MY NEW AT PRO...OVERHYPED? YES..BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD? NO..BUT!....

[anton]

just got my at pro,and here are my first impressions ..now,im not brand loyal(i use whites,garrett,fisher,tek),so i,ll call a spade a spade and not gush compliments,because im a fanboy of a paticular brand,if it suits my needs,i,ll use it,no matter if it minelab or a national geographic toy detector, end of story.Im entering my 20th year in the hobby,and i consider myself fairly proficicent with the machines i choose to swing,mainly los banos era fishers and my dfx and just now an omega 8000 for my general coinshooting( i will say this right now..as a modern(clad coinshooter,this smokes the at pro(and just about anything else),for tid accuracy, target 'lock' ,depth etc etc..))...
I bought the at pro for a specific purpose,that being to hunt in the rain(without being tied to traditional water machines) and shallow water hunting,both beach and fresh..did i make a decent choice? oh yes i did!
Now ive watched the youtube vids,read the posts(both the hype and what you would call and believe are 'real' world,honest opinions,not what we wish the machine can and cant do) and kudo's to garrett for coming up with a machine that fits my wet weather and wading hunting needs,its about time ANY manufacturer did this in a package like the at pro!
how would i describe the at pro in a nutshell? hmm,best,and for me,most accurate would to say that it is a 'jack of all trades" type machine, good at most of its intended applications,but master of none them....yes its good on gold,yes its a FAIR coinshooter(i say fair,because i have used far better machines for this,and coinshooting is my main hunting style),yes its water proof,the REASON I BOUGHT THIS 'diamond in the rough', now i dont relic hunt, but from owning this machine, i dont 'honestly' think the etrac and f75 and t2 brigades are in much danger of being knocked of their perches this time(maybe a different story if/when an at pro 2 comes out )

now most of this may sound like im bashing the pro,but im not..it is exactly the machine i needed,and from actully owning one im giving my honest opinion of this great detector,hey, im like everyone else,on the lookout for the perfect detector,you know,the one that wont let me dig trash at all,is all terrain and no need for any other detector...unfortunately,even with the arrival of the at pro,this scenario still does not exist yet .... so where would the at pro slot into our hobby? i would say this...If your budget cant extend to etrac et al limits,then this is the machine to have! for you,it will cover almost all aspects of the hobby,and do it competently,and will serve you well!...if you can afford anything on the market,then you should still have one of these in your arsenal at all times,even if only to keep hunting when the heavens open up and you dont want to frag your new etrac or v3i ..this detector was a masterstroke from garrett,but it does have flaws,like they all do..ie.. why no true all metal???,target id isnt the best,target id could be bigger, build quality questinable etc...

i think with this detector,garrett has thrown a challenge to all others with this machine,can you imagine a top line minelab,whites or fisher with this waterproofing and form factor and price level concept? the mind boggles..if it does nothing else,but issue this challenge and have it met by the 'big' manufacturers,then the at pro could be the best thing to hit our hobby yet! no,its not the best out there,and yes it has been hyped a little too much, some of it warranted,some of it not,but the implications for the futre of the hobby,price levels etc could be fantastic!

well done garrett!

 

[John (Ma)]

Good review

 

[Bill_S]

Good post.

and just now an omega 8000 for my general coinshooting( i will say this right now..as a modern(clad coinshooter,this smokes the at pro(and just about anything else),for tid accuracy, target 'lock' ,depth etc etc..))...

I agree with that statement........;o)

I think where the AT Pro does better than the Omega is in the iron. I have been doing some test between the two and the Omega is close but I think the AT Pro is just a little better.

 

[anton]

Good post.

