New To Hobby - Need Your Input!

[SPUDS]

Hello everyone! I'm new to the hobby and getting ready to buy my first detector. I've narrowed my choices to the Ace 250 or the Fisher F2. Any input on which one would be best for a beginner would be appreciated. Any other suggestions in the price range of these two units? I live in central NC and will be going over to the beaches everyonce in awhile. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[joe dirt_1]

spuds, look at the tesoro silver umax detector. it is a great little machine and in the same general price range as the ace 250 and the f2. i personally think a non metered machine would be a wise choice to start out with. you learn to dig or not to dig by the sound of the target instead of relying on a meter. don't get me wrong, metered machines are great, but in your case i would learn the ropes on a machine like the silver umax and then move up to a metered machine. the silver umax is covered by a lifetime warranty, is built very well, extremely light weight at 2.2 pounds, operates on 1 9volt battery, and will do a heck of a job finding coins and jewelry. good luck on whatever you choose........roger

 

[SPUDS]

spuds, look at the tesoro silver umax detector. it is a great little machine and in the same general price range as the ace 250 and the f2. i personally think a non metered machine would be a wise choice to start out with. you learn to dig or not to dig by the sound of the target instead of relying on a meter. don't get me wrong, metered machines are great, but in your case i would learn the ropes on a machine like the silver umax and then move up to a metered machine. the silver umax is covered by a lifetime warranty, is built very well, extremely light weight at 2.2 pounds, operates on 1 9volt battery, and will do a heck of a job finding coins and jewelry. good luck on whatever you choose........roger

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

 

[jim tn]

In just getting started with this exciting hobby, you have narrowed the detector field down to two excellent ones. I am a F series detector advocate having the F 75 and know the F 2 is a wonderful detector and from what I've heard may get a bit more depth then the Ace. Plus, I believe it is a few bucks less in price. Good luck and welcome to a fun and exciting hobby. HH jim tn

 

[Canewrap]

I'm not an F-series advocate, had the F75 and hated the EMI problems. However, my son has an F2 and it doesn't get that great a depth. I would recommend the ACE 250 myself. I know a guy that coin hunts with his and does quite well. I also know a guy I hunt with that uses his ACE 250 for relic hunting and uses an 8 (could be 10") X14" Excelerator, elliptical DD on his and he gets every bit as good a depth as I get with my X-terra 70.

 

[Shambler]

ACE 250 for relic hunting and uses an 8 (could be 10") X14" Excelerator, elliptical DD on his and he gets every bit as good a depth as I get with my X-terra 70

?? - that might be true with that monster coil but having used the 250 before, I know he's doing pretty terrible in a trashy environment where small footprint and accurate ID are valuable - in those often found conditions he's struggling to find anything of value. My experience with the 250 is that if you're looking for high conductors (IE. Silver coins), you HAVE to dig a lot of stuff. That's not true with the XT70.

My advice is to find a club in your area and try the two detectors or if that's not a possibility, save a little more and buy a used machine like an F4 with a DD coil (which can easily be found for $250 or less)

I too was in your position once, and someone told me to buy an ACE250. After hunting with it a couple of months, I went out with a friend who had an Explorer. It was so clear at that point, that the 250 was a toy in comparison, I had to move on. Not able to afford an Explorer at the time, I bought an F4 - the difference was night and day. Suddenly, I was finding cool stuff. I've since moved to an F75 and EXII, but I know that if I hadn't found someone to hunt with, I'dve put that 250 down after a few months and not metal detected again. I'm just not interested in finding lost clad at a modern park.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Very few people new to this hobby don't realize the big difference between detectors.My suggestion buy a used detector there are a lot of good deals.The Fisher CZ is a bargain.IMO buy the most expensive unit you can afford.Again, before any decisions handson at a dealer.Good Luck Ron

 

[Mike Hillis]

Specifically the Tek Delta 4000. $279 shipped.

