help!!!

[metalman709]

okay... i had my heart set on the at pro but have been looking at other posts about other water machines in the same price range and now i'm confused....came up with 3 different machines and all have their pro's and con's....being a tesoro user i'm torn between the sand shark, the tiger shark, and the at pro....i will post this same topic in the tesoro topic for discussion as well.....mainly will be hunting fresh water seeing as i live in georgia but once or twice a year will be in salt conditions and on land....which would you choose and why?

[Hosensack]

Get a used sand shark for the salt water and a used(newer version) AT Pro for the other areas mentioned both have great service so you can get them tuned if need be for free or at least relatively affordable, and you will spend about the same as you would for retail on one or the other if you bought just one of them new.This way you have the RIGHT machine for the RIGHT locations instead of sacrificing somewhere.

Tom

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

No machine can do it all. You have to decide what's most important to u. Feel free to call me and I can explain it all to you.

[Dwight S]

The AT Pro can be balanced to work in salt water. I have done it, as have others. You do have to balance in dry sand, then again in wet sand and then again in the water. You also have to turn down the sensitivity a notch or two, but it will still make finds at 10" to 12" deep in the water.

As for balancing so often, it's not any trouble. I automatic ground balance to get in the "ballpark" and then manually adjust it as needed for extra stability. You also need to balance the machine often out in the field as well, so there really is no difference.

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

The AT Pro can be balanced to work in salt water. I have done it, as have others. You do have to balance in dry sand, then again in wet sand and then again in the water. You also have to turn down the sensitivity a notch or two, but it will still make finds at 10" to 12" deep in the water.

As for balancing so often, it's not any trouble. I automatic ground balance to get in the "ballpark" and then manually adjust it as needed for extra stability. You also need to balance the machine often out in the field as well, so there really is no difference.

Good post!

[metalman709]

i do have an understanding of the machines and what they can do.... my thoughts on the subject are more in line with getting the most use out of the machine for the price and things like warranty based on usage for salt,fresh water and land....kind of a if you had the money to buy either one of these machines which one would you get based on usage.... the at pro being all terrain made perfect sense to me but after reading everything about all these machines they all sound pretty much all terrain with their strengths and weaknesses being different for each one....hope i'm making sense.... thanks for the input though....

[lookindown]

No machine can do it all. You have to decide what's most important to u. Feel free to call me and I can explain it all to you.

The AT pro does it all for me....land, freshwater, and saltwater. Its a killer freshwater machine and in saltwater its only 2 inches shallower than a CZ21. It runs stable in the water,wet sand,and the wash. I live in Florida, other beaches may be different. If someone tells you an AT pro wont work well on a Florida beach, then they havent tried one on a Florida beach.

[metalman709]

thanks lookindown.....i'm still leaning that way, the only major drawback is the warranty...in that dept. i absolutely love tesoro's and they will always be my land machine....

[Dwight S]

Regarding warranty, yes... Tesoro's lifetime warranty can't be beat. But with the Garrett you do get a two year warranty. If you get it and there is a failure, then send it in under warranty. If after the two years you have a problem, Garrett may still take care of it if it's a known issue. Or it may cost you to a little to get it repaired, but by then there may be a new detector that has your eye.

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Regarding warranty, yes... Tesoro's lifetime warranty can't be beat. But with the Garrett you do get a two year warranty. If you get it and there is a failure, then send it in under warranty. If after the two years you have a problem, Garrett may still take care of it if it's a known issue. Or it may cost you to a little to get it repaired, but by then there may be a new detector that has your eye.

Garrett is VERY good at taking care of customers. I see it all the time!