I think where the AT Pro does better than the Omega is in the iron. I have been doing some test between the two and the Omega is close but I think the AT Pro is just a little better.

spot on i didnt want to admit it,but,yes,im finding that too

 

[i1jab]

Anton greets

Good critique yours, for me that ATPRO I have been using for 80 days it is exceptional, also yesterday last fighters, 10 coins a medal buttons and other objects of little account, as depth I also glorify 12/15" thumbs for coin 1", 1,5" any mineralized terrestrial problem, nothing trouble or I play false if it is not metal, in sea automatic graund and it is adjusted to the salt and anymore any trouble
Garret has built a good car for me and I thinks for many hunters as me
I am 75 years old and from 31 that I go hunting of metal
Good luck to all with ATPRO
Algerio

 

[Eric (NH)]

When comparing the Tek Omega to AT Pro, will the Garrett handle EMI better than the Omega? EMI is my largest concern with the Omega...it goes crazy at some sites (otherwise, I really like it).

 

[anton]

When comparing the Tek Omega to AT Pro, will the Garrett handle EMI better than the Omega? EMI is my largest concern with the Omega...it goes crazy at some sites (otherwise, I really like it).

i think i,ll pass that too Bill_s,as i think he may have a better answer and more testing towards this..from a personal standpoint, the sites i hunt,i can run the omega flat out and its stable,yet if i benchtest at home(usual plasma tvs around,etc),it gets really affected and unstable and im lucky if i can get the sens. into the 80's,yet no problems in the field,yet... the at pro ive found,the max i can run at with decent stability(due to emi or other conditions) is at one bar from max UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES..i live in australia,so i have a good selection of ground evironments from high to low mineralisation...in what i said about the at,i may have to run the sens low,obviously in some conditions,but no matter what,even in areas where my friends have f75s running wide open(heh,rare i know,but it can be done ) reasonably quiet,i still cant take it to max,without falsies or driving me insane(iron audio in pro mode or not),i dont think its related to just my machine,as my at pro is an international version,and did not have the 'problem',and two of my buddies with at pro's suffer the same..heh, maybe its an international version 'quirk'....

 

[khouse]

I guess it's hard for me to see your compliments of the ATpro. Seems to me you like it for two reasons. One - it's waterproof so your other machines won't get rained on. Two - it may push the top line companies to follow suit with machines. Never mentioning that Garrett (top of the line company) too may come out with more "top of the line" machines. You say one machine beats it at a coin shooter. Also if you have more money to kick in then buy the all mighty machine. Maybe a post like this should be on the general forum or one of those top of the line forums? Maybe it's just me? Anyone else?

 

[synthnut]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion .....I have heard guys say that they like their AT Pro more than they like their E Trac !!......So be it ......Anton happens to think that his Omega is better than his AT Pro yet he still likes his AT Pro because it's waterproof ....... I've read of others who have sold their Omega's and got the AT Pro and have not looked back .....It's all up to the individual ....You have to make up you own mind and decide what is best for YOU ...not the other guy !!...... Everybody has a different story ....It doesn't mean that he's right and you're wrong , and it doesn't mean that you're right and he's wrong ....It just means that we are all diffeent with different needs and we see things differently ..... I've been on hunts with my E Trac and the guys that I hunted with started out by saying " How could you spend so much on a detector ? " .....or " Isn't that thing heavy ? " ......By the end of the hunt they were following me around like I was the Pied Piper !!...... I have my AT Pro for the beach in the dry sand .....I've said this many times over .....I use other machines for other applications .....It's all up to the individual .....Everybody's right and nobodys wrong !!.....Jim

 

[khouse]

I simply feel that if you say another brand is better than the ATpro for coin shooting. Then say to buy the high priced machine if you have the cash. Then put it down in most every way other than it keeps the other machines out of the weather. Then it should be posted on the general forum. There we can all say whatever we want.
PS: I'm glad the ATpro fills a need for bad weather and underwater hunting. But on all other points it's shot down.
Like I said this is my opinion. Throwing it out there....................................................................................................................

