Where's Garrett?

[SS_Wonder]

Several companies have released very compelling machines over the last year, yet Garrett has been MIA.

The Apex (Garrett's first MF unit) seems to have fizzled out and the Axiom PI detector, while very capable for a PI detector, is very specific as to its use for gold and cache hunting.

Anyone know if Garrett has something on the horizon?

 

[Princess]

Where's Garrett? He's right here: @Wolf-Dog.

All jesting aside, I actually just remarked to my brother (Garrett) something along these lines about Garrett Metal Detectors. Harbor Freight, of all places, has just released a detector which they're claiming compares to an Ace. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if that's quite the stretch; but regardless, it's been a few years since the Apex, and detectorists are looking to Garrett for another release. To my way of thinking, the camo version of an AT Max doesn't cut it. Make no mistake, they're my favorite brand, and I wouldn't trade my Ace 250... yet for their own sake, I do hope they release something notable soon.

As you noted, the Axium is great for its purpose. The Apex, based on what I've heard from its users (@Monte, @The Lama), is a capable machine as well, and I can't help but wonder if it deserves more credit than it's received. Perhaps if they had introduced it as the start of a new line, rather than attaching the "Ace" prefix, it would have been more attractive to some. Still, I do think that Garrett (the brand that is, not my brother ) did very well on that model.

 

[The Lama]

I think the next one is getting closer and all i want them to do is go fully proportional audio ,my Apex with the reaper coil has been killing it for me in the ocean the last couple of years.

 

[markinswpa]

Several companies have released very compelling machines over the last year, yet Garrett has been MIA.

The Apex (Garrett's first MF unit) seems to have fizzled out and the Axiom PI detector, while very capable for a PI detector, is very specific as to its use for gold and cache hunting.

Anyone know if Garrett has something on the horizon?

I have always been a huge Garrett fan. Unfortunately their last releases have fallen short of the competition and I hope they will soon catch up. So far what I have seen does not compare to a Nokta or a Minelab. C'mon Garrett hire some of those whizz kid engineers. Mark

 

[hoser]

My first detector was a Garrett and I loved that machine. They put out a very quality detector for sure. But part of me kind of wonders if they are going by the way of the dodo and be another detector manufacturer on it's way out. I sure hope not but stranger things have happened such as Whites and Tesoro are now history. I would have never thought either one of those would had faded away. Pay no attention to me. I'm just having a senior moment.

 

[Magicmantx]

Honestly I think Garrett has shifted their focus to the lucrative security detecting market like you pass through at airports etc and wands. I have used an AT Pro for the past 5 years and finally got tired of waiting for them to make a move and jumped ship to Minelab.

 

[metaladdict]

I like my At pro, it's a keeper. I might of bought an Apex if it was waterproof with the tone roll audio.
Garrett needs something.

 

[SS_Wonder]

I began my journey with the AT Pro. Bought it for it’s durability.

While Minelab Equinox had a few more bells and whistles, the lack of waterproofing and fragile coil ears kept me from buying one.

Minelan seems to have addressed those issues with the 700 and 900.

The 900 is likely my next purchase unless Garrett releases an AT multi-frequency unit soon.

 

[CountyWorker]

I began my journey with the AT Pro. Bought it for it’s durability.

While Minelab Equinox had a few more bells and whistles, the lack of waterproofing and fragile coil ears kept me from buying one.

Minelan seems to have addressed those issues with the 700 and 900.

The 900 is likely my next purchase unless Garrett releases an AT multi-frequency unit soon.

I would like to be able to buy an American made machine, but the Aussies and the French are making better machines.


Also, the 700 and 900 are no more waterproof - IP68 - than the 600 and 800 and the overwhelming majority of Equinox users have never broken a coil ear.

The bright side is you can use your 900 to go back over the ground you hunted with the AT Pro and pull out some more good finds.

 

[markinmichigan]

As someone with a At Pro and only 5 months of detecting, I found the Garrett machine very easy to use. A very easy machine but very basic. It does miss masked targets. I've found that out with the Legend I just bought. The Legend cuts right through the ferrous junk for me as I found a lot of buried targets in an area I've hit hard.

The AT Pro will be my back up, water machine and loaner for now.

Just my 2 cents.

Mark in mIchigan

 

[elrodcod]

Garrett chose to go down this road to boost sales instead of updating the technology.

 

[AZMDR]

Where's Garrett? He's right here: @Wolf-Dog.

All jesting aside, I actually just remarked to my brother (Garrett) something along these lines about Garrett Metal Detectors. Harbor Freight, of all places, has just released a detector which they're claiming compares to an Ace. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if that's quite the stretch; but regardless, it's been a few years since the Apex, and detectorists are looking to Garrett for another release. To my way of thinking, the camo version of an AT Max doesn't cut it. Make no mistake, they're my favorite brand, and I wouldn't trade my Ace 250... yet for their own sake, I do hope they release something notable soon.

