Garrett AT PRO compared to the Fisher F75

[StephenA]

I do not know if this would be considered a valid comparison or not but I am a F75 user and just ordered a Garrett AT Pro. My reason was simply because of the excitement I read here of this machine. Have any of you used both? The price difference alone is huge I know but sometimes the most expensive is not the best. I am a recreational relic and coin hunter. I have done the paid hunts in the past but now just go out once or twice a week to parks and wooded areas. I live on the fringe of the Civil War in Alabama so relics here are few and far between. The other question is should I have opted for the Gold instead of the Pro? I do not hunt in water but may give it a try in the future.
I would appreciate any feedback on these topics.
Thank you
Steve

 

[john4840]

This guy pretty done real good with the AT Pro, check out his video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDC3SUK3axM&feature=youtu.be

I kinda like the fact the you can set the amout of iron you can disc out so you don't mask out the good targets.

John

 

[zaxfire69]

I have both so I will take a stab at this one. The F75 is great on lead, brass etc etc..Relics. Granted I have found a deep silver or 2 with it as well. AtPro is equally good on Lead and brass. Coin finds seem to me to be a bit better on the ATPro. The F75 is a deep machine. When put in JE mode and sensitivity cranked up it will go deep. ATPro. will also go deep. Which is deeper in my opinion the F75..BUT not by much maybe an inch or 2. I have found 3 ringers with the ATPro around the 7-8 inch mark. NOW TO THE REAL question...Which has better Iron Separation? F75 has good iron separation, ATPro has great iron seperation. In the iron and nails the ATPro gets my vote. I dug a War of 1812 button with the ATPro in a plowed field that nulled the F75 out. I am talking nails all around and button in the center of all the nails kinda nulled out. The ATPro hit on it when the F75 would not. NOW When I am digging a Civil war camp or the likes the F75 will be with me. It is a monster on Bullets. The ATpro in my soil has a distinct sound when I go over a bullet. I have learned it..Sometimes I miss it...The F75 I know by heart. SOOOOOO....Here is what I think...The F75 is an awesome MUST have machine. The ATPro is an awesome MUST have machine. Not to mention you can hunt in the water with it. Atpro is less expensive. F75 is lighter...I have them both. You decide what you want to do. If I were you I would buy them both. You can't go wrong with either machine.

 

[Daniel Tn]

I have an AT Pro and T2 SE. I never run the boost mode on the SE though. The T2 is basically an F75 so here are my thoughts for what its worth.

The AT Pro has its place. The iron resolution is better than the F75 but the T2 has wider iron discrimination than the F75 too. I do think the AT Pro has an uncanny ability to work in heavy iron. It works great in those situations.

This will be a dirt specific thing here. I have spots of very heavy iron mineralization and some spots with very neutral mineralization. In the bad ground, the depth of the AT is limited. If you run disc you run the major risk of missing a lot of goodies. As a great example of this I was coin hunting in such a place and was only digging coins 2-4 inches deep with coin IDs. I had the trash notched out. Came back with the T2 and was signal checking and got some coins that the AT was just undecided on...in Pro Zero it would hit them but in Pro Coins it wouldn't because the ID was skewed into some of the notched out things. The other day I was in a spot with really good dirt and was getting coins 6-7 inches with clear repeating coin tones and id was dead on.

The AT is coil heavy compared to the F75/T2. But the AT is water proof. Even with the headphone adapter, the audio sounds weird on the AT Pro and your normal headphones. Otherwise you are stuck with the stock phones. Now me personally...I am interested in the AT Gold for the true all metal mode. That would benefit me here for the bad dirt spots.

 

[scubadetector]

That video is GREAT and a super wonderful find, BUT, I think ANY water machine in the hands of an experienced user could have found that stash. BUT who really knows, NO other machine was tested on it BEFORE he started to dig. I can find tons of coins and rings with my Fisher CZ-21 among iron signals. I do it all the time. On one drop off I sat in one spot without moving pulling silver, gold, clad and junk and got over 40 good targets. AND lots of trash. And I use a Fisher CZ-21 WITH a 10" coil. I just know if my machine goes nuts like his did to dig. Especially when you get high, low and midtones all at once!!

I really do not think comparing is fair at all UNLESS you have the same target in the same soil. Too many variables to list but a few are, the halo effect of the target, the depth of the target, the position (IE on edge, tilted, or flat) The water density of the soil, (wet soil is deeper hits) , the settings on the machine, the mineralization of the ground. I can go on and on but you get the idea.

