Omega 8000 or AT Pro.

[ryaan21]

I am getting a new metal detector soon, and think I have it sorted down to these 2.

Hunting Style: Coin, mainly. Jewelry, relics a little.

Areas Hunted: Parks, camp grounds, yards when i can.

Detectors owned in the past. Garrett gta 1000, Garrett GTAx 550, Teknetics 4000

Ideal machine: Good depth 6+ inches, Depth meter, Non battery hog.

I started on the Garrett 1000 back in the 90's and LOVED it....best machine I have ever used. Sold it off to fund party supplies in a moment of stupidity.

I got the Garrett 550 about 4 years ago and have made some great finds with it, the only problem was the bell tone and the fact that I dug rust non-stop, no matter the disc setting. Isold it to my brother in law and can buy it back for 150 bucks if i need a back up machine.

I then ordered a Teknetics 4000 and really the machine was sub par. I used it for an entire spring/summer/fall and was really not happy with it. It was a shallow machine.


I am not bashing teknetics, my brother owned the 8000 and had really good luck with it. It was deep, really deep but loved steel bottle caps. I dont mind digging caps. the machine thinks it is a coin I am guessing in part because of their size and shape.

The AT Pro seems to have good reviews, people seem to really endorse it once they learn it. How steep is the learning curve in pro mode? Is it a deep seeker? Does it have the annoying garrett belltone?

I am looking to spend 650 tops. Also may spend less to be able to grab a pro pointer as well as a detector.

Thanks gang

 

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[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Ryan both are great! The 8000 is a bit better on coins. Pro a bit better on gold. The omega can come with a 11" dd coil. Great setup there!

 

[George (MN)]

I have the Garrett AT Pro. Using standard mode, Sensitivity 7 out of 8, coins mode, iron completely rejected (40), & manual ground balance, it doesn't seem to require much if any learning.

In about an hour had a quarter very tilted at 4". The next loud beep had a consistent high tone & ID #s 80-85, which is the range for dime. Depth
indicator read about 8". Dug down 7" in the dry, hard, and somewhat mineralized dirt, & there was a clad dime. This in a park that's been detected 100s of times & that dime probably sat there 20-30+ years!

In standard mode air test with dime, AT Pro gives loud beep to 10" with a high tone every time. In Pro mode, it went back & forth between mid & high tone at 10" with a weak beep (modulated audio). Most say they prefer using the Pro mode with iron rejection 35 or less, to pick coins out from iron. The iron audio can be silenced if desired, & Pro mode enables a coin to be detected under a nail.

As I only dig probable coin signals, 7" ties for my deepest coin found. I was so frustrated in the past, dig only shallow clad, or dig almost everything to get deep coins. Most detectors can't ID accurately & consistently beyond 4"-5" in my soil.

The AT Pro can go underwater to 10' & most prefer waist deep water for the most gold rings with the least trash.

I also have the Teknetics G2, same innards as Gold Bug Pro DP. My 5"+ deep slightly tilted dime visual ID goes back & forth between dime & zinc.
It separates real well in iron. Like the AT Pro in Pro mode, audio is modulated, so dime is a whisper at 10". Unlike the Omega 8000, it does not have notches. But it gives weak beeps & shows small numbers for "rejected" items like iron ground & has ground phase reading.

I haven't had the Omega 8000, but read the ID will drop slightly at depth.
Probably not a problem once you're aware of it. The original ad for Omega 8000 said it air tests 12" on quarter. I get 11" on AT Pro & G2 would probably be the same. The Teknetics detectors are slightly lighter, but may cost a couple cents more per hour to operate.

Summary: both detectors are very good! Best wishes, George (MN)