As you noted, the Axium is great for its purpose. The Apex, based on what I've heard from its users (@Monte, @The Lama), is a capable machine as well, and I can't help but wonder if it deserves more credit than it's received. Perhaps if they had introduced it as the start of a new line, rather than attaching the "Ace" prefix, it would have been more attractive to some. Still, I do think that Garrett (the brand that is, not my brother ) did very well on that model.

The Harbor Freight machine looks very much like the Chinese Dr Otek (and others) detector.

 

[SS_Wonder]

Garrett chose to go down this road to boost sales instead of updating the technology.View attachment 574943

Perhaps that was Garrett’s jump the shark moment?

 

[The Lama]

I agree with metaladdict tone roll proportional audio would be killer,i think on saltwater beaches the apex is as good as anything although i admit i've yet to try a d2 but in trashier areas the tone roll would help

 

[KOB]

Garrett has gone the way of Pat Garrett. Dead.

 

[AirmetTango]

Honestly I think Garrett has shifted their focus to the lucrative security detecting market like you pass through at airports etc and wands.

Exactly this. The sport division is definitely not where Garrett makes the lion's share of it's money these days, and it's not where they'll bother devoting any major development funding. In my opinion, I think Garrett is perfectly happy riding the name recognition and "made in USA" aspect out for as long as they can in the hobbyist market without diverting significant cash flow from it's other more lucrative divisions. The "Jase Robertson" repackaging is undeniable proof, in my opinion.

Don't get me wrong - I don't believe Garrett is going anywhere. I just see their sport division taking an increasingly distant backseat to their wildly lucrative security division.

 

[The Lama]

I would like to be able to buy an American made machine, but the Aussies and the French are making better machines.


Also, the 700 and 900 are no more waterproof - IP68 - than the 600 and 800 and the overwhelming majority of Equinox users have never broken a coil ear.

The bright side is you can use your 900 to go back over the ground you hunted with the AT Pro and pull out some more good finds.

View attachment 574942

Unfortunately minelabs are not made in Australia they are made in Malaysia

 

[CountyWorker]

Unfortunately minelabs are not made in Australia they are made in Malaysia

That would be like saying Ford isn’t an American company, because Fusions are made in Mexico. Or Chevloret isn’t an American company, because Silverados are made in Mexico.

 

[Monte]

Well, the reality of it all, the "Made-in-***" packaging is something I argued at White's for many years and other places as well. The legal rules of other countries may differ, but here in the USA, and it was more clearly qualified about 2021> The product musts be made with primary parts that are Made in the USA, and the primary design and construction must be Made in the USA, and there's more. Look it up.

Since metal detectors are mainly using all those electronic components hat are mainly made in China or Taiwan, and NOT made in the USA, they do not qualify. Additionally, it is where a lot of the physical packaging is made, such as the really nice control housing of the Teknetics T2, or when you look inside a detector and see that the circuit boards or other needed components or assembly were done in China or Mexico or elsewhere and then go to the USA manufacturer, those components were NOT Made in the USA.

For a couple of decades I voiced my concern with White's because so many said thy won't buy 'foreign' and only Made-in-the-USA. Well, Minelab, to give them credit for doing it right, were Made in Australia and Ireland, but now they boxes say Assembled-in-Malaysia. You can say using Foreign and Domestic parts, buy 'Assembled-in' is the proper and legal way to describe where a product comes from.

I do have a Nokta Pulse Dive that says 'Made-in-Turkey' on the box, but really, where do the electronic components come from? Or, for that matter, any of the physical packaging or the design intelligence? It might be that their country doesn't have the legal laws in place like here in the USA, or no-one has called them on it if they do. FTP got called on their Made-in-the-USA packaging and design, and it is only a matter of time. Look at all of the telephones, TV's, computers and on-and-on that we know are definitely 'Made-in-' foreign countries and primarily using foreign (to the USA) components. It's life.

So, in-the-end, I watch my LG television, use my Samsung phone, type my Forum contributions with my foreign computer and use a Dell monitor, and I do not have any problem using an Assembled-in-Malaysia Minelab or Assembled-in-China Quest detector. Really, the Quest products might actually be close to totally 'Made-in'.

On the coming X-Terra Pro, we are not positive yet where they are 'Assembled' but I do know I want one.

Monte

 

[jmaclen]

Unfortunately minelabs are not made in Australia they are made in Malaysia

The Minelab Equinox 600 and 800 did not have an IP68 rating. Minelab either chose not to have them IP tested or chose to not publish any waterproof rating service information. They just said they were waterproof to 3 meters. I have owned five different Equinox 600/800s. None leaked but they were rarely used submerged. Two had broken 11" coil ears.