Garrett AT Max (2018) Or Minelab Vanquish 540

[rs2007elias]

Looking at grabbing one of the two (see title).
Price difference is negligible (within 50 bucks of eachother).

Leaning towards the AT Max (from 2018, but good shape) as it seems to usually fetch a higher price, so can likely resell it close to what I buy it for. Which would not be the case with the Vanquish.

Thoughts? 🙂

[Jeff McClendon]

A used, out of warranty AT Max.

A new, 3 year warranty Vanquish 540.

A beginner level detector with Bluetooth wireless audio that consumes AA batteries left and right-Vanquish 540

An expert level detector with proprietary wireless audio that also consumes AA batteries-AT Max

A simultaneous multi frequency detector that can handle saltwater beaches and moderate iron mineralization very well with little loss of tone or target ID accuracy until targets are at the depth of detection-Vanquish 540.

A 13.6 kHz single frequency detector that does just OK at best at saltwater beaches and in moderate iron mineralization that will not have very accurate tone and target ID accuracy on targets that are very deep/at the edge of detection.

Depending on the coil being used and ground conditions, the AT Max may be able to hit targets a little deeper than the Vanquish 540. Hitting them is one thing. The Vanquish 540 if it can hit the target may identify it better.

Vanquish 540 control box is not waterproof. Coils are waterproof.

AT Max is fully waterproof.

Vanquish has internal, preset ground balance, a nice iron bias high/low feature, iron audio volume adjustment, very good 2 digit notching, universal controls, nice red backlight and a nice collapsible shaft system and is lightweight enough that it can fit many different sized users.

AT Max has ground grab ground balancing, an excellent all metal mode, loud iron audio with no iron audio volume adjustment, good 5 digit notching, backlight, is specifically labeled for english speaking users and for US coins, and it has Garrett's sturdy shaft system. It's a big boy detector.

[rs2007elias]

3 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

A used, out of warranty AT Max.

A new, 3 year warranty Vanquish 540.

A beginner level detector with Bluetooth wireless audio that consumes AA batteries left and right-Vanquish 540

An expert level detector with proprietary wireless audio that also consumes AA batteries-AT Max

A simultaneous multi frequency detector that can handle saltwater beaches and moderate iron mineralization very well with little loss of tone or target ID accuracy until targets are at the depth of detection-Vanquish 540.

A 13.6 kHz single frequency detector that does just OK at best at saltwater beaches and in moderate iron mineralization that will not have very accurate tone and target ID accuracy on targets that are very deep/at the edge of detection.

Depending on the coil being used and ground conditions, the AT Max may be able to hit targets a little deeper than the Vanquish 540. Hitting them is one thing. The Vanquish 540 if it can hit the target may identify it better.

Vanquish 540 control box is not waterproof. Coils are waterproof.

AT Max is fully waterproof.

Vanquish has internal, preset ground balance, a nice iron bias high/low feature, iron audio volume adjustment, very good 2 digit notching, universal controls, nice red backlight and a nice collapsible shaft system that can fit many different sized users.

AT Max has ground grab ground balancing, an excellent all metal mode, loud iron audio with no iron audio volume adjustment, good 5 digit notching, backlight, is specifically labeled for english speaking users and for US coins, and it has Garrett's sturdy shaft system. It's a big boy detector.

Wow, fantastic writeup! Thanks a bunches!
Warranty is not a huuuuge deal for me, I'm very technical and good at repairing stuff. Feel like I got a good chance of repairing anything that would break on it 🙂 The 50$ I save on the AT Max should cover any repairs, so lets call that break even with the warranty.

Overall, it feels like they are similar, but the AT Max is perhaps a bit more robust of a system? I live on an island with brackish water, so likely a lot of my searching will be near water/in shallow water. 

With above considered, which would you go for? From my p.o.v it looks like a tossup, but not really sure which of the features you mentioned are a priority and which aren't. 

[Jeff McClendon]

If you live on an island with saltwater and plan on using either of these detectors in the water........I would not pick either one especially if you really think you can fix water damaged detectors...good luck with that. Saltwater and salt in general takes a huge toll on detectors.

I would go with a Nokta Legend or Equinox 600 or 700.  Deus 2 if you can afford it. The warranties provided with those detectors are very important.

[Jeff McClendon]

11 minutes ago, rs2007elias said:

Overall, it feels like they are similar

I could not disagree more.

[rs2007elias]

 

3 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

If you live on an island with saltwater and plan on using either of these detectors in the water........I would not pick either one especially if you really think you can fix water damaged detectors...good luck with that. Saltwater and salt in general takes a huge toll on detectors.

I would go with a Nokta Legend or Equinox 700.  Deus 2 if you can afford it.

The salt level is quite low in my water, near freshwater. The fish living in it also can live in freshwater, that is how low the salt content is 🙂 Wasn't planning on submerging it, but having it waterproof like the AT Max could be a plus incase it gets splashed or worst case - dropped. 

Equinox and Deus 2 seem way to expensive for me. Nokta Legend is doable, but pushing the highside so would be no accessories. 

[rs2007elias]

2 minutes ago, Jeff McClendon said:

I could not disagree more.

I didn't mean feature wise, I ment which is the better option

[phrunt]

With the price range you're looking in there is no detector that makes more sense than the Legend.  You've got the most chance of success with a reliable modern technology SMF detector suitable for your water detecting.   a Vanquish on steroids.

[rs2007elias]

1 minute ago, phrunt said:

With the price range you're looking in there is no detector that makes more sense than the Legend.  You've got the most chance of success with a reliable modern technology SMF detector suitable for your water detecting.   a Vanquish on steroids.

Well, here would be the prices:
450$ Garrett AT Max with 1 extra coil and 2 pairs of headphones
500$ Vanquish 540 with Pro Find 20 and bag
500$ Legend with no accessories nor headphones, single coil

So matching prices, those are my options. 

[Jeff McClendon]

1 minute ago, rs2007elias said:

I didn't mean feature wise, I ment which is the better option

If you are new to detecting, of the two you mentioned, I would pick the Vanquish 540. The 540 is a very easy to use, easy to listen to, easy to be successful with detector for a beginner.

If you are new to detecting, of the two you mentioned, I would not pick the Garrett AT Max. The AT Max is a handful for even the most experienced detector users.

As Phrunt said, the Legend is a Vanquish 540 with a lot more excellent features, its fully waterproof, comes with a 3 year warranty and is proven to work really well for a wide range of users with a wide range of experience.