Garrett Metal Detectors Golden Anniversary

[Steve Herschbach]

2014 marks the Golden Anniversary (50 years) of Garrett Electronics, one of the most respected names in the metal detector industry. There is a very detailed company history online.

I admit to never being a Garrett fan early on. My interest in prospecting with metal detectors grew right about the time other companies were supplanting Garrett as an early leader in the prospecting field. They developed a legendary early 15 kHz circuit, the Garrett Groundhog, but then sat on it forever. To this day the Garrett Stinger is basically a Groundhog in a different box.

The first Garrett detector to get my attention was the Infinium, which is still the bang-for-the-buck entry in the ground balancing pulse induction field. While it never did offer Minelab serious competition it found its own niche as a relic and beach detector and even with a few prospectors. The machine that really set the detecting world on its ear was the Garrett Ace with the Garrett Ace 250 setting a new standard for what a low price metal detector should offer. It compares favorably with detectors costing twice as much.

The Ace series seemed to set a new direction for Garrett in producing detectors that offer very high performance and feature lists at very reasonable prices. The Garrett AT Pro and AT Gold are both remarkable waterproof detectors that offer all the features one expects of a dry land detector in a waterproof package with no weight or price penalty to be paid.

Finally, the new Garrett ATX represents Garrett's entry into the high end detector arena. It has the odd distinction of being a higher price detector that still seems to offer great performance and features at a reasonable price.

So I say congratulations to the Garrett family for making your mark in the metal detecting world and for 50 years of achievement!

The Winter 2014 issue of the Garrett Searcher newsletter has just come out and can be downloaded here.  Back issues all the way back to 2001 can be found at the Garrett Searcher Archives.