need some newbie advice - Ace 250 or Explorer SE Pro?

[Ace Diamond]

Hello and I am finally ready to pull the trigger on one of these detectors and have a couple questions.

1) I know these are vastly different machines from a price point, not really sure if their capabilities are similar or not, but I really only want to buy once, at least for awhile anyways. Which one would be best for a serious beginner? I want to be able to go deep and my main target would be coins, rings, jewelry, It would be nice to be able to wade waist deep in water areas too but thats not absolutely necessary.

2) Is the learning curve on the ML Explorer SE pro or e-trac much more difficult to learn without the base knowledge of a simpler machine like the Ace 250 first?

3) Finally, if neither of these machines is really good for a beginner then please let me know. I've been doing mostly reading all the info I can on them now.

 

[scoper]

Hi there,you seem to have picked two totally different machines.....one is considered to be a better beginners machine and the other a top of the range detector.The explorer will have a more difficult learning curve but in the long run will have more performance.The 250 has earned itself a good reputation as a beginners machine that is still capable of pulling out the finds.If i were in your position and only looking to buy one detector for a long while i think i would be tempted to go with something that had a little more performance than the 250 but was a little easier to learn than the explorer.There are many machines out there that are simple but effective....most manufacturers have one in their model line up.You will probably be bombarded with replies recommending a certain machine....everybody has their favourites.If you want a screen for target id i would take a serious look at something on the lines of the whites M6.This machine is so easy to set up.....basically just a discrim knob and a sensitivity knob.You can use it with just a single tone beep for simplicity or switch to multi tones for a bit more target identification when you get a little more confident.The machine has an auto ground tracking system to keep it stable over any ground and this is also lockable in more difficult ground.This machine could not be any easier to use and has excellent depth and a quick recovery speed to make it effective in trashy areas.It also has a beach setting that actually works...even on the wet sand.Another good thing is the whites line up of coils and a large selection of aftermarket coils so you can be sure there is a coil for every type of condition you are likely to come across.The M6 is easy for beginner but is a machine that you won't get tired of in a hurry......it's performance is up there with the big guns.Thats just an idea for you.....i hope you find what you are looking for and enjoy whatever you choose.
Regards,Neil.

 

[upnorth]

I'd get the higher end unit from the beginning. I had\have an ACE 250. It taught me a lot as a beginner and I will never slam it as junk, because it isn't. It is however a beginner machine and one that I lost interest in because of its weaker abilities to even a mid range machine. Yes I found MANY cool old coins and even great relics with the ACE. But after moving up to a $500-600.00 range machine, the ACE is left for dead. I still respect the ACE as it does have capabilities and not just a kids toy. But I out grew it as soon as I fired up my Tesoro Tejon, and never looked back. Now I will take the ACE for a clad run through school yards when I'm in the mood. But the difference in depth\ability is night and day. If you can afford a higher end machine now, get it. It will take longer to out grow.

 

[slingshot]

Are you kidding? I have the Ace but an Explorer would make me think I was a professional. That being said, I only hunt schools, tot lots , and parks and the Ace is just the thing-with the sniper coil. Otherwise, it's all Tesoro for me. But you did say deep, and there's the catch-the Minelab would certainly be deeper than the Ace. And half the fun to me is learning a machine-and the reason why I don't consider any machine by a leading mfg. to be bad. I think you'd certainly have a ball working with all the programs.

 

[BarberBill]

I'll throw my two bits in with Scoper. Whites M6 or possibly the MXT PRO which is everything the M6 is and a fair bit more, but still not overly complicated. Both use the same series of accessory coils and have pretty much the same capabilities, but the MXT offers 3 choices of operating modes. Coin and Jewerly, Relic, and Prospecting. There's a fair number of good choices out there, but I've had excellent results with the MXT so I'm admittedly prejudiced.
BB

 

[TerraDigger]

This is somewhat like comparing a Hyundai to a Lexus.

 

[MNCoinhunter]

How about a Garrett AT Pro ? Better performance than the 250, will find coins fairly deep, and you can do some shallow water-hunting with it also. And you cannot beat Garrett's customer service ..

 

[TURNMASTER]

Kinda depends on what type of hunting you are after. I think what many of us as newbs really need to do is to be realistic of what we want out of this hobby. Part of that is how much time we will be able to invest into learning our equipment.

Do you want to go super slow or are you a faster type of hunter? You may not know yet. Based on the water comment, I would say what you might look at is the AT Pro. You will only get to dunk the control box on the others once. You really put up 2 vastly different machines for a comparison. The Explorer will take significant time to learn. I have an AT Pro and an Explorer and prefer my Xterra. But I am not quite ready to get rid of either of the others yet as they do serve a purpose that the Xterra does not. Right tool for the job.

Ask around, you may know some one who detects. Maybe you could go out with them a few times and get a feel for your style. That will help with your choice. Explorer = slow but deep with tons of information to learn. I am glad the SE was not my first machine.

Jeff

 

[Ace Diamond]

Wow, Thanks everyone for all the great info. I am really leaning towards the M6 now especially after reading the owners manual and the comments here. It seems to give the user alot of simplicity and capability while still being a seguay into more sophisticated machines in the future. I'm going read a bit more then make a move this Friday on the M6.