+ 1 on Sov GT. Not only a first class beach hunter but a first class dirt hunter as well.
I was considering adding an AT Pro but haven't yet. My reading tells me that the results are mixed. This could be due to user inexperience or it could be beach conditions. For example, the Sov GT excels on East coast and Gulf beaches as well as in Europe, yet struggles on some west coast beaches. White's excellent Surf PI and Beach Hunter machines are a compromise on NJ beaches yet are among the go-to machines in New England. A talented hunter on FL's west coast has used a Tesoro Sand Shark to find more than 80 rings year to date. Bring that machine to Atlantic City and you are in for a long frustrating day. Local knowledge counts!
Best advice - if you are primarily a beach hunter or leaning towards becoming one, find out what machine works best on your beaches and buy whatever it is. If that machine is not the AT Pro, don't try to put lipstick on a pig. Bite the bullet and buy the right machine. The AT Pro is still a first class metal detector for all your other needs. If you are a casual hunter, no worries!! Set the AT Pro for best results and wait for the knowledge stream to catch up. That is, as more dedicated hunters find, use, and figure out the AT Pro, dialing it in will become common knowledge rather than a guessing game.