if you had to pick between these machines which would you pick and why?

[uselesspulltab]

Fisher f5
garret at pro
tesoro outlaw
whites mx5

which would you pick and please give me your reasons for it.

 

[Southwind]

Garrett AT Pro.

I love the AT Pros gold ability and depth. Quick to learn.
I've never cared for any of the Fishers just to nosy for my likes. If I did more relic hunting it might be different.
Never used the Outlaw but I prefer a detector with a bit more features. Mainly a display.
The MX5 is a good detector but seems geared more toward the beach. No beaches here in southwest Kansas.

 

[uselesspulltab]

Yeah I keep hearing good things about the at pro and then I hear about all its build quality issues. And it deters me from buying it. I mean it's iron disc abilities are one reason I would want it especially iron audio.

 

[mudpuppy]

Yeah, the Pro...I've had mine for 2yrs now this week, use it pretty hard year round, sand, surf, snow, icy water...leave it out in the vehicle...the blue headphones took a dump a few months back and Garrett sent me a new set for free...(2yr warranty) You can hunt in all sorts of water/weather/woods with no worries...and of course, like Southwind said, it pays itself off real quickly on gold...

I was at where you are now when I made my decision to get one...I read a lot about it when it first hit the market and followed that forum closely, watched a bunch of youtube vids, etc...just order a new one and I believe you will be happy. If not, it has a big fan base (TV recognition), is the "newest' model out of the four, and a pretty quick resale.
Mud

 

[uselesspulltab]

Yeah. I'm an experienced detectorist will be my 6th machine. If the blue phones are the same as the seahunter then u shouldn't have had them die they are completely waterproof.

 

[Southwind]

I keep hearing good things about the at pro and then I hear about all its build quality issues.

I've seen a few posts about people that have had problems but I think it is a lot like the Garrett ProPointer in that there is just so many out there you will have some issues. I've owned many AP Pros including the very first series that some had the shaking coil issue and never had a problem with any of them. Of course I never dipped mine in water either. I've also had many ProPointers and never had a problem with a single one.

 

[mudpuppy]

I know, but they did, and it was on account of a broken wire inside the cable..the new ones they sent have a much longer wire, so I doubt it will happen again..
Mud.

 

[uselesspulltab]

I already had initially selected the f5 but I can still back out I don't know, I'd give the at pro a shot but I'm nervous thst it's going to be broke or not what I wanted. .

 

[uselesspulltab]

I have decided that despite the way shorter warranty and all that I'll give the at pro a go. It won't kill me.

 

[GeorgeinSC]

If one reads enough reviews on any metal detector you will find folks that give bad reviews. Any product made by man can occasionally have some problems. Frequently the reviewers expectations are far too high and it is the machine that is the reason that h/she hasn't found a few thousand dollars in gold rings this year.

I see machine after machine that is for sale. Quite frequently the seller will state that the machine is two or three months old. Did they give enough time to learn the machine before they became disgusted with it and put it up for sale? Most likely the answer is NO. But in their mind the machine did not do its job.

 

[uselesspulltab]

Odds are if you cannot find reviews on a machine it's garbage

 

[Hightone]

I haven't used the others, but love the F5. It has the best display and info at a quick look. I see a lot of AT Pros for sale by others who bought them. That tells me something. If you are a relic hunter, it may suit your needs with it's iron control abilities. I don't see many Whites or F5s for sale. Unless you get a Deleon or Cortez, your Tesoro is not in the TID range of the others. The Tesoro is probably deepest, if that is your preference, because it doesn't have to ID. The Fisher and Tesoro has a great recovery rate, second to none. The AT Pro gives you water abilities.

I'd watch the youtube videos on each. It helps (better than sites that promote advertising).

 

[togamac]

I have to comment on the handle "uselesspulltab". Pull tabs are my best friend! They tell me that the guy before me is not digging gold rings. Love those pulltabs, especially the beaver tails!!

 

[uselesspulltab]

-- moved topic --

 

[cladcanada]

Not a fan of the at pros....."I would go with the f5 or Tesoro......

 

[Mike Hillis]

Probably depends on why you want one

But here is my nickel....

I don't like the physical package of the MX5. I don't see why they have to continue with 8 AA batteries when it's already been proven that you can get the job done with 4 AA. The plastic battery box itself is not to well designed and is prone to fail. (I have a full line Whites dealer in my city so I get to handle and play with them all and that battery box latch is a real pain) Also, with any auto ground tracking system, a must have feature is the ability to "lock" the ground setting. The ability to disengage the tracking system, so that the last ground balance setting will stay in place until such time as you wish to change it. The MX5 doesn't offer this, which means lots of false signals and noisy operation. The only way to disengage the ground tracking system on the MX5 is by using the pinpoint function, and that is only in place to keep you from tracking out the target when pinpointing. I'd recommend you run away and never look back at the MX5. That said, I'm sure there are fans who have low mineral dirt that love it and I just tee'd them all off

I don't like the Outlaw. This is just a personal preference. I like tone id. The Outlaw doesn't have tone id.

That leaves the F5 and the AT Pro. I like both of these.

The thing I like best about the ATPro is that you can hunt it sssssssssssllllllllllllllooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwlllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. (that spells "slowly" for the ADD afflicted folks). No joke. You literally hunt the ground one inch at a time with no loss of performance. The iron audio is great too. Small display but after a little while you would get to the point where you set it up and just hunt by the tones and forget to even look at the display. Great with EMI interference also. Its a good detector.

The F5 is just a great all round detector if you can learn to drive it. A lot of features packed into the F5 package. I've got a ton of info already written about the F5 you can look up. I kept the F5 over the ATPro because I get more bang for the buck out of the F5 as compared to the ATPro. (also I live in the desert southwest and don't do any water hunting where I'd need to submerge a detector).

So between the 4 listed, I'd look at the F5 and ATPro and see which one fits your hunting style.

Good luck.
Mike

 

[BRambo]

At Pro, It is a good all around detector and water proof.

 

[ncwayne]

There's an awful lot of guys (and girls) swinging AT Pros. Just look at all the finds on the boards and in the mags found with AT Pros. Lots of folks with more expensive detectors of all stripes also have AT Pros. Look at their signatures on the boards.
That says something about the AT Pros, right there. I have an F75SE and an AT Pro. Love the Fisher. Love the Garrett. You don't have to hunt water to find the AT Pro handy. Nice to have in the vehicle when it rains on you and you're an hour or two from home. Also lots of comments around the boards about how much bang you get for the buck with the AT Pro.

Having said all that, I think you'll probably be happy with either one if you're the sort with realistic expectations and a willingness to get out and swing whatever machine you choose. If you do go Pro, don't hesitate to invest in the 5x8 coil for it. It is SWEET!