Like they said, in mineralized beaches, or in salt water ones, the AT Pro won't get the same depth/stability of the Excal from all I've read who use both. That said, I've heard some say the AT Pro does pretty good in salt water for a single frequency machine.
Here's the way I look at it: I have a GT (the land version of the Excal) that I throw on my water shaft and chest mount for water hunting to say waist deep, and I throw it on my custom light weight land shaft with meter for my land hunts. Perfect solution for both. Good reason why all the coils for the BBS units have long cables.
So I can already wade waist deep with my GT, but just the same some days I want to go deeper but just won't risk it. For that reason, I'm getting an AT Pro as my backup land and water machine. I can't justify paying roughly twice the price for an Excal just to go that every few feet deeper than I already can with my GT. The AT Pro price is easier to swallow for that purpose, so any less performance in certain respects on my mineralized fresh water beaches is not a big issue to me.
Besides, way I'm reading it the AT Pro, while not the best at fine gold like thin chains or tiny earrings compared to the cream of the crop machines for sensitivity to that stuff, is more sensitive to them than the BBS units which in my testing won't even see a lot of this finer gold stuff. So that's a perk right there. Now, most days I don't care about thin chains or tiny earrings, as what is mainly lost at the beach is rings, and in that case the BBS units will bang even the thinnest of gold rings at amazing depth, due to them being an intact metal loop which presents a big picture to the BBS units just like a deep silver coin will.
Combine that somewhat better finer gold ability on chains/earrings of the AT Pro with it's cheap price, that alone would be reason enough for me to justify the purchase for that extra few feet of water on days I want to wade deeper, or say for days I want to hunt for finer gold when I've already pounded the spot for rings and other gold the GT is able to find.
But the added perk is this...The AT Pro has a full function LCD screen and is light enough so that it's just as at home on land as it is in the water. Now I've got a backup for land on rainy days, or even as a faster sweeping machine when I'm in the mood to swing faster on land working heavy trash or iron. Sure, the Minelabs will unmask well if you keep your sweep speed low, and in fact I prefer a slow sweep machine for working "dead" sites these days (I feel for one thing they see deeper not trying to reset so fast on you), but there are days I'm in the mood to swing faster while working the trash. On those days out comes the AT Pro. It'll also make an excellent fast clad hunter.
I'm also wondering how well it pin points, because if it's anything like my Whites units I've owned then I'll also use it for say working nicely kept sports fields where I don't feel comfortable digging to find rings. Stick a screwdriver in the ground and pop the shallow stuff out hoping for rings. A real time saver too. I can do that with my GT by using my Pro Pointer super tuned to find exactly where the target is without digging, but just the same without having to use the Pro Pointer that saves even more time. So anybody know how well the AT Pro pin points? Can you de-tune it like you can a whites over the target for an even tighter PP?
Beyond all that jazz, sooner or later here I'm going to pick up one of those $20 waterproof Plano boxes to throw my GT into on days I'm water hunting. I plan to mount the Plano on a snap on back shaft extension for my water shaft (the stock GT shaft) so I can go shoulder/neck deep and still not have the box touching water so the risk of a leak is even less. And, it won't be trying to float or drag on me being out of the water. Mounted on an extension so it's at head height I can get neck deep and it'll just be still above the water. My stock 10" Tornado coil stays on the stock shaft for water hunts, so all I have to do is quickly throw the control box on for water hunts, and my 12x10 and meter stays on my lightweight custom built land shaft, so conversion is quick and easy to go from water to land and back.
Now, you might think that would eliminate my need for an AT Pro? Nope, still other perks for land/water to buy one at that great price they are as stated already above. Besides, a lot of Minelab guys also have an AT Pro that never even use it in the water. They break it out on days they want to move faster thru trash without risking masking targets like you would swinging fast with a Minelab, and also for say a faster scouting tool searching through the woods for areas of activity.
Garret also has some very cheaply priced coil options for the AT Pro. I was amazed at the prices when I checked them out, and the selection seems to be just what I want in tiny trash coils or larger ones for more depth. On top of all the pros/cons above, throw in the fact that it's got waterproof coil connectors and also waterproof headphone connectors, and this machine is just calling my name.
One tiny con to the AT Pro...I watched a few videos and the audio is very short and processed. I don't see how you can derive target traits on land with that nearly as well as the long detailed drawn out audio of the BBS units, but just the same for it's purpose I intend it for it'll be OK I guess. When land hunting for rings out comes the GT for it's more telling audio and super high VDI resolution in the foil to copper penny range to split hairs on things like tabs/rings/nickels, but for old coin hunting on land in heavy trash when I want to swing fast out comes the AT Pro. I don't plan to hunt fine jewlery with the AT Pro on land, as I never would bother with that and am just after rings land hunting, but in the water a bit extra fine gold ability is a plus in my book...
