Garrett against the field
Garrett AT Pro vs AT Max: What the Extra Buys You
Quick answer
The AT Max adds Z-Lynk wireless with MS-3 headphones included, a published 13.6 kHz frequency and a backlit display, for $549.99 against $459.99. Since the MS-3 set alone costs $107.99, buying the Max is the cheaper route to wireless. It is not an upgrade worth making if you already own a Pro.
Garrett AT Pro
$459.99Proportional audio and tone roll, 40 levels of iron discrimination, MS-2 wired headphones included, waterproof to 10 ft, made in the USA.
Best for: all-terrain hunting and shallow water
Check price on Amazon
Garrett AT Max
$549.99Z-Lynk wireless with MS-3 headphones included, a published 13.6 kHz frequency, true all metal mode and a backlit display, on the same 10 ft body.
Best for: an AT Pro owner who wants wireless audio and more sensitivity
Check price on AmazonBuy the AT Max if you are buying new and want wireless audio, and keep the AT Pro if you already own one. The price difference is roughly the cost of the MS-3 wireless headphones that come in the Max box, which means the wireless is effectively free and everything else is a bonus. Going the other way, adding Z-Lynk to an AT Pro means buying both the headphones and a transmitter, which costs more than the gap between the two machines.
Both detectors are the same all-terrain platform: Garrett publishes both as fully waterproof to 10 feet, both with iron audio, both made in the USA, and both take the same coils. The Max publishes 13.6 kHz and what Garrett describes as enhanced electronics giving greater depth and sensitivity, plus a true all metal mode and a backlit display. The Pro answers with proportional audio and tone roll and 40 levels of high-resolution iron discrimination, which is a different emphasis rather than a lesser one.
Top pick
Garrett AT Max
For a new buyer it is the better value of the two, because the included Z-Lynk MS-3 headphones cost almost as much as the price difference between the machines.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
On this page
What actually changes between the two?
Four published differences. The Max runs at 13.6 kHz, which Garrett publishes alongside a claim of enhanced electronics providing greater depth and sensitivity. It includes Z-Lynk wireless and the MS-3 headphones. It adds a true all metal mode for maximum depth and sensitivity. And it has a backlit display for low light. The Pro keeps proportional audio with tone roll and 40 levels of iron discrimination, and ships the wired MS-2 set.
Everything physical is shared. Same 10 foot waterproof rating, same all-terrain body, same iron audio concept, same coil mounts. Neither listing publishes a weight. That is why this is a question about audio and light rather than a question about which machine finds more, and treating it as the latter leads people to spend for nothing.
How do the published specifications compare?
Two Garrett listings, so the vocabulary matches and the gaps match too.
Both machines are published as made in the USA on the same all-terrain platform, and neither listing publishes a weight.
| Model | Price | Waterproof depth | Made in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett AT Pro | $459.99 | 10 ft | USA |
| Garrett AT Max | $549.99 | - | USA |
Figures are taken from each manufacturer's own published listing and specification sheet. A dash means the maker does not publish that figure for that model, not that the feature is absent.
What does each listing claim?
Read the depth row carefully. Garrett makes a claim about the Max there, and a claim is not a measurement.
The AT Max publishes 13.6 kHz, Z-Lynk wireless with MS-3 headphones and a backlit display, while the AT Pro publishes proportional audio, tone roll and 40 levels of iron discrimination at a lower price.
| Specification | Garrett AT Pro | Garrett AT Max |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $459.99 | $549.99 |
| Operating frequency | Not published in this listing | 13.6 kHz |
| Depth claim | Deep detection, no figure published | Enhanced electronics and 13.6 kHz for greater depth and sensitivity |
| Audio | Proportional audio and tone roll | Z-Lynk wireless, near-zero delay |
| Headphones included | MS-2 wired | MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless |
| Iron handling | 40 levels of high-resolution iron discrimination | Iron audio, levels not published |
| All metal mode | Not published as a separate mode | True all metal mode published |
| Display | Not published as backlit | Backlit for low light |
| Waterproof rating | 10 ft | 10 ft |
From the Garrett listings for both machines. The depth row quotes Garrett own wording. No independent depth comparison exists here and none is implied.
