Garrett AT Pro or Tesoro?

Zappato

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2018
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57
Location
Olympia, Washington
I've been reading detector reviews all over the place. Invariably what happens is that I get convinced that the next model up is always the way to go, but this is unrealistic with my budget and my (lack of) detecting experience!

I seem to be drawn to the Garrett AT Pro and also some of the Tesoro detectors. This is based on nothing more than my newbie understanding of metal detectors, what I think I want/need, and my budget. The Garrett AT Pro has the visuals which may be useful, but the simplicity of the Tesoro series also appeals to me. (I am somewhat of a techie, so I am not intimidated my LCD displays and electronics.)

I will likely only be detecting every other weekend locally at parks etc, and at the annual family camping trip.

What do you all think? Both the AT Pro and many of the Tesoro detectors seem to have good reviews and their fans. I would like to have purchased a detector by the end of June so I can get some summer hunting in.

Thanks!
 
I've been reading detector reviews all over the place. Invariably what happens is that I get convinced that the next model up is always the way to go, but this is unrealistic with my budget and my (lack of) detecting experience!

I seem to be drawn to the Garrett AT Pro and also some of the Tesoro detectors. This is based on nothing more than my newbie understanding of metal detectors, what I think I want/need, and my budget. The Garrett AT Pro has the visuals which may be useful, but the simplicity of the Tesoro series also appeals to me. (I am somewhat of a techie, so I am not intimidated my LCD displays and electronics.)

I will likely only be detecting every other weekend locally at parks etc, and at the annual family camping trip.

What do you all think? Both the AT Pro and many of the Tesoro detectors seem to have good reviews and their fans. I would like to have purchased a detector by the end of June so I can get some summer hunting in.

Thanks!

Both lines are good metal detectors. The Garrett AT Pro is very very hard to beat. Adjustable ground balance, iron audio, frequency shift ETC. Plus waterproof to 10 feet.

Add a Garrett 5x8 Pro coil for those trashy areas and your set. My 5x8 never comes off.

Holler if you have any questions.
 
Both lines are good metal detectors. The Garrett AT Pro is very very hard to beat. Adjustable ground balance, iron audio, frequency shift ETC. Plus waterproof to 10 feet.

Add a Garrett 5x8 Pro coil for those trashy areas and your set. My 5x8 never comes off.

Holler if you have any questions.

I can't agree more. I started with a Tesoro compadre with the small coil. I eventually upgraded to a Tesoro Silver Umax and had a few coils for that one. After a couple seasons with that I decied to upgrade again. It was a choice between a Tesoro Outlaw 3 coil package, a Tesoro Vaquero and an AT Pro with an additional 5x8 coil. The deciding factor for me was the waterproof feature of the AT pro. In the end I loved the AT pro so much that I sold my Silver Umax, and my Compadre and bought an extra AT pro. I recently bought a new Minelab and sold one of my AT pros, but I am keeping the other AT pro. By the way, I won't even bother using the stock coil on the AT pro, only the 5x8 coil. It is so much more useful with the smaller coil. The VID is nearly perfect on the AT pro, something that I really miss when I swing the Minelab, and something that I didn't have at all with the tesoro. I found plenty of stuff with my Tesoro, but I occasionally liked skipping pull tabs and other trash and it is easier and faster to skip trash with the AT pro.
 
I hate tech. The ATPro is simple to use. Unless you are looking for a specific item with a known ID there isn't much reason to customize any settings. The zero metal and coin settings cover everything I want to do. Once you decide if you like pro or standard it's pretty much a turn on and go machine.
 
A Tesoro will always have a place in my kit. The discrimination is some of the best. Just about every time I bring it out vs. a higher dollar unit, it eeks out something that makes me wonder how in the heck I missed that?!

Now the AT Pro is one of the best all-rounders made. You may never feel the need to upgrade and the features packed in make it one of the best values. It's proven for sure!
 
Well, no more wondering what to get. My first search for Metal detectors on Craigslist brought up a Tesoro LOBO SuperTRAQ, so I jumped on it. For $300 I have a proven, no frills detector, without too much of an investment on my part. I'm playing about with it right now. This weekend I'll see what the back and front yards yield. Can't wait!
 
You will find all kinds of stuff with it. And it will definitely tune your ears to the nuances of targets if you put the time in to it. I am actually glad I started without visual ID. It taught me that the tones are important.
 
I think it all depends on who you are. If your a minimalist get the Tesoro. If you always have to have all the wiz bang stuff get the AT.

Both will find stuff and I'm still not convinced that what brand and model of gun you bring to the fight is going to determine the outcome. I think that as long as your midrange and above....... location and experience with your detector are the deciding factors.

disclaimer.... I have yet to own a CTX... and i'm still holding out that that may be the GOD detector.
 
Well, no more wondering what to get. My first search for Metal detectors on Craigslist brought up a Tesoro LOBO SuperTRAQ, so I jumped on it. For $300 I have a proven, no frills detector, without too much of an investment on my part. I'm playing about with it right now. This weekend I'll see what the back and front yards yield. Can't wait!


Great choice. I may be a FBS fanboy but that's because I am primarily a coin shooter. The Tesoros give you a lot of bang for your buck and I believe a skilled user on a Vaquero could keep up with the latest and greatest... NOX.

I don't have it in my sig line... but my first detector was a Tesoro..... and a lot of detectors have come and gone since then but I still have my Tesoro Silver Umaxx and am not afraid to pull that sucker out from time to time.
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Your next purchase should be a pair of good earphones... they are a must have.
 
I ran an ATPro last year. It’s a good machine. For a digital machine, the audio is outstanding. There are a lot of nuances to the tone that can really help, despite visual ID that often wants to talk you out of digging. I tried the Max, but I found it too digital for my tastes. I’m back swinging a Vaquero and finding that the quality of my finds has improved. Just dug a US military button this morning that may be civil war (definitely from that era 1859-1863 according to the Horstman & Bros & Co. PhilA marking on the back).

You dig a bit more junk in the beginning , but you will soon be able to hear the shape of the target. Sounds ridiculous, but ask a seasoned Tesoro user and they will say the same thing. You can hear round vs. jagged. You can hear a raspy tone for can slaw, you can hear a difference for zincs vs coppers. Zincs sound round, but there is a faint snapping after the tone. Almost like someone snapping their fingers 20 feet away. I’m starting to hear pulltabs again like I used to. They sound round, but the tone is just slightly raspy. It’s a very subtle difference, but dig them just to be sure.

Anyway, IMHO, a Tesoro or ATPro will be a great choice, and I think it really depends on whether you want to get in the water. That's why I switched to the ATPro last year. However, I quickly discovered that water hunting is not my thing.
 
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