Whats the better one - Garretts AT Pro or a Minelab E-trac ?

[fella]

Is this really a topic? Everyone I know that had an at pro upgrade to an etrac In less than a year. Etrac hands down is far better. Only thing I like bout the at pro is it is water proof.

Blue : Yep and it will continue to be. Peoples hunting requirements are all different. Some people prefer hunting for 3 dollar silver dimes, some $3000 gold rings.

Red : Better? At what? Gold...nope, recovery speed/iron masking...nope, ergonomics...fat chance there. But hey, it goes a little deeper on silver coins and at more than twice the price I would expect that it should. But then again I would expect it to be able to do more than ONE thing "better" at that price point.

 

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[Longhair]

Blue : Yep and it will continue to be. Peoples hunting requirements are all different. Some people prefer hunting for 3 dollar silver dimes, some $3000 gold rings.

Red : Better? At what? Gold...nope, recovery speed/iron masking...nope, ergonomics...fat chance there. But hey, it goes a little deeper on silver coins and at more than twice the price I would expect that it should. But then again I would expect it to be able to do more than ONE thing "better" at that price point.

You're entitled to your opinion....even when you're wrong.
I know far more people that have paid for their E-tracs with their finds than I do AT Pro users. Considering the cost difference, I'd say that the E-tracs have proven their ability......the rest is up to the operator.

 

[dirtscratcher]

Blue : Yep and it will continue to be. Peoples hunting requirements are all different. Some people prefer hunting for 3 dollar silver dimes, some $3000 gold rings.

Red : Better? At what? Gold...nope, recovery speed/iron masking...nope, ergonomics...fat chance there. But hey, it goes a little deeper on silver coins and at more than twice the price I would expect that it should. But then again I would expect it to be able to do more than ONE thing "better" at that price point.

Fella you seem to be alone out in left field.

 

[fella]

Fella you seem to be alone out in left field.

OMG! How ever will I sleep tonight?

 

[dholland02]

OMG! How ever will I sleep tonight?

This sounds like another person who had an etrac, couldn't learn the machine and had to settle for an at pro. Its ok I know a few guys like that.

 

[fella]

This sounds like another person who had an etrac, couldn't learn the machine and had to settle for an at pro. Its ok I know a few guys like that.

You really need some new material!

 

[dholland02]

Just stating what I know from people I hunted with in the past.

 

[fella]

Beep beep beep...program complete!

 

[Fletch88]

This sounds like another person who had an etrac, couldn't learn the machine and had to settle for an at pro. Its ok I know a few guys like that.

I'm still new to Etrac but in short time I've owned it, I may agree with this comment. I am having to read a book to really utilize all the Etrac features but having a blast doing so! I'm sure it would be really easy to get frustrated with this machine if you only read the ML manual. I'm sorry but the pure physics of multifreq machines has its advantages!

 

[XL-PRO PRO]

I have used a Sovereign XS and an Etrac and don't understand the slow recovery comments.I have pulled silver coins mixed with rusty nails in places that have been hunted to death.These coins were ignored or masked by other detectors,including some that I have owned.To me, this is one of the Etracs strongest points along with the elimination of the need to ground balance(28 frequencies).

 

[atomicscott]

Blue : Yep and it will continue to be. Peoples hunting requirements are all different. Some people prefer hunting for 3 dollar silver dimes, some $3000 gold rings.

Red : Better? At what? Gold...nope, recovery speed/iron masking...nope, ergonomics...fat chance there. But hey, it goes a little deeper on silver coins and at more than twice the price I would expect that it should. But then again I would expect it to be able to do more than ONE thing "better" at that price point.

Thats a tough battle you picked fella! AT Pro is nowhere near the level of an etrac, from all the user reviews and comparisons I have seen. There is a reason the etrac costs twice the AT Pro.

 

[DiggerinVA]

Thats a tough battle you picked fella! AT Pro is nowhere near the level of an etrac, from all the user reviews and comparisons I have seen. There is a reason the etrac costs twice the AT Pro.

