What detector to buy?

[Jerdog515]

Hello I'm new to the Forum and was curious on peoples opinions on what to buy. I know its like asking Chevy or Ford. I had a cheap detector and am looking to spend under $1000 on a new one. If you can give me good and bad. Minelab 800 or 600, Garrett AT pro or Max.

Thanks for your input.

 

[retrodog]

My take on it, after being out of the hobby for over 30 years, is that you set a price range you want to spend and determine what you will be using it for mostly. Then you can pick a machine that will be best suited for your needs. I recently went through this, after deciding to get back "into the game" and when I added in factors like:

availability of accessories
ease of use
available training material (YouTube)
price of accessories

it ended up coming down to the Equinox 600/800 and the Garrett AT pro/max. I finally went with the AT Max for a few small differences that I found preferable. Not worth mentioning though since I could have gone the other way all too easily, because I certainly see the advantages of the Minelab units.

I have a buddy who got the Equinox 600 and we were out detecting last weekend. I like the 600 quite a bit after playing with it. But I still like my AT Max quite a bit too. So far, it's been working adequately (as far as I can tell) on the beaches of Galveston island in dry, wet, and under water sand. I didn't really prioritize this usage in my plan, but it's just a stone's throw away so I decided to go do some beach detecting as well. If I get to a point that I don't think the AT Max is cutting it... I might get tempted to get the Equinox 800 as well. Only time will tell.

 

[smokeythecat]

Please whatever you do, don't take my or anyone else's final opinion on your choice of a machine, because it may not be best for your unique conditions. Test drive one at a dealer. Make a road trip out of it if necessary. Catch a flight if you're really really serious about detecting. I've done the "Goldilocks" thing more than once. Too heavy, cheap plastic, expensive accessories, or just didn't like it.

 

[Escape]

By now you might be thinking about getting a bowling ball. Just give it your best shot and get one, use it and learn it.

 

[smokeythecat]

Or a shovel

 

[signal_line]

Since you are new to the hobby get something easy to learn and use. Garrett AT Pro might not be the best detector out there, but it's been a best seller for good reason--easy to learn and easy to use. You can probably find a nice used one.