Got the chance to try a Garret ace 150 today .. One die hard Tesoro user's opinion

[digitaltim]

I took my uncle out detecting a while back and he got the bug. He was using the compadre.

I tried to steer him towards Tesoro, but I gave him honest advice as well as opinions. He was looking at crazy chinese brands, some i necer heard of and some you could get at any retail store. I narrowed him down to Tesoro, minelab, Garret, whites, and Fisher.
He decided on the ace 150.

I like the stock coil, it looks like a 5x7 elliptical. It id'd very well and pinpointing wasn't a problem at all. Not as precise as a Tesoro, but honestly not bad at all.

Last time I tried Garrett was 6 years ago... I might actually get one again.

If I had to choose between the ace 150 or compadre I'd choose the Tesoro. It just seems like a stronger hunter to me. However I think the ace 150 would be tons of fun in a park coin shooting and looking for rings. I can't vouch for the ace's depth, but the TID is great.

 

[jabbo]

Digi, Thanks for the unbiased opinion. I won't be buying one but it's nice to hear what you honestly think about it.

 

[joe dirt_1]

I was talking to a friend this afternoon and she mentioned that her 15 year old son has been interested in collecting coins for the last couple of years. I asked her about the possibility of getting him interested in detecting as a way to build his collection and she loved the idea. She ask some questions about detectors and prices and said her sons birthday was not far away and a metal detector would be perfect for him, and from the way she talked, she had always had an interest in detecting also.

I offered to help her with getting her son a detector and to teach him how to use it and recommended either a Tesoro Compadre or Silver

 

[digitaltim]

I agree, as I said I believe the compadre is a better hunter.
It is easy enough to learn, but can take some time to master.

One thing I noticed is on rings and pull tabs the ace gives one solid tone... A tesoro will give 2

My uncle picked up the ace 150 new for $110.. I think he got his $'s worth.. I just hope it doesn't fail On him after the warranty. It didn't feel as solid as a Tesoro, but it seemed good enough. Should be fun.

 

[slingshot]

Yeah, I have the Ace 250 and in some areas they are fun. But the Compadre and it's fast response and thus quick recovery have spoiled me. I use the Ace when I'm not too serious and just having fun and don't wanna dig too much. I've gotten so used to the Compadre, I can just about tell if I wanna dig or not .

 

[dan b]

I had a few Garretts over the years including the Ace250 and the GTI2500. Of all of them, one stood out as the best, and I still consider it one of the best machines I've had. That was a 1990 era Freedom 2 Plus. It was very similar the the Scorpion they still sell today, but it had a dual discriminator like the Tejon. That was before they thought the bing-bong was a good idea.

Dan

 

[scstxr]

I have to second it for the freedom two plus, I regret ever selling that metal detector. It had the switch for dual discrimination, very good depth and discrimination. That detector is proof to me that there has been little if any improvement in detectors in 20 years, the freedom two plus was as good 20 years ago as any sub 300 detector is today.