VERY new to this...first post.

[Dangerous_Dave]

Hi All,

My name is Dave, I'm an Aussie and I am truly a Newbie at detecting.

I have spent a lot of time outdoors over the years and now that I have 2 little boys starting to follow dad around, we thought detecting could be a good fun family activity. I have been reading a lot about the multitude of detectors on the market these days and have somehow managed to narrow my first purchase down to an Ace 250 and a GTP 1350 for different reasons.

I have spoken to a few dealers down here and they all say the 250 is a fantastic beginners detector, but if I want to expand as I get more familiar then the 1350 is the better choice as it has far more options.

Any thoughts would be welcome,

Cheers, Dave.

 

[John-Edmonton]

You have been given good advice Dave. Get the ACE, learn it well. Consider maybe getting an extra coil for it. One you and the little guys master the ACE....it might be time to upgrade. Good luck and have fun

 

[jackintexas]

Hi Dan: I think the Garrett Ace 250 is not only a great first detector but a really great detector. Been detecting for thirty years. Have owned about fifty detectors Own twelve now. Some so called top of the line. I also own two Ace 250's. I have made some great finds with them . One my wife uses, My best find with a 250 is a mans diamond ring that appraised for $2000.00. Jack

 

[Uncle Willy]

Your dealer clued you right. Both machines are outstanding in their own right. I field tested the prototype and production model for both and they are tough to beat. The 250 is much more than a beginner machine as it will hold it's own with machines costing three times as much and the 1350 is a breed all its own. You should enjoy both and reward yourself well in finds. Welcome aboard.

Bill

 

[gabbyhayes]

Welcome aboard.

I'm also a newbie here and just purchased the GTI 2500. I was also debating between the Ace 250 and the GTI 2500. I decided on the 2500 but I'm also planning on purchasing the 250 as a backup/ machine for my wife or other friends who just might want to join in.
I decided on the 2500 based on some advice I got from a dealer. He said buy a machine that you can grow into/with, instead of getting one that you will soon want to replace.
Get a better one that you can learn on/with. Having said that if you aren't sure if you like the hobby yet...go conservative....
I purchased mine on Ebay and it was like brand new as it was only used a few times

Gabby

 

[dahut]

There is a lot of techno-electro hype to listen to, all which we tend to bog down in. So let's cut through that right up front. Here goes:
[color=#996600]
Any detector starting at $200 will find most anything you will search for as a beginner - no matter who the maker is. Rings, sinkers, coins, bullets, pulltabs, twist caps - all of these things are the product of WHERE you search, more than the detector you search with.

NO detector will vacuum in only the "good stuff" or produce them from thin air where they dont exist.
NO detector is infallible when it comes to identifying good from junk targets. Dont believe that hype either.[/color]

Now for some good reality. If you have your sights sets on a Garrett and have narrowed it to these two, I say shoot the moon and get the 1350.

It is smooth where the Ace isnt.
It has more options where the Ace doesnt.
It has auto ground tracking, and the Ace doesn't
It can be 're-chipped' to better work in difficult soils while the Ace can't.
It uses all the "normal" coils made by Garrett, which the Ace cannot.
It has Profiling, which the Ace does not.
It can be "down featured" with a press of the button, while you can never "up feature" the Ace.

Im not one of those who suggest the bottom shelf stuff for newcomers. I prefer Charles Garretts own advice:
(sic) "Once you've decided on the detector you want - save up some more and get the next highest model."

I like both, I have both, I use both. Were I to be allowed only one detector for dirt hunting, I would be hard pressed to find something better than the 1350.

 

[khouse]

If you could buy both then you'll cover all bases! I have only been detecting since 1984 and the 250 kicks the butt on a lot of top end detectors. I believe the only reason it's classified as a beginners detector is it's price. Think of it like your buying a new Mercedes for $10,000. That doesn't make your car a junker!

