Garrett AT MAX

cmjordan77

New Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
10
Hi
I just picked up an AT MAX Today.
I bought it off craigslist. The guy I bought it from won it in a raffle from the local fire dept.
It was one of the full kits.
It came with the machine
Wireless headphones
the pro pinpointer II
The hand shovel?knife
Hat
a few packs
and a few other odds and ends.
I picked up it up new in the box for $550.
I think I got a decent deal as they are new $750+

I just got a used Sand Shark. and I have a Tesoro Cibola.
I plan on using it around the beach a little.
but mostly on land.

I am worried some, I have read so much that's wrong with this detector.
I was reading that I should have gotten Minelab Equinox.

Any thoughts? Maybe Ill sell all 3 of mine and get the minelab with some added $$

I appreciate any help.

Thank you
 
Don't buy into the hype, use what machine works best for you in your location. Try out the max for a bit, if you dont like it, you could easily find a new home for it. That whole kit for the Garrett is an excellent set up. Good luck and happy hunting!
 
Hi

I just got a used Sand Shark. and I have a Tesoro Cibola.
I plan on using it around the beach a little.
but mostly on land.

I am worried some, I have read so much that's wrong with this detector.
I was reading that I should have gotten Minelab Equinox.

Any thoughts?

For a single, all-purpose detector, it's hard to beat a multi-frequency minelab. Detectors like the NOX, CTX, and Excal would give you almost the same level of performance in the wet and dry AND you'd be able to run up and down the beach from dry to wet to surf without having to switch machines. Nonetheless, you have some excellent machines. You can use the SS in the wet sand and surf and then use the Cibola and ATM in the dry.

The ATM will work in the wet but you're going to have to be patient to do that. Learn how to balance and adjust the sensitivity to make it work. Also learn to cope with a little bit of chatter and how to tell the difference between random signals (false) vs real targets. You'll get it and make it work, but again, its not a minelab.

In dry sand, stable soils and freshwater, your ATM will really shine. It has a fast recovery speed and does pretty well in trash. Buy on detecting book on the ATM and it will fasttrack your learning curve.

Congrats on the new machine!
 
Thanks for the replies
I'm down in south Carolina.
I was thinking about buying the Max cheat card that's listed on eBay for $10 and see if it might help me some.
 
Thanks for the replies
I'm down in south Carolina.
I was thinking about buying the Max cheat card that's listed on eBay for $10 and see if it might help me some.

Save your 10 bucks and just get out and swing the MAX. I've had mine for about a year with lots of fun hunts and great finds. To start I'd suggest Zero Mode with the discrimination around 35 or so. Set the sensitivity a few bars down below maximum. Make sure to ground balance. Listen for repeatable signals and start digging. Once you get better with the tones, you can lower the discrimination and really listen to everything in the ground. It takes lots of practice and a discerning ear to learn what your machine is telling you. You got a great deal on that Garrett. It's a very capable machine. Put the time in to learn it and I don't think you will be disappointed. Happy Hunting. Make sure to keep us posted and not get too wrapped up in the negative reviews online of any particular machine.
 
There is nothing at all wrong with the at Max..The only gripe long time at pro users have is that it's not a better at pro,,it's a at Max....I'm guilty of that.
 
I hated my AT Pro when I first used it. I was used to a Explorer. But I wasnt used to it all. Once I learned it, thats a whole other story....
Best advice, like the last person said, give it a chance and some time and I think you will find it to be a good machine. Good luck!
 
I watch the Hoover Boys on utube. They use Garretts and make incredible finds. There is a little secret I will let you in on. Where you detect is very important.
 
Hi
I just picked up an AT MAX Today.
I bought it off craigslist. The guy I bought it from won it in a raffle from the local fire dept.
It was one of the full kits.
It came with the machine
Wireless headphones
the pro pinpointer II
The hand shovel?knife
Hat
a few packs
and a few other odds and ends.
I picked up it up new in the box for $550.
I think I got a decent deal as they are new $750+

I just got a used Sand Shark. and I have a Tesoro Cibola.
I plan on using it around the beach a little.
but mostly on land.

I am worried some, I have read so much that's wrong with this detector.
I was reading that I should have gotten Minelab Equinox.

Any thoughts? Maybe Ill sell all 3 of mine and get the minelab with some added $$

I appreciate any help.

Thank you

whoooooooaaaaaa Nellllliiieee

Slow down, spend some time with the Max, while the speculation that the Nox was thought to be just about like the Second Coming......many of the experienced detectorist I value, agree it's a good machine but still has short falls. I am aware while the Max is chatty it's is supposed to be fairly deep. And with the ability to get larger very affordable coils, you might actually get deeper while covering more ground. I've had many machines, but rarely do I suspect that just changing machines will impact your results that greatly.
 
whoooooooaaaaaa Nellllliiieee

Slow down, spend some time with the Max, while the speculation that the Nox was thought to be just about like the Second Coming......many of the experienced detectorist I value, agree it's a good machine but still has short falls. I am aware while the Max is chatty it's is supposed to be fairly deep. And with the ability to get larger very affordable coils, you might actually get deeper while covering more ground. I've had many machines, but rarely do I suspect that just changing machines will impact your results that greatly.

