Advice for next Metal Detector. Have Coinmaster Pro and AT Gold now. Details provided

[bignadad]

Me and @spaced45 work together on all our treasure hunts. He bought an AT Gold with the DD 5x8 search coil and uses that. I use the Coinmaster Pro.

I am going to upgrade from the Coinmaster and was wondering which i should go to. I was very much considering the AT Pro. I like the Garrett brand and the AT Gold has done well for us. If i did get the AT Pro i would probably get it with the 9x12 concentric and super sniper coils. Reason behind that is because @spaced45 had the DD coil so this way we could alternate when we need to. I do like the DD coil because it is very precise, but after reading different things i really thin the 9x12 would be good to maximize depth. If we ever get into trashy areas we can just use the DD we have now. I want the super sniper to get into tight spots.

So is that a good decision? Should I go with the AT Pro?

I am hunting in South Carolina and most land around here is very sandy. We tend to search for coins and other old relics we find around old houses. I do live near the beach and have a beach house so being able to search on the beach is a must.

If not another brand should I go for the AT Gold? I found the below quote from the web about the two. Is this right?

Both the AT Pro/AT Gold will work great for coins and most relics, however, for hunting gold nuggests or tiny tiny objects, the AT Gold is the better choice because of it's true all metal mode + threshold adjustments. The AT Pro might do a bit better for coins and relics because the Pro can be adjusted by adding or removing notches without depth loss, whereas the AT Gold has pre-programed the unit for gold searching, relics/coins or just coins, without being able to remove any notched. The AT Pro will ground balance to salt water, the AT Gold cannot be ground balanced to salt. And of course both are water proof.

I dont plan on doing any prospecting, which i assume is for gold. Also i saw someone mention the AT Gold was better for coin shooting. what is that?

Garrett Comparison Chart - AT Gold and AT Pro

The above address shows the difference between the 2. The only things that bother me there are the following.
I love the all metal mode on the AT Gold. I will lose the on the AT Pro apparently.
Threshold adjustment.

Also i see the AT Pro is suited for salt water so I would need that if i plan on hunting at beach right?


So AT Pro, AT Gold, or is there something else out there? I should have about $700 or so to spend.

 

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[bignadad]

I just happened to see the Garrett GTI 2500 is only $934

I know thats a bit more, but would that be worth it?

 

[skip_a_loo]

AT Gold is water proof and I love mine, I use it in the rain, snow, beaches, parks.. picks up very well in sandy soil, I have alot of mineral/iron in my neck of the woods and that it picks up very well!

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Have used my AT GOLD at the beach it was fine in dry sand and damp but wont work in the salt water or real wet sand at beach. Swung it over wet sand and nothing but static just as Garrett says it is not a ocean machine just fresh water.

 

[BryanM362]

I just happened to see the Garrett GTI 2500 is only $934

I know thats a bit more, but would that be worth it?

I read somewhere, that the GTI 2500 was in the process of getting an update and that it was older technology.

I think the difference between the AT Gold and Pro, is that the Gold is optimized for finding gold, while the Pro is more of a general use detector. That's even evident in the way the displays look (Check out the close up pics of the screens on Kellyco). Seems like the Pro would be a better option, and a little less expensive, if you aren't spcifically looking for gold nuggets, better for your style of hunting, and you can use in saltwater at your beach place.

 

[Frankn]

Well, you have two yard detectors so I would think you would look for something specifically for the beach and deep searching. That calls for a PI detector. I have pulled rings from wet salt water sand at 10" with no problem and a car tag from 2' in a flood plain with my Whites Surfmaster PI. You could pick up a used one in your price range. They last forever. Just an idea, Frank...

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

Based on your beach needs, the AT pro is the better choice. The AT Gold won't work well in the salt. The AT Pro will still find gold coins and jewelry and small nuggets, just not sub-gram gold. You might also consider the 5X8 DD coil, most of my customers that have bought this coil won't take it off their detector. The 4.5 sniper coil is great if you are hunting a metal fence line or very close to metal poles (like in tot lots).

