Here's The Specs On The New ACE 350 Relic Machine To Be Released In September

[khouse]

Been relic hunting since 69 and see nothing that indicates to me it is a " Relic Hunter". What kind of ground balance does it have? 8khz would not be my pick to find low conductive metal. Just my opinion.

I believe your Naut runs at 14kHz. MXT - 14.7 DetectorPro 2.5kHz. Your PI's well.... I think there would be less confusion if all manufacturer's would just call them "metal detectors" Not coin, jewelry or relic machines. Because I have dug a Sharps bullet in the coin range. I dig pull tabs in the nickel range. I have even dug jewelry in the iron range. You can even dig coins with gold only machines. The fact is that just getting your coil over the target is most important. If the Ace 350 cost $600 then it better have a ground track or adjustment. But for under $300 it can and will find metal. I have too wondered why the 350 didn't have a GB adjustment. But then I have to set back and weigh the cost. But in most soils the fixed GB machines are respectable in depth. You have some good machines there. All but the Pirate cost a ton more than the Ace's.

 

[bearkat4160]

Hey Steve,

By your description of what you like in a relic machine you are talking about an all metal mode. The new Ace 350 is a discrimination machine and a low cost one at that. I believe that armed with that new DD coil that the GTI 2500 will smoke the Ace 350 for relic hunts especially using the 2500's all metal mode. Only thing I have found that goes deeper than it, is the Infinium.

I think the new Ace 350 will do great for a low cost relic hunter...proof will be in the finds however. Hard to compare a $1000 T2 to a $300 Ace 350. Its just in a different class alltogether (Ace 350). Its own class actually, just the way Garrett wanted it too be most likely.

Dont buy it if you are underwelled, is all I can suggest.

Alan

 

[khouse]

Been relic hunting since 69 and see nothing that indicates to me it is a " Relic Hunter". What kind of ground balance does it have? 8khz would not be my pick to find low conductive metal. Just my opinion.

What kind of low conductors does a relic hunter search for? I figured the most desirable relics would be plates, buckles, buttons, watches, bullets and coins. So for these targets wouldn't a lower frequency machine be better? Deeper too.

 

[bearkat4160]

Well here they are folks...all the negitive people are popping in about the new Ace 350...seems the "Pro Relic" dudes are here to cast there lot about the Ace 350. Oh my, why would Garrett do this or do that? The 350 doesnt need a ground balance as it is pre set at the factory. The advantage it has its a bigger coil, better iron discrimination, and a DD coil, which to me IS the extra ground balance you seek. The DD coil will shock some people who have used the 250 with stock coil in hotter than H ground and it goes nuts. The new chip and the new coil will be just fine for this ground. Just as I have put a DD on my 2500 which has grd bal still makes huge difference in hot grnd with a DD coil.

The 8.25 khz freg will be just fine for low conductors AND high conductors. It is a coin machine also you know. I think Garrett is smarter than most of these negitive people and they chose that freq after extensive testing and decided it is perfect for this LOW COST detector.

Ya know, I can pick up a .1 gram gold nugget with my Ace 250 deeper than I can with my 2500. And that is with the 250's 6.5 khz freq compared to the 7.2 freq for the 2500. One inch with the 250 compared to 1/2 inch w the 2500.

To you negitive people out there, go ahead and dismiss this new Garrett machine as you do all its machines. You always try to compare a $1000-$1500 machines to low cost Garrett detectors. That in itself says it all...Garretts little "toys" matching it self in the field with the spendy competition and holding its own. Try comparing the low cost "others" with the Ace series and I have to just laugh.

T2 vs a GTI 2500 I understand...T2 vs Ace 350...different class.

Holyfield vs Tyson I understand...Holyfield vs PACQUIAO...different classuke:

Maybe try one for yourselves and see how a low cost good performer is, it is designed that way. In its own class!

Alan

for you

 

[Steve missouri]

Khouse: Once again I totally agree with you. Attempting to judge any detector that has not been released and you have not used for a considerable period of time is a guessing game. Trying to compare a 1,000-1500 to a 350 priced detector, especially when you have never used one is a bit like comparing apples to bicycles, two different things, one of which you have no experience with. Relic hunting has been going on since 1965, plus or minus a few years, thats 45 years. The bulk of the relic's have been found with detectors that are one tone, single freqrency,no TID meters, no Fe03 read out. many with no GB, over this period of time, these machines have been both high and low frequency detectors. Many of these detectors are still today being used, some with very good sucess, a lot depends on how well the operator knows his machine. Examples are, Tejon, vaquaro cibola, Shadow- X-3,X-5 , 1265, 1266, 1270, classic 2, classic3, Garrett freedom and many others no longer being made. To my knowledge the largest nugett found in the US in 2008 was found with the Garrett Ace-250,a fluke, mabey?, at this time none of us know how well this detector will do in actual field use. To compare a machine to machines that are four to five times higher in price, when no one has used the low priced machine, is simply arrogance.

 

[SteveP(NH)]

Hey Steve,

By your description of what you like in a relic machine you are talking about an all metal mode. The new Ace 350 is a discrimination machine and a low cost one at that. I believe that armed with that new DD coil that the GTI 2500 will smoke the Ace 350 for relic hunts especially using the 2500's all metal mode. Only thing I have found that goes deeper than it, is the Infinium.

