Myers Depot Metal Detectors

now I dont know...

D

DJS

Full Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2006
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210
well, I was all set to pick up an ACE250 then we stopped at a small out of town shop today and looked at some whites, the guy running it was pretty cool, hes been in buisness almost as long as I've been alive so he also knew his business, the guy dealt with coins and relics and also buys stuff of value that people find(gold, rings, ect) so it was more or less a kind of pawn shop too...

but anyway, we talked for a while and he said the perfect detector for what I was wanting it for(relic hunting, old homesteads/foundations, and an occasional playground) would be the whites XLT, and it was pretty nice... he likes whites and although he didnt say anything bad about it he didnt seem like he was too impressed with the ACE250, or with any of the garrett line actually, although he did have some good comments about them... that XLT did kind of make that ACE250 seem kind of cheap though... but on the flip side the ACE250 is $200 and the XLT is around $800...

which brings me to my question... I know which is the better one but is the performance between the two great enough to justify the extra $600?
I like to metal detect but to be honest it isnt on the top of my list of hobbies(for now anyway), and with limited time anyway(usually) I just dont have time to do it as much as I'd like... I'm not looking for all kinds of fancy stuff on a machine just the basics with good solid performance and I dont want to drop $800 on a machine when a $200 one may be just a small step behind and, just like the $800 one, may work just as good for what I'm wanting it for...
 
I?ve never used a Whites machine, but I have used the Ace 250.
There are plenty of reports on here regarding the 250, I think that everyone who has bought one, has been more than happy with it. I bought mine as a backup detector, but now use it quite a lot instead of my Laser Hawkeye.

If you spend a lot of money on a detector, you?ll probably get some more features, and perhaps a little more depth, but I don?t think you?d be disappointed with the performance of the Garrett. Personally I think it?s the colour that puts a lot of people off of buying the Ace250. Yellow isn?t macho ;)
 
I've never tried the ACE 250 but I have owned the XLT. I'm inclined to say the XLT would be more likely to net you more goodies for the time spent. I think Garretts are great detectors especially for small gold. The Garretts I've owned were gold ring magnets.

I don't know about anyone else but one of my problems has always been regretting I didn't get the best I could afford. I'd find good stuff with a cheaper detector but I always thought what might I have found with a high-end machine. And in the end I'd end up buying the high-end.

In short I wouldn't be afraid to purchase either one.
 
I own high end an the lower end MD's (neither of the above mentioned). However the high end machines have a lot more abilities over the lower end. Someone on the site stated "you get what you pay for" is true to an extent. Even if you can't afford the high end, get what your $$ can buy. You won't be disappointed.
 
I have bought 2 Ace 250's. One for the wife to get her started, and one for a nephew to get him started. It is a VERY GOOD detector for the money. I have also just purchased my second Explorer II. There is no comparison to the two different machines, as they are both in different leagues as far as features and performance. What you should be asking yourself is what am I getting for my $200 ? Answer, a machine that competes with $3-400 units. The XLT is quite a few steps above in its range of ability, and unless this is important to you, I would save my money if you are on a more casual pursuit of the hobby.
 
I agree with the rest here. I have the DFX, and have used the ACE. The question you have to ask yourself is how much are you gonna use the machine you finally get. I, like so many on this forum spend a lot of time swinging a coil, and for me it was a no brainer. I went with the best I could afford because I knew I would be doing a LOT of hunting. Also you have to look at the RONA( return on net asset) which means if you decide that you don't really want to do a lot of MD'ing, how easy will it be to sell the machine you have for the biggest profit. Casual hunting, I would go with the ACE. But, if you find you really want to get into it heavy, go with something like the XLT.
 
thanks for the replies guys...


~ Alan ~ said:
Personally I think it’s the colour that puts a lot of people off of buying the Ace250. Yellow isn’t macho  ;)
Click to expand...

well, I'd have to put the chrome spinner coil on it and some race stickers and flames, maybe a small spoiler and/or air scoop on the display box, maybe a nitros bottle on the stem... :grin:


I'm still very undecided, I wish there wasnt all these rave reviews on the ACE250, then it wouldnt be so much of a problem...

that guy at that shop was pretty helpful, he gave me alot of advise on the good and bad points of alot of things(and wasnt just out to make a sale), after listening to him my wife is insisting on the XLT, but I'm still not so sure what would be the best way to go, its funny how deciding this has turned into such drama, if I MD'd more it wouldnt be such a hard decision and spending $800 on one wouldnt bother me a bit... spending $800 on one wouldnt really bother me anyway and I should just go buy the XLT and be done with it, but it is $800, and I dont like just throwing the money away on the wrong choice either...

I also have to have some pretty major surgery on my wrist on the 30th of this month to repair some seperated bones/ligaments which is going to put me out of commission for several months and, being a union carpenter, its probably going to pretty much end my work year and will bring my "play" money to a fast end for a while...
having an immobilized right wrist for MONTHS is going to pretty much end all my other hobbies but(until freeze-up anyway) it will give me plenty of time to use a new detector, which is going to be something I'm going to need to keep from going crazy...

I'm going to get one, its just a matter of which one, I'll problably find another one I like before I decide on either of these two anyway... :roll:

I'm not the best in the world at making up my mind on things... I'm going to have to just think on it for awhile yet, I guess...
 
Maybe it's just me, but $800 seems high for the XLT :?: You might as well spend another $100+ and get the DFX ;) Just be happy with what you buy, that's the big thing.
 
