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need advice on good detector

Ron,
Thanks for the compliment, but if he weren't such a great guy,I wouldn't be doing this!
Anyway, the only dealer local to me has a floor model Ace 250 (he doesn't stock them)he'll sell me for $175 including a new bag and lightweight headphones, or he stocks Tesoro which he says are lightweight. Hubby's bday is Monday, so time is of the essence. What does everyone think? Floor model Ace 250 or a new Tesoro?
 
Lynne,The Ace 250 for 175.00 is a great deal.The only problem with the Ace its a little harder to pinpoint.But,I would go with the Ace it is a great detector.The Garrett Forum is the best,and a great support group for the Ace 250.
 
Tesoro is a great detector and I Have 2 of the Compadres for my grand kids as it is light weight and very easy to use. These have no meter and only one adjustments. I feel the 250 has more to offer for the money myself than the Compadre for the price range. Now Tesoro makes other detectors too and I have tried most of them as I am a Tesoro dealer and for a beginner that wants a good detector and not spend a lot the Compadre is what I like to sell as they don't have much invested if they don't like it. Now if they want a better one and still stay easy to use then the Cibola is the way I steer them too.
Over all the Garrett 250 I feel is the best bang for the buck as you have a light weight detector that is fairly simple to use and a meter to help reduce the trash you dig, plus holds a good resale value if it don't work out for you.

Just my opinion and which ever you chose make sure you spend the time to get to know it.
 
Spot on Silvernail, the 250 was the only machine that I have used to date that would sound off in a very particular way to those pesky foam, foil sealers from sport drinks. Smaller coil is the way to go especially if you want to learn and reduce pinpoint time. I have a gimpy shoulder and the 250 made it possible for me to swing a machine for more than an hour at a time. It IS a good machine and will build a solid foundation for anyone wanting to get going in THing. If you find that it isn't your brand of vodka, it is easy enough to sell or you will not cry over the money spent while it waits patiently for you in the closet until you return to the hobby.

I hope that your husband finds something to keep him active, this should do it. The 250 works well enough on fresh water beaches also. This type of hunting and digging may be easier on him to start.
 
Lynn, I would give the Ace 250 some serious though. Its lightweight and is a great all around machine for most types of MDing. I have an Ace 250 and all three coils (6.5x9, 9x12, and the 4.5 sniper). I change coils acording to the type of hunting I'm doing. The only problem I can see is if your husband uses a metal cane, the stock 6.5x9 coil or the 9x12 might give some false signals if swinging too close to a metal cane. With the 4.5 sniper coil you can get up close to metal poles, fences, playground equipment etc. If you choose the Ace 250 and your husband uses a metal cane, the 4.5 Sniper coil would probably be the way to go for him. If you want to make the Ace lighter to swing check out my mod for making the Ace a hipmount http://www.findmall.com/read.php?32,449469,449469#msg-449469
(Its simple and cheap). Hope this info helps you in your decision and looking forward to seeing your husbands finds posted here on the forum.
This is a great hobbie and a great forum.
Bud
 
I'm off to buy the floor model Ace 250! My husband dropped another hint about going metal detecting, so I know it's something he really wants. Where there's a will, there's a way, so I know between him, myself, and the kids, ages 18, 16 and 13, we'll get him out there treasure hunting pronto. His birthday isn't until Monday, but with temps going into the high 60's tomorrow, I just might have to give it to him early! I don't think there'll be many more opportunities (in Massachusetts)like that until spring. The place I'm buying from has a club that meets once a month and I'll definitely send him to this forum!
Thanks again, I would've been lost without you all!
Lynne
 
The detector code Section 3, paragraph 14, line 7 says that any spouse cannot hold a detector more than 2 hours when purchased as a present. Do the right thing Lynn! Give him the detector and no one will report your actions to the authorities.
 
Ha ha ha! My daughter and I picked up the detector, saw all the treasures the dealer had found, and were so excited we couldn't wait to get home to give it to him. He is thrilled and he agreed he shouldn't have a hard time finding someone to "help" him. I promise, I'll let him hold the detector. Funny thing, the dealer's wife is a very active treasure hunter, so maybe there's room for two detectors in one family!
Lynne
 
I've spent big money and small money. One thing for sure if you get a decent detector and he doesn't like the hobby you can almost get your money back, they to a degree hold value. Good ones are all over ebay and many dealer can help if you have to have new.

If you get a cheap one, and the finds aren't there he will lose interest quickly and the exercise will be lost!

One that technically has a few bells and whistles are usually what electronic minded guys want. Do we need all that NO...but we still want it if we can afford it!
Just something else to keep in mind.

The Ace 250 or Prism 5 are very nice units.

