Garrett AT Max information and questions

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I like it, has brought the AT Pro up to date with its current competitors with many long overdue features and changes in respect to performance. The tones sound much crisper than the outgoing Pro, something that would particularly suit myself - can't say I was too enamored with the original tones.

Expanded ground balance range will be a welcome sight for those wanting to beach detect (ground balance to salt) or prospect, plus the added true all-metal mode and threshold are other essentials for prospecting. The All-metal iron audio will make for easier detecting on say goldfields type sites where iron junk is prevalent, whilst still retaining the max depth capabiity of all-metal.

The backlighting was well overdue, and unfortunately one of the reasons why I never considered the AT Pro in the past.

It is good to see that the wireless headphones are included in the package, and are not a seperate option - does away with using those fiddly 2 pin connectors is an added bonus, that is unless using the waterproof headphones.

Whether the increase in transmit power will equate to real world depth gains, that remains to be seen - guess we have to wait till customers get their hands on it.

What are the negatives, the iron audio really needs a volume control rather than having it loudly grunting away in the background -- other brands/models costing less have that feature, so should this detector. The S-bend shaft should have had a complete overhaul to improve the ergonomics and balance of the nose heavy AT Pro (as with all the Ace series as well) - take a look at the Fisher F75 and Teknetics G2 to see what can be achieved with a decent shaft design. I understand that the epoxy filled coils need to be reasonably heavy for water hunting, though some lightweight coil options would be great for dry land detecting, and also improve the balance whilst reducing fatigue.

All up a pretty good "evolution" of the AT series, sure it doesn't bring anything new or innovative to the table (could see that coming after the Ace 400 release), I'm sure Garrett will still sell squillions of the things having such a large and loyal customer base. I reckon I would definitely prefer the Max over the issue plagued Whites MX Sport, its main competitor being waterproof. If only dry land/beach hunting, maybe not so much so with the release of the selectable frequency and feature packed Nokta Impact sitting smack bang in the same price range. Now to see what our crap exchange rate does for the Oz pricing, it's pretty quiet on Garrett Australia - not a mention of the AT Max. :|
 
Well said Goldpick, good summary of the features. Never been a Garrett fan myself, partly due to the type of audio they use and partly due to the weight/balance of their units.

But yes these features seem like good additions for the AT faithful.

Freq is way too low in my opinion for a gold machine so interesting to see what they do with the AT Gold. Leave it or replace it with something with an even higher freq??
 
The 18kHz thing as been done to death, both on past and current detectors, so I wonder whether a new AT Gold would be pushing for a higher frequency. Aside from the frequency differences, the lines are now really blurred between the AT Gold and AT Max with the addition of all-metal, amongst other things. Will be interesting to see whether they come up with something completely different, and not just make people have to buy an new version of the AT Gold for the higher frequency alone.

So many rumours flying around at the moment regarding maybe a new flagship garrett detector sitting above the AT Max, or an updated GTI range.
 
DeepThoughtCycle said:
If you were looking for a high frequency VLF, why not just get the goldbug2?

The target audience probably wouldn't consider a goldbug 2 due to it being a specialised gold vlf, and with limited options on tones and discrimination. Most people that opt for the AT Gold also coin/relic detect, not to mention that it is also waterproof. Some users actually prefer the AT Gold over the AT Pro for its all-metal depth advantage, whereas the AT Pro only offers zero discrimination.
 
This looks tempting...

ebay.com/itm/IN-STOCK-New-Garrett-AT-Max-Metal-Detector-Z-Lynk-Wireless-Headphones-Cap-Cover/182777157833?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

But the sellers feedback is of concern! :rolleyes:
 
I paid for mine in early July. Supposed to be in some time in the next couple of weeks.
 
SammyJ said:
It's being shipped from the US, so I'm thinking that is a US price.

Correct, listed on ebay US, and the seller is US based. Unless I have my numbers wrong I thought the AT Max Pro, which is what I think this is was going for around $1300 AUD. This thing is $895 AUD + $95 AUD post.

As for the feedback 100% is as good as your going to get BUT.... It is all for hair products, with the exception of one detector. They changed their ID to destiongold in Feb this year.

I buy a lot of radio/electronics gear from overseas sellers - apart from postal delays which are not the sellers fault, even though some buyers will get pissy and leave them negative feedback because of it, the biggest issue is if something is wrong it is awful expensive returning it. Warranty is worthless to you in Australia, very few companies honor warranties for goods purchased outside of Australia.
 
nesral said:
This chap not to happy with the AT Max on a wet beach.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_27eEeabrk4

Most VLF's, even ones that ground balance to salt have difficulty in the water itself, though operate much more stable on wet sand. You do have to remember that the AT Max is a higher gain detector than the outgoing AT Pro, hence regardless of greater ground balance range, it may require the sensitivity to be knocked back a fair bit more than what is portrayed in the video clip. Just something to have play around with to find the optimal setting for your local beaches, but I wouldn't expect the Max to be a miracle beach detector based soley on the new expanded GB range.
 
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