AT Pro vs

[Fleeker]

Been hearing a lot about Garrett's new AT Pro and was wandering how it compared to its competition. Would like to hear from someone who owns one and another of the competing offerings out there, especially in its price range.

 

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[Sandman]

I haven't been able to fully use the AT Pro but expect to when the ground thaws. I will say that the AT Pro is more versatile for being a detector that you can take in the water, hunt during the rain or at a beach and not have to worry about moisture affecting the electronics. For depth and target separation it is excellent even with the stock coil. If it came with better headphones like the waterproof Grey Ghost's it would be perfect, but then would also be more costly. There is no way to hook up a inline probe yet as one isn't made.

 

[earthmansurfer]

I really like the waterproof nature (I don't hunt in water but you don't have to worry about a weather cover). The air tests I've seen show it is deep and hits all the conductors well. I don't have one mind you, I have an Omega.

The iron audio feature I really like. Everyone says the audio is really full and descriptive, almost analog like.

There might be an issue with the coil EMI paint as reported by quite a few people. I don't know the outcome as you can't talk about it on the Finds forum, they deleted most of those posts. Basically, if you like your coil to make contact with the ground you might lose depth and get interference. It looks like a minor problem however and I am looking at the unit for next year.

 

[ThTx]

I have an AT Pro. Been loving the way it discriminates between coins and trash, even when there is iron right next to the coin. I posted this on another site from my trip to Galveston this week: I hit the beach at Galveston. Used the AT Pro in PRO Zero mode. I had to set the GB to 16 - 17, but the sensitivity was set on 6. All I found was pull tabs, a few clad and fishing lures. All of which were hitting solid from the surface to well past ten inches. One other man on the beach at the time pulled a small gold ring with a Scorpion Gold Stinger. We were the only two MD'ing on that part of the beach that day. The AT Pro had some chatter if I had the ground balance above 17 when I was actually in the water, but was rock solid below that and on the sand (both wet and dry) with auto GB. This machine was so much easier to swing than my old Infinium I think I have found my water machine since I don't dive any longer. Plus I could tell the difference between the pull tabs, iron and the occasional coin (all clad).

 

[Keppy]

I have seen some posts were ones have the AT Pro & E Trac or one has the E Trac & the other has the AT Pro............... and the AT Pro keeps up with the E Trac Just as deep and side by side the E Trac did no Better than the AT Pro............ and the AT is water proof and the Etrac you can hook up to your Computer the AT Pro cost $600.00 the E Trac .$1500.00 why the cost difference

 

[Willy]

I have seen some posts were ones have the AT Pro & E Trac or one has the E Trac & the other has the AT Pro............... and the AT Pro keeps up with the E Trac Just as deep and side by side the E Trac did no Better than the AT Pro............ and the AT is water proof and the Etrac you can hook up to your Computer the AT Pro cost $600.00 the E Trac .$1500.00 why the cost difference

Now you done it! Expect the Minelab fanboys to jump all over you for posting such sacrilege... but I've read more-or-less the same. Garrett really pulled an end run with the AT Pro and the other companies are gonna be scrambling to catch up. A few teething problems, but the finger pointers gotta remember that there are 3 pointed back at them; very few detectors are problem free when introduced. ..Willy.

 

[Keppy]

Willy............. you are right about the wrath i brought down on my head ..... But that is the info i have been getting and reading about.......... And some of these guys had a E Trac before they got the AT Pro...... And tested the AT along side of there E Trac........... Thumbs up on the AT......

 

[Willy]

One thing this whole AT Pro business goes to show is both the sheer inertia and, dare I say, greed running through the MD industry. For how many years have people been requesting a metal detector, full featured, with decent environmental protection.. at a reasonable price? Wasn't gonna happen for a number of reasons. a) they could force you to buy 2 detectors because the land ones were VERY limited when it came to water hunting and the waterproof ones are really limited when it comes to land hunting (few features and heavy pigs). b) A detector that gets fried because it got rained on or fell in the drink or, or.. was damaged due to operator negligence, so it's time to get a new detector. c) It's easier/cheaper to add unneeded bells and whistles than a decent WP housing and the respective couplings.
Well, it's about time and despite the squawking of promoters of other brands (my detector will do this, that, or the other thing better), the one thing a $1500 Etrac or V3i or F75 LTD won't do is hunt with the WHOLE detector under water. Total FAIL, end of story. Even a dunking in a puddle is a recipe for potential disaster.. especially if there's any salt involved. I'm really interested in seeing how this will play out since it takes time to engineer, test, retool , and distribute a product. In the meantime, I wouldn't be surprised if Garrett were to introduce more models with the WP feature and get more market share. That's gonna hurt the other manufacturers 'cause if the new models are high-end units, WP. and at decent prices, who'd want to buy a detector from somebody else that lacked the WP feature? Sorry, but there's such a thing as practicality and if it comes down to a choice of 2 units, each being comparable in performance & price, I'm gonna take the WP one in a red-hot second. It rains a lot here and it's often muddy.. can just hose off my detector at the end of the day and hang it up to dry. ..Willy.