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

G'day Dave.
Welcome to the forum. What part of the country do you live in? I'm 400kms north west of Sydney.
Once the kids have a go at both detectors, they will say, get the Ace. My kids find the heavier units too hard to swing for them. They don't hunt much, just occasionally.
I bought the Ace from the Goldmining Centre in Adelaide 16 months back and used the finds from the Ace to buy a new GTI 1500 3weeks ago. At AUD $450, the Ace is by far the better deal, not that I'm knocking the higher end units. Took the GTI out today and picked up $13.50 and a ring with it. The main reasons that it is the better choice, is that it's easier to learn, it's heaps lighter(that's a big issue with the kids) and our $1 and $2 coins give the belltone sound, while the more expensive Garrett units don't. They put the $1 and $2 coins in the mid tone range with everything else.:sad: Don't worry about the Ace 250 not having the same imaging feature as the GTP's and the GTI's. Once you get familiar with the Ace, it has it's own way of doing that anyway; but that will come with experience. About the only negative thing about the Ace, is that it doesn't have a volume control; but that said, I've still hunted with it a fair bit, with out it; only recently buying a set of head phones with a volume control.
Don't mind that the Ace is a cheap machine. It holds it's own very well against other machines. I tested it at the beach last year for depth with it's large coil on, and it hit a $2 coin at 10 inches. Not too shabby. My Minelab Explorer (which is a top of the line machine) couldn't hit that same coin, nor could my X-Terra. It will find coins as good as anything on the market and has the most accurate pinpointing capacity of any detector I've seen. (Pinpointing is where you locate the position of a target under the coil. I'm not sure of your knowledge, so please excuse me if I'm stating stuff that you already know.)
You will find that it usually doesn't need the options of the more expensive units unless you intend to take it to places that has high mineralisation, such as the gold fields. It handles most situations very well. What is far more powerful than an expensive detector, is an operator who knows his or her machine inside and out! Especially a machine like the Ace. Although I sound like I'm being brand loyal; I'm not. Before I bought the GTI, I looked very closely at all the other main brands, and ended up with another Garrett. The only 2 other brands that came close in the discrimination department, were the Whites, and Minelab (of which I still own 2 of their detectors).
I'm waffling on.
Good luck with your choice and when you start out, you're going to have heaps of questions. So don't hesitate to ask.
Mick Evans.

 

[Dangerous_Dave]

G'day Mick,

I'm from Vic, not far from the Murray and Shepparton. Feel free to waffle on as much as you like as sometimes I find that is how people pick up those little bits of info that are sometimes missed. Being new to this, are there clubs or other contacts around that will help with areas and maps, books of info etc. I have heard first hand of people being chased off some of the bush areas not too far from here by over protective gold prospectors so I don't need that stress.

This is something new to me although the whole fossicking thing isn't. We have several opal mine leases at WhiteCliffs and the drop hole on my lease goes down about 28ft, then branches out 3 ways underground. We spend a lot of our days sifting through mullock heaps above ground finding opal shards and all sorts of odd things like an opalised snail shell, petrified timber etc. We have always talked of taking a detector or 2 up and giving it a real once over as the area is over 100 years old and will have all sorts of weird and wonderful "treasures" waiting to be found.

The best thing about this is " the minister for war and finance " thinks it will be fun and wants to give it a go as well. I now have "permission" to get both a 250 and a 1350 if that is what WE need. Got to be happy with that.

Thanks to you all for your input so far and I hope to be able to add some pics and give a bit back to the site as I go.

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

G'day Dave.
I actually know somebody who lives in Shepparton. I knew him when I lived in Sydney. He met a girl, got married and moved.
The closet detecting club to you, is Bendigo Prospectors Club. I only have a post office box number, but if you contact one of the detecting shops in your part of the world, then they could give you more information. There is the Benigo Gem club as well, but you already knew that. Info from Gem and Treasure mag year book 2008. Pages 68 and 69.
The 1350 can find gold, but is not the best choice for the job. If you are intending to take it with you to White Cliffs, then you may be interested to know that some of the local club members here, head out to Milparinka from time to time (North west of White Cliffs) and prospect for gold. All the gold out that way is small, so the GTP with it's 7kz coil, may be too low of a frequency to hit the fine gold. But you will have a good opportunity to find some neat finds all the same.
Have you had much luck opal mining? I've known of a few people to have a go at it up at the Ridge. My wife has an aunt and an uncle up that way, but we haven't dropped in on them as yet.
Good luck with the 1350. Uncle Willy warns that they are very sensitive, so you might want to run the sensitivity, at 50% at first.
Mick Evans.
P.S. You are a lucky guy to have the other half interested in detecting.