Few brands in the metal detecting industry have enjoyed the longevity and reputation of Garrett. They are known for making reliable metal detectors for all experience levels that are well suited to all types of hunting in all terrains.
Let’s take a closer look at what they are capable of, so you can make an informed decision with your next purchase.
Company Overview
Eleanor and Charles Garrett first started making metal detectors in 1964 and made it their aim to make the best detectors at an affordable price.
Charles Garrett started making these detectors from his garage, and they are still made in the USA to this day. These humble beginnings paved the way for the company to become the respected brand it is today and has been for many years.
In terms of quality, the brand is hard to better. Their range includes the likes of the Garrett AT series and the Garrett ACE series. Let’s take a look at what their decades of experience mean for us metal detectorists…
Garrett ACE 200
The Garret Ace 200 is the perfect entry-level metal detector for beginners. It’s lightweight and easy to learn, with a one-touch operation so you can go from taking it out of the box to finding treasure in minutes. With a numeric identification scale from 0 to 99, this machine reads targets’ conductivity which means you’ll know what type of treasure is under your coil. Plus there are three search modes and four sensitivity adjustments to customize your search.
It doesn’t matter where you are searching for hidden treasure, you need responsive audio. The Garrett ACE 200 has pulse width modulation audio to make it more accurate than many of the competing options in this price range.
Overall, this is a budget and user-friendly option that serves its purpose of being accurate, and fun to use. A great option for kids!
Garrett ACE 300
The ACE 300 offers a variety of features often seen with higher-end detectors. It has a 7 x 10” DD search coil for better ground coverage and enhanced performance in mineralized ground. The detector has a range of settings so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. The 3-tone audio system allows you to identify targets by their sound, and it also makes it easier to distinguish good targets from trash. It is weatherproof, has a submersible coil, and even comes with headphones. It weighs 2.8 lbs which is easily manageable for most people—even kids. One downside is that you can’t adjust the Ground Balance settings like other models. The ACE 300 is a great detector for a beginner or anyone who’s looking for an affordable machine. Read our complete Garrett ACE 300 review.
Garrett ACE 400
The Garrett ACE 400 is one of the most advanced entry-level metal detectors on the market today. It’s also one of the best values out there, with all the features of the popular ACE Series at a price that will make you smile. Iron audio lets you hear discriminated iron targets such as bottle caps or washers, which allows you to avoid digging undesired items. Adjustable frequency helps eliminate interference caused by electrical sources or other metal detectors. It also comes with free headphones, coil cover, and control box cover. Read our complete Garrett ACE 400 review.
Garrett ACE APEX
The Garrett ACE APEX is the perfect solution for those who want a lightweight detector that’s easy to use and packed with features including multi-frequency technology. It’s also great for beginners because of its simple controls and intuitive design. With the Apex you can find treasures in all soil conditions with ease thanks to its four different single frequencies or simultaneous multi-frequency mode. You’ll never miss anything again!
The ACE APEX boasts a ton of features that will please an experienced hunter and is both lightweight and well-balanced.
Because it is easy to operate, and a lot of the intuitive features take away the guesswork of some more high-spec models, this is also an excellent option for a serious beginner.
It is up there with the best affordable metal detectors available. There is a built-in wireless technology that makes for a comfortable afternoon hunting
The Garrett ACE APEX is great because it can offer up to 15 hours of continual use with certain settings. We like that this option comes with a backlit LED screen, extending the time you can hunt in comfort.
This is a higher-spec of Garrett, which is evident in the Multi-Flex multi-frequency technology that offers true detecting flexibility. For example, there are four different single frequencies to choose from. These include 5khz ideal for silver coins, 10 kHz, or 15 kHz for a wide range of targets that other metal detectors just cannot pick out.
It is also a great option for looking for gold nuggets thanks to the 20 kHz frequency that can pick out the small gold fragments that can make your day, or hammered silver coins. There is also a true simultaneous multi-frequency mode to enjoy all targets in all conditions, making this a powerful and accurate option.
It can also be used around water as it can counter the negative effects of saltwater, enhancing accuracy on beach hunts.
Garrett AT Pro
The Garrett AT Pro is designed to work in both dry and wet environments. It features advanced modes for experts, but it also has basic modes that beginners can use. The machine has excellent depth and coverage because of its 8.5×11″ DD configuration search coil. This detector works well for hunting coins, jewelry, and relics. This detector also has a custom iron discrimination setting from zero to 40 to help you find the right level of iron discrimination. The iron audio feature will allow you to hear undesirable targets that you might not want to dig up. The AT Pro has both manual and automatic ground balance features that will allow you to find treasure in places with lots of mineralization. It is lightweight, comes with headphones, and can be used in any environment including water. Read our complete Garrett AT Pro review.
Garrett AT Gold
Designed to prospect in all kinds of terrains, it offers the serious bounty hunter manual and automatic ground balance and will work in highly mineralized ground, so you can take it pretty much anywhere.
The ground balance window allows you to increase the ground balance range, spreading it and minimizing the effect of ground variations so it can pick out targets and notify you via advanced audio characteristics for fast recovery. This means it can distinguish between metals so when you’re hunting for jewelry and coins in a park, it won’t cause you to stop and dig up bottle tops and undesirable targets every two minutes!
