Garrett Metal DetectorsAT MAX MS-3 Headphones and Pro-Pointer AT Pinpointer

Works great on dry land but gets a little chirpy when the batteries are at half life. I am finding lots of treasures, even in heavily searched areas. Steep learning curve and is useless in salt water. Unfortunately, the main reason I chose this machine was for detecting salt water beaches but I can't get within 50 feet of salt water. I may have been sent a faulty coil but I have no way to tell without spending a lot more money. Still very satisfied though.

Let me begin by saying that I am not affiliated with Garrett and the writing of this review is my own personal opinion of the product based on my experience with the AT Max metal detector. If you are new to the hobby of metal detecting or you are just looking for a “grab and go” machine, then you can’t go wrong with the Garrett AT Max. This metal detector is great for the beginning detectorist or even experienced detectorists looking for a mid-level metal detector that packs a lot of punch for the money.Garrett has been making metal detectors for over half a century right here in the U.S.A. and they continue to improve on their models with each new generation of products. The AT Max is no different as it combines the best of their AT Pro and AT Gold detectors into a heavy-duty detector set up for all terrain use.I picked up my first metal detector in the 1970’s when you had to rely strictly on audio and then you had to dig everything since the audio basically hit on all metal objects in the ground. The AT Max will give you different tone levels depending on the metal object it has detected, along with a visual display of the probable target ID, the depth of the target, and a numeric value to help identify the target metal.My wife lost her wedding band set while doing yard work and gardening, but she was not sure where in the yard she had lost them or even if she had lost them in the yard at all. I grabbed my AT Max and searched my yard and I found her rings. Granted the rings were not buried under soil, but I was confident that I would not have any trouble locating them in the grass as long as they were actually lost in my yard.The following is a list of pros and cons based on my experience with the AT Max.Pros:Easy menu – In fact there isn’t much to the menu compared to other metal detectors. The menu is basically identified by the button labels. The buttons will change options within the display.Automatic ground balance – The AT Max will automatically sense the ground mineralization by holding down the Shift button and moving the detector up and down until almost no audio is heard.Waterproof – A great feature of this detector is the ability to fully submerse it under water up to 10’ in depth to recover objects in shallow water.Lightweight – Compared to other detectors the AT Max is actually a pretty lightweight machine and you will be able to detect for long periods of time without much fatigue.Wireless – The AT Max has built in Z-Lynk wireless which makes detecting with this metal detector very enjoyable as you can keep your headphones even when you put the machine down to recover a target.Cons:Not as good in salt water – The AT Max is not as good for detecting in salt water and wet salt water sand when compared to fresh water and wet fresh water sand. This is due to the high mineral content in the salt water. However, it does do well on dry beach sand.The manufacturer has created three short, helpful, easy to follow videos that will familiarize you with the machine to get you detecting very quickly. They can be found with a quick search on the Internet as Amazon does not allow outside links in the reviews.To conclude, I recommend this detector to anyone who would like to have a great, versatile detector that won’t break the bank, is easy to use and quite capable of proving its worth during a good day of detecting.

I love this machine. It is truly a Max! Like an AT Pro times 2!!!

I bought this as a first metal detector and was a little nervous after reading several reviews. I will say this, that if understanding technology comes somewhat intuitively, you will have an easier time figuring out how to use this thing. First you gotta figure out how to find metal objects, then you quickly discover there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of pieces of metal in every square yard of soil. Discrimination can be somewhat easy, but not until you understand what to look/listen for. The tone and number play big roles in understanding what you've found before you start digging. Once you start digging for objects, you'll quickly find how hard it actually is to find something in dirt that is covered in dirt or sometimes mud. I wouldn't even bother without a pinpointed. You'll spend more time sifting soil than digging or detecting. Learn early how to pull a "plug" out of the ground so that you leave no trace and don't disturb grass in public areas. Have fun! It'll pay for itself if you put the time in.

Great deal for the money. I haven’t been able to use this yet because it is winter here in NY State but as soon as the weather gets warmer I will let you know how well this equipment works.