Yep, because some people are willing to pay it! Some people will buy magic beans. At the end of the day the only thing that matters is what is in your finds pouch and, more importantly, if you had fun...

 

[DiggerinVA]

There are countless deer rifles out there that cost $1500-$2000 or more! Do they kill deer better than the sooo popular $650 Remington model 700? NO, they do not....but some people feel they have an "edge" or advantage using those high-end rifles. And that is fine....to each their own!

 

[dirtscratcher]

There are countless deer rifles out there that cost $1500-$2000 or more! Do they kill deer better than the sooo popular $650 Remington model 700? NO, they do not....but some people feel they have an "edge" or advantage using those high-end rifles. And that is fine....to each their y own!

At longer ranges yes they do better with better triggers and optics. Same as with detectors.

 

[atomicscott]

There are countless deer rifles out there that cost $1500-$2000 or more! Do they kill deer better than the sooo popular $650 Remington model 700? NO, they do not....but some people feel they have an "edge" or advantage using those high-end rifles. And that is fine....to each their own!

True but rifles are not detectors. They all have the same result: a striker hits a primer, and gunpowder propels the round out of the barrel, no software/programming involved. I can make a zip gun out of steel pipe and probably kill a deer with it. Companies who spend money on r&d tend to have more innovative and better performing products. I have used different detectors (& guns) back to back. My detectors did not all give the same results, due to different technologies used when designing the different brands. Just my experience, no offense intended to anyone

 

[Longhair]

There are countless deer rifles out there that cost $1500-$2000 or more! Do they kill deer better than the sooo popular $650 Remington model 700? NO, they do not....but some people feel they have an "edge" or advantage using those high-end rifles. And that is fine....to each their own!

By that line of thinking, I'm better off with my bow that didn't cost as much as your Rem. M700 because it kills 'em just as dead.
The fact is that I don't deer hunt with a gun at all because I don't need to at the range I normally shoot them from. I still have a Savage M10FPLE/2A w/Leatherwood M1200 A.R.T. for 1000yd shooting. Can I use it at 15-20yds? Yes, but it's unnecessary. Can I use my bow for 1000yds? No! Not even close to it.

It boils down to needs, expectations, and capabilities weighed against cost. I wouldn't take a CTX to a tot-lot, but I also wouldn't take a Compadre field hunting. It's a "proper tool for the job" scenario. You could take a CTX to a tot-lot, but it's serious overkill. Just the same with the Compadre field hunting. You can take a Compadre to a field, but your results might well be less than inspirational given the time and effort expended. You might as well ask, "Why do you need a car when a horse will get you there?"


Another thing to consider, is that "the best you know is the best that you've had", meaning that just because you have a tool that you like that works for you and what you're after does not mean that it's the best or the most that anyone else might need.

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

It's a "proper tool for the job" scenario.

Agreed! They are tools. Screwdrivers dont make good hammers. I have tried! lol

 

[DiggerinVA]

I know the ATpro is not the "do-all" perfect machine.....that is why i own more than one. But why is it always put up against machines costing twice as much? That alone tells me it's holding it's own pretty well. It shouldn't be "ATpro versus Etrac" .....it should be "ATpro and Etrac" as i feel the work well together and make upp for each others short comings....

 

[vabuckhunter]

I own both detectors and both have positives and negatives. I am fairly new to the E Trac and still learning the machine but every time I turn it on I like it even more, with that being said if I had to choose one I would choose the AT Pro. In my experience the AT Pro is better in iron, a whole lot faster recovery speed and most of all weighs a whole lot less. I know everyone on here that uses Minelabs will argue with me about this but this is from my own experience. With the E Trac costing almost 3 times more it is not worth the money in my opinion.

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Alas, another comparison.... And there really is none there - comparison that is....

Do you want to metal detect, or do you want to be detectorist? That about sums it up. Your choice.....