-machine submersion to do it: per Garrett’s own spec, only the 6”x11” DD Multi-Flex Viper coil and lower shaft are waterproof, while the control box is rainproof only. At 2.5 lb with a 15-hour rechargeable battery, it’s still the cheapest real path to Garrett multi-frequency — as long as you don’t need to wade a creek.
Price correction, October 9, 2026: Re-checked every price in this review against current dealer listings. The ACE Apex’s Basic package has risen from our original $399.99 figure to $429.99, confirmed via Tractor Supply’s current listing and corroborated by other retailers pricing the same configuration in the mid-$420s. The Vortex VX5 at roughly $450, ACE 400 at $357.99, and the wireless-bundle price around $449.99 all still hold unchanged — only the Apex’s own price moved, which narrows both the Apex-to-VX5 gap and the Basic-to-wireless gap from roughly $50 down to roughly $20 each.
The ACE Apex shows up as a footnote across this site’s Garrett coverage — our Garrett lineup guide calls it “the older weatherproof multi-frequency one-off, now effectively succeeded by Vortex,” and says we’d buy a Vortex instead at 2026 prices. That’s still true for most buyers, and more true than ever now that the price gap has narrowed. This review digs into exactly who the Apex is still right for, and why the answer comes down to a now-roughly-$20 price gap and one submersion spec.
Garrett ACE Apex at a glance
| Garrett ACE Apex | Garrett Vortex VX5 | Garrett ACE 400 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$429.99 (Basic) | ~$450 | $357.99 |
| Frequency | Multi-Flex: 4 single + 2 simultaneous multi | Simultaneous multi-frequency | 10 kHz (adjustable) |
| Submersion | Coil + shaft only, control box rainproof | 16 ft, whole machine | Coil only, no rating |
| Ground balance | 175-point auto | Auto + manual | Digital, manual |
| Wireless audio | Z-Lynk on step-up package only | Z-Lynk built in | None |
| Weight | 2.5 lb | ~2.9 lb | 2.9 lb |
Garrett ACE Apex — Budget Multi-Frequency
Garrett ACE Apex
- Multi-Flex Multi-Frequency across 6 modes: 5, 10, 15, 20 kHz single frequencies plus simultaneous Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt.
- 6" x 11" DD Multi-Flex Viper waterproof search coil; control box is rainproof, not submersible.
- 175-point hi-resolution auto ground balance, 20-pixel Notch Discrimination with 8 pixels of Iron.
- 2.5 lb, built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery rated ~15 hours per charge, 4-hour recharge.
Multi-Flex Multi-Frequency: what six modes actually buys you
The ACE Apex was Garrett’s first multi-frequency detector on the familiar ACE-platform interface, and the headline feature is Multi-Flex Multi-Frequency — six selectable modes rather than one fixed frequency, per Garrett’s published spec. Four are single frequencies (5, 10, 15, 20 kHz) you can hand-pick for a specific target type, and two run simultaneous multi-frequency: a general Multi-Frequency mode for mixed ground and a dedicated Multi-Salt mode built to cancel out saltwater’s mineral interference on beach hunts. That flexibility is exactly what our multi-frequency explainer describes as the advantage over single-frequency VLF machines: one setting doesn’t have to stay optimal for an entire outing across changing ground.
The submersion catch: rainproof control box, waterproof coil only
Here’s the spec that decides who should actually buy this machine. Garrett’s own documentation describes the ACE Apex’s 6”x11” DD Multi-Flex Viper coil and lower shaft as fully submersible, but the control box itself as rainproof, not waterproof — built to handle rain and blowing spray with the USB and headphone port covers seated, not a dunk in a creek. That’s a meaningfully different spec from the whole-machine-submersible AT series or the newer Vortex line, both covered in our waterproof detector guide. Dry-sand and damp-park hunters never notice the difference; anyone who wades will.
ACE Apex vs. Vortex VX5: is the ~$20 still worth it?
Garrett’s own lineup guide calls the Vortex line the effective successor to the Apex, and the spec sheet backs that up: the Vortex VX5 (~$450) runs newer simultaneous multi-frequency technology and submerges the whole machine to 16 ft, against the Apex’s coil-only waterproofing. That used to cost roughly $50 more; at current prices it’s closer to $20 more, which makes the VX5 the clearer upgrade if wet ground is ever part of the plan — a smaller gap to close for the same real capability jump. The Apex still delivers the same core multi-frequency benefit — steadier performance across mixed and mineralized ground than a single-frequency machine — but it no longer saves a buyer enough to make the submersion trade-off an easy call either way.
ACE Apex vs. ACE 400: when multi-frequency pays off
The ACE 400 ($357.99) runs a single adjustable 10 kHz frequency and, like the Apex, has a coil-only waterproof rating — the two machines share more waterproofing DNA than the Apex shares with the Vortex line. The difference that matters is frequency count: in mild, consistent dry-land soil, the ACE 400 finds the same targets for about $72 less at current prices. Once ground turns mineralized, trashy, or salt-adjacent, the Apex’s Multi-Flex modes start finding targets the ACE 400’s single frequency reads inconsistently. Match the machine to your actual dirt, not the spec sheet.
Who should buy the Garrett ACE Apex
- Budget-conscious buyers who want real multi-frequency — it’s still the cheapest way into Garrett’s Multi-Flex technology, though the margin over the Vortex VX5 has narrowed to ~$20.
- Dry-sand and damp-park beach hunters — Multi-Salt mode filters mineral interference without needing a submersible control box.
- Not water waders — if creeks, rivers, or surf-line hunting are part of your plan, the now-smaller ~$20 step up to a Vortex VX5 or a fully submersible AT Pro buys real capability for very little extra.
- Verify the package before buying. Basic ($429.99) and Z-Lynk-wireless bundles (~$449.99) are priced and specced differently — read the listing, and confirm the “Sold by” line is an authorized Garrett dealer.
The bottom line
The Garrett ACE Apex at ~$429.99 is a narrower value play than it used to be: still Garrett’s cheapest simultaneous multi-frequency machine, with a dedicated Multi-Salt mode and 175-point auto ground balance, but the price has risen enough that it’s no longer a clear budget pick over the Vortex VX5. The catch is still submersion — only the coil and shaft are waterproof, not the control box — which is why our own Garrett lineup guide still points most buyers to the Vortex VX5 instead, now for an even smaller premium. If every dollar still counts and your hunting stays dry-to-damp, the Apex remains the cheaper option. Curious how Garrett’s older single-frequency workhorse compares instead? Our AT Pro review covers the fully submersible alternative. For a region where the Apex’s ground-balance range matters most, see our metal detecting in Oklahoma guide — it’s our pick for the mineralized red-clay ranch soil and gravel-bar rivers that make up most of the state’s legal permission-land ground. It’s also our top pick in metal detecting in Connecticut, where the Multi-Salt mode and coil-only waterproofing line up neatly with the state’s bare-sand-only, no-wading digging rule.