First detector on a 250 budget

[champion2112]

Having searched the web pretty diligently I think I have narrowed my search down to 3 detectors to choose from.The Tesoro compadre,the ace 250,or F2.Would greatly appreciate any advice from the experienced hunters as to what detector is best(if I have overlooked any others in that range or the $300's please let me know).I understand there are preferences and pros and cons for each.My concerns are depth,accuracy,reliability.Also does the screen display help a lot for newbies?Thanks again for any help.

 

[bossman]

Go with the ace,take the extra money and spend on a good pin pointer.you should be very happy with it

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

I'm not really familiar with the Tesoro and Garrett machines - but I know there's a ton of people out there that really like the Garrett Ace 250.
Also, as you will read everywhere - the Garrett Pro Pointer - pinpointer is FANTASTIC - I never go hunting with out it !!!

Good Luck ! --- Mark

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

ACE 250 and Propointer good starter for detecting !

 

[Larry (IL)]

You really can't go wrong with the 250 and I recommended that unit since it came on the market, even bought my 78 Years young Mother-in-Law one. Now I have to give the nod to the new White's Coinmaster. Although a tad short on features, for the price, performance and the company behind it, it has got to be my low-end recommendation. The Garrett Pro pointer is still at the top of my list for handheld pinpointers though.

 

[champion2112]

Thank you for the reply

 

[JoeR]

Whites detectors have a transferable warranty and reputable dealers who carry other brands will commonly offer a 90 day warranty.The whites Prizm series detectors have many features and are in your price range used.The Fisher 1236x2 has been popular for years amoung detectorists who hunt iron laden areas.When first Texas bought out Fisher they dropped most of the old Fisher line in favor of their own designs.The 1236x2 can be had for well under $300 now and is an excellent choice.The Tesoro Vaquero is around $300 used and is one of that company`s best and most popular machines.The fixed ground balence version,the Cibola,can be had for less.One of the forum sponsors who carries used ,refurbished,and demo detectors at big discounts from new prices is Kellyco.They often include packages of extras with these machines as an incentive.Click on their ad at the top of the forum header.

 

[jbow]

although it isn't their "official" warranty... I have never heard of Tesoro not doing warranty work on any of their detectors, original owner or not, old or new. You may find a used Cibola for that price with a 5.75 coil... you'll be set then!

J

 

[tab-nabit]

If you feel you want a display machine, the ACE 250 offers bang for the buck.
For non-display, I would consider the Compadre and the Pro Pointer. Keep in mind the coil is hardwired, but the Silver uMax offers 2 modes and the coil isn't hardwired allowing coil swaps.
Either way, a pinpointer is always a nice asset, especially for many beginners.

Since I mainly hunt by audio, a display machine is just extra but not my absolute decision to determine digging. I can't just rely on displays. The audio is where it's at for me, although a display can provide some additional information, and I do use it at times, but it's secondary as the audio is primary for me.
I always hunt with headphones, therefore quality headphones are a must for me, and a pinpointer like the ProPointer makes life easier.
Also, decent digging tools, and something to carry the finds.

"My concerns are depth,accuracy,reliability.Also does the screen display help a lot for newbies?Thanks again for any help".

For coin hunting, the machines mentioned have sufficient depth capability for most of my hunting. Tot lots are fine also for coins, jewelery etc. For relic, I go with other machines not mentioned, although it's not to say the ones mentioned will not get relics within their capability. Nuggets - I go with other machines, preferably a gold detector.
Accuracy - not all sure by what is meant by that one.
Reliability - I have had no issues with Tesoro's or the 250 - and Tesoro has great warranty/repair.

Bottom line - I see nothing wrong going with a Tesoro as they are good machines, and nothing wrong with the 250 if you prefer a display. They are all popular and will provide some good hunting.
Although I have a handful of machines, and some costing over a grand each, I often grab my lowest cost detector, the Compadre, and have loads of fun with it. When I take along folks who don't have a machine, they most often choose the 250, probably for the display. It's easier for them to determine the coins.

If you have a local detecting club, and/or local dealer, you can get some hands-on.

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

The Ace Has done a great job for me. I have kept it in the trunk of my for 4 years now, so it is there when the opportunity arises. I know I'm bad, but it has held up well, even in Florida's heat.

It depends on what you are going to use it for on deciding what accessories you want with it. If you do playgrounds and trashy areas I would suggest their small sniper coil. With that coil, I know of no other detector that can detect 1 inch from playground equipment. Also it can detect underneath the metal better than most. Because of that, I get rings that others can't detect. With my ring finds, I payed for it in 3 months. It has good depth for it's price. Others may dispute it, but I routinely picked up pennies at 7 inches. The signal is weak at 7 inches, so it jumps from iron to cent. It is a deep cent. Of course use the larger coil for open areas, such as the dry sand at the beach. A good pin pointer is nice, but if money is a problem get a cheep one at first. The goods you will find can pay for a good pin pointer later on, but you need the right coil to find the goods for the pin pointer to work. Try Kellyco. They many times have deals on a free or discounted pin pointer when you buy a detector from them.

With the loot I have accumulated, I was able to upgrade and purchase a more powerful detector, my Fisher F 70. I always use my Ace 250 for playgrounds. I can't get as close to the equipment with my F 70 as I can with the Ace. Each has its purpose. It would be like hunting for squirrel with a high powered rifle using the F 70 in a tot lot. You need more than one detector for different types of hunting. The Ace 250 is a great start to your collection.