Goodluck,
Mike

 

[SteveP(NH)]

You really need to try them yourself to pick the best one for you. All the folks on the forums can tell you is which one is best for them, or someone they know but that doesn't mean it will be the best one for you. Also one machine might do better in one part of the country but the other do better in another part of the country due to the difference in soil conditions in different places.

Another way to look at this is to compare it to something you might be more familiar with - suppose you decided to buy a new pickup and you had narrowed your choices down to a Ford F-150 and a Chevy Silverado. Would you try and pick between them by asking folks on a online forum or would you go into Ford and Chevy dealers and give each a test drive?

Also choosing a machine is only one part of this hobby. Your local dealer can be a gateway in the metal detecting community in your area which would not only give you a head start on finding place to detect but also on making new friends in the hobby that you can go detecting with.

 

[Nugget Hunter Smith]

Mentioned before about checking out a club in your area. Go to www.fmdac.org and click on the "Clubs and States" link on the left hand side bar. Then click on your State to find a club near you (within 60 miles).

Both units (F2 and Ace 250) are great starter detectors. But you will need to practice no matter what detector you purchase as there is a learning curve with any machine.

 

[joejet]

I was looking at the "Garrett Ace 250" and the "Whites Classic 5". I than compared them to the "Teknetics Delta 4000". I just ordered the "Teknetics Delta 4000".
And to my surprise that detector is on back order. It looks like a lot of people are ordering that detector. I am hoping to have it by the new year.

 

[zeekeys]

Geez, Spuds! I am thoroughly confused myself after reading the posts. It seems that most do not remember when they started detecting how over whelming it can be??? If you have someone that is into metal detecting to go out with and help you it will make a big difference. Your first machine should be an easy machine to use, the easier the better. You picked 2 good ones. You do not know if you will like detecting or not ???? so the 250 or the F2 should be easy to sell. Chances are the first detector will only be around for a few months and you will be looking for a better detector, if you take a hankering to detecting. In that case you will have a nice back up detector. I got the Ace 250 when I started. It was ok to learn on with no one to help me, not even the internet. I dug in the sand and wood chips to get used to detecting. Much easier to dig up those pull tabs, bottle caps, iron, foil and all the other garbage targets we all dig up. There are good days and bad days with good moments and bad moments and that seems to be the way of detecting. If you can get to the point of familiarity while detecting, those times when confusion and frustration appears, you may have enough savvy to deal with what is in front of you??? Metal detecting is a continuous learning process.
Best of luck and Happy Trails.....Z

 

[Pyledriver]

I went through this about 2.5 years ago! I first bought the Tesoro Silver uMax and really liked it. Afterwards I traded around a bit and ended up with an ACE250, which I also really liked. Don't have any experience with the Fisher, but I can say that if you stick to the models I mentioned, you'll be able to concentrate on what you might be thinking is the EASY part of detecting-the where, what, how and how often! Turns out, the better thing to learn first isn't how to set up and run the most bad-a detector, but knowing the best place to SWING a detector in the first place! Know what you want to search for-in general, the three I mentioned will handle a nice variety of hunting situations. What bumped me away from my ACE was the desire to prospect, which is pretty specific when you start looking at good detectors for that job. Don't overcomplicate things and you'll be happier. If you have anybody nearby that will let you use any of the aforementioned detectors, give one a swing. Some of the equation may even come down to ergonomics, I know my Tesoro was a feather compared to some detectors I've used! That may make a difference to you as well.

 

[Dig]

Hey Spuds I agree with Zeekeys....When I started (and I work the beaches of West Central Florida) I bought a Minelab Excalibur II for in the water and an Ace 250 for a wet/dry sander. I also hunt in the parks with it. It is a good machine and you can find things with it but, dont really trust the meter. It's a great machine to start with as it can do a little of everything but, if as you gain a little knowledge you will probably want to trade up to a better machine. The best piece of advice that I can give you is whatever detector you buy...learn to use it well. Listen to everyones advice and then get one and go get in the field and dig everything at first. Eventually you will know when the machine is trying to lie to you and when it isnt but that can only come with experience so get started!