Garrett Pro-Pointer II Review: The Non-Submersible Pro-Pointer

IP66 is a rating for dust and powerful water jets from any direction, and Garrett's own wording for this model is specific: the tip can be submerged, and the unit operates in rain or under running water. That covers digging in wet grass, a light shower, or rinsing the tip in a stream. It does not cover dropping the whole unit in a pond, wading with it clipped to your belt in the surf, or any use where the main body goes under water. Garrett reserves the fully submersible claim, stated as 20 feet, for the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT specifically.

Everything else about this model is aimed at speed in the hole: a 360 degree field means you do not have to sweep the probe in a specific orientation to get a response, and the fast retune function tunes out mineralized ground on the spot rather than requiring you to walk away and come back. Both are genuinely useful regardless of which water rating you need, which is why this model remains widely recommended for dry-land work specifically.

Published figures only, and water rating is the one column that actually separates these models.

Price is close across this whole bracket. Water rating is where the real decision sits.

State it plainly, because the model naming makes it easy to miss: the Garrett Pro-Pointer II is not the same tool as the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT, and the difference is not a minor upgrade. Garrett publishes IP66 for this model, tip submersible, unit works in rain or under running water, which explicitly excludes submerging the body. If your detecting ever takes you to a beach, a riverbank, or any site where a probe regularly ends up wet past the tip, this is the wrong tool, and the AT costs only a modest amount more for a published 20 foot rating. Buying the II to save that difference and then using it near water is the single most common way this specific pinpointer fails.

Second, sensitivity control. The listing used here does not publish adjustable sensitivity levels for the Pro-Pointer II the way it does for the AT, at three levels, or the way Minelab publishes five levels for the Minelab PRO-FIND 40. Fine control over sensitivity is what lets you work close to trash without the pinpointer chattering on everything nearby, and its absence here is a real functional gap against pricier rivals.

Third, no ferrous discrimination and no vibration alert are published for this model, where the Minelab PRO-FIND 40 states both. In an iron-heavy hole, an audio-only, non- discriminating pinpointer cannot tell you whether the strong signal at the bottom is the coin you dug for or a nail sitting on top of it.

Published owner discussion of the Pro-Pointer II is consistently positive on speed and reliability for dry-land digging: the 360 degree field and fast retune are described repeatedly as removing guesswork from the hole, and the price makes it an easy first pinpointer recommendation for exactly that use. Battery life on a single 9V is also a recurring point of praise, since owners report going a long time between changes.

The consistent caution in published reviews, almost without exception, is the water rating: buyers who assumed "Pro-Pointer" meant the same waterproofing across the whole Garrett range report learning otherwise the hard way, either through a support conversation or through a unit that stopped working after genuine submersion. Owners who hunt any wet ground at all consistently recommend paying the difference for the AT up front rather than finding this out after a purchase, which the pinpointer roundup states as its own first rule.

Buy it if:

• You hunt exclusively dry parks, yards and fields, never wet sand or water.
• You want Garrett's core pinpointer feel at the lowest Garrett price.
• You are on a tight budget and understand the water limitation clearly.
• You already own a submersible pinpointer and want a cheaper backup for dry sites.

Skip it if:

• You detect anywhere near water, ever. Buy the Pro-Pointer AT instead.
• You want adjustable sensitivity levels published outright.
• You want ferrous discrimination so you are not surprised by iron in the hole.
• You want a vibration alert alongside audio for noisy or hard-of-hearing use.