Garrett AT Pro Waterproof Metal Detector with Headphones

Garrett AT Pro Metal Detector – Waterproof All-Terrain Detector for Serious Hobbyists

The Garrett AT Pro is a full-featured metal detector built for people who want to hunt in conditions that would stop a basic machine cold.

If you are moving past entry-level detecting and want a machine that works on dry land, in the rain, in the surf, and in shallow water, this is the level where that becomes possible.

Who This Is For

The AT Pro is aimed at the recreational detectorist who has outgrown a beginner machine and wants more control over what the detector accepts or ignores.

You are probably hunting parks, beaches, and waterways. You want to dig fewer junk targets without accidentally passing over good finds. You are ready to learn a machine that gives you real feedback rather than a simple beep.

This is not a beginner detector you will quickly outgrow, but it does reward the time you put into learning it. If you want something you can pull out of the box and swing without reading a manual, a simpler machine would serve you better at this stage.

Built to Go Anywhere You Hunt

The AT in the name stands for All-Terrain, and the machine earns that.

It is fully submersible to 10 feet, which covers wading in a river, working the wet sand and surf zone at a beach, or hunting in heavy rain without worrying about the electronics.

The control housing and shaft are sealed, so you are not restricted to dry conditions. That said, 10 feet is shallow-water territory. This is not a machine for deep snorkeling or scuba diving. It is built for the kind of water a detectorist walks into, not swims through.

The frame and shaft use aluminum construction, which keeps the weight at a manageable 1.37 kg. A day of swinging a detector adds up, and a lighter machine matters more than most people expect before they try it.

What the Audio Tells You

This is where the AT Pro separates itself from simpler detectors.

Most basic machines give you a tone when they find something. The AT Pro goes further with Pro Mode Audio, which includes two tools worth understanding:

• Proportional Audio varies the volume of the signal based on how strongly the detector is responding. A faint, deep target sounds different from a strong, shallow one. With practice, you start reading depth and target quality through your ears, not just the screen.
• Tone Roll Audio blends tones continuously as the coil passes over a target, giving you a smoother, more nuanced response that helps you judge conductivity. Higher-conductivity targets like silver produce a different character of sound than lower-conductivity targets like pull tabs.

The included MS-2 headphones matter here. Weak signals from deep or small targets can get lost in ambient noise, especially near water or in wind. The headphones bring those faint responses forward so you can make a decision rather than guess.

Iron Discrimination: 40 Levels of Control

Iron trash is the enemy of productive detecting. Old iron nails, bolts, and rusted debris are everywhere, and a machine that cannot filter them out will have you digging constantly for nothing.

The AT Pro gives you 40 levels of iron discrimination. That is a high-resolution scale compared to the coarser adjustments on entry-level machines.

More levels means finer control. You can set the threshold precisely enough to reject most iron while keeping the detector sensitive to targets that sit just above iron on the conductivity scale, things like small gold jewelry or low-denomination coins that a heavy-handed discrimination setting would silence.

This is a tool that rewards judgment. Set discrimination too high and you will miss good targets. The 40-level scale gives you the granularity to find a setting that suits the specific site you are hunting.

Digital Target ID

The AT Pro displays a numerical target ID on the LCD screen as the coil passes over a find. Different metals and objects produce different ID numbers, and over time you build a mental map of what those numbers mean at your typical sites.

This pairs with the audio response rather than replacing it. Experienced users cross-reference the number with the tone and the signal strength before deciding whether to dig. Relying on the number alone is a shortcut that leads to missed finds and unnecessary holes.

Recovery Speed and Target Separation

In trashy ground, the speed at which a detector resets between targets determines how much you can find.

A slow-recovering machine smears signals together when targets are close. The AT Pro is built for fast recovery, which means it can distinguish two targets sitting near each other rather than blending them into a single confusing response.

This matters most in heavily hunted parks, old fairgrounds, or any site where good targets and junk are mixed together in the same ground.

What to Keep in Mind

The AT Pro is a capable machine, but it is not the right fit for every detectorist.

If you are brand new to the hobby, the Pro Mode audio and the 40-level discrimination will take real time to interpret. There is a learning curve, and you will get more out of this machine once you have some ground time behind you.

If you plan to detect in water deeper than 10 feet, this machine is not rated for that. It is a wading and shallow-water detector, not a dive detector.

If you are hunting dry land only and never plan to get near water, the waterproofing is a feature you are paying for without using. That may or may not matter depending on what else the machine offers you.

In the Box

• Garrett AT Pro detector
• MS-2 headphones

The AT Pro is manufactured by Garrett in the USA, a company with a long history in the detector market. That matters for parts availability and long-term support, which is worth considering when you are buying a machine you expect to use for years.