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Advise me!!!!

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playin4funami

Elite Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2010
Messages
574
I am looking to upgrade from a basic entry level machine. Here are the issues and reasons I want to upgrade, if there is such a machine out there that will cover my needs without breaking the bank. for this question lets start with a 500 dollar price cap, and lets hear some good point/ bad point discussion on the detector you think would fit the bill the best, for me.

1. I need to get good hits on coins as deep as 8 inches, in my neck of the woods the "good" stuff seems to lay at right at 7 to 8 inches, unless held up shallower by tree roots etc. There is a clear point at around 8 inches where the soft black dirt turns to hard pack and the coins settle there.

2. Would like a detector that can handle some very occasional freshwater sand beaches,maybe even in knee deep water.

3. I also hunt sometimes in a very highly mineralized dirt/sand mix that throws machines for a loop with false signals, and other ground balance issues.

4. would like a machine that can handle high trash areas

Is there a machine out there that will fit the bill? And not cost an arm and a leg? Thanks for the help everyone.
 
I'll be the first to say what many others will say.

AT PRO.

I'm a fan of the land ranger pro, but that won't help you in submerged water. haha
 
AT Pro !!!!!! call or pm our sponsors, you'll like their prices. Try to stay away from the added "free" junk, it is not worth it and raises the AT's price.
 
AT-Pro Great Detector

playin4funami said:
I am looking to upgrade from a basic entry level machine. Here are the issues and reasons I want to upgrade, if there is such a machine out there that will cover my needs without breaking the bank. for this question lets start with a 500 dollar price cap, and lets hear some good point/ bad point discussion on the detector you think would fit the bill the best, for me.

1. I need to get good hits on coins as deep as 8 inches, in my neck of the woods the "good" stuff seems to lay at right at 7 to 8 inches, unless held up shallower by tree roots etc. There is a clear point at around 8 inches where the soft black dirt turns to hard pack and the coins settle there.

2. Would like a detector that can handle some very occasional freshwater sand beaches,maybe even in knee deep water.

3. I also hunt sometimes in a very highly mineralized dirt/sand mix that throws machines for a loop with false signals, and other ground balance issues.

4. would like a machine that can handle high trash areas

Is there a machine out there that will fit the bill? And not cost an arm and a leg? Thanks for the help everyone.
Click to expand...

Give me a call if you have any questions

My customer found all of this with his AT-Pro
http://www.metaldetectors.com/blog/satisfied-customer-becomes-detecting-buddy
 
The AT Pro is great in areas with a lot of trash. It's like night and day from the Ace 350 I had before. Then of course there is the fact it is waterproof to ten feet. That's what ultimately convinced me to buy the Pro. I highly recommend it.
 
I just was born to be different.
Not waterproof like the Pro, but I have seen my F70 perform perfectly in all of the situations you described but I have never taken it into knee deep water.
New I am sure a little less than posted prices out there, used I have seen them going for less than your stated limit.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone! Digger27 I am the same way, if everyone else is getting an AT PRO I want something different,lol. But I may look at them closer anyway. Problem is there are so many choices out there and no real reliable info on what the true capabilities of these different machines. One site/guy/manufacturer claims a machine will do this and that,but then there are 50 people saying they don't do it and have all these issues? Seen alot of posts on problems with the AT's also,what is a guy to do/believe?
 
playin4funami said:
Thanks for the advice everyone! Digger27 I am the same way, if everyone else is getting an AT PRO I want something different,lol. But I may look at them closer anyway. Problem is there are so many choices out there and no real reliable info on what the true capabilities of these different machines. One site/guy/manufacturer claims a machine will do this and that,but then there are 50 people saying they don't do it and have all these issues? Seen alot of posts on problems with the AT's also,what is a guy to do/believe?
Click to expand...

Leap of faith...
Try something new...live and learn.

Go to Findmall and read some of the current actual owners and user's posts on the Garret AT Pro forum and also many about the higher end Fishers on the F series forum.
Read enough of their posts and you can get a good sampling of the truth.
Manufacturers and their websites might state some true facts about design and features about the units they are trying to sell, but after that it is all about supposition and marketing.
 
