Big Boys Hobbies

Garrett Ace 250 good 'ENOUGH'?

jakerdz

jakerdz

Senior Member
Joined
May 21, 2014
Messages
333
Location
Milwaukee, WI
Hey Guys,

My father and I currently share a Cabelas Treasure Hunter Detector by Bounty Hunter and have had quite a bit of luck for only spending $80.00. Of course being new, we dug EVERYTHING. And we found a LOT....of iron nails... :laughing:

Luckily, we stumbled across some really cool relics (pocket knives, headstamps, axe heads, bridal pieces, farm equipment, etc...) that peaked our interest farther. Then once we started to get the hang of our detector we managed to find coins!!! Two indian heads, a two cent piece and a seated dime blew our minds (after all this was right in our backyard) and we were hooked forever.

So now that we are pretty set on being metal detectorists till the grave :laughing: I thought it would be a cool to get us a new detector soon. I have read from a lot of you that the Garrett Ace 250 is a GREAT starter detector and at a reasonable price. However, would this be a worthy UPGRADE detector from where I am at with the Cabela's cheapo? I am looking for something that can sort through the 'junk' a little better. Our 30 acre back yard is RIDDLED with junk signals. But, due to our lucky coin finds, I KNOW we are missing some cool things buried near/under more square nails I refuse to keep digging. :lol:

So I am looking for something that can discriminate a little better than what I have, yet not break the bank completely. Is the Ace 250 good 'ENOUGH'? Or should I aim higher? Or maybe an Ace 250 with better coils and other add-ons?

Thanks for your help!

Jake
 
Personally I cant stand the sounds that come out of those yellow things, but doesnt mean its not a good machine.. whenever this question come up my vote goes to the fisher f2, its similiar to the machine you're using now looks wise, but better performance.. Watch some youtube videos and see which machine speaks to you..
 
Ive been hearing a lot of good things about the Teknetics Eurotec Pro.
 
You've obviously decided that you're serious about detecting, why just take one tiny little step? Get yourself a machine that you won't want to upgrade from in another year. Look at the Minelab Xterra or Safari lines or if you want a waterproof detector to do the freshwater lakes and river beaches around your area, get an AT Pro from Garrett. Sure, it's about double what you planned on spending on the ACE but it will serve you a lot longer. And look at used detectors in those lines also. You WILL outgrow that ACE quickly, I know, I have one and LOVE it but it was my starter machine and I outgrew it in about 9 months. I have nearly 600 hours on it now and I still use it from time to time but I have 2 more land machines and a PI machine for the water.

Now to answer your original question, yeah, it's good ENOUGH but.... see my comment above.
 
Its a decent little starter detector , i found plenty with mine. But as an upgrade from another starter detector ?.....save your money , put a little more with it , and take a step up instead of basically a step almost sideways.
 
Jake,
A very good question but a hard one to answer. All of us have our favorite brand and machine. Wile I'm a Minelab guy, I also have a Garrett AT pro and find it a nice machine. It is water proof also. That in it's self keeps you detecting if it rains. Happy Hunting.
Gary
 
Wow! Thank you all for the quick comments and suggestions! :D

It seems as if the general consensus is that although the Garrett Ace 250 is a decent detector, that it probably isn't a 'worthy enough' :roll: upgrade from my current machine. I think you guys are smart in steering me towards the next tier detectors since I will probably be investing time into the hobby for a long time. (I think the cheapskate in me wanted a cheap machine that was magically as good as the top tier...But I guess you get what you pay for :gettinmoney:)

Now I will have to check into the other brands you all mentioned... so many options! ha

Thanks again for the help! :mder:
 
jakerdz said:
That is quite the haul! Awesome! Makes it tough to want to pay more for a superior machine if you are having success like that for 1/2 the price... :thinking:
Click to expand...