The 5 x 8-inch coil is perfect for hunting in tight spaces such as around rocky terrain and areas with lots of trash.
The Garrett AT Gold has increased sensitivity and advanced features for hunting gold nuggets. This is also thanks to its high frequency 18 kHz operation.
Two discrimination modes are making it great for coin and relic hunting, and you can set your iron discrimination level between 0 and 40 to help separate the targets you want from the bad ones.
With an all-metal iron audio feature that isn’t available on other detectors, it can pick out iron – ideal for gold prospectors.
Fully waterproof up to 10 feet, it can be used in rivers and in streams where gold is often found making this a great detector for hunting for gold.
Garrett AT Max
Looking to hunt in all terrains? Then this is a great option worth considering. It combines the best of the AT Pro and the AT Gold making it one of the highest quality metal detectors around.
The AT Max includes built-in Z-link wireless technology as well as the Garrett MS3 wireless headphones, offering a near-zero delay that is six times faster than a Bluetooth connection, so you can hone in on your treasure. This way you can explore all terrains without cords or cables for a comfortable exploration wherever you are. With a high-spec detector, you would expect increased transmit power, and that’s what the AT Max provides.
It boasts true all-metal mode and 13.6 kHz frequency for high-end detection of a range of targets. These include silver coins and even brass relics. Hunting for gold nuggets? Well, the AT Max can pick them up, although the 5 x 8 inch DD coil is recommended for hunting these.
Anyone looking to hunt before the world wakes will enjoy the backlight that opens up more possibilities in low light conditions.
It can be auto or manually ground-balanced, offering more flexibility for the veteran detectorists of the world who can make the most of the 175 pts of ground balancing resolution. Because of this, it can easily handle conductive soil like saltwater beaches, and highly mineralized ground.
It offers more target information, responsive target signals for when you need to know exactly where your find is buried, and a textured grip handle, making this one of the best Garrett metal detectors available.
Read our complete Garrett AT Max review.
Garrett GTI 2500
Somewhat of a classic, the GTI 2500 has treasure vision, making it easy to hunt via a single touchpad.
There are plenty of useful features on the main screen including target depth displayed in 2-inch increments, and a discriminate coins section to keep you moving when trash would otherwise be a distraction.
The GTA scales indicate the discrimination pattern so you can set it to hunt for coins, as well as other targets. The display shows all targets good and bad and gives an indicator as to what you may have found. Using treasure imagining, tells you how deep the target is, and will show you its size.
A neat feature of this classic is that it will not respond to most junk items. So when you are exploring parks and beaches, bottle tops and nails are not as likely to show. Expect clear, strong signals for an enjoyable hunt.
Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II
A specialty detector, it is meant for use exclusively on saltwater beaches.
Shallow targets will produce strong, loud signals, whilst anything a little deeper will be feinter in the headphones. Two modes include standard trash elimination, and discrete trash elimination with elimination control to reject certain items you don’t want to pick up such as pull tabs.
It can be used to hunt at depths of up to 200 feet and with a versatile hip mount configuration, it is far more comfortable for surf and beach hunting.
The Sea Hunter Mark II comes with submersible headphones and a reputation for being one of the most reliable metal detectors for saltwater conditions.
Garrett ATX
A metal detector for all terrains, has extreme depth and sensitivity giving you more of a chance of digging up a relic or something of value that is buried deeper than most detectors can unveil.
It can be used in saltwater up to 10 feet deep and detects even the tiniest gold nuggets that other pulse machines cannot.
You don’t need to switch between modes, as the Garrett ATX provides max detection on all targets at all times.
It boasts motion and non-motion modes plus LED signals to indicate the strength of signals. There is a quick iron check feature to stop you from having to dig up the useless stuff.
With single push-button controls, you can use this with one hand, and change between volume, sensitivity, threshold, discrimination, mode, ground balance, and more.
The extendable arm and rotational search coil mean it can be used at various lengths and angles to get into rocky areas and tricky corners.
There are 3 coils to choose from meaning they can be used in different environments. The 20-inch search coil, standard 12 inches, and 8-inch mono coil can all be used with this rugged and high-end Garrett metal detector.
Garrett Goldmaster 24k
The newest model is certainly one to behold. It was designed by Whites but has been reintroduced by Garrett so detectorists can enjoy the huge 48 kHz of power.
For those tiny nuggets, you need a detector as powerful as this, and there aren’t many available that can pick up such fine targets.
Expect improved features such as auto ground balance, TracLock for retaining current ground phase and strength settings, as well as ground sync for a quick update on ground balance.
It will eliminate iron and hot rocks, whilst offering two audio modes to distinguish between targets.
Anyone looking to start their gold nugget detecting journey will appreciate the included accessories such as headphones, 8 x AA rechargeable batteries with chargers, international adapters, and more.
Discontinued Models
Comparisons
Final Thoughts
Garret has used its decades of knowledge to create a list of impressive detectors that can be used by all experience levels. If you are looking for a metal detector that will last, has the best customer service, and is well-suited to all terrains, consider buying a Garrett metal detector.