 

[anton]

ok..i,ll try to 'help' you figure out my post.....

first of,i posted in the GARRETT AT PRO FORUM, my impressions of this machine,coz i thought it appropiate to post about the pro here (mind you,i did consider posting it in the minelab or fisher forum,but i didnt want to confuse them,like i apparently have with you .....

secondly,i have been lurking around findmall for 5 or so years,when i have posted,gotten a lot of help from that particular forum(strangely from people giving impressions about machines i was interested in,etc),so for once,i thought my first experience with a machine,may come in handy for a 'virgin' to the at pro or someone considering it, especially foreign(im in Aussie) a comparison point or whatever...im probably not the most articulate guy in the world,and maybe what i wanted to say and what i said,may have come out dyslexic or whatever,but hey,ive never written about my thoughts on a machine anywhere b4,and obviously im not a good reviewer,but i thought with the pro,i,d give it a shot..sorry if i offended you or anyone else by putting it in the wrong forum or whatever..

yes i know garrett are a top of the line company, i never said they wernt ...in fact, i have 2 ace 250's,2 gtp 1350's which are fantastic for MY purposes, but the at is a RADICAL step from anything garret has done before,and hopefully a sign for their future machines both high and low end..(in terms of tid,response times and more),in the form of an all terrain,waterproof (USER interchangeable coilS and headphones) great all purpose,lightweight machine...now for me,(and my hunting style,being primarily a coinshooter and jewelley and beach hunter,who has a few non waterproof high end machines and is not scared of the rain,or being on the beach in the after throws of a cyclone(hurricane to you ) AND not wanting to be tied down to a waterproof fixed coil and headphone machine,that is a beast to hunt with out of the water(yes ive had beachhunter id's,tesoro and cz 20-21's in use at various times,great machines all,but not to practical for tot lots in heavy rain,i have 'splash proof' detectors like a cz 70 and a troy x5 that can handle rain,but i cant and wont use headphones due to a fear of getting water in the electronics))) that is the beauty of the at pro finally something to fill that 'niche' in my hunting needs,and im sure,many others as well,as we are finding as reports from happy or unhappy users are coming in about this versitile,while not spectacular in any one disipline of hunting,machine.... i had to share my joy of finding this machine with others who may have similar reasons for buying this machine,and i thought the garrett at forum was perfect,again,sorry if this is the wrong place or offends anyone..but i tell you what,i,d prefer to read peoples real life impressions and thoughts of a machine they may or may not get than read page after page of finds and parkhunts etc etc and not any real info on a machine which has only been in my country for about 4 mths,if that,but hey thats just me note to findmall..AT PRO classroom forum maybe ?

the one thing that cheeses me most about your confusion tho(and the reason for my slightly sarcasticly undertoned response ) is this statement from your post,which told me you didnt actually read my post,but seemed more interested in having a go at my (granted,probably illiterate,honest and badly presented) first attempt at sharing my thoughts in any forum with the folks whose posts on particular machines in the past 7 or so years have helped me in this hobby in choosing machines and gaining operating skills etc..... is this....

"Never mentioning that Garrett (top of the line company) too may come out with more "top of the line" machines. You say one machine beats it at a coin shooter. Also if you have more money to kick in then buy the all mighty machine"

ok,you obviosly didnt read my post(or 'got' what i was trying to say)..obviously garrett WILL come out with more top of the line machines,if they dont,they will get left behind..common sense..DONT THINK IT GONNA HAPPEN and i never implied that!
also i said,MANY machines beat it as a coinshooter,reread my post and hopefully you will get the context

also i never said if you can afford a top end machine buy the 'almighty' machine ..what i said was IF YOU CANT AFFORD AN ETRAC OR WHATEVER,THIS WILL SUIT ALL YOUR NEEDS AT A GREAT PRICEPOINT.. then i said, even if you can afford the almighty machine,YOU SHOULD still have this machine in your arsenal

please if you going to critisize or attempt to make people feel like an idiot,get your facts straight,dude

so .. did this help clear up your confusion? coz now im confused why i had to help you with your confusion!

