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Apex Talon Pick Review

Brian and Tracey over at Apex Picks www.apexpicks.com contacted me and asked me to test and provide an unbiased review of their picks. They gave me a choice of any of their picks to test. I chose the Talon model because that seemed the most suited to how I prospect. I thank them for the opportunity to test the Apex. The package arrived very well packed and shipped and a good protector was on the tip of the pick as well as instructions and an envelope for Apex. There was much more wrapping on the pick than the picture below actually shows. Any picture on this page with a border can be enlarged when you click it. The review of the Talon continues below the picture.

Here are the specs: Apex Talon Pick

Weight: Approx. 4.25 lbs.
Head Size: Approx 12.0" x 4.5"
Handle 30" Hickory

The Talon is made very well, the Apex team really concentrates on craftsmanship. These guys really mean business when it comes to quality. If you buy one its money well spent no questions asked. My first impression was the blade was too narrow. The reason for this is I have been religiously using a Hermit Pick for quite a while and it has quite a large piece of a shovel blade welded on to it for digging and scraping and in all honesty that design works great. You can achieve the same effect by just scraping the ground with the long blade edge of the Talon in my experience (side of the pick head). So my final opinion is the Talon matches the Hermit for digging capability and speed if you adjust your technique for each model the Hermit and Talon respectively. A flat edge is a flat edge.

 The Apex's unique benefit is that it comes with magnets that sit in innovative seated welds on both the upper and lower sides of the blade. A real nice innovation. The added benefit here is two fold, if you're like me and like to get into those spots others don't like to go and need to whack some trees and brush now and then you won't loose your magnets as you hack though dead branches etc. The second benefit is obvious, the magnets get the iron trash targets as you dig and having three of them really helps. If you're new to detecting this means that when you get a target and are digging and scraping the magnets will pick up the iron trash thus speeding up target recovery time. The spots they chose for the placement and the size of the magnets are just about perfect.

The only change I would make to their design is to move the bottom blade magnet away from the handle and center it between the handle and the edge of the blade and use a slightly larger magnet only in this one particular spot. You can see in the first set of pictures below the magnets as they come stock and the picture at the far right in the first group of three pictures was an experiment I did with placement and an additional magnet. The way the Talon comes stock with the magnets is fine, it works great, I'm just sharing a personal preference. Your first question is why do I suggest this? Being centered the magnet is closer to the digging edge of the blade thus the more chance it will pick up trash and since the bottom edge of the pick is the edge that scrapes as you pull it toward you the magnet needs to be as strategically placed as possible and I like a particular size of magnet as the main one on my picks. Again my suggestion is my opinion and preference. There is no flaw in the design of the pick as it is the magnets are very strong and well chosen for the job as they come stock. In fact I would say it is the best designed pick on the market today hands down and I'm sure there is someone copying this design as we speak and several others kicking themselves in the rear for never adding this much needed and excellent innovation. And the magnets Apex uses are not cheap magnets, they are top of the line Neodymium Magnets. Apex really put a lot of effort into making this the best pick money could buy. The Hickory handle is also first rate, excellent quality wood.

I really like the top magnet and its placement too. Several of the areas I hunted during my testing were a long stretches of exposed bedrock that are a bit trashy. I was able to find a signal hold the Talon by its handle and tap and run the top of the blade over the target and get it out quick if it was iron. The length of the handle works great here, I'm 6'1 and it saved me some bending and stooping, a huge energy and time saver. The other benefit of the handle length is it makes a quick makeshift seat of the blade when you need to take a break. I'm no big fan of sitting on the ground in the desert. All pick handles come loose over time, its just the nature of the tool, the haft that holds the handle in place is long, thick and well made. You'll have a tough time loosening up the handle. My review continues below the pictures.

Over a 30+ day period I hunted with the Talon and took it hundreds of miles off road via 4x4 truck and quad. This time covered dozens of hunts in several places Central, Western and Northern Arizona. I dug hundreds of targets with it and hiked with it many miles. Also I used both ends of the blade to crack open rocks and the Talon suffered no damage whatsoever, its one solid piece of equipment. The Talon also has a great weight to it, it never tired me out. If we meet out in the Arizona gold fields don't be surprised to see me with the Talon pick. More pictures showing some of the gold I found using the Talon and a YouTube video below showing the Talon Pick in action briefly. I have another video I am currently editing that shows the Talon in Action for quite a while and will add it to this page, this video shows just a few seconds of it on camera. My final word on the Talon is that it rocks! If you are thinking of buying one don't hesitate and Brian and Tracey are real down to earth fellow prospectors. They replied to any emails I sent them quickly and we had a great phone conversation. This pick was designed by prospectors for prospectors. With the innovative welds that hold in the magnets, the fact that it is one tough tool, and the first class craftsmanship in my opinion it is the most innovative and best designed pick on the market today. This pick is a worthy investment.