Apex old gold or new apex?

[Raynewhite]

so ive been looking at the for sale forums and have seen used gold label apex systems for 250$+ my question is with the new system is it worth the 800$+ and getting 4 main probes+ wifi and future. Or is it more worth while to buy a used gold and piece stuff together myself? Ive done some research and seen some of the differences is there a huge difference besides price point as to why i should get the newest apex? Thank you for your guys help

 

[Finhead]

The older Gold model which is the one I run has the 4 main probes as well but as you said no built in WiFi.
IMO one of the biggest reasons to get the new Apex is the Trident that will be coming out in the next few months. It will not work with the old style Apex.

 

[Meo]

and more, the new Apex has better local interface (is in Apex Fusion Style), many more setup wizard (easy to set), more powerful hardware and support for Hydra fixture and new Apex Neptune hardware like Trident.

The Classic (I have one) is a 10 years old hardware, is software maintained until today, but if you are looking for a new installation I think is better to look to new Apex2016.

 

[Finhead]

and more, the new Apex has better local interface (is in Apex Fusion Style), many more setup wizard (easy to set), more powerful hardware and support for Hydra fixture and new Apex Neptune hardware like Trident.

The Classic (I have one) is a 10 years old hardware, is software maintained until today, but if you are looking for a new installation I think is better to look to new Apex2016.

As far as I have seen software looks to be the same on the Old style as the new, if your running Fusion which I can't see why you wouldn't.
My gold has a AWM module that controls my 26's, it will control all the WiFi enabled AI lights up to the HD. Neither the old or New Apex will control the HD model AI lights.

 

[Greybeard]

I just bought the classic... Why? $250. I'm not a bleeding edge kinda guy, won't be buying a trident any time soon, don't like that the new unit doesn't have a control pad (unless I spend another hundred bucks), and I've already got a wired to wireless ethernet bridge. I was debating between the Jr and the Classic... Just can't justify the extra dollars for the new style.

 

[bif24701]

Buy the 2016 APEX.

 

[Confuse]

I've had my Apex classic now for the last 8 years and it is rock solid. However, if I were in the market for a new Apex today, I'd invest in the Apex 2016 since it has some perks the classic apex doesn't out of the box. However, if you're on a budget and looking for a solid used controller at a low price, you can't go wrong with the Apex Classic/Gold.

My biggest gripe with my Apex Classic was the inability to do firmware upgrades wirelessly. I don't have access to an ethernet connection where my tank sits, so I depend on a wireless adapter for connection. When I have to do firmware upgrades, I have to connect my laptop to my Apex directly via ethernet cable and do the update, and while that is not complex, it's just another thing to do that I probably won't do until completely necessary. With the new Apex, you can just press a button and upgrade the OS.

The new Apex also has a built in conductivity/salinity port and probe included. This is something I wanted to add to my current set up, but a) it was pricey and b) I'm running out of room for more module boxes to hang inside my cabinet.

The new EB832 is also a cool feature I would like to incorporate for redundancy. Specifically the power management and power draw.

I'm a techie type of guy, so the more information collected that I can use to automate processes, the better. But like I said, if you need a solid controller at a lower price point and don't need the extra features and convenience, by all means, go with the Classic/Gold. I found that the Apex is a long term investment which pays itself off over the years. It's not a piece of hardware you upgrade every year. I remember paying $500 or something like that on my Apex Classic, thinking it was outrageous, but in the long term, it paid off by saving my tank of multiple catastrophes over the years. Heck, before I bought my Apex, I invested in the Reef Keeper Lite because of the low price, but then I ended up selling it all to buy an Apex Classic and lost money in the process for going for the lower cost solution. lol

 

[WWIII]

If you need to or plan on replacing all probes, they add up pretty fast. As for the classic gold or 2016, that's up to you. I would probably buy the 2016 and was going to but instead went with GHL.

 

[Sppf121]

If you can afford it, I would recommend the Apex 2016. While the old system is good the new systems features are just much better. I sold my old system and am happy that I made the change.

 

[Muttley000]

I went with the 2016 just because you knew sooner or later something was going to come out that only worked with the newer model. I didn't expect that to come so soon! If you don't care about the trident, you are seeing how much money you can save!

 

[Mark Gray]

I have the new model I like it no complaints yet

 

[57buick]

I just got the new model and I love how it shows me exactly how many watts each device is using and how much it will cost for the month total. It got me to start working this weekend on insulating my pipes and garage door so I can potentially save $100 per month on heating

 

[BobNY]

I have been running the Apex classic for 8 years. Aside from firmware updates always being a pain in the butt it has worked flawlessly every day. I just replaced it with the 2016. I am loving the upgrade so far. Setup was a breeze and firmware updates are thing of beauty. The power monitoring on the EB832 is great and the built in 1Link ports are very useful if you plan to add of the Apex accessories that can use them. I just picked up a couple of DOS pumps and won't have to use the power bricks because of this. I do feel the price difference is worth it. That said...If you don't think you will use the added features of the newer model, the Apex Classic will do its job as a great aquarium controller and make your reef keeping world a better place.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am a classic owner and Once I figured out Apex wanted to expand my capabilities and in turn this past week ordered the New apex and Display from marine Depot which arrived two days ago and setting it up later today which Apex told me has been simplified. It comes with a nice cord router to make install nice and neat.
I hate to sell my classic which was just updated and has been good to me but its' time. Was hoping to see some feedback on this thread from New Apex owners as to how they like it and what pros and cons they have seen.

 

[moiy24]

I have the Apex gold for the last couple of years, just bought the new one, can anybody tell me what’s the easiest way to make the switch? Do I need to program everything or is there a way to save all the instructions.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have the Apex gold for the last couple of years, just bought the new one, can anybody tell me what’s the easiest way to make the switch? Do I need to program everything or is there a way to save all the instructions.

I am setting up my new one today and was told i'll have to cancel my account on the old one and factory reset and enter account onto new and set it from scratch.

 

[BobNY]

I ran my classic next to my 2016 for a couple of weeks until I know all was stable with the new one. I just removed the classic last night. You cant copy the programming from the old Apex to the new one, but you can print a list of the outputs and their programming. If you open the drop down home menu on the top left of fusion, you will see a choice for "summary". Hit that and it will give you the list of all of your programming.
You can use that to enter all of your programming to the new one. You can transfer log data from the old one to the new one. I forget the process to do this. I can look tonight after I get home from work if no one posts it before then.