Comparing Metal Detectors

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Garrett Ace 250

	Comparing Metal Detectors « on: August 21, 2009, 06:23:00 pm »

Where is a good place to compare MDs? I have a little experience now with my Ace 250 and I am pleased with it. But I know there are other detectors with a loyal following of die-hard detectorists, each one swearing by the brand they own as if it far surpasses all the others.

It would seem like comparing Fords and Chevies, or NIssans and Toyotas. It's really all a matter of what you feel comfortable with, because they'll all get you down the road. But maybe I'm wrong. Is there a machine out there (for less than a thousand $) that really shines?

The more experience one has with any detector, the more likely they are to recommend it. But I want to hear from the folks who have actually owned several brands and how they feel about detectors in general.

Also, what about some of the major bells and whistles that i see on some units, like the ability to save and upload/download settings? Is it really that useful?

My Ace has a solid "ding" tone of various pitches, depending on the conductivity of the target, but I understand that some units put out an analog (smooth) sound that changes in pitch, according to the type of target. It would seem more useful than the "dings" that I experience with the Ace.

Also what about all the hype about ground balance? Some say the Ace has factory-set ground balance, some say it is automatic. My experience has been to adjust the sensitivity a notch if I keep getting false signals. Is this really important with the Ace?

The Ace seems to work well for coin shooting, but is there another companion or compliment to the Ace that I should have that will see things differently?

Thanks for reading. Any input could help this newbie get a better hold on this fascinating hobby. HH to all!

Rambledog in Oregon

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Christian

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #1 on: August 22, 2009, 01:08:51 am »

Hello Rambledog,

well, first of all I think there are basically two places where you can compare detectors and get hands on expirience:

1. At a dealer offering various brands
2. At an unbiased club meeting

The Garrett ACE is a good beginner machine but of course more expensive machines will outwork it. Those will basically have better depth and target ID / Discrimination.

For under 1k I would recommend taking a look at the following machines:

- Tesoro Lobo SuperTraq
- Minelab SE

Regards,

Christian

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #2 on: August 22, 2009, 01:19:32 am »

If all you plan on hunting is coin's in park's ,Then a 1000 dollar detector is a waste of money for clad shooting . Tesoro Ciobla is a good machine and does go deep and is 425 in Canada ,not sure about the States......Also if you want to hunt relic's then the tesoro Tejon would be your best bet for the price ,,,,I use to swing an ACE250 but i am not getting into that on this thread Cheesy

What ever you decide research and find out what best suit's your need's

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saltfisher

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #3 on: August 22, 2009, 02:05:58 am »

ACE 250 is a awesome coin machine.

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Rick104

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #4 on: September 03, 2009, 02:09:44 pm »

[clapp]Sounds like you are getting some good advice Detecting

Rick

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #5 on: September 03, 2009, 02:32:07 pm »

Hello Everyone . I think the Best Metal Detector models are the ones that can work on very salty beaches and work in the worst soil conditions like in highly mineralized or super trashy areas . A super deep VLF metal detector is "useless" if it starts to chatter or falses at low sensitivity level settings . Others are welcome to comment here .

Best Regards.........Eugene

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Rick104

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #6 on: September 03, 2009, 04:13:30 pm »

A well designed PI works very well under those conditions like Whites TDI or minelabs series of PI units unfortunatly vlfs are still not designed to work well in highly mineralized conditions which generally means nuggett shooting, Wise

prospecting with a metal detector!!
keep your coil to the soil
Rick

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Zectron2348

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #7 on: September 04, 2009, 07:51:08 pm »

Rambledog,

It all depends on you, what you want, and feel you can trust and are comfortable with.

I have had many of the top detectors out there, (Minelab Explorer, Soverign- White's XLT, DFX,- Fisher CZ5, Coinstrike,- Tesoro Lobo ST, Cortes, Bandito II, and many others)............ and I mainly coin shoot in parks and school yards. I'm afraid I don't totally agree with the statement that if all you do is coin shoot you don't need the high dollar machines. Again, it depends on you. I was a person who always wondered if I missed something when using one machine or the other, I bought better machines and reworked the old areas, ............. and YES, I had missed things with the cheaper and less advanced machines. Now it could be argued that it was me and not the machine who missed in previous visits, ...... and that could possibly be true. But for me personally as I learned and mastered each machine, .... I discovered my favorites which I developed more trust in to find whatever was there. There were machines which if I used that machine on an area, there was no doubt in my mind I found whatever was there to be found, and I confirmed that many times.

I am just returning to detecting after a few years away, and you can be sure that I have some specific machines in mind that I would like to pick-up. Machines that were my favorites in the past. I just recently purchased a Fisher Coinstrike, and will be looking at a Whites XLT or MXT, and possibly another Minelab Explorer. I also think very highly of the Tesoro line of detectors, and will be looking at getting another Lobo ST, or possibly one of their newer machines. In my opinion Tesoro makes some of the "best bang for the buck" detectors out there, solid and dependable.

Dont know if this helped you much, but be aware that it can be a real expensive hobby if you let it be by worrying about your machine's capability, ...... or you can get a good machine, master it, be comfortable with it, ....... use it, ............ and have fun finding cool stuff and don't worry about all that other.

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Rambledog Topic starter

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #8 on: September 04, 2009, 08:08:53 pm »

Hey guys! Thanks for the feedback and tips.

I have a few more hours detecting under my belt since last week. I must say, I learn more each time I go out. But here's a question for you:

On a typical hunt around some Oregon farmland, I often will get a signal on the ACE 250 that rings clear like a coin. The depth indicator says the target is 6" deep. I pull out the Garrett Pro Pointer and scan the ground with the side of the unit, often picking up the signal with that. Then I point the unit downward and zero in on the location using the end. So far, so good. I have a 1" diameter area.

So I dig around the area with my trusty Harbor Freight hunting knife, and fold over a plug. Checking again with the PP, I determine the target is not in the plug, but still in the hole. (stronger signal now).

So I dig for a bit, maybe down to 10 inches, and the signal does not really get any stronger, but it holds that there is something right below. So now I dig even deeper, widening the hole as I go. But the target eludes me. The PP says it is right below, but I go deeper yet and still no find.

Then, all of a sudden the signal disappears! No, it is not in the dirt removed from the hole. What gives?

Perplexed Rambledog in Oregon

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Rick104

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	Re: Comparing Metal Detectors « Reply #9 on: September 05, 2009, 12:59:45 am »

I get the same false signals from my Garrett GTI 2500!! all of my other detectors don't false but my GTI does I think it my be inhairent to garretts circuits, your sensitivity may also be set a little high Round About

Happy Hunting
Rick

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