Garrett AT Pro or Fisher F70?

[spiral]

Which would you buy?I already have the Omega and I mostly hunt relics but enjoy all types of hunting.I've owned Whites,Minelab,Fisher,Teknetics but never a Garrett machine.I'm leaning toward the Garrett AT pro.I think it is a lot of detector for the money.I can't find much info on the F70..

 

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[Woodland Detectors]

"I can't find much info on the F70.."

Here's your sign.

The F70 is just fine, but why did you own those other machines and get rid of them? Which Minelab did you have?

 

[ThTx]

I have used White's, Tesoros and a couple of lesser brands before, but I stick pretty much with Garrett's. I won't start a big argument here by saying they are better than other machines, but they work for me and I don't think any manufacturer can beat the AT Pro for the money.

 

[spiral]

Well I was into this hobby in my early 20's then sold off everything.Now that I'm in my late 30's, I'm getting back into the hobby.I recently bought a Tek Omega and love the machine, but it's just so hard to have just one detector .In the past I've had an MXT,Fisher 12xx series and the Minelab I had was the Musketeer advantage.I've never owned a Garrett machine.I've watched all the videos I can find on the AT pro and I like what I see so far.I think the machine would be well worth the money.

 

[liftloop]

just weight when i make a video all show you some deep target that are worth some cash and I grantee it won't be an at pro making the discovery or a fisher.it will be an old analogue detector with four C batteries.can you tell what detector I'm talking a bout.


liftloop

 

[dahut]

Which would you buy?I already have the Omega and I mostly hunt relics but enjoy all types of hunting.I've owned Whites,Minelab,Fisher,Teknetics but never a Garrett machine.I'm leaning toward the Garrett AT pro.I think it is a lot of detector for the money. I can't find much info on the F70..

I own an F70. The Garrett AT Pro sounds like the equal of the F70 in most ways.
The F70 had teething problems when new. The Garrett is experiencing the same.
The F70 is proven. The Garrett is still trying to be... and doing pretty good.

Between them, the only significant difference is the Garrett can go swimming. That is a HUGE difference in my opinion. If possible, own both.

 

[George (MN)]

My F70 ID was jumpy & many false signals if turned up above preset.

The AT Pro is really quiet until it finds an accepted target. The ID at depth is more stable & accurate than just about anything under $1,000. There is no loss of depth turning up discrimination. On F70 there is on negative threshold settings, which tend to be calmer.

The AT Pro can be used at sens 7 of 8, not like the Ace 250 sens 4 of 8. 2"-4" deeper than Ace with more stable & accurate IDs at depth. The F70 could not be used even remotely close to full sensitivity without total confusion.

The AT Pro STD mode has about a zero learning curve. Any sweep speed fine. The Pro mode is just slightly less stable, could be slightly deeper & has modulated/proportional audio, where STD is full volume on all signals. The AT Pro w/stock DD coil separates great in Pro mode, going slow with a Minelab Wiggle for the pinpoint.

The AT Pro after only 5 hours use got me a dime with correct ID down 7" in rather bad soil & I had the disc turned up to reject all through screw caps in a 1970s park detected hundreds of times (new suburbia). About zero trash dug.

I've owned about 50 detectors since 1976 & think that overall the AT Pro is very near the top, perhaps overall my favorite. They got the bugs out about March, so make sure you get a recent one. Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[dbax]

George, 50 detectors, wow. I own an F70 and it is my #4 and while I have never owned an AT Pro, all of the positive things you recognized in the AT I could also apply to the F70. It seems that when you set the F70 to run quiet, which it will, you loss virtually no depth. There may be conditions when you want to run this machine hot and you can do just that. The various setting on the F70 and sound modulation bring this machine to the top of all the list, even when comparing machine costing twice the money. Not saying it is better than the AT because I have never used an AT Pro but if it is better than the F70 then double Wow. My F70 had turned heavily hunted, local parks alive again. My only complaint is the Bottle Caps but as my hunting experience increases I am finding, or, rather, digging fewer caps. Still looking for a solution to that one.

 

[Rawhide]

I vote this be moved to the Nonsense thread. I own a F75 and I dont need the competition, get the AT Pro. If you get the F70 you may actually enjoy the sport more than a week.

 

[dbax]

Hey, Casca, you said what I said in fewer words. I was told the F70 is the little brother to the F75, and another said that the F70 is the best kept secret from Fisher in its price range competing with machines twice the money.

 

[Rawhide]

Hey, Casca, you said what I said in fewer words. I was told the F70 is the little brother to the F75, and another said that the F70 is the best kept secret from Fisher in its price range competing with machines twice the money.

My understanding is Dave Johnson asked and was granted permission to design a totally new machine. Not a upgrade. He developed the T2. Then came the F75. Finally the F70, which has to be even a better design.

There is nothing wrong with a AT Pro. I dont use the F70, but can say without any doubt in my mind the T2 and F75 can hunt. One very strong point is the 11" inch double D coil.