LOL .. ALL IS FINE WITH THE UNIVERSE MY FRIEND,PLEASE EXCUSE MY AT TIMES NASTY AND SARCASTIC REPLY ...ITS LATE HERE AND I MAY HAVE MISINTERPRETED YOUR POST LIKE YOU MINE HAPPY HUNTING AND IF YOU DONT HAVE AN AT PRO,CHECK IT OUT, AND GIVE US/ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT,I,LL BE LOOKING OUT FOR IT IN THE MINELAB FORUM .. lol, only joshing..take care mate

and if ive posted anything in the wrong forum or offeded anyone, in the words of bryan adams.. "please forgive me, i know not what i do......."

on that note,i,ll go back to the corner and keep my mouth shut ..

HAPPY HUNTING TO ALL MY AMERICAN FRIENDS!

 

[anton]

n/t

 

[Caretaker me]

so what you are saying, for the lay men who can't afford 5 to 10 detector, this is a very good all around machine, I think this is what Garrett was shooting for, we will see if the grand masters can tweak the Pro to perform above and beyond, and hope they are gracious to pass the knowledge on

 

[anton]

n/t

 

[khouse]

I think the only one upset is you. Really the only positives you mention is it's waterproof and may make the other companies follow suit. The first thing you say about the ATpro is the Omega smokes it as a coin shooter. Then later you make some more negative points like the TID is not the best, not true all metal and the build quality is questionable. Like I said before. Maybe I'm the only one that read your post wrong? No one else seems to be jumping in. Again it's just my opinion. I'm sure the pro will fill your need just fine. Good luck with it.

 

[Terry(Mi)]

when you mentioned jack of all trades, master of none...... I could have wrote the same exact review/opinion as you (minus using an omega, and add 9 yrs detecting) Im not bashing the machine either, and your review is not only spot on, its in the right spot....
I too bought this machine for its ability to hunt shallow water, as well as hunt in the rain. I feel its crazy these days to NOT have a detector to hunt in the rain, due to the way construction projects run ......(especially in older parts of towns)
It DOES hunt pretty good in iron, it IS a good coin shooter, it IS a good relic hunter, and it IS hot on gold (as well as other lower conductors) It DOES do fairly well with EMI...... It DOES have a some good features (Target ID,Tonal ID,iron audio,freq shift etc.)
NOW, I can name at least 1 detector( probably a few) that could beat the ATP in 1 or 2 of the afore-mentioned "tasks" BUT what I cant do is name a detector that can do ALL of those as well as the ATP, all at the same time(at least in my neck of the woods).....AND do it in a water proof package !
NO, it isnt the "end-all" detector, but it is good well-rounded machine.....and I do believe it will push the envelope (so to speak) and put a stick in the eye of the other MFR's to push their own envelope ....(hopefully) for the good of us detectorists.
the only thing I would like to see Garret do different(at this time) would be to release the unit with a straight shaft ! I had one built for me and it is so much easier to swing now, words dont do it justice ! (not just an extension, but get rid of the "S" design) I would have even paid xtra for that feature ....

 

[lasergod]

I believe there alot of right ideas here. I have stated more than once that the AT pro is as good or better than my Explorer xs. I will for a long time. By the way, I loved that machine. I have 2 other units and want 1 more AT PRO to make me happy. The key is "what makes us happy". But right now if I was going to buy 1 machine only it would be the PRO. There are machines I have not tried, I hope to get to them.

The more I swing the Pro, The happier I get with it. I am sure most will agree. Good Luck.

 

[sandnsea49]

You know what? I rarely speak up on these forums, but I really enjoyed Anton's review. I often look here when new machines come out to see if I might be interested. However I rarely find a true and honest review. Most of them sound like ads for the product, so it is refreshing to see and honest review. For someone to slam a guy for being honest is BS. I thought that's what we came here for, honest reporting not glorified hype. Keep up the good reviews anton and don't let others keep you from speaking the truth.

 

[ralph]

I agree with terry-mi. I also feel compareing the at pro with any other machine is apples and oranges because there is no other machine with it's id features that is both land and submersable in water functional. Thus for what it'll do [it's versitility] there is no competition

 

[Eric (NH)]

So everyone else is dishonest? How do you know other reports are untrue or hype? Maybe speaking up rarely is right approach for you. To me, sandnsea49's post is what I was referring to in an earlier post...an example of flaming the good people of this forum.