I hunted with a top of the line detector in Utah and one of my friends had another top of the line detector but a different brand. When I found deep coins, I called him over to see if he could hear them. No matter what his settings he couldn't get his machine to hit on the coins. Well that day after he couldn't get a reading on one, (AND I did a bunch) I pulled up a 1914D penny in GREAT shape. I sold it in 1998 for 176.00. NOW that was a FAIR test. He sold his machine and bought one of the ones I had that next week.

And though I have never found a stash like the one in the video, I have found lots of old valuable coins. My best is an 1893CC eagle. Only 14 thousand made.

OK as I said my 2

 

[Dalpal]

I have both machines. I have used the F-75 ltd since they came out. It is light, well balanced and goes deep. My only complaint is that it is subject to EMI in many areas I hunt. The EMI causes the machine to be erratic. Even when I hunt an area where the machine is stable the F-75 is noisy. I have made many great finds with it but I find it mentally fatiguing.

The AT Pro is heavier and not ergonomically friendly. It is not as deep as the F-75 but is no slouch either. It is a very stable machine and I can use it near power lines that will drive my F-75 crazy. In sites with high iron I would say it is equal to the f-75. However what I like about it is the info I get from its tones. I find it very intuitive and am rarely surprised when I think a target is good it almost always is. It is in my opinion much less fatiguing. I can pick good targets in trashy areas and have made some great finds with it . ( Both relic and coins, old and new) I like the machine more and more as time go by.

IMHO,

Dalpal

 

[John-Edmonton]

Fisher & Garrett coils are not alike in size, shape, coil windings etc. It ends up comparing apples and oranges. One can easily come up with a scenario where one will outdo the other. Depth should never be the deciding factor for deciding which machine is the best. If however that is the case, buy a PI. They can pick up a gold ring at 20" in some cases. Some PI's, like the Garrett Infinium give a high-lo signal for gold and a low-high signal for copper & silver. Many incredible relic finds have been made with PI's in some of the most highly mineralized soils in the world at astonishing depth.

Just some more food for thought........

 

[Daniel Tn]

Not sure what happened to the video I posted. Surely that wasn't something to violate the rules?

 

[Mr.Bill]

The moderator looked at your post and removed it because it didn't pertain to the question asked. The main post was about a F75 & a AT Pro. not a T2. Now I don't want to hear that there the same, because it's made by the same company. There not, and they perform differently.

We don't usually allow detector comparisons, because it usually turns into a nasty post, needing to be removed in the end. We let this one go because it appeared like it was going to be smooth. With this said, if you have a post, and or a video that you did using a F75, you may post it to this question.

Bill
Finds Administrator

 

[CarolinaClyde]

n/t

 

[Monte]

All too often these 'comparison' posts can go far astray. I hope this one doesn't, and most replies so far have been helpful. For what it's worth I'll add my few thoughts, and I'll try to stay with your topics.:

I do not know if this would be considered a valid comparison or not but I am a F75 user and just ordered a Garrett AT Pro. My reason was simply because of the excitement I read here of this machine.

One note I made is that while it isn't a bad idea to ask "comparison questions" to get an idea of how a few models might fair compared to what you are familiar with, here you state that you have already made the decision and ordered a new Garrett AT Pro. Kind of late, I would think, since you made that decision.

Usually a post like this would be from someone who USES an F-75, and THINKS another model, like the AT Pro, MIGHT be a better detector. When I read those kids of posts from folks just shopping for ideas and "should-I/shouldn't I" opinions, it is easy to ask a few questions, such as:

1.. What do you NOT like about your F-75?

2.. Which search coils do you use or plan to use with your F-75?

3.. Are you currently very familiar with your F-75, or do you really need some help learning and mastering the F-75?

4.. Are you making good finds with your F-75?

5.. What features or functions (adjustments, etc.) do you want to see that are not offered on your F-75?

6.. What features do you feel the AT Pro might offer that are better than your F-75?

7.. What type of in-the-field performance do you feel the AT Pro might provide that you do not get with the F-75?

8.. Do you currently have accessory coils for your F-75, and if not, why not?

9.. Will you acquire at least one accessory coil for the AT Pro, and if not, why not?

10. Do you own and use any other make or model detector?

12. Do you plan to keep your F-75 and just buy a new AT Pro to compliment it, or are you going to sell the F-75 and simply own and use only the AT Pro?

