Relics hide deep in iron-infested ground. You want depth, iron audio, and honest all-metal modes.
The Garrett AT Max is the classic relic machine: true All-Metal mode for maximum depth, waterproof to 10 ft, Z-Lynk wireless included. The Nokta Legend brings multi-frequency versatility and FerroCheck iron analysis at a lower tier.
Old home sites and farm fields are carpeted with iron trash — nails, bits of hardware — with good targets mixed in. The winning combination is depth (relics are often 8+ inches down), iron audio/discrimination (to hear what's iron before you dig), and ground balance that copes with mineralized farm soil. All-metal modes go deepest but dig everything; use them when the site is worth it.
True All-Metal depth, 10 ft waterproof, wireless headphones in the box. The relic benchmark.
Pro Audio and 40-level iron discrimination; the AT Max's lighter-priced sibling.
Multi-frequency + FerroCheck iron meter; 5 m waterproof for creek-side sites.
FASTGRAB ground balance and DST EMI suppression for trashy, EMI-noisy sites.
Multi-IQ with Field mode and 119 target IDs for separating keepers from iron.
| Model | Technology | Frequencies | Weight | Waterproof | Coil | Best for | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett AT Max | VLF | 13.6 kHz | 3.03 lbs | 10 ft | 8.5" × 11" DD | Relic | Premium |
| Garrett AT Pro | VLF | 15 kHz | 3.03 lbs | 10 ft | 8.5" × 11" DD | Coins | Mid-range |
| Nokta Legend | Multi-Freq | 4 kHz–40 kHz + MF | 1.3 kg | 5 m | 12" × 9" DD | Coins | Premium |
| Fisher F75 | VLF | 13 kHz | Not published | Weather-resistant construction; | 11" | Coins | Premium |
| Minelab Equinox 700 | Multi-Freq | Multi-IQ | 1.2 kg | IP68 · 5 m | 11" DD | Coins | Mid-range |
Specs verified against manufacturer pages in October 2026. "Not published by the manufacturer" means the spec is absent from official pages — we do not fill it from retailers.
Understand the tech behind these picks: VLF vs pulse induction vs multi-frequency, the metal detector frequency guide (kHz explained), how discrimination and sensitivity work, the history of the metal detector, and detecting laws and permits. Compare head-to-head: Equinox 800 vs ACE Apex · Legend vs Equinox 700 · Deus II vs Manticore.
Mid frequencies (10–15 kHz) are the relic sweet spot: enough depth for deep targets, enough sensitivity for buttons and small brass. Lower goes deeper on large iron-age targets; higher finds small items but loses depth.
Almost always on private land — get written permission. Public land rules vary wildly; our laws guide covers the basics, but check local regulations.
All-metal goes deepest and finds what discrimination misses — but you'll dig a lot of iron. Many relic hunters run mild discrimination and switch to all-metal on promising signals.
Iron audio (Garrett's Iron Audio, Nokta's FerroCheck) lets you hear iron targets distinctly instead of silently rejecting them — so a deep coin masked by a nail still gives a mixed signal you can investigate. In iron-infested colonial sites, this is the difference between finding masked keepers and walking over them.
Civil War-era and colonial targets commonly sit 8–12 inches down. Depth depends on soil, target size, and coil — an 11-inch DD coil on a mid-frequency machine is the standard relic setup. Bigger coils go deeper but lose small-target sensitivity and tire your arm.
Sometimes significantly — but condition and rarity decide. Never clean a potentially valuable coin (cleaning destroys collector value); report historically significant finds to local authorities per our laws guide.
Relic sites are finite and fragile: dig clean plugs, pack out trash, and never hunt protected historical sites. The best relic detector is useless without permission and ethics.