Bought an AT Pro One Month Ago. Here's My Opinion (and a Warning).

[FreeBirdTim]

Finally caved in and bought a slightly used AT Pro on eBay last month. I wanted to use it for awhile before I gave my opinion on it. Here's a list of the good and the bad things about:

The good:

1) I'm finding a lot of dimes 6-7 inches down in trashy spots. No silver dimes yet, but it does a great job getting in between the trashy signals. Have to go slow,though, or you'll miss a lot of good stuff.

2) I've stopped digging rusty bottle caps! The most annoying part of my Ace 250 was it ringing up rusty bottle caps as quarters. I still dig a few screw top aluminum soda caps, but very few beer bottle caps.

3) Waterproof! I had a cover for my Ace 250, but it still stressed me out whenever it rained. Nice to be able to detect in the rain and snow and not worry about shorting out my detector.

4) Ground balancing. Definitely a good feature that my Ace 250 wasn't capable of doing. The AT Pro acts up once in awhile in wet sand at the beach, but overall it does a great job of neutralizing that problem.

5) Pro mode is scary good! Took awhile to decipher all those tones, but I can see how good it is and how much better it is than the Ace 250 (and even the standard mode on the AT Pro).

The bad:

1) Changing batteries. I know it's necessary to have them in a pack and make the cover waterproof, but changing batteries in my Ace 250 is so easy compared to the AT Pro. I can also picture me breaking the battery cover tang on the AT Pro. Doesn't seem very sturdy, in my opinion.

2) Headphone jack. Way too fussy with that tiny pin and having to screw it in place. I like to be able to use headphones or not use them whenever I want. That jack setup is just annoying!

3) Weight. I used the same size coil with my Ace 250 (8.5x11), but my arm wears out a lot faster with the AT Pro. AT Pro weighs 3 lbs., 7 ounces, while the Ace 250 weighs 2 lbs., 13 ounces. That extra 10 ounces makes a difference after a couple of hours of swinging.

4) Pinpointing. I'm getting better, but I was having a tough time pinpointing with the AT Pro. Don't like to dig big plugs at baseball fields. I can dig a plug the size of a baseball with my Ace 250 and 95% of the time, it's in the hole. I'm digging softball sized plugs with the AT Pro and a good 10% of the time, it's not there.

5) No great finds doing my old spots! I thought I was missing a ton of silver coins and relics with my Ace 250, but that's not the case. The Ace 250 did a great job of locating the good stuff. I'm a little disappointed that my old spots still appear to be hunted out, even with a much better detector.


P.S. This went on way too long, so I'll start another thread regarding my warning with the AT Pro (or any other detector, for that matter).

 

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[Dave N Japan]

If you think the AT Pro is heavy, you need to go back to the old days young whipper snapper, but good review anyway

 

[NWMP]

The bad:

Your experiences are interesting. Here are mine after a few years with the ATP. Doesn't mean that my opinion is better, just different.

1) Changing batteries. I know it's necessary to have them in a pack and make the cover waterproof, but changing batteries in my Ace 250 is so easy compared to the AT Pro. I can also picture me breaking the battery cover tang on the AT Pro. Doesn't seem very sturdy, in my opinion.
Yes I found popping off that cover as being kind of dicey until I started lubing it to ensure a good water seal. After that it was super easy.

2) Headphone jack. Way too fussy with that tiny pin and having to screw it in place. I like to be able to use headphones or not use them whenever I want. That jack setup is just annoying!
Ya, I agree, and I only change it out for the water phones when needed. Inserting upside down in good light helps.

3) Weight. I used the same size coil with my Ace 250 (8.5x11), but my arm wears out a lot faster with the AT Pro. AT Pro weighs 3 lbs., 7 ounces, while the Ace 250 weighs 2 lbs., 13 ounces. That extra 10 ounces makes a difference after a couple of hours of swinging.
Yes the weight or balance difference is quite noticeable compared to my old ACE 250 Or Tejon. But I got used to it for the most part, but more importantly, found that if I actually used the arm cuff, and not just laid my arm over it, it makes a big difference.

4) Pinpointing. I'm getting better, but I was having a tough time pinpointing with the AT Pro. Don't like to dig big plugs at baseball fields. I can dig a plug the size of a baseball with my Ace 250 and 95% of the time, it's in the hole. I'm digging softball sized plugs with the AT Pro and a good 10% of the time, it's not there.
I had trouble pin pointing with a dd coil that size at first, but I got better. I just decided to get a Garrett carrot which helped with any machine I used.

