T2 vs AT Pro

[Billieg]

These detectors were both great in their day (I owned and enjoyed using both)...unfortunately Nokta is about to release a detector (Simplex+) as good as either for about $250 and that is where the industry is headed. Minleab is about to release a multifrequency detector (Vanquish) at about the same price point as an ACE 400. FT and Garrett need to wake up and start innovating fast if they want to stay relevant.

Simplex+ $299..... Read all about it. Doesn't impress me. Nothing new just made simple with fewer controls and options.

Vanquish - Simple yet powerful, it’s perfect for anyone starting out. Simply turn on and go. I'll bet it's great for a junk park or old home site. Again nothing new just made simpler to use with less options/settings and neither of them will go as deep as a T-2 or ATPro
Both are geared to the newbie.

You are right though, the big guys need to step up their game because sooner or later someone will come out with something to blow them away and it's game over. Right now most top end detectors go to 10" - 12" on a quarter on a good day. When one comes out that goes 2' with all the settings/options under $600 it will be game over.

 

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[vferrari]

Simplex+ $299..... Read all about it. Doesn't impress me. Nothing new just made simple with fewer controls and options.

Vanquish - Simple yet powerful, it’s perfect for anyone starting out. Simply turn on and go. I'll bet it's great for a junk park or old home site. Again nothing new just made simpler to use with less options/settings and neither of them will go as deep as a T-2 or ATPro
Both are geared to the newbie.

You are right though, the big guys need to step up their game because sooner or later someone will come out with something to blow them away and it's game over. Right now most top end detectors go to 10" - 12" on a quarter on a good day. When one comes out that goes 2' with all the settings/options under $600 it will be game over.

They are both AS DEEP (we've basically reached the limit of single frequency vlf induction balance technology as far as depth is concerned and the Simplex is no exception) and both will have higher recovery speeds than either the ATP or T2 (or F75 for that matter which I still own) which will enable them to be killer in thick iron. I have seen the demonstrations of the Simplex from Detectival at UK and they have impressed even die hard legends in the industry like Andy Sabisch who has written books on just about any detector model you can think of (I know this because I teach classes with him on how to use XP and Minelab detectors and I have been featured in his latest handbook on the Equinox).

Don't be fooled by the low prices and operational simplicity of these "entry level" detectors. All they are really missing are the tweakable bells and whistles features, not the performance. They are just as capable as these mid-range offerings from the "big boys" with many non-entry level features such as manual ground balancing, all metal modes, multi tones, wet salt beach capability, wireless audio, and in the case of the Simplex fully submersible to 10 feet just like the AT Pro and less susceptible to EMI than the T2 and will have an arsenal of accessory coils to boot. BTW check out the TNET sponsoring vendor sites, $254 actual (not $299 list) for the Simplex ($340 if you want wireless), and the pre-sale waiting lists are already a mile long and "sold out" in some cases. I would be hard pressed to say the value of any additionalmfeatures or marginal performance woukd be worth the addtional hundreds of dollars I would have to pay for a new T2 or ATP or AT Max.

I own an F75, MXT, Equinox, Garrett ATX, and XP Deus and have owned an ATP, T2, and MX Sport - almost all are or were great rigs, but even I am impressed at what Nokta has been able to put together in a $254 package. I know it will keep pace with and in some cases surpass my F75 and perhaps even my Equinox in capability under certain conditions.

The "big boys" Garrett and FT gotta wake up and realize they aren't the big boys anymore, at least not based on sales volume. While they were sleeping and releasing warmed over versions of wingke frequency detector designs they first released in the mid-2000's (AT Max and the Teknetics Patriots series), Minelab ate their lunch with the highly popular and affordable Equinox series detector. You only need to see the high volume of activity in the Equinox forum vs. the Garrett and FT forums COMBINED to realize this is the case and this is a world wide thing, not just a US thing. Having talked to several reputable dealers and industry experts on this, Garrett and First Texas have a lot of catching up to do and there is basically no word from them on what their next big thing is going to be to get their loyal customer bases excited about their products again.