Now, in this case you have already made the purchase decision, but it might help me and others, and perhaps even you, to better understand the detector purchase and the hope for more excitement afield in the times to come. Maybe you could just answer these, from 1 to 12, and see if that would help folks answer the real questions you have.

Have any of you used both?

Yes, I have used the Garrett AT Pro and did an evaluation on it elsewhere. I have also borrowed and used it a few times since that time when comparing it to other models I own or am evaluating.

No, I haven't used the F-75 much more than just with a couple of dealers in some loose comparisons. I considered buying the F-75, but I preferred the features on the same size-and-balance Teknetics T2. They are similar is general appearance and operating frequency, but strikingly different in adjustment functions and the field performance I like to have. The Teknetics T2 is what I own and I like it.

Let me add here that it naturally is not the ONLY detector I own and use. I have several. I've trimmed my personal detector battery, and when I get a modified IDX Pro back in-hand I will probably be just fine keeping four models around for all my hunting needs. All versatile, in their own way, and complimentary, too.

The price difference alone is huge I know but sometimes the most expensive is not the best.

Yes, there is a difference, BUT, you already own the F-75 so you should know what it can and can't do, therefore, maybe the lower-price AT Pro is going to just be the things to add a little extra or different performance to compliment your F-75? Only you know, right now, what that might be.

I am a recreational relic and coin hunter. I have done the paid hunts in the past but now just go out once or twice a week to parks and wooded areas. I live on the fringe of the Civil War in Alabama so relics here are few and far between.

If you are only getting out once or twice a week, then you're not in the category I refer to as an 'avid' detectorist, but more like just an 'occasional hobbyist', and perhaps mainly more of "Traditional Coin Hunter" who might mainly seek coins at older sites but might have a little interest in some dedicated "relic hunting."

As such, many different makes and models might work OK for you, and in this case either the F-75 or AT Pro might be just the ticket. If my guess is close, and if you do mainly coin hunt in the limited times you get out, then a new-and-improved AT Pro would interest me over that F-75. Why? Because I have found the AT Pro to be a 'fun' detector to use because you can easily shift from the STD (Standard) audio, which is really more of a a saturated audio response with controlled processing, to the PRO (PROportional Audio) mode that has a more defined gray-scale or modulated audio response (which I generally prefer).

But what did I mean by a new-and-improved AT Pro? Well, for me it would include a similar model concept in a configuration with a longer-length upper rod. that's now going to be on the AT Gold, I guess, and an aftermarket upgrade that is available to replace the too-short upper rod they currently use. The too-short rod make the AT Pro feel a little more uncomfortable and doesn't distribute the weight (aka balance) as well.

Another "new-and-improved" feature would be rod-locks, but those are also on the newer AT Gold and maybe we'll see that incorporated in the AT Pro's in the future?

Finally, for me, the best new-and-improved change would be to a control housing that would let me use a standard coil connector and a stamndard headphone plug. I don't wade in deep water and I don't want, or like, the waterproofed connectors. Those should be an added cost for the smaller percentage who do.

Little things like a background that wasn't grayish in color and larger VDI numeric read-outs would also be nice.

That said, I have had some good field performance with the AT Pro that was satisfactory to impress me. I just want some changes in the 'packaging' of the unit for more of us who are regular 'land-hunters' and who like to use our better-quality headphones.

The other question is should I have opted for the Gold instead of the Pro? I do not hunt in water but may give it a try in the future. I would appreciate any feedback on these topics.

If you like to use the 'notching' options of the AT Pro, then that was the way to go. If you are primarily a coin hunter, then the AT Pro will likely serve you okay.

Personally, I like to have the option of a true, threshold-based All Metal mode and that's the main use for the AT Gold. It does have two pre-set Discriminate modes, but all you can adjust is the amount of iron range discrimination you might want to reject or accept) For me, it would be the AT Gold. For you? Well, you already made the decision.

Let us all know down the road how things go and what you thing of the AT Pro where you hunt and what you hunt for, and how you compare it with your F-75.

Happy Hunting,

Monte

 

[seahunter34]

Comparing performance of detectors is a good thing as it helps users decide which to buy. If brand loyalty creates problems, then a forum dedicated to machine comparisons would be nice. Not all machines are equal and that is a fact of life. Sometimes the truth hurts, but I would rather know and speak the truth than be politically correct.