Great post BT ! :goodpost::agreed:
 
Thank you all for the replies and encouragement.
I'm going to the beach in 2 weeks and I'm bringing the Max. Any ideas of where I should put the machine at in wet sand and dry?
Near the charleston sc area
Thank you to all!!
 
Thank you all for the replies and encouragement.
I'm going to the beach in 2 weeks and I'm bringing the Max. Any ideas of where I should put the machine at in wet sand and dry?
Near the charleston sc area
Thank you to all!!

The AT MAX was never designed to be a full time beach machine, though it can handle the mineralization much better than the PRO & GOLD. Your original post stated you would be using mainly on land with a few beach hunts thrown in. If your hunting saltwater mainly and only hunting land now and again, I would absolutely change my opinion, and I would lean more towards the minelab for that situation. As for settings, im sure someone will give you a good starting point. Watch lots of YouTube. That always helps. Good luck at the beach in 2 weeks!
 
Hey
I'm just going for the weekend
I was going to try the used sand shark i just bought and the AT Max.
I hate to carry 2 machines while on the beach.
I figured I'd try the sand shark 1st then go back to my hotel room and grab the AT Max 2nd.
I live about 4 hours from the beach.
Other than trips a couple times a year I'll be in upper South Carolina
Thank you
 
I watch the Hoover Boys on utube. They use Garretts and make incredible finds. There is a little secret I will let you in on. Where you detect is very important.
Brad uses a fisher a lot. with no real difference in the finds ratio. I agree with the fact that location is 90 percent of this game. In the right location just about any decent machine will get great finds.
 
Brad uses a fisher a lot. with no real difference in the finds ratio. I agree with the fact that location is 90 percent of this game. In the right location just about any decent machine will get great finds.

Very true! Also, look at your detectors like tools. Would you use a framing nailer to put shingles on your roof? Each detector has areas where they excel and also some shortcomings. Thats why its never bad to have more than one machine. IMO the AT MAX is one of the most versatile machines on the market, along with the Equinox. If it were me, I would use the max to get up about 800$ and buy an equinox outright. Good luck and happy hunting!
 
Very true! Also, look at your detectors like tools. Would you use a framing nailer to put shingles on your roof? Each detector has areas where they excel and also some shortcomings. Thats why its never bad to have more than one machine. IMO the AT MAX is one of the most versatile machines on the market, along with the Equinox. If it were me, I would use the max to get up about 800$ and buy an equinox outright. Good luck and happy hunting!

+100.:yes:
 
Hey
I'm just going for the weekend
I was going to try the used sand shark i just bought and the AT Max.
I hate to carry 2 machines while on the beach.
I figured I'd try the sand shark 1st then go back to my hotel room and grab the AT Max 2nd.
I live about 4 hours from the beach.
Other than trips a couple times a year I'll be in upper South Carolina
Thank you

Save the S/S for low tide in the wet sand. The further toward water you go, the less trash, and less junk (most likely) that you will dig. After a while, you'll probably get bored of hearing the same tone on junk as you do coins and goodies.

If you can't catch low tide, take the ATM to hunt the dry areas.

As far as where to hunt, scope the areas ahead of time to see where folks congregate. Some beaches have areas that are more densely laiden with towels/chairs than others. So hunt those areas first.

Bring a flashlight. Sometimes your greatest advantage is just beating your competition to the site.
 
Congrats on the At Max! Take time to learn it. Not that hard of a detector to figure out. I'll admit with all those buttons it made me skittish, but after playing around with them and learning what each one was about, no worries. I have taken it into a pounded (by me) civil war site and was surprised at how many (deep) bullets I was able to find. Also won second place in Vaughan Garrett's contest a few months back. Definitely a keeper in my detecting arsenal. I recently acquired the Equinox 600. Can't wait to see what this one can do as I like trying different detectors. Good luck hunting.
 
Congratulations on the good buy on the Max. I recently purchased an ATM this summer so I can't give a real detailed review. So far I am in love with it. I found out that if you learn all the numbers for different coins you will almost never have to dig trash. That said, I dig a lot of trash because I like to find things other than coins. I had been using the coin mode but I pay attention to the meter and dig other stuff too. I heard a recommendation to use the zero mode. I think I will try that. If you get tired of digging trash you can still pay attention to the meter and find only coins. It is easy to use but it also has lots of bells and whistles to learn and I like that. Good Hunting. :yes:
 
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