Garrett has the capability and resources to innovate in detector design and have had a long history of doing so, but not lately. I am not sure what FT is doing because they haven't really released anything innovative since tge T2/F75. They have allowed these other companies to just come in and take over. Not a good look for US developed and manufactured detectors, unfortunately.

 

[Rookster]

T2 and just live with a little more EMI. Put a cherry picker small round coil on it and the weight will be similar to the Deus.

 

[vferrari]

T2 and just live with a little more EMI. Put a cherry picker small round coil on it and the weight will be similar to the Deus.

That would have been my answer too in 2016 when this thread started. A lot more cheaper and better alternatives available now and on the horizon from Nokta and Minelab.

 

[Mojave1]

I'm not drinking the Notka-Makro koolaid...lol. All of there detectors are chatter boxes and will sooner or later drive you crazy.

 

[PA John]

I just got done reading this old thread on the subject but a lot of posts talk about other detectors and it was confusing. So let me express my opinion on both since I own both and I guess new people want to know the difference between the AT-Pro and T-2. I own both The AT Pro and the T2 LTD.

The T-2 is a bit more complicated to setup correctly than the ATP but both take a minute or 2 to set up.

Both are great units and will go deep. Both have a different modes for different hunting.

The ATP is much more stable on the beach and is so good (if set right) you will think it's turned off. The T-2 is a chatter box.

The T-2 is lighter but not water proof.

The ATP needs special headphones where the T-2 uses common 1/4" phones. (you can buy an adapter to use 1/4" for the ATP)

I find the ATP easier to pinpoint targets and it seems to have a better setup for that. The ATP screen shows when you are right over the target.

The ATP has only 1 mode for different tones Std. coin where the T-2 has 5 or 6 which makes hunting easier because you can tell by the sound what is down there and then check the numbers instead of watching the screen constantly.

The ATP has battery holders which can be bought anywhere cheap and really clip in tight. The T-2 doesn't and is a pain to load/unload the 4 batteries and should a spring/clip break it's back to the factory. (a common problem for Teknetics from the beginning starting with the 9000 model with 14 batteries.)

There are more coil options for the ATP

The T-2 is easy to turn off/on and has a volume control. The ATP is a pain to turn off/on and has no volume control. It uses the mode button for different functions.

The ATP seems to lock on to targets better.

The T-2 has a longer stem. I'm only 5'10" but the ATP makes me bend over and the T-2 is longer and more comfortable.

The ATP has a smaller screen and I need to wear my reading glasses to see it. The T-2 is larger and brighter and easier to see.

Both last around the same time on 4 batteries and can use regular or rechargeable batteries.

All in all IF I had to chose only ONE it would be the ATP but the T-2 has it's value also and depends what's important to you. If I'm going to the beach the ATP comes along. If I'm heading to a trashy park it's the T-2 and if I'm searching an open clean field both come along. You really can't go wrong with either one.

I agree on most all your accounts! I own both.

My T2 goes deeper I think, The AT Pro doesn’t have the EMI issue which I have only ran into 1 time, shifting the frequency helped but didn’t eliminate it. I think it’s this extra sensitivity that gives it more depth..
I got a NEL SharpShooter coil for my T2 that I love! I have a 4” round coil but only used it one time, feels like I am hunting with a pinpointer.
I haven’t went back to the same EMI place to see if the smaller NEL coil helped.. some people complain that the T2 doesn’t save the settings when you power cycle but usually, if I power cycle I an in a totally different location and should ground balance and change setting accordingly any way so I don’t mind..

I just got a new center shaft from Garrett but it is better than the original, much tighter and easier to adjust..
I don’t have the length issue you described though with the AT PRO.

If I had to choose I would get the AT Pro just for being waterproof.