Big Boys Hobbies

Opinion on trading a AT Pro for a Minelab Quattro

N

njemt

Full Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2014
Messages
116
Location
Old Bridge, NJ
I'm looking to pick up a Safari and I was approached on another site by a gentleman that has a Quattro he was willing to trade for my AT Pro? Opinions on whether or not this would be a good deal??? I don't hunt in water so i really don't need the waterproof.
 
I would say that would be an OK trade. I hunt the Minelab SE Pro and I think it is the best. The Quatro would have to be swung slower than the AT Pro, but as for depth it should be a touch deeper once you get to understand it.
 
IIRC,the Quattro is not supported by Minelab anymore. The cost of a repair could get expensive. The AT Pro is still supported by Garrett and if repair is needed, should not be as expensive.Unless you just hate your AT Pro, I would hold out for something more current or just sell your AT Pro outright.:yes:
 
ZR2guy said:
IIRC,the Quattro is not supported by Minelab anymore. The cost of a repair could get expensive. The AT Pro is still supported by Garrett and if repair is needed, should not be as expensive.Unless you just hate your AT Pro, I would hold out for something more current or just sell your AT Pro outright.:yes:
Click to expand...

+1
 
Yeah unfortunately with the 200 post requirement I can't post it for sale on here. I have seen the safari going for less than $600 used on some sites but without selling the ATP first I can't pick it up. So I guess I'll have to find away to sell it but I really hate eBay and am not crazy about Craigslist.
 
I went from the AT Pro to the E Trac and cannot tell you just how happy I am with my decision. I still own the AT Pro as well as several other units but the E Trac is my main go to detector and has put over 75 silver coins in my pouch this year as well as some nice early large cents.
I know the price of the E trac scares away a lot of people but it was the best $ I ever spent. If you shop around you can get a new on for under $1200.
 
Pastor Bob said:
I would say that would be an OK trade. I hunt the Minelab SE Pro and I think it is the best. The Quatro would have to be swung slower than the AT Pro, but as for depth it should be a touch deeper once you get to understand it.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mind a SE Pro but I still have the same trade or selling issue.
 
njemt said:
I'm looking to pick up a Safari and I was approached on another site by a gentleman that has a Quattro he was willing to trade for my AT Pro? Opinions on whether or not this would be a good deal??? I don't hunt in water so i really don't need the waterproof.
Click to expand...

Not many Quattro users out there......

But.......

20856055466_0e1b2c8d8d_c.jpg


yup.. I swing one.

Its a decent machine, was only made for about 2 years from 2004 to 2006 or so... was replaced by the safari which is almost identical. I think it cost around $900 when new.

I just did a hunt, this evening, where I saw a guy with an AT pro hunting earlier today..... and he missed a few silvers ....:p

look familiar to anybody on here?

21639116736_88c3c0ce5c_c.jpg


Would I trade my Quattro for an AT Pro....nope.

But If I had an AT pro I would not trade it for a Quattro.

I believe the Quattro to be a deeper seeker but it takes experience and time to learn the machine. The Quattro is insanely slow. If you like to just go with the tones its tolerable, but the ID numbers are slow to respond.

The 10" slimline FBS coil that came stock on the Quattro is junk. If you get the quattro your going to want to get either a minlab pro coil off an etrac or a Detech butterfly coil. I mainly use a Detech 10"x12"

20775557403_31bd79ce09_c.jpg


I also use one of these:
21208554400_0740d0df52_c.jpg


and the 8" FBS coil is in my arsenal for the mindlab...

20206595354_e1a9e929b7_c.jpg


Just dont use the 10" slimline.....

I would not worry much about it being out of warranty... because lets face it... even is you purchased a used Etrac, chances are its out of warranty, and the repairs would cost more than the machine is worth.

The Quattro is well built and I have had no problems and the coils, lower rods, battery packs.... and anything else I purchased for it will work on my Etrac when I get it next spring. :D

If the Quattro comes with aftermarket coils, lower rods, rechargeable pack and you plan on upgrading to an Etrac in the future, It may be worth the trade. Otherwise I would hold on to your AT Pro wait... and save for an Etrac.

I like my Quattro... and I have made some great finds with it.... but I want an Etrac. The Quattro is just to damn slow.
 
I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Quattro. I do plan on upgrading the coil after I sell my F2 though. Any suggestions on a new coil?
 
I did but he won't take a trade on a used detector only towards a new one. I didn't mention that I am a member here but I don't know if that would make a difference. I am even willing to trade 2 detectors for 1.
 
njemt said:
I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Quattro. I do plan on upgrading the coil after I sell my F2 though. Any suggestions on a new coil?
Click to expand...

either a minlab pro coil from a etrac or a Detech 10"x12" butterfly coil, the Mindlab FBS 800 also seems to work well with the Quattro.

But.... as I said earlier... The market is flooded with used Etracs right now. I have seen Used Etracs with extra coils going in the $700 range on Ebay. In fact there is an Etrac on Ebay right now with no bids with a starting price of $750.... only 2 days left. It also comes with 3 coils:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Minelab-e-trac-Metal-Detector-with-5-10-and-12-Coils-plus-Headphones-/121769514686?hash=item1c5a0756be

Its not mine and I have no connection to whose selling it. Its just an example of whats out there. I have been keeping an eye on the prices because I plan on upgrading before next season.

The only Quattro I could find at this time... has a starting price of $699 :lol:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Minelab-Quattro-Mp-Metal-Detector-/321843625880?hash=item4aef5fff98

Honestly..... he will probably only get about $400 for it..... but you never know.