Garrett has the best available only in my opinion.I love the GTI 2500, but there are those who will argue that point as well! hehehe
Followed by the Old Fisher Company which is a perfered detector for me but both units are heavy to hold for a long time.

Check the weights of the Ace 250 or the Prism 5, Both are really nice and would be a perfered detector given your circumstances right now.
Another thing to remember if your doing beach's only takes 1 -2 good rings and the detector is paid for.

We found 7 nice rings this year totaling jewelers estiments of over 3,000.00. You two can do the same easy enough don't worry they are out there.

NYMohawk
 
I bet many wish they had a wife as nice as you to get their husbands a detector for his Birthday.
I think he will enjoy it plus the kids too and I bet even you will too once you try it.It is a great family hobby and well rewarding. My wife is my best hunting Buddie and we have several others in our club that the wife detect too. The only problem is the wife's like to give us some serious competition, but it is fun to see the smiles on their faces when they pop up a great find.

Good luck and keep us all posted on how it is working out for husband and yourself with the 250.

Rick
 
Went out on our first hunt today! We were only out for about an hour at a nearby beach. Found three pennies, a screw, a battery,a ring (I think it's just silver plated) and a pull tab. We (hubby, daughter and I)were tickeld pink!
I do have a question. It seems when we pinpoint a spot, then dig, the spot moves about 4 inches. It's not that we're digging the object up and moving it, because after doing this 2 or 3 times we finally find the object a few inches in the ground. Also, when we pinpoint, is it the middle of the coil that has the target?
Thanks Again,
Lynne
 
Lynn,
Sounds like you had some great family time! How did your Hubby hold up? Hey, a ring is a ring!
What mode were you using? What was the sensitivity set at? Did you get any beeps at the end of your swings just as the coil changes directions? Did you get headphones?
If you are going to hunt the beach much than you will need a sand scoop. That way you can set the 250 in relic or jewelry mode and dig all signals. Also you will not have to pinpoint exact to retrieve your target. On the Garrett web site www.garrett.com There is a video clip of how to pinpoint. There are really two ways of doing it. One is to detune the target. I'll give it a try for you. Get a good beep. Pinpoint the target. Then move the coil about 2 inches to one side if that spot. Push the pinpoint button again. You should get a very low tone. Still while holding the pinpoint button down with the low tone move the coil back over your target. Now keep that button pushed and X your target. This will take some practice. Detuning shrinks the size of the target that the detector sees.
 
Hey Kenny,
Hubby (Kevin) held up fine. We kept it short. My daughter and I switched off using the detector and digging, he stood by and directed. Funny thing is, it started getting cold and both he and my daughter wanted to go. On the way back to the car is when we found the ring, so of course everybody wanted to hunt a little more! We didn't use headphones so we could all hear it. I had it in jewelry mode, and the sensitivity was, not sure if it's up or down, but the bars were all filled. :) Glad we got a fairly simple one for learning. (Thanks to this forum.)
We did get beeps at the end of the swing, but tried to narrow it down.
I looked all over the Garrett website and couldn't find the video clip, but your explanation was great.
We're off again to another beach today. It was nice to see the other worthless things people find on these forums. Makes us not feel bad!
Kevin was really glad to get out and about, and I can see this may get addictive.
Lynne
 
Turn the sensitivity down until your end of the swing beeps stop. This will make the detector more stable. Jewelry is a good mode for sand.
 
Heres the Garrett pinpointing site address http://www.garrett.com/hobby/techsupport/pinpointing.htm. Glad you and hubby is enjoying Md'ing. The more you go out, the more you want to. It is additive. Keep swingin' it gets better with time.

Bud
 
hello lynne,
After you have purchased a detecter for the hubby, I would suggest that you contact other hobbyists in your area either thru a club, or the local dealer, to find someone experienced with the hobby to introduce your husband to the hobby properly. This forum is also a wealth of information, and perhaps some good support contacts could be made here. I have been in the hobby for about three years now, and I would have surely packed it in due to frustration long ago, had it not been for the good (knowledgable) people in the hobby who taught me properly, and encouraged me.
I have found many, many nice things the past few years, but when I am asked about "my best finds", I do not hesitate to say, "the friends I have made" in this great hobby!
 
Awwww...that's really nice!
I know there's a club that meets monthly about 1/2 hour from us. The advantage of going to a local dealer rather than buying online, is that I was reassured that anytime my husband has questions, needs help, or just wants to come by and see some neat finds (the dealer's shop is in his home) he was more than welcome. The dealer is also a member of the club and couldn't say enough about how nice the people are. Judging from the people on this forum, I'm sure he was telling the truth!
Lynne
 
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