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how wobbly is the shaft on the atpro?

M

mitwes56

New member
I have just about convinced myself to try the at pro. I am concerned about it not have the lock on the rod joint. I can picture this area wearing maybe and getting wobbly in the future. I am looking for a lightweight detector similar to my minelab xterra 70. But effective on the beachs. HOw is the build quality overall on it?
 
The wobble in the shaft is very little if any.On my machine, I cant really tell it hunting with it.Some peoples may have more play in it:shrug:..If I grab the two shafts where they join I can wiggle it a little but hunting with it, I don't even notice it.I put one wrap of black tape on it where it slides in and their is no wobble at all but I took it off because it would get bunched up when I would shorten it to put it in a carry bag. I think the build quality overall is Great.Very rugged machine.:thumbup:
 
To be very honest the At Pro is not what I consider to be lightweight detector. Compared to the detectors of yesteryear it is. Compared to the Xterra, F-75 and Tesoro models the answer is no. Buying a few add-ons like the shaft locks and Garrett gizmo go a long way in making it a more ergonomic choice. But for the price the AT pro is in a class all it's own. JMHO. I know this is a Garrett forum and I have nothing but good things to say about the At Pro. But Garrett should come out with an extension cable for the coil so the AT Pro can be chest mounted. Then you are indeed talking a lightweight beach hunting machine.
 
The shaft on my AT-PRO which I just received yesterday, wobbles like something my kid made. This needs fixed no question! I am very disappointed in the ergonomics of this machine.
 
the first one i got that had the falsing issue wobbled. my dealer replaced it with a new machine. The new one does not wobble.
 
Garrett made me an extension cable for my Ace 250. I carried the control head in a little leather nail pouch from Lowes.
 
The lower rod does have a little play with it, and I prefer it. It helps cushion a hit when the coil accidentally hits a rock or a steel pole. I have been using Garretts for many years, both land and water and have never had any interference with the play of the lower rod, no matter which speed I use to swing the coil. However, some people do not want any play what so ever. You can do ttwo things.

1) Wrap a piece of electrical tape around the lower rod, then slide it into the upper rod. This should shimmy enough tension to remove the play.

2) As with other after market products available, you can get a cam lock to tighten the lower & upper rod so that the play is removed. The Findmall sponsors do carry the cam lock I believe. They can be found on the top of the page.

The overall build of the housing is tough, as with all Garrett products. Garrett uses a special ABS plastic formulation engineered for high impact strength and durability. And FYI.... I hunt all year round. In the winter I hit hills where people lose coins & jewellery tobogganing down snow hills. I have run the ACE detectors, the Scorpion and AT Pro at -25C/-13F with no problems at all. But you need to use the Lithium ion batteries which operate fine in the extreme cold. :)


Hope this helps!
 
I have had the traditional cam locks seize up when water hunting with other machines. Even when you get the nut loose it's jambed with crap and it still won't loosen up.
 
Three years ago they only charged me $10 for it. Then the next year I heard they were charging $30. I could see where it might cost $50 or more with the waterproof connectors. But the question is - How many do you want me to make at $500 a piece?
 
I received my new AT 2 weeks ago and I noticed on the bottom shaft that it had what looked like 2 pieces of heatshrink tubing on it. I really didn't take that much notice but the shaft on mine does not wobble. I think Garrett may have heard about this from owners of the first AT's and have tried to rectify the problem. Just my opinion anyway.

Cheers,
cocksie46
 
No wobble in my shaft...Of course it does not have the locking collars, which can collect and gather dirt and grit, but it does have the two locking springs, tabs or what ever you call em instead of just one like on detectors with the lock collars...
 
Those cam locks can be like a double edged sword. Also, if the two lower rods have too little clearance between them, they can become seized from all the dirt and grit collected on both land and water to the point where they are nearly impossible to pull them apart if you hunt often.
 
Don't worry....a friend got his at pro yesterday. They now come with the Texas twisted, super glue, duct tape, as well as bubble gum and zip ties....complete with instructions on how to repair your machine.
 
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