 

[rc2125]

The iron audio feature along with excellent seperation and ultra fast processing allows the AT's to easily sniff out good targets from areas infested with nails/iron/trash/etc. Find more good targets and less rusty nails or bottle caps. Plus they are waterproof too, hard to beat for an all around machine.
F70 was the second detector that I have owned/used. It was a quick thinker, really chattery, with good sensitivity and battery life, but the audio of a good target in iron wasn't nearly as pronounced as what the AT makes.

 

[marjam]

I had an f70. It has the fastest recovery of any machine I have ever owned. I found some good things with it. It had a tendency on very deep coins to read in the iron range. I once dug a silver dime about 6-7inches down that read 9-11 on the vdi. It didn't always do this, but it did some. No iron around the target either which I thought was weird. There are instances on the internet where others had the same thing happen.

At old homesites it is hard to beat due to its fast recovery. I would think the omega you have would almost be the same machine. I dont know for sure but they look very similar. They are also made by the same company. Just things to consider.

 

[dirtscratcher]

I hunt with a guy an atp and looked it over real good and was not impressed granted I only used it for a short time but did'nt like how it was made or felt. I have the t2 and would'nt hesitate to buy the fisher.

 

[DiggerinVA]

I hunt with a guy an atp and looked it over real good and was not impressed granted I only used it for a short time but did'nt like how it was made or felt. I have the t2 and would'nt hesitate to buy the fisher.

It took me 2 months of using the ATpro to decide if i even liked it! A "short time" will tell you nothing about this machine. But after 7 months of use; i wouldn't trade it for any fisher, minelab or other machine if i had to keep and use it. The ATP has found things that i never figured i had a chance of finding and is the most versatile machine that i know of. Use the big coil for fields and less trashy areas, use the 5x8 for cellar holes, parks, and other trashy areas(iron audio helps in heavy iron) and you can hit the creeks, lakes, and swimming holes with it. Tell me another machine that can do all this for under 1000.00....

 

[dirtscratcher]

It took me 2 months of using the ATpro to decide if i even liked it! A "short time" will tell you nothing about this machine. But after 7 months of use; i wouldn't trade it for any fisher, minelab or other machine if i had to keep and use it. The ATP has found things that i never figured i had a chance of finding and is the most versatile machine that i know of. Use the big coil for fields and less trashy areas, use the 5x8 for cellar holes, parks, and other trashy areas(iron audio helps in heavy iron) and you can hit the creeks, lakes, and swimming holes with it. Tell me another machine that can do all this for under 1000.00....

Some of us don't hunt in the water. Here in western Montana the lakes and streams are so rock you need a pick even when lakes go down, your not going to scoop anything. I still hunt in the rain all but the heaviest down pours so take away the waterproof and the atp offers nothing my t2 can't do imo better. I've read over and over that the atp may not be the best at any one thing but very versatile. So if you can only have one I get the idea, but imo the explorer is better in the park and the t2 is better in the feilds or heavy iron and the sov gt is better on salt water beaches

 

[DiggerinVA]

I will disagree since my ATP has pulled several coins(all pre 1900 silver and coppers) from a cellar hole that has been pounded for sometime by a gentleman with much more experience than myself using a T2....the ATP with 5x8 is king of cellar holes..IMO. Depth would be the only area that i see the T2 outdoing the pro. And that is not going to be alot of difference....i'm guessing maybe 1-2 inches on most targets.

 

[DiggerinVA]

The one thing i will say about the ATP is that it doesn't "feel" as good as the f70, f75, or t2....they feel a little more balanced, lighter.

 

[dirtscratcher]

The one thing i will say about the ATP is that it doesn't "feel" as good as the f70, f75, or t2....they feel a little more balanced, lighter.

The neat thing about this hobby is we all have different experiences and takes on different detectors it would be weird if we all used the same one. I own a detector I really don't like and I think it started when I first picked it up. It felt {wrong} after that it didi'nt matter how it worked, I just did'nt like or enjoy using it.

 

[marjam]

No matter what you choose, take time to learn it. A person with a machine they know in their hands is the best scenario to finding the good stuff. Any detector will find metal. Some just do it better than others and when you have the best possible machine in your hands and you know it inside out, then that is the best detector for you. We have all gave opinions and buying a detector is like buying and automobile. You got ford people, gm people, etc. The same holds true for the detecting world. We are a brand loyal bunch. Both detectors you mentioned have good reputations, the at pro is waterproof so if you think you will need that feature then buy it. If I was going to start water hunting that is the one I would get. I own an etrac but the ctx 3030 is too costly for me to justify it and I wholeheartedly believe in the minelab product. The at pro would be the way I would go for a water detector due to it not costing an arm and a leg to own. If you hunt inland, then i can only give advice on the f70 as I have never owned the at pro, and as I mentioned previously, its strongest positive is its recovery speed. Old homesites with a small coil on it, it is deadly.