garrett 250

[Skip]

hello everyone i was wondering how good is the Garrett 250?My son has a whites prismIII and i have a bounty hunter 202. I keep on hearing that the 250 is the best metal detector for the money. I was wondering can the 250 detect deeper than the whites and bounty?whats you view on the 250?

[Treasurekidd]

Skip, I have been using my ACE250 March of '05, shortly after they came out, and I can tell you it has more than paid for itself. It is lightweight (I can swing it for hours without my arm getting tired) and easy to use right out of the box. It has most of the bells and whistles of higher end machines, such as Target ID, Depth Meter and Pinpointing. The pinpointer is a little tricky to use, but once you figure out what it's telling you, it's simple. As a beginner, you can not go wrong with this machine at this price. I can not compare it to the Whites Prizm line, because I have not used them, but with Whites reputation, I'm sure they are fine machines. But I can tell you that the ACE250 will not disappoint you! I really only hunt a few hours at a time on Sat and Sun mornings, but even so, I have paid for my ACE in clad coins alone, and that does not include a "treasure box" full of silver and gold jewelry and older coins added to my collection!

For a beginner just starting out, the ACE250 is a perfect starting point. Why spend a lot more at the beginning, when you may not end up enjoying the hobby as much as you think? And if you do end up really getting hooked and eventually have the urge to upgrade to a higher end detector, your ACE250 will always make a great backup machine! Get a good set of headphones to go with it too, those make a big difference! Best of luck to you with whatever detector you choose!

[dooby]

welcome Skip, I to use the Ace250. Treasurekidd is correct in his assessment of the Ace250. I have had no problems with my machine, outside learning how to pinpoint, it is really nice to just hit the "on" button and go, I have added a cheap set of headphones with in line volume control from Radio Shack, I attract a lot less attention and kids while I wander about the lake shore..............

[TerryETex]

Welcome Skip. I've owned the Ace 250 as well as the Prizm IV and V. I enjoyed each. All are good detectors. But for me the performance was equal between them. So, for much less money I would recommend the Ace. HH

[Jason]

Welcome Skip. I have the Prizm III and it is a great machine. So is the Ace250. Feature for feature, they are almost equal. Moving from a Prizm to the Ace would be more of a lateral move. I would move up to a White M6, XLT, or even a DFX if it's in your budget. Or a Minelab Xterra 50 or 70 would make a great upgrade too.

[KESTREL0222]

Skip,

Welcome to the forum!

I am fairly new to this hobby and I have been doing a lot of research on this very subject. From what I have read here on this forum as well as my own comparisons (specifications of different machines), I have to agree with the others. I too have decided to get the Ace 250 as my first detector.

I have not purchased it yet (waiting to see if Santa brings it), If not for Christmas, I will order it right after the holidays.

[TonyinCT]

Great detector to start with and would be an upgrade.

[Florida Tabdigger]

I have never used the ACE 250, but I have read on these forums that it has a hard time discerning between nickels and tabs. Your BH 202 is prabably a better machine...the ACE is definately not going to finds things any deeper. If you have used the autonotch on your BH, then you know how well it ignores tabs and finds nickles and small gold. I'm sure the ACE is a fine machine, I just don't think you will be upgrading from what you already have.

[hoser]

Hiya Skip, and welcome. I own the DFX, and had the chance to use the ACE250 for several weeks this last summer, and I was pleasently surprised at the performance of this machine. As a starter unit, you simply can't go wrong with the ACE, or the Whites. JMHO. :spin:

[JimB]

Greetings, as a complete begininer I would like to ask for your advise. It seems that the Garrett Acer 250 would be the way to start. However what features should I be looking in any new machine? If at a future date I wanted to upgrade what features would I need in an upgrade? Maybe I should just go for the upgrade now. Also I'd appreciate your recommendation for a seller/vendor.
thanks

[Hermit]

JimB the Ace is a great starter machine.It already has all the features you would need for a while.As far as an upgrade,there is a larger coil you can get for it.It will give you a bit more depth and better coverage per swing.
I recommend Tony at www.TCmetaldetectors.com
He is a forum sponsor and a good guy to deal with.
Drop him a line,,I'm sure he would lead you down the right road.

[wescowood]

Contact tony on this forum and he can set you up. Ive never done business with tony but have heard from several people who have and believe he"s a stand-up guy.

[bos1526]

Skip,

I've owned the ACE 250 for over a year now (my first detector) and it is a great machine for the price. If you are looking for an entry level machine it performs very well without breaking the bank. If you have a higher price budget there are other machines available but the ACE is definitely a great starter machine.

Wescowood is right too, Tony is definitely the one to go to for detector purchase advice and information--he can tell you all you need to know about the 250 and many other detectors too.

Good luck and HH!

[KESTREL0222]

Skip,
Welcome to the forum!
I have researched this very subject for a while now (here and on other forums) and have come to the conclusion that the Ace 250 is the best detector for the money. Every time that I asked this question, I got the same responce. So much so, that I just purchased my first detector, the Ace 250.

[Phantasman]

Hmmmm...............

The question was "would the 250 detect deeper than the Prism".

In a nutshell, I don't think so. Moving from the Prism 3 to the 250 is more of a lateral move than an improvement. As most here said, they are both great machines. Unless you plan on moving up to more options and paying a few more bucks for greater depth, save your money.