Garrett ATX vs Minelab GPX 5000

This is the longest and most carefully considered comparison I have ever made so I do hope it has some value for someone. Much of it is just my opinion based on my experience and what I think is important in detectors. However, it is a view that taken together with others will eventually provide a clear picture of the truth as regards the Garrett ATX vs Minelab GPX 5000. With regards, Steve Herschbach

Garrett ATX vs Minelab GPX 5000

As a Minelab/Fisher kind of guy,... I actually own an Garett Pinpointer. So go figure!
Well as I was reading your Hawaï report, I was actually thinking.
He's got this ATX set up much like that new Minelab in the pipeline, as far as the specs lead us to believe anyhow.

I can understand why you "needed" an ATX vs GPX review,... with several factory coils available for the ATX many of us are curious what the new kid on the block could do.
As my metal detecting is just a "hobby",... I'll gladly take your word for it.
A big thanks for taking the time to buy and try. And off course the in "depth" report on how the unit performs.

I'm holding out for the new Minelab waterproof PI,... allready pawed an ATX and with my bad swinging shoulder it felt like an H1 Hummer.
Dealer couldn't get them with the smaller coil,... or didn't want to do a coil exchange. Didn't want to give him a hard time about it,... I'm a Minelab guy at heart anyway LOL

HH
Johnb

Wow Steve. You put a lot of 'blood' into that write-up = Human capital. Passionate/articulate/emotional. Bumper-to-bumper. And now eternally/permanently www documented.
Well done. Never to be forsaken. Genuinely appreciated.

I will probably never buy either machine, but over the years I have read these reviews, whether you like the reviews or not, these guys give us insite to new machines, and I would like to THANK them all, and if you like to detect, it's fun to read them, thanks Steve

Outstanding and very informative write-up, Steve!

Sounds like Garrett produced, in many ways, an excellent unit.

(I personally am waiting/hoping for a PI unit that can discriminate iron through most of its depth range; once that shows up, I think my relic hunting trips will be drastically altered!)

Thank you Steve, for your time and effort in putting together an OUTSTANDING write-up!

Steve

"I always considered ergonomics to be the easy low hanging fruit for anyone considering manufacture of a detector"

Amen Steve. Great write up, and I agree 100% about the ergonomics. The ATX may be a great unit, but when I picked one up for the first time, I knew in 2 seconds it was not for me. Just too heavy. Since I gold jewelry hunt on salt water beaches in the wet sand and suds, the extra weight over my straight shaft mounted Infinium, would not counter the extra performance, unless I hunted mostly in the water where the weight would be relieved. Caveat for me is, the EMI and conditions where I mostly hunt, are handled very well by the Infinium, hence not having to deal with brutal EMI or other conditions where an ATX would have to be the unit to use.

The ATX is a very interesting unit, and hopefully Garrett will make a next generation one that's lighter !

Thank you everyone. I did put some effort into this because I do feel I have a bit of responsibility to share information as a person rather uniquely situated to comment on the subject. I am not a dealer, have no horse in the race, and love both machines. The amount of money involved I think makes it important for people to have more information about the detectors from somebody who is not selling and not defending their purchase.

"Great write up, and I agree 100% about the ergonomics. The ATX may be a great unit, but when I picked one up for the first time, I knew in 2 seconds it was not for me. Just too heavy."

The ATX is well balanced and so does not feel all that bad at first, but the weight is real and sneaks up on you until it hurts. It is maybe a half pound negative underwater - it will sit on bottom if released - and so perfectly acceptable fully submerged. But swing seven pounds around all day long and it catches up. Most people only detect for a few hours but when prospecting it is not unusual to prospect from sun up to sun down for days on end. Ergonomics is VERY important.

Tom, thank you, very high praise coming from you. Your insights have opened my eyes to secrets previously hidden so I am just trying to do my bit also.

To be honest I will never own either one of those units. And raw gold hunting is something I will never do. But that was by far the best comparison/review I have ever read. When I was a young man I had dreams of traveling and detecting like you do. It has been a while since I thought of those dreams and wanted to pack the car up. Thank you for that.

Hi,,,me no do videos,,,any hints as to the outcome????...JJ

Me no do video either so just click and read.

Hi Steve,,,,Me do reading and me like..LoL....Hey Steve that was a very good informative unbiased opinion/review...Thanks for the report....Me like em 6.5 ounce nugget.......JJ

Interesting review. I've not even seen the ATX in person but from the sound of it, it would be a mean relic machine. I still consider the GPX to be the pinnacle of relic machines in bad ground...but its almost entirely based on the raw depth and its ability to find bullet size objects at 15+ inch depths with ease. That goes hand in hand with what you said in your test with the larger pieces of gold. However...if the ATX is still getting down there to the 15-17 inch range...that is a big plus for it. I have been on the lookout for a machine to bridge the gap between a TDI and GPX...and that would certainly put it in that gap. The TDI was a bridge between the Infinium and GPX. I would certainly like to take one for a demo run at a couple of my sites.

Very very good comparsion write up Steve...

You have a gift for articulate writing...

thank's for the info you have provided!

Keith



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2014 01:52AM by Keith Southern.

