Garrett: Quality in Metal Detectors
Written: Sep 21 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Efficient and effective.
Cons: Expensive.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended; you won't be disappointed.
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| beckish's Full Review: Garrett Metal Detectors GTI 2500 |
One day my husband told me he wanted to try out a new hobby; treasure hunting. Seems silly in this day and age. I was uncertain, but quite willing to let him try out a new passion. After all, isn't life about trying new things? He did the research and decided that the metal detector he had to have was the Garrett GTI 2500.
He found one on Ebay, so off I went to check it out. Seemed like a good deal. I did not know anything about metal detecting and he had found a web site that totally intrigued him called bowenshideout.com. After just a couple of minutes on that site I decided this treasure hunting thing might be quite fun!
We won the bid on the Garrett GTI 2500 (at around $700 dollars) and anxiously awaited its arrival. It arrived in good time, and off we went to play with the new toy.
Having never used a metal detector before, I was not sure what to expect. At first glance this one seemed incredibly complicated. It has a large number of features, and I despaired at ever being able to figure them out. It did come with a what I consider “undersized” owner’s manual so at best I was dubious. He immediately went outside to try it out, terrifying the children who came running inside to tell me that he was “digging up the yard”.
I take a more conservative approach, so I sat down to read the owner’s manual. Complicated, yes. I confess I was overwhelmed at the mere thought of trying to figure it out. Fortunately, it wasn’t as hard as it looked. And even though the owner’s manual was small, it was well-written, clear, and concise.
Features
I have now done quite a lot of research on various brands of metal detectors, and I am glad we went with the Garrett GTI 2500. It has a large number of features that other detectors do not, and while it takes some time and practice to use them, it is well worth the effort.
Treasure Imaging
This feature enables you to pinpoint the location, size, and depth of the object you are searching for. It is very handy. When the detector beeps to indicate a target, this button is pushed and the specifics are displayed on the screen. It is rather nice to know how deep an object is buried to save needless digging!
Treasure Talk
Yes, this metal detector talks to you. It tells you the size of the item and the depth. This feature can be set to talk all the time, talk only when adjustments are being made, or only talk when the detector is being turned off or on.
Discrimination
This detector can be set to discriminate between various objects such as coins, jewelry, zero, and relics. Thus far we have mostly used it in the “Discriminate Coins” mode, but I have played around a bit with the other modes. This is a nice feature for beginners as it has helped eliminate a lot of frustration in excitedly digging to find only a pull tab or bottle cap. There is also a “custom” mode, where the user can set their own discrimination levels.
Display Screen
The display screen design is excellent. At a glance you can tell the type of object you are trying to locate (even to the point of discriminating between various types of coins), the depth, the precise location, and whether the item is gold or silver, to name a few. I find myself watching the display as closely as I listen for the beeps, as often I have located items by the display only. There are two rows of bars that light up; the top row indicates the type of item, and then when you push the Treasure Imaging button the depth and location can be pinpointed.
Other Features
The Garrett GTI 2500 has other Search Aid features such as Surface Elimination, Salt Elimination, Backlight, Belltone Audio, and Bi-Level Audio.
Surface Elimination allows you to discriminate between valuable objects and metallic trash. Salt Elimination helps reduce the interference from salt when searching ocean beaches. Backlight allows you to use the detector when outside lighting is less than optimal. And the audio features allow you to choose between one sound or two sounds.
Other features include the All-Metal mode (deepseeking) which allows you to ground balance the detector automatically, helping to deal with extreme mineralization of the soil. I haven't played around with this feature much at this point.
Positives
The sheer number of features makes this metal detector a top brand to choose from. Garrett is a well-respected name in this field, and you can’t go wrong with a Garrett detector. You can use headphones with this detector and adjust the length so it is comfortable for different users.
Negatives
This is one of the most expensive detectors on the market, retailing for approximately $900 dollars. You can find them cheaper on Ebay (as we did) if you keep an eye out. This detector takes a bit more studying to figure out due to the number of features, which could be frustrating for a beginner.
Final Thoughts
If you think you will enjoy the past time of treasure hunting, I highly recommend this metal detector. It is effective and efficient, and not that difficult to figure out if you pay attention and give it some time. While it is expensive compared to other brands, it is well-worth the money when one considers that you truly get what you pay for.
I had no idea this would be so much fun! And I truly believe the features and ease of use of the Garrett GTI 2500 has made learning this hobby a lot more fun. Give it a try! But be careful…. It is addicting!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
beckish
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Member: Becky Dyson
Location: Davenport, WA
Reviews written: 725
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