Another Newbie :p

I dont think the 250 is real good for salt water hunting. You would be ok I think on dry sand. I may be wrong, we'll see what everyone says.

Wellcome to the site Tbunnie. I think the 250 would be OK in the dry sand. Don't know how it would do in the wet. Cladius.

Welcome THB!! The 250 will be fine on the beach in the dry sand. Once you get in the wet sand is where you will find it, and most other non special beach machines, not any good. You can get a new one fo 199, shipping included from Tony, a forum supporter. The PrizmII is the same price and is a fine machine that pinpoints better than the 250. Get up with Tony and discuss your needs and wants. 860-623-1153 or www.tcdetectors.com
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Welcome aboard THB! I have been hunting with an ACE250 since last spring, and love it! Let me answer your questions as best I can, to the best of my experience:

Q. Would the Garrett 250 be good enough to be used mostly on the beach? I live around Huntington Beach and that's probably where I would start off.

A. Yes, you can use it on the beach. It's not the best machine you could use on a salt water beach, but I've used mine at the beaches here in RI, and it works just fine for me. It will take you a while to get to know a good signal from a false signal caused by salt mineralization, but you'll get the hang of it. Besides, a true salt water detector will cost you a LOT more the the ACE250. The ACE250 works great in the dry sand, and at freshwater beaches too.

Q. Is it good enough to find gold jewelry?

A. Yes it is! Gold is hard to find, but if you pass over it at a reasonable depth, it'll tell you. The catch - gold has almost the same conductivity as nickel and aluminum, which means if you want gold, be prepared to dig lots of nickels and pulltabs!

Q. Is it easy to be used by a total dummy?

A. Yes, lol! I use mine all the time, and even I find lots of stuff!


Q. Would it be too heavy or large for someone 5ft 90lbs?

A. Not at all. It's one of the lightest detectors out there, and you can shorten the shaft so that it get's pretty short.


Q. Am thinking about getting it off eBay.

A. Well, I got mine off eBay, but I highly suggest talking to TonyTC here on the forum. He's an authorized dealer, a valued forum supporter, and a wonderful source of great service and knowledge. Don't quote me on this, but he should be able to give you a deal comparable to any dealer on eBay, and he services what he sells.

I hope that helps you some, just keep in mind that this is just in my experience, and there are a lot of more experiencd hunters than me here. Good luck with whichever machine you choose, and happy hunting!

Welcome THB. TK covered it pretty well.

Thanks everyone for the quick responses :P

So the Garrett 250 still sounds good to me.

Poptop: I clicked on the link you gave above for the Prizm II but it's not a valid url. So I did a search on this detector and from what I read, this machine will also not do so great on wet sand. However, it can pinpoint better than the Garrett250 (?).

One thing I also read about this PrizmII is that it lacks a depth indicator (?). Does the Garett250 have a depth indicator then?

So from what I have read, the PrizmII is a bit better than the Garrett250. But I kinda like the Garrett250 better because it got prettier color and seems to have more buttons
Heh, now am confused.

Thb....

The Ace 250 is not for the wet sand either, many detectors don't like the wet sand its not until you get into a higher end machine that you would want to be in the wet.

treasurehuntingbunnie said:

Thanks everyone for the quick responses :P

So the Garrett 250 still sounds good to me.

Poptop: I clicked on the link you gave above for the Prizm II but it's not a valid url. So I did a search on this detector and from what I read, this machine will also not do so great on wet sand. However, it can pinpoint better than the Garrett250 (?).

One thing I also read about this PrizmII is that it lacks a depth indicator (?). Does the Garett250 have a depth indicator then?

So from what I have read, the PrizmII is a bit better than the Garrett250. But I kinda like the Garrett250 better because it got prettier color and seems to have more buttons
Heh, now am confused.

Click to expand...

Get Ace 250, If you learn to pinpoint with, you will do better
than the Prizm. Yes it tells you the depth.
Check this out had both machines and would not sell my Ace 250
for $800.00 if I couldn't get another one.
http://www.flex.com/~sgyoung/plug.html

Thats www.tcmetaldetectors.com.

Welcome aboard, li'l THB!

I haven't used my 250 in the salty wet yet, but everything I've read confirms what they guys are saying - it's not so hot. The price will get you a great machine, though, and you can learn to pinpoint accurately with it.

Best of luck!

OH

hey bunnie,

Good luck to a fellow rookie.

i was considering the ace 250 also, but was told that it wouldnt go that deep in my neck of the woods.

still looks like a pretty good place to start.

Happy hunting,
Mark

Welcome THB. You'll enjoy this forum.

Yes, the ACE250 does have a depth indicator.

treasurehuntingbunnie said:

Hi All,

Am absolutely new to all this and after going through this web, it got me so excited and I think it's gonna be so much fun.

I need to buy my very first detector. Am thinking of the Garrett Ace 250 because that's what recommended on the other page. It's much more than what I can afford but I guess I'll have to go with it since I don't want a toy version that would leave me disappointed.

My question is, would the Garrett 250 be good enough to be used mostly on the beach? I live around Huntington Beach and that's probably where I would start off. Is it good enough to find gold jewelry? Is it easy to be used by a total dummy? Would it be too heavy or large for someone 5ft 90lbs? Am thinking of getting this off ebay.

Any tip would be appreciated

Click to expand...

I see in a couple of the other responses that the prizm 2 comes up as a comparible detector. i do not recommend the prizm 2 as it is the only prizm detector that will not give you and indication of depth. the prizm 3, 4 and 5 will tell you the depth. i know in sand you will probably dig every signal but in grass and dirt i find that know the depth is very helpful. you know if you are going to dig a 1 inch hole or a 6 inch hole. also on grass and dirt having a bullseye pinpointer can be very helpful......see them on e-bay retails for 119.95 used to surf in huntington beach in the 60's

glad to have you aboard

I also am a newbie, I got the bounty hunter IV and wondered, cause of the price was it going to be like a toy, I was amazed at the the accuracy and quality, plus it is fresh and salt water resistant., It was less than 130.oo.
I am on a budget to. And people were recommending much more pricey models. I think I got a winner for a beginner I found stuff my first day though I doubt my landlady is to happy, about me digging up her yard. Oh well live and learn. WElcome to the club. SMG

The Ace250 is still the best bet in the "starter" catagory. The Prizm's are great detectors to for the money except I feel you don't get more performance in the III over the II and for an extra 100.00 dollars its better to go with an Ace250. If you wanted more accurate pinpointing then the Prizm II is a bit better. To upgrade from an Ace250 in the Prizm line it would be the IV in my opinion.
If you need any help let me know.