Show me a Teknetics or Whites that looks like an early Quest/Deteknix. No detector looked like that before Quest. I'll wait for the picture.
I will just let you Google Minelab CTX.........XP Deus.........
$500 can get a person a really good, brand new detector form FTP and Nokta Makro if you shop carefully. Cool. How many of them are SMF ?
None. However, aside from beach hunting, where the APEX is better, I would take any T2, G2+, Omega 8500, Nokta Makro Kruzer for overall depth or for any other category of detecting. Depth on the APEX with any kind of reliable target ID is not good and going from single frequency to multi makes no difference.
ACE APEX with wireless headphones vs Minelab Vanquish 540 Pro Pack costs the same. ACE APEX can be user ground balanced and does better in iron. The Vanquish 540 has way better accurate target ID on non-ferrous targets shallow or deep (10"+) and overall depth. One says Garrett and one says Minelab on it. Other than that, The only place I would prefer the APEX is maybe on a shallow relic hunt in thick iron trash or in a detector beauty contest since.....
The APEX is one nice looking detector. The Vanquish is just butt ugly.
Detecting wise, I would pick the APEX for a shallow target relic hunt in moderate to thick iron over the Vanquish 540. I would pick the Vanquish 540 for all other types of basic coin, jewelry and relic hunting from experience using both detectors extensively.
I am a person who owned a Garrett AT Gold for a long time and really liked it. I sold it recently and was going to use the money to purchase and APEX. I was able to try one out for a week from a friend of mine who bought an APEX and was not happy. He hoped I would buy it..........after 20 hours of testing it head to head against my Vanquish 540......no thanks.