Minelab 600 vs Garett AT PRO which one should I go with

[Chase7628]

I have a chance to get either model and wondering what your thoughts are on the machines and what the biggest advantage of one over the other is?

Minelab 600 vs Garrett AT PRO


Thanks in advance for the help

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

I've owned an AT PRO for about 5 years now and it's been great for me on land and fresh water. But in those 5 years I've come to learn that I prefer beach hunting most. The PRO was fine for dry sand but I could never get comfortable with it in wet sand or saltwater. It just made too much noise and if I got the noise to settle down I wouldn't get depth. So I've bought an equinox for the beach which I haven't gotten a chance to try yet. Hoping it will be much better.

It will work in salt water but you have to ground balance when your in wet salt sand, then again in water if it is salt water, even then it is still chatty.

 

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[Toecutter]

I used the ATpro and now use the Nox 800, some thing i recently noticed with the Nox I have a hard time finding my target because of all the iron in the hole, never had this problem with my ATpro and Im not complaining lol

 

[smokeythecat]

Back to my original point, take a drive and test drive any machine you are considering buying. I have seen (all machines on the market) being not liked by one person or another for (insert reason here). YOU are the one who will be using it. Not every one likes the same color or make of car. There is no magic wand on a stick out there. Hope there is a dealer near you, or at least within a hundred miles or so. Makes for a nice road trip. PLUS the dealer can sell you extra stuff.

 

[cudamark]

I've owned an AT PRO for about 5 years now and it's been great for me on land and fresh water. But in those 5 years I've come to learn that I prefer beach hunting most. The PRO was fine for dry sand but I could never get comfortable with it in wet sand or saltwater. It just made too much noise and if I got the noise to settle down I wouldn't get depth. So I've bought an equinox for the beach which I haven't gotten a chance to try yet. Hoping it will be much better.

Don't worry, it will be!

 

[cudamark]

Back to my original point, take a drive and test drive any machine you are considering buying. I have seen (all machines on the market) being not liked by one person or another for (insert reason here). YOU are the one who will be using it. Not every one likes the same color or make of car. There is no magic wand on a stick out there. Hope there is a dealer near you, or at least within a hundred miles or so. Makes for a nice road trip. PLUS the dealer can sell you extra stuff.

If you are able to borrow or rent these models before you buy, that would be great. Even still, if you've never used either one before, you might not be able to make a proper decision until you get more experience with the machines. If you aren't able to test drive a loaner, I don't think there are too many (if any) dealers that are going to let you take a brand new machine to the ocean just to try it and not buy it. I'd base my decision on what type of detecting I'd be doing, and which machine is designed for that type. Single VLF machines are NOT designed for salt water. Will they work there? To a point they will, if you detune the machine enough to make them stable. If you get a multi-frequency (or PI machine) machine, you don't need to do that.

 

[Doug H]

It will work in salt water but you have to ground balance when your in wet salt sand, then again in water if it is salt water, even then it is still chatty.

I dont want to take over this thread with my experience with the PRO but ground balancing on a saltwater beach usually ends up at around 12 to 14. My experience as well as others I know is that when the machine balances at that low of a number the depth is severely affected. Irregardless of where the sensitivity is set. Like I said, for me it's been great everywhere but the wet sand and saltwater which renders it almost useless for me. Others who have success with it there, I submit to your detecting skills.

 

[smokeythecat]

Like Cudamark said, perhaps if you join a local club, assuming there is one nearby, borrowing a machine for a bit from someone who knows each would be great.

 

[A2coins]

Good ideas some detector stores rent them also

 

[smokeythecat]

A2coins, I think all the dealers around here have gone out of business. That's been quite recently.

 

[Trapper John]

One thing to watch out for with any machine is that they are all - machines. In a world obsessed with extended service plans it is easy to overlook the fact that machines need service and occasionally break down. This requires near constant care and maintenance, as well as a willingness to pop into forums such as this one to post questions and concerns, as you have done.

You've done well by asking for opinions. As for the AT Pro once I figured out what my machine was doing it has served me well. The coil failure, while frustrating, is hard to assess. Do you use a coil protective cover, or was the problem initially electrical? Defects and manufacturing errors are seemingly a way of life. That may be why so many Garrett owners speak highly of their maintenance policies as well as why "extended service" plans in general are so popular. I have always figured that a product's reputation and warranty should speak for itself. After all what we're really dealing with are product specifications, like mean time to failure and mean time to repair. Why does a product need an additional outlay of funds if it is properly designed and built in the first place?

In any event you are well along the path to making a choice. Whichever brand and model you select, in the final analysis ongoing care and feeding will be required. When you select your machine, be sure to take the time to learn it well. And be prepared to deal with its idiosyncrasies over time.

 

[smokeythecat]

Chase7628, did you get a machine?