 

[khouse]

Waterproof VLF with target and tone ID with ground balance and 3 pounds for under $600. It's a win win! Plus I've found in my hunts the performance is great. This machine will only push the other manufacturers to better it. I mean most of the big manufacturers will be coming out with their own waterproof VLF machines at reasonable prices. The only downside to this whole story is now a lot more hunters will be entering the water! This is bad because some of my best jewelry finds are waist deep in the fresh water.

 

[seeker195456]

I looked at a Whites Matrix M6 beside a Garrett AT Pro. I bought the Garret. I felt that the Garrett had more to offer for the money than the M6 did.

First thing being waterproof to 10 feet was a large factor. I have not hunted in any water yet, but I can now without possibly dropping my detector in and losing it to water damage. Plus now rain and mud are of no issue.

I liked the way the AT Pro’s discrimination worked over the M6. The M6 has a knob that is turned up to discriminate out the lesser conductive metals leaving just the high conductive for last. The AT Pro will let you discriminate anything you want out leaving just the lower conductive metals being pick up if you wanted. This would be nice to have if you are looking just for one certain type of item and wanted to discriminate everything below and above it. AT Pro has digital settings and the M6 is more analog type settings.

Sensitivity setting for ether machine was straightforward. The AT Pro did it with a push button and the M6 using a knob to turn it up or down. This same knob was also how you turned the M6 on and off.

Both machines handle ground balance by pumping the coil up and down and tracking automatically. The M6 has a three position switch where the AT Pro has a digital button with the capability of adjusting the setting up or down manually. The M6 has on or Auto trac, beech setting for salt beeches and lock for no trac.

The AT Pro comes with a DD coil. The M6 has a standard 9.5” round coil. The DD has its advantages on depth to my understanding, but will make pinpointing and little harder also. However, I have yet to be able to use it outside due to snow to find out.

I will say that the Whites M6 looks and feels to be built solider than the AT Pro. Poles on the Whites have cam locks so you have no coil wobble. However, I do not find a lot of wobble with my AT Pro either. However, taller people may see more than me. The Whites lcd screen is much larger making it easier to see. But I have good eyesight so here again it is no problem.

Audio output for both machines is ok either way for me. The basic setup on the AT Pro is three tones and the M6 can give you seven tones with the trigger switch set in the front position. Both machines use target ID’s. You will have to know the sound of a good solid target over a poor target with both machines. Practice will make anyone better at this no matter what machine is used.

I have owned a White’s XLT and DFX 300 in the past. I sold both due to lack of use, and I also thought the machines had way too many adjustments on them. I really like the simpler approach to operating the AT Pro or the M6 over them. Will the DFX go deeper than the other two? I really do not know, but I think, in reality, if it does, it will not be by much and is it worth double the price?

The AT Pro for me has more value for the dollar so that is why I went for it. Garrett also has just as good of a reputation for customer satisfaction as Whites does. Now all I need is some warm weather, and I will be ready to go.

 

[Keppy]

I went with the AT Pro also for the price you get a lot of detector.............. But i have been a Garrett user since the early 1980's ..........garrett detectors are easy to use & learn.... Do as well or better as other detectors do.................. And priced right............... Not over priced like some detector makers..........

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I liked the way the AT Pro’s discrimination worked over the M6. The M6 has a knob that is turned up to discriminate out the lesser conductive metals leaving just the high conductive for last. The AT Pro will let you discriminate anything you want out leaving just the lower conductive metals being pick up if you wanted. This would be nice to have if you are looking just for one certain type of item and wanted to discriminate everything below and above it. AT Pro has digital settings and the M6 is more analog type settings.

I have not used the AT Pro yet I so can't say anything on it's performance I may sell my Whites 6000 XL PRO and try the AT Pro. I personally would watch discriminating out lesser conductive metals when hunting water as it will also discriminate out a lot of the 10-14K gold jewelry, many times the base metals used to make these jewelry have the same base metals you will be discriminating out.