I've seen newer Safaris go for $700.... with the average well used price of $400-$600.

Honestly... just hunt around and get an Etrac. They seem to be a better deal right now and give you more room to grow.
 
I'm going another route on my advice.... WHY do you seem so eager to dump that AT Pro? Your post count is low, are you pretty new to MDing? I don't have an AT but would if a good deal came along. I am a diehard Minelab supporter now, having two. It seems that you should keep that AT P for a while longer, learn it and save your finds for the next machine... But that's just my opinion. Good Luck however you decide to go.
 
banshee89 said:
either a minlab pro coil from a etrac or a Detech 10"x12" butterfly coil, the Mindlab FBS 800 also seems to work well with the Quattro.

But.... as I said earlier... The market is flooded with used Etracs right now. I have seen Used Etracs with extra coils going in the $700 range on Ebay. In fact there is an Etrac on Ebay right now with no bids with a starting price of $750.... only 2 days left. It also comes with 3 coils:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Minelab-e-trac-Metal-Detector-with-5-10-and-12-Coils-plus-Headphones-/121769514686?hash=item1c5a0756be

Its not mine and I have no connection to whose selling it. Its just an example of whats out there. I have been keeping an eye on the prices because I plan on upgrading before next season.

The only Quattro I could find at this time... has a starting price of $699 :lol:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Minelab-Quattro-Mp-Metal-Detector-/321843625880?hash=item4aef5fff98

Honestly..... he will probably only get about $400 for it..... but you never know.


I've seen newer Safaris go for $700.... with the average well used price of $400-$600.

Honestly... just hunt around and get an Etrac. They seem to be a better deal right now and give you more room to grow.
Click to expand...

On a side note.... an interesting little tidbit that came out of a mindlabs engineers mouth about 4 years ago was that the etracs circuitry was actually based on the quattro and not the explorer. I dont know how true it is... so take it for what it is. I will try and find the thread on the mindlabs forum and post it here.
 
I personally would not trade a AT Pro for a Quattro, really the only thing good about the Quattro is the FBS, and even that is a outdated version. And like others mentioned, the Quattro is going to be fairly old with no good support from Minelab, if you want a affordable FBS machine go with a used Safari. I still wouldn't even trade a AT Pro for a Safari lol, imo all those FBS machines are way to heavy and way to slow, they only get tolerable at the SE model, obviously this is my opinion but ive used all the machines mentioned so I have a pretty good idea on them. Going from the AT Pro to a FBS machine you're looking at nearly double the weight, and nearly 60% slower swing speed because of how much computing is required by the FBS technology. The AT Pro is one of the best upper mid range detectors you can get, but if you were for some reason hell bent on trading it for a Minelab, I personally would go for a Minelab Xterra 705, now thats a hell of a detector for the money. If you really want a FBS machine, I would save a extra dollar or two and trade the AT Pro plus $200 or so for a nice SE Pro. Or $400 (and at pro) or so for a eTrac. I tell you one thing though, those newer FBS machines are wicked awesome at sniffing out the silver!

HH,
Rich
 
Ok so the deal with the quattro feel through. What are the opinions on trading the AT Pro for a whites dfx or a Minelab xs?
 
njemt said:
Ok so the deal with the quattro feel through. What are the opinions on trading the AT Pro for a whites dfx or a Minelab xs?
Click to expand...

I liked the DFX a lot, I owned 2 Explorer XS as well, and was not a fan. The XS was heavy, slow, lcd needed a lot of work (hard to see), and I hated the stock coils on them. The DFX felt lighter, I could swing it faster, I liked the tones and ID better, and it had a superior LCD IMO. I think you would feel more at home going from an AT Pro to a DFX than to an XS and you still get the benefitss of multi-freq. with the DFX. I do like the new FBS detectors and have an E-trac which is great but I would never buy another Explorer XS.
 
Opinions Vary

This is a good thread for me to read because I was thinking of ditching my Etrac for an AT Pro.

A guy I met said he found $109 worth of coins at a hunted out courthouse lawn. (Maybe he meant hunted out AFTER he left. :grin: )

I have never liked the eTrac from day one when I started out by dropping a zinc penny in sparse grass and could not find it because of all of the noise. I actually LOST a coin right in front of me. Then, the next coin I was a Barber dime X inches down. Amidst all the noises. I say "X" inches because by the time I found the dime my hole was 10 inches deep and an eclipse about 15 inches long. And there was NOTHING else in that hole except that dime.

I have found some nice things with it but it takes a lot of patience, and Nobody can tell me what exactly that "special sound" actually sounds like.

And I have been hunting for 22 years with 5 different machines.

The Etrac is heavy as....well, add some weight to your current machine to equal the Etrac weight and swing it for an hour.

I nearly hate it.

I thought the AT Pro might be worth a look based in that guy finding so many coins at the courthouse until I saw the post above about getting an Etrac instead of the AT Pro. Ah well.

After swinging my old Tesero Stingray again for the first time in a long time last weekend, I'm just going to stick with that for a while this fall. If I want coins copper and above, cranking it over juuuust to the point where it hears only the test coin and nearly the only thing it will beep on after setting it that way is deep square nails, or a .22 shell. If I am in an old spot I can set it to hear a zinc penny and above and still locate the Indian heads.

One of these days I'm going to organize a local hunt at an old noisy ghost town in St. Louis County, or a noisy abandoned1900s park on long-private land near my hometown. One of the key goals being to get a bunch of machines out there and actually compare machines. I've never heard of an actual head to head comparison of who hears what and what's actually in the ground.

And maybe I can learn something ... other than my opinions.
 
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