I think the new Ace 350 will do great for a low cost relic hunter...proof will be in the finds however. Hard to compare a $1000 T2 to a $300 Ace 350. Its just in a different class alltogether (Ace 350). Its own class actually, just the way Garrett wanted it too be most likely.

Dont buy it if you are underwelled, is all I can suggest.

Alan

Hey Alan - though I do hunt in AM sometimes I mostly hunt in discrimination mode with the bottom 1/3 of the iron range knocked out. My points about what I like in a relic machine aren't really related to AM mode - they were an audio system that has at least one mode with tone ID where the audio is produced directly and continuously from the target signal (as opposed to an audio system where the processor synthesizes the tone based on its target classification taken from the peak signal strength, which is how I believe that the GTI series works - I owned a GTI-1500 for 6 years). Also it really needs to have a manual ground balance where you can set the GB slightly positive. Finally the machine has to have a very fast response and recovery time for good target separation. For me those are three essential features for a true relic machine and not a general purpose machine that you can use for relic hunting.

The bells and whistles I like to have (but are not essential) are a target ID meter with a 0-100 scale and a depth and a ground mineralization readout, an AM mode with separate sensitivity settings from the discrim mode (I like to run AM hotter than discrim and then switch back and forth between modes when over a target). I also like the machine to have good ergonomics and I prefer single frequency machines (@ 12 or 13 khz) to multi-frequency machines.

The T2/F75 family are the best relic machines I have ever used and I was using it as a comparison to describe the audio system a good relic machine will have, not trying to make a direct comparison between the machines as I wouldn't expect any machine at the ace 350s price point to compete with it.

I always liked that GTI-1500 and hope that Garrett does come out with an up to date machine that can compete with the T2 soon.

 

[Old Katz]

Hey Khouse:

I agree. I've had my ace for four years now and not even a loose connection. No problems at all.
It's a nice little machine. Pinpointing took some getting used to but now its a piece of cake. The Ace is a good
machine. This new guy I met metal detecting has one his wife bought him. SHe made a good choice.

Katz

 

[khouse]

Katz,
The 250 is my "go to" machine. I have other machines. But you can't beat the light weight get the job done performance of the Ace. The Ace rides shotgun in my truck or car everyday. I hardly go anywhere without it. Sometimes it rides for weeks without use. I never want to miss an opportunity.

 

[Old Katz]

I called Garrett awhile ago and talked to Customer Service.
She told me the only real difference is the 8.2 khz and the 8x11XX.

She confirmed that I could buy the 8x11DD on the ace but it would only operate at the Ace 250 6.5 khz.
If I want the extra 8.2 I'll have to by the new 350. Yes, I can use my 250 coils on the 350 but they are still going to operate at 6.5khz..

She says everything else on the ace 350 is the same.

I've had my Ace 250 for 4 years and never a problem but for the extra depth and sensitivity I might cough up
the money for the new 350. Sounds like a deal especially if I happen to hit some mineralized ground the DD would be a help.

Katz

 

[ohio fred]

n/t

 

[khouse]

The great thing about the Ace 250's is they hold their value used. So upgrading to the 350 won't hurt at all.

 

[Detectorguru]

Have Garrett send me one to test. I have many camps here in Virginia with different soils. Adding a dd coil and lowering the freq. does not make it a" Relic Hunter". Folks no me to be honest and I have used every brand made since 69. The relic hunter using it with success makes it. Loose the bright yellow.

 

[khouse]

I do think that the bright yellow holds some hunters back in buying and Ace. I'm a remodeling contractor so I have to paint a lot. No one would buy paint if it was called medium tan. But people will buy the crap out of the same paint because it's named "Sand Camel" We have been programmed to think that dark colors are professional grade. Also people buying the same product for twice as much money thinks they have the world by the tail. Even though it's simply reboxed and renamed. One thing about the Ace's - you will never loose it in the field!

 

[BusDigger]

I wouldn't refuse to buy a detector because of the color.....$1 spray-bomb & 30 minutes would make it whatever color you liked

Not to mention, if it is the same housing, it will keep tooling costs down, therefore cost.

Smitty

 

[fongu]

Longest post I ever read. No experience with Ace-250 so I certainly can't say anything about the Ace-350. Hope it makes a lot of people happy like the 250. I thank Garrett for trying to introduce people to low cost units they can afford. If I had known the cost of metal detectors was affordable, I would have got one when I lived in a beach town for 4 years. I thought they were so expensive, only retired people with a pension could buy one. A lot of people have been exposed to such high price units for our hobby of metal detection that they close the books on buying a metal detector. So, it encorages more people to enter our fascinating hobby and that's a good thing.

 

[bearkat4160]

They raised the frequency...not lowered it. Garrett says its a low cost Relic-Coin machine, nuff said.

 

[John-Edmonton]

Very well said. Charles Garrett was always a generous man. He always wanted everybody with interest to be able to get into the hobby, so he designed the recent ACE series, which were of course affordable to all and still had the same good quality built into them like more expensive models.

 

[nikandr23]

who need that Very Wide Iron Scale? what is the sense of that feature?

 

[khouse]

I agree 100% John . Maybe Charles should start building cars. I would drive an Ace 250! Yellow is the only color choice!

 

[BusDigger]

I'll add this......I've had WAYYYYY more than $212 worth of fun with my 250

Smitty