Don't buy the XLT because at this time you really don't want it that much. You've stated several reasons why you don't want it. With the Ace $212.00 if you get out of the hobby what are you out, $50-$75 dollars? If you decide to upgrade you'd be out the same and that would be cheap for the entertainment time you had. Rob
 
I agree with Hoseer and Okidigger.

If you decide to buy an XLT, go the distance and get the DFX....

But you have to consider the time you will spend detecting. The 250 is much less costly. Correlate the issue ... would you spend $10,000 on a vehicle you plan to use as a "just get around town" transportation ... Determine your wants and needs now. If they grow, then sell your original pruchase and upgrade.

Just my 2 cents! :grin:
 
rcasi44 said:
Don't buy the XLT because at this time you really don't want it that much. You've stated several reasons why you don't want it. With the Ace $212.00 if you get out of the hobby what are you out, $50-$75 dollars? If you decide to upgrade you'd be out the same and that would be cheap for the entertainment time you had. Rob
Click to expand...


man, you actually drove a point home with that comment...

Snowy...
would you spend $10,000 on a vehicle you plan to use as a "just get around town" transportation ... Determine your wants and needs now. If they grow, then sell your original pruchase and upgrade.
Click to expand...
your exactly right too...

however, I did talk to the guy for quite a length of time and he thought too that the XLT was more of what would suit me over the others(DXT or the MXT), I've never actually used one so I really have no idea though, just going off his expertise...

OkieDigger... your probably right, actually I never really did talk to the guy about what price he had on his stuff, and he never really brought it up either, in all honesty he seemed more worried about me getting what was best for me than what the cost was... the $800 price I actually got off from a whites flyer he had laying on the counter before I even started talking to him...

in all honesty I think I'm going to pick up the ACE250... I think its going to be good for me for now and if I decide it isnt or I'm not as hot on this hobby as I thought I was(which is unlikely since I've been fighting that cheap little bounty hunter since the early '90's) then I'm not out much and if I decide it isnt enough then I'll just sell it for what I can and go get the XLT...

alot of guys would probably love the fact that they're wifes would insist on them buying an $800 metal detector over a $200 one, but now I get to try to talk my wife out of that(what the hell is wrong with me... :?:)

thanks for the help guys...
 
DJS said:
........I also have to have some pretty major surgery on my wrist on the 30th of this month to repair some seperated bones/ligaments which is going to put me out of commission for several months and, being a union carpenter, its probably going to pretty much end my work year and will bring my "play" money to a fast end for a while..............
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that, hope you make a quick recovery.

I've never tried the Whites machine, although I accept it is probably going to be a superior machine to the Garrett.

It would worth trying both machines in the shop to see which one you feel comfortable with. In your case the Garrett may be better for you, as it is a very light machine, which if you are going to use it for hours at a time, makes a big difference.
 
One reason he didn't seem to keen on the Garrett might be because its fixed ground exclude setting might not suit the area in which you live. As Garrett don't know where a detector is going to be sold they have to set the machine up for average ground. If your ground is not average then you will never get the best depth.
While I love the XLT and the weight/balance arn't bad there are dozens of lighter machines on the market (Tesoro makes super light machines at all price levels). I would find your local metal detector club and see what works well in your area at a lower price than the Whites. Even a light machine could cause trouble with your injury if its coil heavy so its best to try before you buy.
 
well, I picked up an ACE250 yesterday, I havent really had a chance to use it much though, I had surgery on my wrist wens., there was a little more damage than what was thought and it took more to repair than what was expected so I'm in an arm splint now and am all drug out on meds but I did go out in my yard and checked it out some today...

I actually found quite a bit of change in just the little while I was out there and got alot of hits on pennies/dimes that I didnt even dig up, its awesome having a machine that actually WORKS... my old bounty hunter would pick up on a pull tab 10" in the ground 300 yards away but would sooner take a bullet than find anything of actual value, which made it more of a chore than it was worth alot of times...

that XLT was a better machine outright but this ace is going to work just fine for me right now I think, I'm going to try to get out a little tomorrow maybe if things go good... I'm kind of excited about it now...
 
Personally I think it?s the colour that puts a lot of people off of buying the Ace250. Yellow isn?t macho
Click to expand...

Don't tell the Pittsburgh Steelers that black and yello isn't macho, lol, although I prefer the blue and silver of the Pats myself!
 
Don't forget the White's Prizm line. They really are great for the price and in my opinion, better than the ACE
 
well, I got out a little bit late today and to be completely honest I'm not all too impressed with that ace250...

we were down an old park along side the river and all it really wanted to do was go crazy with its signals, the display and depth meter would jump all over the scale on hits and besides a very few times it never seemed to want to really hit solid on anything, nor was it usually right about what was dug up...

granted this is my first time using it but I'm a fairly smart guy and this thing isnt hard to figure out setting wise... the terrain was black dirt with mowed grass so I wouldnt think it would have had too much of a problem... it has brand new batteries, and I tried alot of various settings and changes and never really did get it to work decent, about the only thing it hit solid on was pull tabs

I'm not going to give up hope yet though, the first date didnt go too good but hopfully the second one will be better, I'm going to take it to a local beach tomorrow and see how it goes, hopfully its just a matter of us figuring each other out...
 
As I've said before, I've found the 250 to be an excellent machine, not just for the money, but for it's performance.

It's difficult to compare machines, unless you have a buried test bed in your garden (which has had time to settle).

Comparing the 250 against my Laser Hawkeye (similar to Cortez), there is nothing to chose between them, and the Laser was twice the price of the 250.

Although the Garrett is an easy machine to use, it still takes a bit of getting used to.
On the fields I use Jewelry mode, with sensitivity as high as it'll go without being too noisy.
 
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