Reviewing the Garrett Line-up

[jmorton04]

It seems to me that the Ace350 and the ATPRO are outstanding values in terms of abilities and value for price. I hope to purchase an AT PRO this summer when I come back to Texas.

I am not really familiar with the other Garrett machines and am wondering if they might be a better choice for me. It seems to me that the ACE150 and ACE250 are good machines, but compared to the ACE350. they seem to have older technology. Neither of the "little Aces" can get in the shallow water like the AT PRO, so they would be good for the dry sand here, but not the wet sand or in the surf.

I certainly do not think I want to start out with a Sea Hunter, Infinium, or Scorpion. They are too specialized and expensive for me at this time.

I really have not studied the 1350. the 1500, or the 2500. Assuming I could afford them, what features do they have that would help me?

When in Texas, I would be using it in the sandy soils of my inlaws home, learning how to find things and avoid the scorpions and copper heads. Once we come back to Kuwait, I would be using my MD to search for things in the dry sand of the arabian desert, the dry sands of the beaches, the set sands of the beaches, and the sand under the shallow water of the tidal zone.

I appreciate your input, and your sharing your experience with me.
Thanks,
John Morton

 

[Big Boys Hobbies]

n/t

 

[metalhead]

The 1350, 1500 & 2500 are the best coin shooters out there. 2500 has a really deep "All Metal" mode. It also has the ability to be converted into a very deep seeking two-box unit with the addition of the depth multiplier attachment. When used with this depth multiplier attachment, small metal items are ignored, but items lager than a soda can can be detected down to several feet.
Best of luck to ya, whichever machine you decide to get. I really hope those Arabs don't cut off your hand for what they may consider "stealing" items out of the ground.

 

[zaxfire69]

In my opinion it all depends on where you want to hunt. If you wanna get out in the surf and in the shallows ATPro would be great. Also good for the Dry sand as well. I have more experience with the Ace 250 and let me tell you it is a heck of a machine. I have found so much with this little machine. Gold rings, silver rings, Civil war items, COINS FOR DAYS. I tell you that Ace 250 is hard to beat. I have been digging with the ATPro in some of the places I have hunted with my Ace 250. It finds coins that I have missed or overlooked. I tell you you can't go wrong with either. I haven't used the higher end Garrets, but I would love one of those Infiniums or Sea Hunter. I'm going to go to the beach soon and try out the ATPro in the shallow surf. Hopefully it will find me some gold or silver. Also like Metalhead said, Watch out for those Arabs!!!

 

[Jerry-Wi]

I think any of the Garrett detectors will find all the coins you want and then some. I have used the Master Hunter 7 ADS, and the Grand Master Hunter with very good results. In fact got the Hunter of the Year trophy from our local club in 2009 with the GMH so it is no slouch. My wife uses the Ace 250 with the 12 1/2 inch concentric coil and does very well with it. She got find of the Year for 2010 from the same club with the 250.

But then there is the At Pro with the Pro Audio modes. My main reason for buying the At Pro was the weight and features and it has not disappointed.
A couple of days ago I found a silver dime which was located under a 2 1/2 inch nail. If I had been going by just a meter reading, I would have passed on the target but the audio in the headphones had a combination of both low and high tones and it was really clear. I doubt if the other detectors I have would have found that dime.

Did I mention that I like the At Pro

Jerry

 

[jmorton04]

Metalhead,
Thanks for the info. In regards to running afoul of the law and customs, I plan to do my learning around junk areas and will be glad to re-bury most of my finds. Obviously, going out to Jarrah and prowling around is NOT on my list of things to do.
I do have a site or two in mind for doing some real hunting once I learn how to use a detector well. Once I get past the learning curve I am going to post some pretty strange "request for information" files here. Kuwait has been a crossroads for commerce for a VERY long time. One of the requests will be for any and all clues to avoid digging or stepping on mines and grenades. I have been doing some research about that and have pretty much picked out areas of interest where both the USA and Kuwaiti forces have already done a lot of clearing. There are many metal detectors over here. Many of the Bedouin families go camping as often as possible, and they sweep the area for "bad things" before they pitch a tent.
In terms of the cobras and sand vipers, I do have some insight into their behavior, and where they may be living and where they are unlikely to be found. I still need to do research on the scorpions. I HATE SCORPIONS!
Well, I have rambled on here far too much. Thanks for the info on the 2500. I wonder how these coinshooters would react to non-USA coins? Before Kuwait started using their own coinage, Indian rupees used to be the currency here in the gulf. I have not yet seen any Indian coins, but will be keeping my eyes open. I am thinking that prior to the indian/british rupees that there was probably a mixture of coins used here. So, do you think the 2500 would be good on a smorgasbord of weird coins?
Thanks,
John Morton

 

[jmorton04]

Jerry-Wi & Zaxfire69,
It is very interesting that you both have experience with the 250 and the AT Pro. Both of you have a 250 and then moved up to the AT Pro. Both of you seem to be pretty fond of the new AT pro. I think I see a pattern here!
Thanks, and HH
John Morton

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Yea same here,I upgraded from a ace 250 to the ATP.But I still feel I haven't unlocked all the potential the ace 250 can do.

