- Joined
- Jun 1, 2026
- Messages
- 306
- Reaction score
- 894
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Roswell, NM
- Detector(s) used
- All Garrett: Ace 250 (two), AceApex, VX-9. Have owned just about every Garrett ever made. First three detecter I made myself, with the first one in 1962.
- #1
Thread Owner
Over the years (since 1962) I’ve used, owned, tried, designed, made, or tossed out, just about every metal detecting accessory one could buy. Some worked well, others were hinderances, and a few too dangerous to use. I’ve even tried factory supplied incentive thingies whose utility was suspect from the onset. So what is shown and mentioned here may not fit your needs, but they sure have fit mine (if experience means anything?).
Nowadays, everyone has (or should have) a pinpointer. My personal preference is the Garrett AT Pro with Z-Link, although I have two others without Z-Link. The first one I bought many years ago, wore so thin I had to use some J-B weld to cover the damage. It was still working well when I gave it away several years ago. As you can see from the photo, if fits snuggly and stays put (not fully seated in the photo). Some of the other makes are not slender, and wouldn’t fit the tool holder.
Speaking of the tool holder, it is made by Husky as is the belt. I even tried their suspenders which match, but they’re more of a hinderance in my opinion, but some folks may need them. Home Depot carries Husky tool pouches in several varieties, so if these don’t work for you, one of the others may. Just for the record, Amazon has a very limited supply of Husky products, but they carry similar ones in their own brand. Personally, I don’t think they ‘re as good.
The other things in the pouch are a small LED flashlight hidden under the pinpointer, a replaceable blade knife, dog repellant (yes, I’ve needed it a few times, and once on a cow!), my gloves, brush, pedometer (plastic clip), and hidden inside is a small plastic squeeze bottle of water with a drop or two of Dawn®. The towel is a nice to have. What isn’t shown is its writing. It says, Bomb Squad just like my Avatar!
If you look hard, you can see a washer behind the Garrett digger, and there is a similar one with just the nut showing on the pouch. These respective small bolts anchor the pouch and digger sheath to the belt. Seems like overkill, but if you put together one of these, you’ll soon discover why they’re bolted into place! If you look closely at the digger sheath, you’ll notice some fraying on the top of the sheath. Since this is a wear area, I plan on installing a couple of pop rivets to minimize the wear.
The small orange nylon “keepers” are homemade, and appear more tangled than they are. The reason I make and use these is for two reasons. One, if an accessory falls out, it isn’t going to get lost. And two… I actually had a snot-nosed kid try to steal a pinpointer from me! Luckily he tripped which resulted in receiving a dose of dog spray! Turned out, his mother was a whole lot angry than I was! I suspect another part of his hide hurt even worse?!
What isn’t shown is my shovel. I didn’t get spendy and bought a short, small Ace Hardware shovel for under $15. I serrated the edges with a handheld abrasive grinder. It ended up both lighter and shorter than most digger shovels. I seldom need it as most of my detecting is within the local parks. Incidentally, the aforementioned shovel has a Neodymium magnet screwed into its handle. When I do carry it, it sticks to the tool clip riveted to the pouch.
One last needed item. I bough an advanced medical kit from Amazon, one of many they carry. It was about $90 and I advise any digger to have one handy. With the grace of everything holy, you’ll never need it. But if you do…. You’ll have it! If you search in the wilderness, the same goes for a smartphone with satellite capability. And don’t forget a compass and a decent map. As the old cliche goes, be prepared!
Your personal needs may be vastly different, which means some of these ideas might not meet your needs. I offer them as possibilities, and ones I have honed over the years.
Usorem decernere sinas.
Nowadays, everyone has (or should have) a pinpointer. My personal preference is the Garrett AT Pro with Z-Link, although I have two others without Z-Link. The first one I bought many years ago, wore so thin I had to use some J-B weld to cover the damage. It was still working well when I gave it away several years ago. As you can see from the photo, if fits snuggly and stays put (not fully seated in the photo). Some of the other makes are not slender, and wouldn’t fit the tool holder.
Speaking of the tool holder, it is made by Husky as is the belt. I even tried their suspenders which match, but they’re more of a hinderance in my opinion, but some folks may need them. Home Depot carries Husky tool pouches in several varieties, so if these don’t work for you, one of the others may. Just for the record, Amazon has a very limited supply of Husky products, but they carry similar ones in their own brand. Personally, I don’t think they ‘re as good.
The other things in the pouch are a small LED flashlight hidden under the pinpointer, a replaceable blade knife, dog repellant (yes, I’ve needed it a few times, and once on a cow!), my gloves, brush, pedometer (plastic clip), and hidden inside is a small plastic squeeze bottle of water with a drop or two of Dawn®. The towel is a nice to have. What isn’t shown is its writing. It says, Bomb Squad just like my Avatar!
If you look hard, you can see a washer behind the Garrett digger, and there is a similar one with just the nut showing on the pouch. These respective small bolts anchor the pouch and digger sheath to the belt. Seems like overkill, but if you put together one of these, you’ll soon discover why they’re bolted into place! If you look closely at the digger sheath, you’ll notice some fraying on the top of the sheath. Since this is a wear area, I plan on installing a couple of pop rivets to minimize the wear.
The small orange nylon “keepers” are homemade, and appear more tangled than they are. The reason I make and use these is for two reasons. One, if an accessory falls out, it isn’t going to get lost. And two… I actually had a snot-nosed kid try to steal a pinpointer from me! Luckily he tripped which resulted in receiving a dose of dog spray! Turned out, his mother was a whole lot angry than I was! I suspect another part of his hide hurt even worse?!
What isn’t shown is my shovel. I didn’t get spendy and bought a short, small Ace Hardware shovel for under $15. I serrated the edges with a handheld abrasive grinder. It ended up both lighter and shorter than most digger shovels. I seldom need it as most of my detecting is within the local parks. Incidentally, the aforementioned shovel has a Neodymium magnet screwed into its handle. When I do carry it, it sticks to the tool clip riveted to the pouch.
One last needed item. I bough an advanced medical kit from Amazon, one of many they carry. It was about $90 and I advise any digger to have one handy. With the grace of everything holy, you’ll never need it. But if you do…. You’ll have it! If you search in the wilderness, the same goes for a smartphone with satellite capability. And don’t forget a compass and a decent map. As the old cliche goes, be prepared!
Your personal needs may be vastly different, which means some of these ideas might not meet your needs. I offer them as possibilities, and ones I have honed over the years.
Usorem decernere sinas.
