Garrett AT Gold, Gold Bug Pro, or Minelab X-Terra 705?

[RockyR]

Hi, all:

I am planning to buy a new metal detector soon, and I would like to hear from users of the AT Gold, Gold Bug Pro, and X-Terra 705. I already own a White's Goldmaster 4B and a Tesoro Vaquero. They both work great, but I would like a detector with visual and audio tone discrimination to use for coin, jewelry, relic, and beach hunting, as well as prospecting. Since I already have two prospecting-cable detectors the emphasis would be on coin and jewelry hunting. I was leaning heavily toward the X-Terra 705 or the Gold Bug Pro, based on their features and reviews, but the local dealer in northern Arizona said that although they work fine in bench tests, they didn't work well in the field in my area. I don't know if it was because of the local mineralization or not. He recommended the AT Gold. I like the AT Gold but it seems the X-Terra offers a lot more settings. One thing I didn't care for when I had a Minelab was their customer service. I probably would have kept my Sovereign were it not for the weight and the lousy coil cable stress-relief problem. I want this to be my final detector purchase for a while so I'd appreciate some feedback on this. Thanks.

Jim

 

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[lcollins]

The 705 is as good as any of those you mentioned. I love all the customizable features on my 705. The target ID numbers are a definite plus and doubt now I would want to detect without them. No matter what kind of soil you have you will find a program that will work best for you. My detecting friend has an AT pro and his doesn't go any deeper than mine. You can't go wrong with any of those detectors but I would buy another minelab 705 for my wife in a heartbeat if she decides to start detecting.

 

[donj]

I think a detector with the higher frequency would be best for gold lower freq. for coins the x-terra is a multi freq. detector and would be your best choice of the 3 for what you want to do.

 

[bzbadger]

You say this is going to be your last so I would take into consideration what you are getting on the back end meaning ok you got this and now everything is fine but a couple years go by and you want/ need a new coil or repair work..who out of these is going to offer best service or add ons that aren't going to cost almost as much as the machine. Which one can take some abuse if need be. Personally I like the bells and whistles some detectors have but do you really need them. The gold bug or the AT gold will get you what you wsnt with limited worry about add ons or customer service..minelab has really been letting their customers down and even went as far as to stop making parts for machines 10 years or older. A lot of people keep machines that long if its good.

 

[dirtscratcher]

You say this is going to be your last so I would take into consideration what you are getting on the back end meaning ok you got this and now everything is fine but a couple years go by and you want/ need a new coil or repair work..who out of these is going to offer best service or add ons that aren't going to cost almost as much as the machine. Which one can take some abuse if need be. Personally I like the bells and whistles some detectors have but do you really need them. The gold bug or the AT gold will get you what you wsnt with limited worry about add ons or customer service..minelab has really been letting their customers down and even went as far as to stop making parts for machines 10 years or older. A lot of people keep machines that long if its good.

You mention not making parts for ten year old machines. Mine lab is one of the only manufactures that is making new detectors that are not just a twist on the same old thing. Its easy to have parts if your still making detectors from the same parts as they used for the last ten years.

 

[RockyR]

Thanks for the info. I like the look, tone and feel of the X-terra.

Jim

 

[RockyR]

Thanks, Don.

 

[RockyR]

Thanks, Bzbadger. I tend to keep my machines quite a while unless there are issues with them. I've had my Goldmaster for 15 years. I tend to favor the Minelab for the fine control it offers but I'm leery of their customer service. If I get one I guess I'll just have to hope it won't need service.

 

[RockyR]

Thanks for your input, everyone. I found a killer deal for an almost-new X-Terra 705 (never used outdoors) with most of the original warranty left so I bought it. I really like the notch discrimination features and I love the feel and weight of the machine. Hopefully Minelab's less than stellar service won't be an issue because I shouldn't have the coil cable stress relief problems I had with the Sovereign when I hip-mounted it. I think if it's set right and with the right coils I won't have a problem with the mineralization around here. I also ordered the Minelab 6" DD 18.75 kHz coil, which should help with bad ground and find the little nuggets in the local hills, and coins and jewelry in trashy areas.