The wireless arithmetic, which is the real story
This is the only calculation that decides the page, and it is short.
The MS-3 Z-Lynk headphones cost $107.99 on their own, which is a large share of the $549.99 against $459.99 difference, so the Max is the cheaper way to arrive at wireless.
| Route | What you end up with | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Buy the AT Max | Wireless machine, MS-3 headphones, backlit display, 13.6 kHz published | $549.99 |
| Buy the AT Pro and add MS-3 headphones | Wired machine plus headphones that still need a Z-Lynk transmitter | More than the Max |
| Buy the AT Pro and stay wired | MS-2 headphones in the box, no wireless, lowest cost | $459.99 |
| Buy the AT Pro and add the Z-Lynk pinpointer | Pinpointer audio in the same wireless system, later | $129.99 |
The MS-3 is published as containing a Z-Lynk receiver. Garrett publishes the AT Max as having Z-Lynk built in, and the AT Pro does not publish it, which is why the second row needs a transmitter as well.
Who should buy the AT Max?
New buyers who want wireless audio, and anyone who hunts at dusk, because the backlit display is a real convenience on a machine you will otherwise be reading with a headlamp. The wireless is not a gimmick either: cable drag on a detector shaft is one of the small irritations that shortens sessions, and Garrett publishes Z-Lynk as six times faster than Bluetooth, which is the latency figure that makes pinpointing by ear possible.
If you buy one, note that Garrett Pro-Pointer AT Z-Lynk puts the pinpointer into the same wireless system, so its audio arrives in the same headphones. That is a genuinely tidy setup, and it is the strongest argument for staying inside the Garrett ecosystem.
Who should stay with the AT Pro?
Everyone who already owns one. The published differences do not add up to an upgrade: you would be paying for headphones, a backlight and a frequency figure on a machine whose body, water rating and coil range you already have. Buy Garrett 5 by 8 DD PROformance Coil for iron-heavy ground or NEL Hunter 12.5 by 8.5 Coil for AT Pro for coverage, and put the rest towards permissions.
New buyers on a tighter budget should also be comfortable here. Proportional audio with tone roll is a legitimate way to read the ground, and the 40 levels of iron discrimination are more adjustment than most people use. If you want to compare across brands instead, the AT Pro against the Equinox 700 is the more consequential decision.
Sources
- Garrett AT Pro owner manual and product listing
- Garrett AT Max owner manual and product listing
- Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk headphone specifications
- Garrett AT series coil specifications
Frequently asked questions
Is the AT Max deeper than the AT Pro?
Garrett claims enhanced electronics and a 13.6 kHz frequency provide greater depth and sensitivity, which is the maker own wording rather than a measured figure. Neither listing publishes a depth for a defined target in defined soil. Treat the Max as a marginally more sensitive machine on paper and expect the difference in the ground to be small next to coil choice and soil condition.
Do the AT Pro and AT Max use the same coils?
Yes. The Garrett 8.5 by 11 PROformance DD is published for the AT Pro and AT Gold, the Garrett 5 by 8 DD is published for the AT series, and the Mars Sniper 10 by 6 lists the AT Gold, AT Max and AT Pro together. The NEL Hunter is sold specifically for the AT Pro. That shared range means a coil bought now is not wasted if you change bodies inside the AT family.
Can I add wireless headphones to an AT Pro?
Yes, but you need both the headphones and a Z-Lynk transmitter, because Garrett publishes Z-Lynk as built into the AT Max rather than the AT Pro. Once you add both, you have spent more than the difference between the two machines. That is the whole case for buying the Max at the outset and the whole case against retrofitting a Pro you already own.
Which one is better for water hunting?
Neither, because Garrett publishes the same 10 foot rating for both. Wireless audio does not work under water on any machine, so a submerged AT of either kind needs the wired Garrett submersible headphones. If you want a deeper rating, the machines published at 16 feet are the ones to compare, and that is a different decision from this page.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.