Garrett AT Series: All-Terrain Means What It Says
The AT in Garrett AT stands for All-Terrain - and the series delivers on it. All three machines are waterproof to 10 feet, making them genuinely usable in rivers, surf zones, and heavy rain without restrictions. This is the lineup for hunters who refuse to let conditions limit a detecting session.
Garrett AT Pro - the Most Popular Choice
The Garrett AT Pro metal detector at 15 kHz is Garrett's most popular all-terrain machine and has been for years. Balanced frequency for both coin and relic detecting, Pro Audio mode that gives experienced hunters more tonal nuance for reading complex targets, and solid depth in variable ground conditions. The AT Pro is a proven machine with a large, experienced user community - if you have a question about technique or settings, the answers are easy to find. It is the right choice for most hunters who want a fully waterproof Garrett machine for general use.
Garrett AT Max - Wireless and Better in Iron
The Garrett AT Max adds Z-Lynk wireless audio over the AT Pro - zero-delay wireless headphone connectivity that eliminates the latency problems common with Bluetooth. It also improves ground balance tracking for more demanding soil conditions and iron-heavy sites. If wireless audio matters to you, or if you hunt sites with high iron content where the AT Pro's ground balance requires frequent manual adjustment, the AT Max is worth the price difference. For general use, the AT Pro is the simpler choice at lower cost.
Garrett AT Gold - for Fine Gold and Jewelry
The Garrett AT Gold metal detector runs at 18 kHz - higher frequency than the AT Pro, tuned for sensitivity to fine gold, thin rings, and small jewelry targets that lower-frequency machines can miss. It is still a fully waterproof all-terrain machine, so it works in rivers and shallow surf. The tradeoff versus the AT Pro: the higher frequency makes it slightly more susceptible to ground mineralization noise in some conditions. The AT Gold is the right choice if fine jewelry and small gold targets are the primary goal, and river and beach detecting are part of the plan. See all gold detectors here.
AT Series vs ACE Series: Which Do You Need?
The ACE series is for dry-land detecting — capable machines at lower prices with waterproof coils but non-submersible control boxes. The AT series is for hunters who detect in or near water and in all weather conditions — all three models are fully submersible to 10 feet. If you ever wade streams, hunt beaches, or detect in heavy rain, the AT series is the right choice. The price premium over the ACE series is justified by the waterproofing alone for anyone who hunts near water. See the Garrett ACE Series for the dry-land comparison.
Related Guides: Best Beach Metal Detectors Guide | Getting Started with Metal Detecting | Metal Detecting Laws & Code of Ethics