A new AT pro can be had for $500. That's with the stock coil and no extras. That's why I laugh when I see these used ones around selling for that or more :lol: .....what are they thinking ? :roll:



The AT pro is a waterproof detector , if you don't necessarily need waterproof then something in the Fisher lineup would be better I believe.
 
scout23 said:
AT Pro !!!!!! call or pm our sponsors, you'll like their prices. Try to stay away from the added "free" junk, it is not worth it and raises the AT's price.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call the freebies junk, it's just that we all tend to own the same stuff from our previous machines,, a gpp, second coil, user book, digger knife, even journals can be good for beginners and some upgraders, if they haven't upgraded in a longwhile, but true, it keeps the cost down, with the at pro, you can find some good second hand ones that people just didn't get into or didn't fine the places to hunt.
 
playin4funami said:
Thanks for the advice everyone! Digger27 I am the same way, if everyone else is getting an AT PRO I want something different,lol. But I may look at them closer anyway. Problem is there are so many choices out there and no real reliable info on what the true capabilities of these different machines. One site/guy/manufacturer claims a machine will do this and that,but then there are 50 people saying they don't do it and have all these issues? Seen alot of posts on problems with the AT's also,what is a guy to do/believe?
Click to expand...

Well, you have to consider the volume of AT Pros that have been sold, plus the variety of users and abusers. I don't know how many AT Pros have been sold, but I know it is a lot, and if you figure that just 1% of those users and abusers has a complaint, then it adds up to a lot of complaints. I take the complaints with a grain of salt, because I have read about and seen videos of a lot of hunts done with the ATP, and I have also read a lot of glowing reports of Garrett's customer service, so I know that if there is a problem with one of their products, they will take care of me. I doubt that you will ever find a company that never has product problems, real or imagined--the thing that counts is how the company handles the complaints when they get them, and from what I have read, Garrett does it very well. I have no personal experience with Garrett, so I'm no fan boy or company shill, but that's been what impression I have formed from reading posts on here and watching videos. That's my twopence on the subject. :grin:
 
I'm sort of late to this party but I will jump on in none-the-less..

I have both the F70 and the AtPro....I would DEFINITELY be looking HARD at the F70 for your application...Its just got a broader range of helpful features than the Pro has..Nobody can dispute that....It falls into an unique category that gives you high end performance at a mid level price...Thats why its called a 'sleeper'...heck, after a guy evaluates all sorts of rigs, you would think the F70 would be a $1000 machine for what you are getting comparatively ...

Now, before the haters jump in, I love the AtPro too, for water gold..but before I got it, I used the 70 in this regard as well...wading right up to the brainbox...Like D27 mentioned, if you have a slight curiosity and interest read up on the pedigree and heritage behind the F70's concept..D27 did all the work here, and has compiled it in a file someplace....Really clean used ones come up from time to time...or toss out a plea on the 'want to buy' forum? Or else just get yourself a Pro..one thing about either rig, a guy simply cannot argue with results....The F70 is something that actually teaches its operator about dirt and metal, tiny nuances that make the difference. (thresh,tones, Hz,) ..something you can grow with and never doubt its capabilities, and that builds yours...Plus, its pays for itself pretty fast, so thats good...With the At Pro, you run maxxed and just hunt...
Mud
 
If water wasn't an issue here, I would be with Mud and Digger all day, F70 is fast, light and DEEP. But, you are wanting waterproof, so the Pro would be my shot on that.
 
Yeah, I'll just say one more thing...I bought a New/Used In Box F70 in December from a forum member here for $380...even though my original stick is perfectly fine, I simply could not bear to see a good horse get sold to the glue factory at that price! :laughing:...I traded the 10" coil to another forum member for an 11" dd straight up, then, while on a spree, I bought a NEL sharpshooter and a Tall Mans lower rod from a forum Sponsor/distributor for it! And a set of GG NDT's which I LOVE!...so all in I'm @$600. Its sitting here beside me at my desk, its cherry, a work of art, I cant bear to take it outside even! :laughing: Its a backup in case something ever happens to my main broom...My main heavily modded F70 stick is out in Rosie where She has resided for the past 7yrs and has functioned flawlessly in all conditions..

I simply cannot live without the F70, and I have not yet tapped into its full potential...I still run it 'half power' on account of I know my own limitations....Sometimes it takes a few tries to find a rig that meshes with your own internal CPU...I got lucky with the F70 right from jump...This is what its all about, find some rig that your brain understands as if its a natural extension of your other senses...

I think for me it was the tones. This being an audio Sport primary, the F70 gives you a complete selection from monotone to full Delta Pitch...I ran in AT for nearly a year, then found a Forum with users that offered alternate setting advice...also, I read a lot about What Dave J said about this machine, how to properly understand the theory behind what he built, and how to maximize it in field situations...All our brains work differently, the F70 at least gives you a complete tool set of options for you to find your sweet spot and establish a base line of dirt knowledge you can springboard off of in the future...Anyway...hope this helps, you asked for advice...damn thing is a pleasure, an extension of myself, makes me big stinky money...
Mud
 
Last edited:
thank you everyone! I have been weighing and measuring and getting all the experienced advice I can get and as always you all are a great help! I think I have narrowed it down somewhat, may end up buying a couple machines,lol.
 
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