 

[khouse]

I found three gold pieces of jewelry right at the top of the iron break on the ATpro. #40 and below is where most iron falls and my gold finds were around 42 to 44. What would be called high iron or the low foil range. But some gold test rings I have will hit up through pull tabs. I have had three M6's for personal use. This is because it's a great machine. It will do most of what the higher end Whites will do and do most of it better. The M6 I believe is the best over looked machine Whites builds. Now saying this I will tell you that the Garrett ATpro has more features than the M6. I now have been using the ATpro and find it's better than the M6 for me. Keep in mind the M6 is a great machine - no doubt! I find the 7 tones on the M6 to be too much. One tone is not enough. Actually I like 2 tones. But neither the ATpro or M6 has a 2 tone option. But the three tones on the ATpro comes close. Lots of pro hunters never liked notch machines because usually they had one notch for iron. Well that setting has too high. Now with the advent of 40 iron rejection settings a lot of pro hunters are gravitating toward the notch machines. The other things mentioned is the ATpro is water proof. This is huge and I think we'll see the major players introduce VLF water machines soon. This is good for all of us! It used to be thought that if a machine was lightweight it wasn't any good. But you can see a lot of companies have made very powerful machines that weigh in at around 3 pounds or under. I personally would have loved to see a 3 pound notch version of the M6. Whites needs to follow the others in making lightweight PRO machines. Most others are cranking super power out of 4 AA and single 9 volt batteries with great run time. I believe Whites should work on reducing weight. I have had a lot of different machines open doing mods or simply looking around. Whites still uses huge components on their PRO machines while others have very small surface mounted components that require less juice to run. If you had two machines that did the exact same thing and one weighed 4.3 pounds and the other 3 pounds which would you hunt with? My ATpro has proven to be deeper than the M6, lighter and has more options.

 

[liftloop]

...my vlf amphibian two ..can do any thing that the atpro can do....and it doesn't have a screan to lie...

 

[khouse]

If you can't keep from looking at the screen you could put some tape over it. The audio is great on the ATpro

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

At Pro or Teknetics G2! I love both machines! Holler for best pricing!!
Bart

 

[liftloop]

I have an AT Pro. Been loving the way it discriminates between coins and trash, even when there is iron right next to the coin. I posted this on another site from my trip to Galveston this week: I hit the beach at Galveston. Used the AT Pro in PRO Zero mode. I had to set the GB to 16 - 17, but the sensitivity was set on 6. All I found was pull tabs, a few clad and fishing lures. All of which were hitting solid from the surface to well past ten inches. One other man on the beach at the time pulled a small gold ring with a Scorpion Gold Stinger. We were the only two MD'ing on that part of the beach that day. The AT Pro had some chatter if I had the ground balance above 17 when I was actually in the water, but was rock solid below that and on the sand (both wet and dry) with auto GB. This machine was so much easier to swing than my old Infinium I think I have found my water machine since I don't dive any longer. Plus I could tell the difference between the pull tabs, iron and the occasional coin (all clad).

couldn't run it pass 6 what good is that...

 

[khouse]

With most all single frequency machines the sensitivity must be lowered in salt water and wet salt sand. This is common. Around here I can run the machine at full sensitivity with my GB set around 75. You just have to set any machine up the way you like. I like running mine hot so some chatter is part of the game for me.

 

[George (MN)]

Some detectors have more power at 10% of max than others do at 100%. Many are providing more power than can be used, but this does not necessarily make them inferior (but it may make them more costly). Best wishes, George (MN)

 

[TomNWMI]

Khouse what size and type of gold hit in the iron/foil range..

bI found three gold pieces of jewelry right at the top of the iron break on the ATpro. #40 and below is where most iron falls and my gold finds were around 42 to 44. What would be called high iron or the low foil range. But some gold test rings I have will hit up through pull tabs. I have had three M6's for personal use. This is because it's a great machine. It will do most of what the higher end Whites will do and do most of it better. The M6 I believe is the best over looked machine Whites builds. Now saying this I will tell you that the Garrett ATpro has more features than the M6. I now have been using the ATpro and find it's better than the M6 for me. Keep in mind the M6 is a great machine - no doubt! I find the 7 tones on the M6 to be too much. One tone is not enough. Actually I like 2 tones. But neither the ATpro or M6 has a 2 tone option. But the three tones on the ATpro comes close. Lots of pro hunters never liked notch machines because usually they had one notch for iron. Well that setting has too high. Now with the advent of 40 iron rejection settings a lot of pro hunters are gravitating toward the notch machines. The other things mentioned is the ATpro is water proof. This is huge and I think we'll see the major players introduce VLF water machines soon. This is good for all of us! It used to be thought that if a machine was lightweight it wasn't any good. But you can see a lot of companies have made very powerful machines that weigh in at around 3 pounds or under. I personally would have loved to see a 3 pound notch version of the M6. Whites needs to follow the others in making lightweight PRO machines. Most others are cranking super power out of 4 AA and single 9 volt batteries with great run time. I believe Whites should work on reducing weight. I have had a lot of different machines open doing mods or simply looking around. Whites still uses huge components on their PRO machines while others have very small surface mounted components that require less juice to run. If you had two machines that did the exact same thing and one weighed 4.3 pounds and the other 3 pounds which would you hunt with? My ATpro has proven to be deeper than the M6, lighter and has more options.

Small pendants, rings, chains That info could make or break a decision on buying one.

TIA
Tom