And yes, the 250 is a GREAT little machine for the money, and offers far more real world performance than one would have the right to expect given it's price tag.
But I'm sure you are aware that no detector can do it all, but if the 250 fits your current "style" of hunting, how can you beat that?
For myself, I wanted something for "company", meaning anyone I could wrestle into hunting with me, be it the wife, kids, friends, etc... Trouble is, it is just so light, so easy on batteries, and so, well, -FUN- to detect with, I find myself swinging it more than my Explorer. On the sites I have so far gained permission to hunt, the 250 can "see" everything my Explorer can, but that is due to the newness of the areas. My oldest coin since getting back into the hobby with the 250 or the Exp II? A 1944 nickel. Trouble is, I get stuff that old in change, and have even had 1 quarter ('54) and two dimes ('59 and '62) since I got my detectors. So far, if I want silver, my odds are astronomically higher at the local convenience store!
As stated many times, I am the antithesis of the brand loyalist, I see machine from virtually every manufacturer I'd like to have. Some were rejected on one simple principal, I refuse to use expensive 9V batteries, PERIOD. Right there, it knocked several machines right out of the running. If the 250 used 9V, I simply would not own one.
Others were rejected because while analog controls offer finer control, they also suffer from a lack of repeatability and of course the potentiometers themselves wear out over time. Finer control until they state breaking down, and if you want to repeat an EXACT setting you used before, well, good luck.
In any event, there are still machines out there I'd like to have, and I think eventually you'll not so much outgrow the 250, but you'll find something you'd like to do that it doesn't do so well. For myself, my next machine will be a waterproof detector. Maybe a CZ-20, maybe an Excalibur, maybe an Infinium, but you can bet my choice will be based on the merits of the machine, not who made it! Yes, I'm impressed with the 250 and the Exp II, but that doesn't mean much when it comes to the next time I plunk down my hard earned wages.
I'd appologize for the long post, but everyone should know by now that would be a lie. I like "thinking out loud" and formulating a post for mass consumption helps me figure things out for myself too!
Take care, and enjoy that 250, but try not to "rub it in the faces of those you've left behind" but rather rub it on the ground and let the results speak for themselves!
Another note (man, I gotta quit!), there is a fellow on another forum that apparently catches hell for using a Bounty Hunter. Well, when you see his piles of coins, and even better, the picture of the tens of dozens of rings and other jewelry he has found, it is a real eye opener to the falacy of brand name biggotry.
HH,
DAS