Considering the number of 6oz nuggets between 17 and 19 inches that I may detect in the rest of my prospecting life, and the number of small ones that I could find with the ATX would make the decision a no brainer for me. Now if Garrett would build one that I could lift.

Steve H................ I had submitted an article (with photo's) in 1998 to Steve & Rosemary Anderson (Western & Eastern Treasures mag.)........... and the article was rejected. I was requested to reduce the semantics/verbage to 5th Grade reading level so as to target the general populous better. Stu Auerbach friendly 'forced' the article to print.... with a few verbage mod's imposed. The article was printed..... made a 17-year record high (proving general populous detectorists are more 'technical' hungry)......... a few more articles printed..... then I stopped submitting....... not wanting to rock the boat anymore. Hence/subsequently; the inception of this 'interactive' web-site and discussion forum.

And now you know the rest of the story.

(((( Those magazine articles are on the home-page of this web-site ))))

I wonder how the ATX compares to the GPX for red soil relic hunting? That is a niche the ATX could fill if it performs as well as the GPX however the poor ergonomics still is a great factor in that environment as well

Bootyhunter -- There were a handful of people that had the ATX at the last DIV hunts but they were few, and everybody that had them, had not had them very long. In a week or so when they hit the fields again, they will have more time under their belt on the ATXs and I think we'll get a better feel for how they do on relics there. It seemed like a mix bag of results from the last hunt....some liked it...some hated it. It seemed like it done very well on the bullets...BUT again, it was still VERY new at the time of the first hunts with it.

Daniel Tn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bootyhunter -- There were a handful of people that
> had the ATX at the last DIV hunts but they were
> few, and everybody that had them, had not had them
> very long. In a week or so when they hit the
> fields again, they will have more time under their
> belt on the ATXs and I think we'll get a better
> feel for how they do on relics there. It seemed
> like a mix bag of results from the last
> hunt....some liked it...some hated it. It seemed
> like it done very well on the bullets...BUT again,
> it was still VERY new at the time of the first
> hunts with it.

Yeah I was there and 1 fellow, I don't know his name, came by me and I asked him how he was doing and he had several bullets and some buttons. He seemed happy with it. I was using a brand new GPX 4800 I had gotten just a few weeks prior. He was doing better than me but I know it was me not the detector. I hope this time with more experience I can do better and I'm sure the ATX users will too. I do like the semingly simplistic setup and user friendly controls. I held one at the pre hunt meeting and it seemed excessively heavy but I did not play with the telescoping rod to try to get it more balanced and that may have helped. I will say I bought the GPX about 3 weeks before the ATX was let out of the bag, had I not I would probably have gave the ATX a try. But I do like the GPX but there are so many settings and its easy to make a mistake setting it up. I did all right in the fall. Hope to do much better next week, good luck if your attending!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2014 02:08AM by Bootyhunter.

I wont be at these hunts...will be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at a archery Pro/Am shoot. But good luck when you go. The 4800 would be my pick between the two anyway. Throw that thing in Sensitive Extra timing, and basically everything else factory preset. Find a good clear channel and go go go. I don't think I ran my iron disc above 6 though. I can't remember...that's been several yrs ago since I've had one in my hands.

Ok thanks for the advice. Good luck on your shoot.

"Where the ATX is going to clearly come up short is on large nuggets, especially those sought after 1 ounce and larger nuggets at depth and on gold in the worst mineralized ground and hot rock locations"

Wondering ... how is that the ATX can be more sensitive to small gold but come up short on larger nuggets at depth? One would think the ATX would also be superior on any size low conductor.

A difference in uS pulse delay will do exactly this.

Yeppers...that's essentially what the "timings" are in the GPX platform...adjustments to the micro-second pulse delay settings. The lower the pulse delay setting, the more sensitive it is to smaller things. I'm not sure what the ATX is running on its pulse delay setting, but it sure sounds like it is coming in with a lower setting. I know the TDI's lowest setting was 8 micro seconds...and it still lacked on sensitivity to really small pieces of gold. It makes me wonder if maybe they made the ATX with an even lower setting.

The Normal timing on the GPX is a middle of the road timing...its not really for smaller gold but seems to excel on the medium/larger gold items....its a happy medium. In that regard...it was my second favorite timing for hunting relics. It could get on down in the ground for bullets/plates, etc. The Sensitive Extra (or maybe it was Extra Sensitive) timing was my favorite one. It seemed to be perfect for max depth on Civil War button size objects and on into the bullet range as well. It wasn't a super low pulse delay setting because it didn't drive you crazy with finding small pieces of bird shot, etc. But it probably wasn't the deepest timing for finding things like belt plates at max depth either.

The battery and transmit pulse width also matter. There is a reason the Aquastar and GPX run such powerful batteries. They both simply pump more power into the target creating stronger eddy currents in the first place so they have more to work with when the units go into receive mode.

(( Correct ))

QUOTE " I know the TDI's lowest setting was 8 micro seconds "
I believe that
without making an internal adjustment, the lowest setting on my TDI was 10 us, ' '..

Yes Hobo... the minimum pulse delay setting on the TDI Pro is also 10 usec.

Jim.

You're probably right about the 8 vs 10. I had 8 stuck in my head for some reason; but it has been about 4 yrs since I last had a TDI in my hands.