Garrett Pro-Pointer II vs AT vs AT Z-Lynk: Which to Buy

The Garrett Pro-Pointer II, Pro-Pointer AT and Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk find targets the same way and weigh the same 6.5 oz, but they split on two questions: does it go under water, and does it send its audio to wireless headphones? The Pro-Pointer II is splashproof (IP66; the probe may go under water up to the power switch, never the whole pinpointer) with fixed sensitivity. The Pro-Pointer AT is waterproof to 20 ft (6 m) and adds three sensitivity levels and one-press retune. The AT Z-Lynk is the AT plus wireless audio to Garrett Z-Lynk headphones. For most detectorists the Pro-Pointer AT is the one to buy.

Garrett Pro-Pointer II vs AT vs AT Z-Lynk

The same on all three: 6.5 oz (0.2 kg) with battery, one 9V battery, 360 degree side scan with a pinpointing tip, proportional audio and vibration that rise as you get closer, LED light, scraping blade, lost pinpointer alarm, lanyard loop and belt holster. The AT models cost more than the Pro-Pointer II, and the Z-Lynk costs more again for its one extra feature.

Water: the difference that decides most purchases

The Garrett Pro-Pointer II is rated IP66. It handles rain, wet areas and a rinse under running water, and Garrett says the probe may go under water up to the power switch, but never the whole pinpointer. The Pro-Pointer AT and AT Z-Lynk are rated IP68 and waterproof to 20 ft (6 m), so they can go into a tide pool, a creek or the surf with you.

Even if you only hunt on land, waterproofing earns its keep. A pinpointer gets dropped in wet holes, rained on and rinsed off far more often than a detector does. That is the main reason we recommend the AT over the Pro-Pointer II for most people.

Retune and sensitivity: why the AT is easier to dig with

A pinpointer tunes itself when you switch it on. On the Garrett Pro-Pointer II, that is also the only way to retune: switch it off and back on. On the Pro-Pointer AT models, a quick press of the button retunes it. That matters in two situations:

• Large targets. A can or a big piece of iron sets off a pinpointer from several inches away. Retune with the tip close to the target to narrow the detection field, then sweep again to find the edge.
• Wet sand, salt water and mineralized soil. Garrett's AT manual says to hold the tip against the ground and quick-press to tune it out. The Pro-Pointer II can tune out the ground too, but only by switching it off and back on with the tip against the ground, which is slower when you are working a wet beach hole.

The AT models also have three sensitivity levels, minimum, medium and maximum, each with audio and vibration or vibration only. Garrett's manual recommends the lower levels in highly mineralized ground. The Pro-Pointer II's sensitivity is fixed.

Z-Lynk: who needs the wireless model

The Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk has a Z-Lynk transmitter built in and pairs with any Garrett Z-Lynk receiver, such as the MS-3 wireless headphones or the WR-1 receiver. To pair, switch the receiver on first, hold the pinpointer within 6 inches of it and switch the pinpointer on; the receiver's light goes from blinking to steady in about 3 seconds. After that it reconnects to the last receiver by itself. While it is paired, the pinpointer's own speaker is off and you hear it in your headphones.

That makes sense in one case: you hunt with a Garrett detector that has Z-Lynk built in, such as the AT MAX, which ships with Garrett Z-Lynk wireless headphones, or a Garrett Vortex VX7 or VX9, or you buy the headphones with the pinpointer in the AT Z-Lynk and MS-3 headphones kit. Then detector and pinpointer come through the same headphones, and you never take them off to hear the pinpointer. Radio does not pass through water, so when the AT Z-Lynk is fully under water you rely on its own vibration and audio. If you do not use Z-Lynk headphones or a WR-1 receiver, the AT Z-Lynk gives you nothing the AT does not.

Which Garrett Pro-Pointer to buy

• Most detectorists: the Pro-Pointer AT, for waterproofing, quick retune and three sensitivity levels.
• Dry-land hunting on a tight budget: the Pro-Pointer II. It works the same way in a dry hole; you give up waterproofing and quick retune. Our Garrett Pro-Pointer II review covers it on its own.
• Beach and water hunting: the Pro-Pointer AT. The Pro-Pointer II is only splashproof (the probe may go under water up to the power switch, never the whole pinpointer), and retuning it on wet salt sand means switching it off and on.
• Owners of Garrett Z-Lynk headphones: the Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk.

What none of them has: target ID or discrimination. Like every pinpointer, they tell you where the metal is, not what it is. For a deeper look at the AT on its own, see our Garrett Pro-Pointer AT review.

Battery and the lost pinpointer alarm

All three run on one 9V battery. Garrett's AT manual gives about 30 hours from an alkaline battery, 16 hours from carbon-zinc and 8 hours from a rechargeable 9V. If you leave any of the three switched on without pressing the button for 5 minutes, it starts chirping so you can find it in the grass, and it switches itself off after an hour of chirping. Carry a spare 9V in your finds pouch.

Tips that work with every Pro-Pointer

• Switch it on away from metal. It tunes itself at switch-on, so hold it in the air, away from the hole, your digger and any metal on your gear.
• Probe before you scrape. The scraping blade loosens packed soil, but stabbing blindly can scratch a good coin. Sweep the side of the hole first.
• Use a lanyard. It is the cheapest insurance against leaving the pinpointer in the grass or dropping it in water.

For cross-brand picks, our best pinpointers for metal detecting guide compares Garrett with Nokta, XP, Minelab and Fisher, and every Garrett model is in our Garrett pinpointers collection.