Whats the better one - Garretts AT Pro or a Minelab E-trac ?

[Rebeldigger]

What's the better one - Garrett's AT Pro or a Minelab E-trac ?

Greetings fellow diggers -
This is my 1st post - my name's Bruce and I live in southern Oregon - ... although I've had the detecting bug since the early 80's - I'm still using the older Garretts master hunter 7 as my primary machine as it's produced alot of great finds - however - now that I am retired and plan on spending more time digging - I've found that the 'ole #7 has gotten a bit heavier then I recall and am looking to upgrade to a newer and lighter machine - having had great luck with the Garrett's I've researched and found that the At Pro might be the one - however I have also found that there's a large group who consider Minelab's E-trac a far superior detector because of it's depth - and as we all know deep is better - but is all that glitter not gold? - granted it lets you hook up to your computer & save settings - but is the price worth the difference ? Please help - thanks

 

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[Silver Worm]

You are opening up a can of worms, dude! Besides, that horse has just about been ridden to death.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

OOO NNoooo

 

[wvwildman]

just go and read reviews on line you'll get all kinds of diff answers on here lol i like the at pro cause its waterproof have't been around the e-trac any but hear they are a good detector too it just depends on how much ya want to spend on one thats all it comes down 2 or ya could get ya an XP deus i hear they are a fine detector

 

[Fletch88]

I've owned ATP and currently own Etrac. The Etrac costs just over twice as much but is 10 times the detector. That's not my opinion, it's based on first hand experience.

 

[fella]

I've owned the E-trac in the past. It's a fine detector. NOT the magic wand their users want you to believe they are though! That's not my opinion, it's based on first hand experience.

 

[Silver Worm]

It starts...

 

[NJ Marty]

Greetings fellow diggers -
This is my 1st post - my name's Bruce and I live in southern Oregon - ... although I've had the detecting bug since the early 80's - I'm still using the older Garretts master hunter 7 as my primary machine as it's produced alot of great finds - however - now that I am retired and plan on spending more time digging - I've found that the 'ole #7 has gotten a bit heavier then I recall and am looking to upgrade to a newer and lighter machine - having had great luck with the Garrett's I've researched and found that the At Pro might be the one - however I have also found that there's a large group who consider Minelab's E-trac a far superior detector because of it's depth - and as we all know deep is better - but is all that glitter not gold? - granted it lets you hook up to your computer & save settings - but is the price worth the difference ? Please help - thanks

black and white TV vs flatscreen.

 

[BryanM362]

I use both, and there are advantages and disadvantages with each.

The ATP is water proof, the e-trac isn't.
The e-trac does go deeper
The ATP is lighter
The ATP is easier to learn
The e-trac has more changeable settings.

I'm still learning the e-trac, but if I had to choose one, it would be the e-trac.

 

[fella]

I'll try to be a voice of reason and be unbiased by giving what I feel is a fair assessment of each based on myexperience with each.
I'll also try not to throw blanket statements out there either.

Weight...The ATP is def lighter and much easier to swing. Especially when equipped with the popular 5x8 coil which most users that use it prefer. One of my biggest reasons for not owning the E-Trac any longer was it's weight. Doesn't bother a lot of users but it is an issue with several others. OP mentioned he wants a lighter machine than he currently has. I would say the ATP has an advantage here!

Depth...The E-Trac is going to be the deeper on higher conductive targets like silver, the ATP is going to deeper on lower conductive targets like gold! Gold jewelry pieces are not a strength of the E-Trac (bigger rings being the exception). The ATP does very well on those type of targets. Advantage...even! Depending on your target choice!
FWIW I've dug silver dimes @ 8" with the ATP & 5x8 coil.

Waterproof...ATP yes, E-Trac no! If you wanna get wet advantage goes to the ATP!

Learning Curve...ATP should be way easier to learn. Not a whole lot of programming to do. Just some simple basic settings. Is this a plus or minus? Your call!

Programability...E-Trac! Much more customizable! Is this a plus or minus? Your call!

Recover Speed...ATP hands down faster than the E-Trac. The ATP runs a single frequency and thus doesn't need to process as many signals. The E-trac runs 28 different frequency all the time. Takes much longer to process all that info. Faster recovery speed comes into play in areas where multiple targets are close by.
Many users of the E-Trac note iron masking as being an issue. This can be caused by a piece of iron (rusty nail) close to a good target (coin). The E-Trac may have a harder time finding the good target because it's still processing the iron signal and hasn't had enough time to "recover" for the next target. Conversely the ATP takes a lot less time to recover and may have an easier time finding the good targets in trashy and/or iron infested areas. To combat the slow recovery time of the ET, users tend to slow their swings way down to try and compensate.

Tone ID...I feel both are great at using their audio for ID'ing their targets. I prefer the ATP tones and really didn't care for the fluty tones of the ET. But thats a personal preference.

VDI...The E-Trac displays more info the user. I found both machines depth meters to be sketchy. I found a good work around for each by using the pinpoint and coming straight down on the target. Get more accurate readings that way.

If I missed anything, other users of each will chime in.

Each have their fans, each have their haters, some without using one or the other.

 

[Fletch88]

If you ever plan in beach detecting the Etrac with multi freq will beat the pants off a single freq machine in wet salt and in my experience in mineralized soil

 

[BryanM362]

I'll try to be a voice of reason and be unbiased by giving what I feel is a fair assessment of each based on myexperience with each.
I'll also try not to throw blanket statements out there either.