The GTI2500 gives you a little more depth and imaging coil sizing features to tell the size of your target. It does not have VDI numbers like the AT Series.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[bignadad]

Thanks for all the great feedback.

Right now im leaning towards the AT Pro. The beach is not the main need of this device but it will be a small part of it.

I really want to see if i can afford the GTI2500. With being able to tell you if its a can/bottle cap/trash with the imaging i think that would a HUGE help. plus the 12 in depth. I wonder how accurate the imaging is though? I guess even if its only 50% accurate thats 50% less trash i have to dig. But on the other hand that might be 50% chance i dont pull a coin that the machine thinks is trash. Anyone have any experience with the GTI2500?

I also like the idea of the eagle eye (i think it was called). BUT are you really going to find anything at a 20 foot depth? I mean i do own a large backhoe so i could easily dig that far, but would be worried about damaging the relic. Anyone have any experience with that?

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

The imaging feature will tell you if an object is small / medium /large. For cans, you can usually tell a can by raising a detector coil 10-12 inches up, if you still get a good signal, it's usually a large object. The Treasure Hound Eagle Eye Depth Multiplier will find large objects at greater depth. They won't find anything smaller than a quart size can/ Mason jar. We've used one to locate oilfield pipes buried underground, and it easily located them.

Wayne

 

[bignadad]

So if i have the money to spend would there be any disadvantage of getting the GTI 2500 over the AT Pro?

 

[BryanM362]

Thanks for all the great feedback.

Right now im leaning towards the AT Pro. The beach is not the main need of this device but it will be a small part of it.

I really want to see if i can afford the GTI2500. With being able to tell you if its a can/bottle cap/trash with the imaging i think that would a HUGE help. plus the 12 in depth. I wonder how accurate the imaging is though? I guess even if its only 50% accurate thats 50% less trash i have to dig. But on the other hand that might be 50% chance i dont pull a coin that the machine thinks is trash. Anyone have any experience with the GTI2500?

I also like the idea of the eagle eye (i think it was called). BUT are you really going to find anything at a 20 foot depth? I mean i do own a large backhoe so i could easily dig that far, but would be worried about damaging the relic. Anyone have any experience with that?

The AT Pro has about a 12" depth too, but honestly I rarely dig that deep. Also, the AT Pro gives you a lot of information to tell what something is. It gives you a different audio signal (In Pro Mode it gives you even more audio info), it gives you notch information, depth, and a VDI (Visual Dispaly Indicator) number that helps interpret what's in the ground too. If you haven't already, check out the comparison videos on Youtbue.

 

[Jimmi]

Road trip !!

 

[Jimmi]

Road trip!!

Well that was weird... This jumped when I typed this.. This was to another thread! Sorry bout that!

 

[gsxraddict]

I just happened to see the Garrett GTI 2500 is only $934

I know thats a bit more, but would that be worth it?

No, not when you can get a used Spectra v3i for the same price on ebay.

 

[bignadad]

No, not when you can get a used Spectra v3i for the same price on ebay.

Well I am open to whatever brand. How is the v3i better? I have seen it during my research. That's whites right? I have a coinmaster pro now and I know that towards the bottom of the line but I was not impurity whites. I also had 2 whites pinpointers and they both broke after a few weekends of use

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[gsxraddict]

Well I am open to whatever brand. How is the v3i better? I have seen it during my research. That's whites right? I have a coinmaster pro now and I know that towards the bottom of the line but I was not impurity whites. I also had 2 whites pinpointers and they both broke after a few weekends of use

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Yeah White's pinpointers are not the same quality as the detectors. There is no comparison between the v3i and the Garrett. I suggest you watch some youtube videos of both machines and you can make some good opinions.

 

[burlbark]

No, not when you can get a used Spectra v3i for the same price on ebay.

Aint this the truth.... And the great thing about Whites is if the whole detector goes belly up on you it will only cost $150 to get it in brand new condition with new electronics. You cannot go wrong with a whites. I have owned 3 of them and currently own a v3i.

I post on another forum under the same name and the v3i will find everything and loves to find gold. No other machine works like it.

I owned an etrac and is was starting to act up on the pinpoint button, $900 at least to repair it.