5) No great finds doing my old spots! I thought I was missing a ton of silver coins and relics with my Ace 250, but that's not the case. The Ace 250 did a great job of locating the good stuff. I'm a little disappointed that my old spots still appear to be hunted out, even with a much better detector.
My experience was quite different. Yes I could pop out some old silver quarters from a pounded field with my ACE 250. But after I learned the ATP and went pro mode etc., I got a ton of extra info and depth...tiny silver nickles, turn of the century cuff links etc.. Ground balancing in a clean spot of course.

P.S. This went on way too long, so I'll start another thread regarding my warning with the AT Pro (or any other detector, for that matter).

It"s not the be all, end all machine. But considering the performance that I got.....and water use....., I feel that my cost per value ratio was and still is, in my favor.

 

[ARC]

Good post / read.

 

[Loco-Digger]

One thing many do not take into account is the weight of the new detector they are eyeing. It does take some time to get used to just a few additional ounces. Wait until you buy huge coil for target sparse areas. I need to use my make shift harness if I plan on swinging the detector with a large coil for more than a couple hours. When it come to the volume in my headphones, I run it at full volume when I am using a cheap $5 pair that does not have ear cups. When I us headphones with ear cups I run the volume at 50-70 percent depending on the noise of the area. When a train is coming by I crank the up until it passes or decide to take a couple minute break.

 

[Dr. Witty]

The bad:

1) Changing batteries. I know it's necessary to have them in a pack and make the cover waterproof, but changing batteries in my Ace 250 is so easy compared to the AT Pro. I can also picture me breaking the battery cover tang on the AT Pro. Doesn't seem very sturdy, in my opinion.

2) Headphone jack. Way too fussy with that tiny pin and having to screw it in place. I like to be able to use headphones or not use them whenever I want. That jack setup is just annoying!

Personally I think changing the batteries on the Ace 250 is harder, but you can get spare battery holders for the AT Pro on E-bay for just a couple of bucks, so you can load a fresh set of batteries in it and pop that in at any time. The battery cover will not break unless you mistreat it, but you could probably get a spare one of those as well. You can also get a Garrett headphone adapter cord for 33 bucks that will change the proprietary connector into a standard headphone jack and move it up to the top of the armrest. I did this then added a set of Rappoo wireless headphones for which the volume can be adjusted at the headset. I paid 30 dollars for a set of these headphones on E-bay, and they work great for the AT-Pro. Be mindful of the 2 screw pillars that connect the control module to the stem. They are a weak spot and may break if the detector is dropped or put down hard. Someone on here modded that by adding a copper pipe brace and using the 2 screws that hold the speaker in place to secure it. I did that as well, but that was after i had sent it back to Garrett for replacement of the control module due to those plastic pillars breaking. Good luck.
-Dr. Witty

 

[Rogue Relic Hunter]

agree about the headphone jack. i do not use headphones on this machine. the stock ones that came with it i just dont like. what a pain in the arse to be connected to the wire and all that. go wireless with the XP Deus. Just dont take a bath with it.

 

[Rogue Relic Hunter]

If you think the AT Pro is heavy, you need to go back to the old days young whipper snapper, but good review anyway

AGREED. weight is relative.

someday future generations will complain about the XP Deus weight. "heavy old thing, my god. this new detector that hooks to your sunglasses is so so much easier to use. you just look at the ground, hear the signal, blink to pinpoint, see the target ID in your lenses, and dig. I can't believe Chelsea Clinton is President...Just found a real relic, button that says, TRUMP/PENCE. Can anyone date this thing? Is it pre-2nd Civil War?"

 

[Diggin-N-Dumps]

ACE 250 and AT Pro are night and day.

I used the ATP for 4 years and it was one of the best machines I had. Just like anything, it just takes time to get used to it. Headphone thing sucked, but I never used them unless I was underwater. I did notice the weight difference, but then I got the CTX....HUUUUGE difference in weight and how you swing it.

In 6 months you will have nothing but praise for the ATP

best of luck!

 

[Dr. Witty]

I think they made that headphone jack so that you could take it under water.

 

[Rogue Relic Hunter]

I think they made that headphone jack so that you could take it under water.

...that or take a bath when you have to buy the adapter to use other headphones.

 

[beerguy]

Personally, weight is as much of an issue as balance.

I usually swing a CTX, and it is heavy but balanced.

This is a good reason to actually hold one and get a feel for it before you buy.