 

[sasquache]

Well gotta say this i have owned the GTI 1500, GTI 2500, gta 550 ? i think and now own the AT-PRO and there all great detectors but i have too say the AT-PRO wins it for me why ? you say, becouse you cant beat the recovery speed it is super fast and awesome and it runs deep. Also alot of times im out and i get caught in a rain storm or shower so now i dont have too run too the car or call it a day.

 

[JB63503]

I too agree with everyone here and I own both 250 and the AT PRO... I cannot say enough good things about the 250... But when I bought the AT PRO I was blown away with the "ease of use" and the "depth".... I could not possibly be happier.. It has ended my quest for finding the perfect machine..

Again, this is just how I feel.. I know the F75 and the Minelabs are the best detectors in the world but the learning curve was just something I was not patient enough to master...

 

[Mark652]

John, if I can add my opinion to those already offered, I switched from the GTI-2500 to the AT Pro and am delighted with the decision. The GTI is an excellent detector and offers a tremendous amount of capability but it has a big learning curve and it is a heavy detector---meaning that it can get tiring to swing after a few hours of use, no withstanding the ability to uncouple the battery pack and hook it to your belt. I have had the AT Pro since December and I am very impressed with its depth, its separation, its ease of use and its versatility. In my personal experience it is a better detector than the GTI-2500 and I say that with no negative intended towards the GTI. Some of the other comments you have already received have noted the AT Pro's capabilities under wet and dry conditions, I have found it easy and effective in dirt, clay, sand and water. And, as noted, I no longer care if rain hits while I am out detecting, I only worry now about me, not the detector.

If you decide to buy an AT Pro you will find it most satisfying. Good luck and happy hunting.

Mark

 

[jmorton04]

WOW!
Everyone, please accept my thanks for all this information. As I have been suspecting, I think that the AT PRO represents a turning point in Metal Detectors. Sort of like the Model T Ford, a product with some teething issues, but a revolutionary step forward in design and features for price. If you look at the Garrett line, the AT Pro is exactly in the middle. I am guessing that the 3 upper models will consolidate to 1 or 2, and that there will be a new top of the line machine within a year. And that machine will have all the features we have been suggesting as improvements for the AT PRO, as well as even more wonderful abilities.

No, I don't have any facts to back up this wild speculation, but I have a feeling that we are in for a real treat, and a very interesting group of machines in the near future.

Whoever the designer of the AT Pro is, he is not going to stop here. My guess is that now that the AT PRO assembly issues are addressed, that Garrett is burning the midnight oil working on the next super machine.

My prediction? I worked with computers for many years. Current MD design has created a water resistant, inexpensive machine that can quickly allow an experienced user to find targets. If those features were incorporated into a machine that knew where it was - using GPS - and could remember where it saw a target - it could allow a less experienced user to pinpoint and recover more good targets and fewer trash items. If the machine had a database of all the MD knowlege the expert user has in his head, then the new user would be a lot happier, and the expert user would be getting virtually every good target he swings on.

Back in WWII, recon planes went out and shot pix of suspected enemy positions. The cameras took bursts of pix, like a movie camera. Each picture held valuable info, but by viewing them as a stereo pair, the experts could find camo'ed tanks, pill boxes and pretty much everything else. If a detector could take "snapshots" of the signal it receives during a swing, and compare that to a "snapshot" taken a milisecond before and another after, adjacent targets would no longer be a problem. This would dramatically improve the target recognition of the detector.

We compensate for this currently by adjusting our swing speed, coil height, and eventually by knowing a lot of "tricks". Us poor beginners dig a lot of trash, and it not taken under the wing of one of the "Eagles", we keep on digging trash, and getting a few treasures.

I predict that the next generation of MD will have a database and non-volatile memory that will effectively be a built-in "expert MDer", once connected to that "database of MD knowlege" I mentioned.

And maybe not?

Thanks,
John Morton