Weight...The ATP is def lighter and much easier to swing. Especially when equipped with the popular 5x8 coil which most users that use it prefer. One of my biggest reasons for not owning the E-Trac any longer was it's weight. Doesn't bother a lot of users but it is an issue with several others. OP mentioned he wants a lighter machine than he currently has. I would say the ATP has an advantage here!

Depth...The E-Trac is going to be the deeper on higher conductive targets like silver, the ATP is going to deeper on lower conductive targets like gold! Gold jewelry pieces are not a strength of the E-Trac (bigger rings being the exception). The ATP does very well on those type of targets. Advantage...even! Depending on your target choice!
FWIW I've dug silver dimes @ 8" with the ATP & 5x8 coil.

Waterproof...ATP yes, E-Trac no! If you wanna get wet advantage goes to the ATP!

Learning Curve...ATP should be way easier to learn. Not a whole lot of programming to do. Just some simple basic settings. Is this a plus or minus? Your call!

Programability...E-Trac! Much more customizable! Is this a plus or minus? Your call!

Recover Speed...ATP hands down faster than the E-Trac. The ATP runs a single frequency and thus doesn't need to process as many signals. The E-trac runs 28 different frequency all the time. Takes much longer to process all that info. Faster recovery speed comes into play in areas where multiple targets are close by.
Many users of the E-Trac note iron masking as being an issue. This can be caused by a piece of iron (rusty nail) close to a good target (coin). The E-Trac may have a harder time finding the good target because it's still processing the iron signal and hasn't had enough time to "recover" for the next target. Conversely the ATP takes a lot less time to recover and may have an easier time finding the good targets in trashy and/or iron infested areas. To combat the slow recovery time of the ET, users tend to slow their swings way down to try and compensate.

Tone ID...I feel both are great at using their audio for ID'ing their targets. I prefer the ATP tones and really didn't care for the fluty tones of the ET. But thats a personal preference.

VDI...The E-Trac displays more info the user. I found both machines depth meters to be sketchy. I found a good work around for each by using the pinpoint and coming straight down on the target. Get more accurate readings that way.

If I missed anything, other users of each will chime in.

Each have their fans, each have their haters, some without using one or the other.

I think we are pretty much in agreement, on our points, Fella. I agree with the e-trac not being as great on gold.

As far as the e-trac being worth double the price, that's a tough call, depends on how much you'll use it, and your budget.

 

[TheRingFinder]

True story - I went to a park in a nearby town. Met a guy detecting with the ATP and chatted for a bit , he said he has hit the park many times as he lives in that town. I watched him work around this big oak and he finally left the park. I went over to the same oak and got a very light but solid signal down deep. I dug and recovered a nice Merc. I also found 4 old tokens in the park after that using my E-Trac. I truly don't care what anyone buys, I just go by truth as I do with my politics and life- The Truth hurts, but yet it is still the truth!

 

[christo000]

I just don't know y this question keeps coming up what is better. A or B after all is said n done ur gonna b no closer to any answer it'll b a 50/50 better off goin out urself narrowing it down with ur budget ur wants & just do it. If anything look in brands etc or where ever & c what people r saying about the ones ur thinking of rather then getting people all fired up cuz the other guy's opinion is take the opposite machine u say. They all find treasure u just have to look at what u need in the end ur buying it no one else what works for one may not for another & that other may even b on the other side of the country where that machine excels. It's been asked enough that u should b able to backtrack posts what a week ago, I think it gets asked at least 1- 2 times a week. Good luck in ur quest

 

[fella]

The people at Jonestown would have used the E-Trac!

 

[BryanM362]

The people at Jonestown would have used the E-Trac!

Uh, I think you mis-spoke, you meant to say AT Pro! In fact the AT Pro comes with a package of Kool Aid and a straw....

 

[Jason in Enid]

Uh, I think you mis-spoke, you meant to say AT Pro! In fact the AT Pro comes with a package of Kool Aid and a straw....

HAHAHA! I actually laughed out load at that!

 

[madmark]

Hi Bruce.
You cant really compare the two detectors, as one is twice the price. The Garret is a great machine plus it is fully waterproof. How ever the E-trac is by far a superior detector in my eyes.
Do a little more research I am sure you will see for your self. Here it comes, BUT, the E-trac is a very hard machine to learn, I have had mine for almost 6 months and I am still learning to use it.
Don't get me wrong, you can use it strait out the box, but you really do need to learn the settings. Once that is done you can start moving on to better settings.
There is a Guy on youtube called PONDGURU, check him out he uses an E-trac and he has some great and helpful videos.
All this is only my opinion, good luck with what ever you choose.
Best wishes, Mark from UK....

 

[bzbadger]

I've had hands on both and the etrac has a steep learning curve and price. The ATP you can take out of the box and within minutes be pulling targets easily. As gas as depth etrac maybe a couple inches but man its recovery speed is slow and iron makes an etrac go blind sometimes. I've seen fellow club members with etracs and they really do have to slow down the swing in iron rich or trashy areas. ATP users cover ground a lot faster because of its recovery speed which can be a downfall, they expect that same response all the time and don't take the time in certain areas and miss stuff. I like my ATP, I spent less than 600, also if anything goes wrong you can't beat Garretts customer service.

Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

 

[dholland02]

Is this really a topic? Everyone I know that had an at pro upgrade to an etrac In less than a year. Etrac hands down is far better. Only thing I like bout the at pro is it is water proof.