 

[digging nm]

if you dont need or want the target id try the silver u max. good luck!

 

[JOHNMARKHAM]

my first detector was the ace 250 ive found plenty of stuff with it,i also have an excalibur2 but still enjoy my ace 250....[video][/video]

 

[Shambler]

I can't get as close to the equipment with my F 70 as I can with the Ace

There's a reason for this..... it kind of sums up what you're getting with these lower end detectors.

Find a club and borrow these detectors before you dive in. I don't recommend going cheap to "see how you like it".

depth,accuracy,reliability

There's a running joke at our club when someone using the Ace250 and that is "there sure are a lot of quarters in this place" because the TID leaves a bit to be desired.

 

[Flintstone]

Don,t forget the new Whites Coin Master. Just out about a Mo. or so. It was made to compete with the Ace 250, at a price of $179.00. It is just about like the Prizm 111, but with meter and a little more. Looks good my sister got one for her boy, now i think i well add one to my MXT, Garretts and Troy

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

Hey now, lets not distort things. How deep do you have to go in a tot lot. I am sure you can't detect a penny 1 inch from metal equipment. The Ace can with the sniper coil. You have to tilt the coil at an angle away from the equipment and you can get within 1 inch.

If he wanted to detect tot lots, I believe you can't buy a better detector. That was my point about owning multiple detectors. Each has its purpose. I would never take the Ace in a CW battle field. Not that you wouldn't find anything, but it would be like trying to shoot a deer with a 22 rifle. There are better choices. Oh yea, I have found cw bullets, coins from 1700 and 1800's, also plenty of gold rings with my Ace. At the time I bought the Ace, I could not afford a more costly detector. I would have missed out on a lot of fun.

With a limited budget and not knowing metal detecting, the Ace 250 is a great detector. Unless you have money to burn, I wouldn't jump into a hobby and buy the top of the line. The learning curve could be too much for most people.

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

"Best" is going to ultimately be more up to the buyer than "the advisors". Once you have bought a detector, the time for speculation and comparison is over and hopefully at that point, you apply yourself and equipment in order to really enjoy the hobby which is what it's really (or at least should be IMO) all about. Having said that, I'll take a minute to be another of the "advisors". I've had a couple 250's and there is no doubt they were hard to beat at a performance to price point because they really shook the market up and essentially there wasn't a lot of competition at the time in the TID segment for the low $200 range. As all competitive markets are, there are now additional choices for good performing similar priced TID units. You mentioned the F-2 and I would agree that it is a viable choice. You might also want to consider the Teknetics Delta which can be had for $279 and usually comes with a nice quality case as well as either headphones or a pinpointer. I guess the biggest difference is with the Delta you'll get a numeric readout as well as segment ID display whereas the 250 only has the latter. To me, that's a pretty big deal. The numeric readout will afford you significantly more info to determine whether or not to dig. I think more info is always good, especially when you're just learning and developing a style and strategy. The Delta also has a true all metal mode as well as a discriminate "accept" all metal. Again, the 250 only has the latter. The Delta even displays the numeric value of a target when you use the true all metal mode. You might find over time that there will be hunt situations where a DD coil design will be more effective than a concentric design. The Delta offers both designs availability while the 250 is concentric only. The Delta has a 5 year warranty also to the original buyer. Good luck with your choice!

 

[BuckeyeBrad]

and I feel it is also a big deal. The target response and reset is much better with the Delta. Faster is better for snagging good targets collocated with non-desirable targets. It's also lighter.

 

[Shambler]

If he wanted to detect tot lots, I believe you can't buy a better detector.

Agreed.

Unless you have money to burn, I wouldn't jump into a hobby and buy the top of the line.

I'm obviously looking at this through my experience. The Ace was a flop for me - me and the yellow dinger didn't mix. I took a chance and picked up an F4 on the advice of a friend and that's when I got excited about the hobby. I owe him some gratitude because I was near putting up a craiglist sale and leaving the hobby. I look at my initial purchase as a waste of $200, not an introduction to the hobby. For me, it would've made more sense to save another $200 and get something more serious. The F4 was a stepping stone to the F75 and EXII. The ace was a purchase made because I thought if they all detect metal why buy a $500 system when you can get a $200 system.

Good luck Champion! I still think you'd benefit from visiting a club and talking to folks live or trying their machines.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

If the price is locked in at 250.00 there are other options.There are detectors in the 200.00 dollar price range,but a lot of them you will grow out of in a few hunts.My first pick is a used Fisher 1236X-2 1st choice,2ND choice Fisher 1266X,3rd Fisher ID Excel,4th Minelab Musketeer Colt 5th Tesoro Compadra..All of these are great 1st time detectors you won't out grow in a couple of weeks.Good luck Ron

 

[Jcullus]

I have been trying to select my first detector. After looking at online ads, reading reviews and these forums, I have narrowed it down to three detectors:

1. Garrett ACE250 @ $212,50
2. Whites Coinmaster @ $179.95
3. Bounty Hunter Legacy 3300 @ $249

The ACE250 looks like an excelllent detector and is very popular.
The Coinmaster is apparently based on the Prizm III and looks to have similar specifications to the ACE250.
The Legacy 3300 has adjustable ground balance that was by recommended a local dealer for use near salt water beaches and areas with high mineral content.

The only negative comment on any of these was a reference to the Bounty Hunter being somewhat "fragile."

Does anyone have any comments or recommendations on the above?

Thanks.