I already had the 250 when the DD coil came out so I upgraded by changing coils. If I would have had a lower scale machine or if I were purchasing today I may be looking at a higher end machine. You know what kind of detecting you are planning on and what you are wanting to pay. I don't mind the extra digging I do versus a higher end machine. That may not be the route for you depending on where you are planning on using it. The 250 gets good depth and you don't have to pay much attention to the screen.:grin:
 
You sound you like know you are serious, so I would say no the 250 is not a good upgrade, the 350 isn't either.

Some one else recommended a upper end minelab, I don't know about that either, if you were considering a 250 in the first place I'd venture to guess its because you already knew you didn't want to drop a grand or more on you next MD. So.....

If you want to go to the next level of "serious" without spending a K or more look at the machines that offer Ground balancing. They're where things start to get more serious and there are a few out there that are pretty reasonable.

Gamma 6000, F4, F5, ATP, Titan 9000, Xterra 305 & 705 to name a few.

If you are asking about the 250 because of budget constraints- pass on it. Buy an F2, Eurotek Pro, Or delta 4000. All of those are better than the 250 or even the 350.

If you really want a Garrett go straight for the ATP, it's GREAT -despite the mediocrity of its to little brothers.
 
Danny Memphis said:
You sound you like know you are serious, so I would say no the 250 is not a good upgrade, the 350 isn't either.

Some one else recommended a upper end minelab, I don't know about that either, if you were considering a 250 in the first place I'd venture to guess its because you already knew you didn't want to drop a grand or more on you next MD. So.....

If you want to go to the next level of "serious" without spending a K or more look at the machines that offer Ground balancing. They're where things start to get more serious and there are a few out there that are pretty reasonable.

Gamma 6000, F4, F5, ATP, Titan 9000, Xterra 305 & 705 to name a few.

If you are asking about the 250 because of budget constraints- pass on it. Buy an F2, Eurotek Pro, Or delta 4000. All of those are better than the 250 or even the 350.

If you really want a Garrett go straight for the ATP, it's GREAT -despite the mediocrity of its to little brothers.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you!

I am going to try and find a person/place that will rent some of these nicer machines out so I can 'test drive' them. Then I can narrow down what I want to buy. It's hard to spend that much money without dry running some of these things (at least for me). And you hit the head on the nail. I am not looking to spend over $1,000.00 quite yet ha. I can't go from Fisher Price to Gucci. :laughing:
 
I have been away from the hobby for a while but looking to get back in. My last detector was an Ace 250. It found a lot but it is a SLOW detector. For that reason I am looking into getting a Fisher F2. Think it is an all around better machine.
 
FXDiz said:
You could always look at a good used older high end machine also. Especially if budget is a consideration.
Click to expand...

Good advice. There are some decent used machines in the classifieds section of this forum as we speak. And the forum sponsors like Big Boy Hobbies often get used machines and post about them here to give members the heads up on availability.
 
jakerdz said:
Wow! Thank you all for the quick comments and suggestions! :D

It seems as if the general consensus is that although the Garrett Ace 250 is a decent detector, that it probably isn't a 'worthy enough' :roll: upgrade from my current machine. I think you guys are smart in steering me towards the next tier detectors since I will probably be investing time into the hobby for a long time. (I think the cheapskate in me wanted a cheap machine that was magically as good as the top tier...But I guess you get what you pay for :gettinmoney:)

Now I will have to check into the other brands you all mentioned... so many options! ha

Thanks again for the help! :mder:
Click to expand...

Wise advise they do give ..... :yoda:
 
Like others have said, you might want to step up a few machine models. The 250 is very good, but not a huge leap from what you have, though it will be better. If you plan to invest time into the hobby, and you have the money, look at the mid level detectors like the Fisher F5, the AT Pro, and some of the Teknetics, Minelab, and Whites models. I remember when I first entered the hobby 25 years ago, someone told me to always buy the best you can afford, that way you have no regrets. Not many people wish they had bought a lower level detector, but many people with lower level detectors wish they had bought a higher level one. :grin:
 
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