Quick Answer: The four metal detector accessories worth buying, in order, are a pinpointer (Garrett Pro-Pointer AT, ~$130), a digging tool (Lesche Sampson T-handle, ~$90), headphones (Minelab ML 105, ~$149), and — only for sand and surf hunting — a sand scoop (CKG 11x8 stainless, $108.99). Together the first three form a complete land kit for about $369 at premium prices or roughly $106 on a budget build (DR.ÖTEK MT pinpointer, Radius Root Slayer shovel, basic wired headphones). Add the scoop only if you actually hunt beaches — it does nothing in turf or clay.
Your detector finds the signal. Everything below actually gets the target out of the ground and back into your pocket faster — and the gap between a detectorist with the right accessories and one without is bigger than most beginners expect. We maintain deep, spec-by-spec rankings for each of these categories elsewhere on this site; this page is the shortcut. One proven pick per job, real prices, and the math on what a full kit actually costs to build.
The four accessories, at a glance
| Accessory | Our pick | Price | Job | Skip if... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinpointer | Garrett Pro-Pointer AT | ~$130 | Locates the target inside the hole in seconds | Never — buy this first |
| Digging tool | Lesche Sampson T-handle | ~$90 | Cuts a clean plug, saws through roots | You only hunt loose beach sand |
| Headphones | Minelab ML 105 | ~$149 | Surfaces faint, deep signals the speaker misses | You hunt silent, quiet-hours parks only |
| Sand scoop | CKG 11x8 stainless | $108.99 | Sieves loose or wet sand for the target | You never hunt beaches or surf |
1. Pinpointer — Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
Garrett Pro-Pointer AT
- Waterproof to 3 m — works standing in park mud or wading a shallow creek.
- The industry-standard orange body ("the Garrett Carrot") is easy to spot if you set it down mid-recovery.
- Cuts recovery time roughly in half versus scraping and searching by hand.
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If you buy exactly one accessory this year, make it a pinpointer. Every guide on this site ends the same way for a reason: your detector tells you a target is somewhere within a dinner-plate-sized plug, and a pinpointer is what narrows that down to an exact spot in seconds instead of minutes of scraping with a trowel. The Pro-Pointer AT is the category standard because it’s rated to 3 m, survives being dropped on rock, and stays sensitive after years of daily use. Our full pinpointer rankings cover five more options, including the $36 DR.ÖTEK for strict budgets and the dive-rated Nokta PulseDive.
2. Digging Tool — Lesche Sampson T-Handle
Lesche Sampson T-Handle Ground Shovel
- 31–36 inch heat-treated steel blade with double serrations that saw through roots instead of bouncing off them.
- T-grip lets you dig standing up — the difference between a comfortable season and a wrecked back.
- Cuts a narrow, clean plug that heals invisibly, which is what keeps landowners granting permission.
The digging tool is the second purchase every experienced detectorist makes, and for the same reason as the pinpointer: it turns “the machine says dig here” into a recovered find without tearing up the ground. A serrated edge matters more than steel thickness or brand — it’s what lets you saw through turf roots on the push instead of hacking at them, and it’s the single spec every code of ethics in the hobby points to when explaining how to keep a permission. Full breakdown, including the $40 budget-friendly Radius Root Slayer and the premium $130 Grave Digger Tools Original, is in our digging tool rankings.
3. Headphones — Minelab ML 105
Minelab ML 105 Wireless Headphones
- Bluetooth aptX Low Latency — the tone lands when the coil passes the target, not a beat after.
- Around 15 hours of battery, with a 3.5 mm cable in the box for a wired backup on almost any machine.
- The same set Minelab bundles with the Equinox 900 and Manticore.
The external speaker on even a $1,000 detector loses faint, deep signals to wind and traffic — exactly the targets a good machine is supposed to find. Headphones also roughly double usable battery life on many detectors, because the speaker amplifier is one of the biggest current draws in the whole unit. Jack type matters more than brand here: 1/4 inch on many Garrett ACE and AT models, 3.5 mm on modern Minelabs and most Noktas. Six ranked options, including Garrett’s native Z-Lynk set and a genuinely waterproof pick for wading, are in our headphone rankings.
4. Sand Scoop — CKG 11x8 Stainless (beach hunters only)
CKG 11x8 Sand Scoop
- 10 mm hexagonal holes that shear through wet-packed sand instead of clogging like round holes.
- 11.5" x 8" x 4.3" marine-grade stainless basket, 2.3 lb, clears a target in two or three lifts.
- Does nothing useful outside sand — it's a sieve, not a cutter.
This is the one accessory on the list that’s conditional. A sand scoop is a sieve — you drive it into loose sand and shake until only the target remains — and it is useless on turf, clay or woodland ground, where the Lesche shovel above does the job instead. If your hunting ground is a beach or the surf line, though, it’s not optional: a shovel there just tears a hole the next wave refills. Full hole-size and material breakdown, including a $39.95 hand-scoop option, is in our sand scoop guide.
What a full starter kit actually costs
| Build | Pinpointer | Digging tool | Headphones | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (land) | Garrett Pro-Pointer AT $130 | Lesche Sampson $90 | Minelab ML 105 $149 | $369 |
| Budget (land) | DR.ÖTEK MT $36 | Radius Root Slayer $40 | Basic wired set $30 | $106 |
| Premium + beach | Add CKG 11x8 sand scoop $108.99 | $478 | ||
| Budget + beach | Add CKG 11x8 sand scoop $108.99 | $215 | ||
Two numbers worth sitting with. First, a full premium accessory kit ($369) costs less than a single Minelab Manticore ($1,699) — accessories are a small line item next to the detector itself, which is why it rarely makes sense to skimp on them to save for a bigger machine. Second, the gap between budget and premium accessories is only $263, far smaller than the gap between a beginner detector and a flagship one — this is the part of the hobby where spending a little more buys a proportionally bigger upgrade in comfort and recovery speed.
Buying order for a brand-new detectorist
- Week one: pinpointer. It has the single biggest effect on finds-per-hour of anything on this list, and it works with every detector you’ll ever own.
- Week one or two: digging tool. Buy serrated, match the length to your ground, and you’re set for years — this is a buy-once category once you get past hardware-store spades.
- When budget allows: headphones. Not urgent for a first outing, but the upgrade most new detectorists say they should have bought sooner once they try a pair.
- Only if you hunt sand: scoop. Skip it entirely if your permissions are parks, fields or woodland — put that money into the digging tool or headphones instead.
- Ongoing: batteries, a finds pouch, and a coil cover. Cheap, unglamorous, and easy to add later without a dedicated guide — keep spares of each in your kit bag.
The bottom line
Buy in this order and you’ll never waste money on the wrong accessory: the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT first, the Lesche Sampson shovel second, Minelab ML 105 headphones third, and a CKG sand scoop only if sand is where you actually hunt. A premium land kit runs about $369, a budget one about $106 — either way, it’s a fraction of what the detector itself cost, and it’s the difference between finding a target and actually recovering it. For the detector to pair all this with, start at our best metal detector rankings or the beginner guide if you’re just starting out.