Garrett Ace 250

deeper than you think for ACE

806SAMUEL in LUBBOCK,TEXAS -
I have owned my ACE250 for about 3 weeks. i have used it only 4 ties. I have dug up aloot of pulltabs and lids and iron. I dont discriminate.First of all I feel it goes deeper than people give it credit for.I did a unscientific open air test and this is my conclusion. I had a ruler to test my theory.
I kept thinking ,WOW 8 inches is alot for this yeller feller. Well, I kept my detector on coins mode and sensitivity at 4 bars. I tried a silver
Morgan, Franklin half, merc. and indian penney. I found deepest it could register all of thes was 6.5 inches.Zinc penney didnt register.
I then turned SENS. up all the way. I registered all the coins, minus zinc at 8 + inches. Wow. I feel this depends on mineralization of ground.
I intend to buy biggest coil to try it out . i hear you gain a couple of inches.SO, in theory this detector ,in coin mode, with SENS up all the way can register 8+ inches on silver.. I didnt have a nickel.:( .Depending on ground. I have yet to dig up silver. I have mainly been practicing so I will post my finds. Dont dismiss
this Yeller Fellow.I have stock coil, and a sniper coil. I will try Large coil hopefully, soon. So, a ACE 250 WITH SNIPER AND LARGE 12 INCH COIL SHOULD RUN NO MORE THAN 400$. WHAT A BARGAIN. I hope this helps people looking for a backup or primary for $212.00. NOW GO FIND SOMTHING

May 04, 2006

33 Yes
5 No

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Only thing Better is MineLab

Paul M in Saratoga Springs, NY -
I have used this rig for about two seasons it is the best. I will mention that I did start off with a detector that was low-end in the begining. This gave me lots of experience in spending time digging and i was just as successful. The Garrett has got me down as far as 18" and if the detector shows a target it is never wrong. Last year i netted 6 old Silver coins, 3 silver rings, 1 gold diamond rind, gold heart pendant, and about $120.00 in spare change. My best advise is to dig everything because ya never know that pull tab could actually be a gold ring. My finds have gotten better since i started using the A250. The pinpoint and all the other bells and whistles are great, but like anything else it can be a little much at first. Practice using the amy different settings and abilities of this unit. Go slow and spend just as much time digging. Recomended starting off with something simple like a bounty hunter first then when you have mastered the detector move up to Garrett.

May 03, 2006

25 Yes
2 No

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Overrated

GT in AR -
I have the Bounty Hunter Pioneer 202 and I listened to all the hype about the Ace 250 and decided that I just had to have one. I don't think I bettered myself. The Ace 250 is in the same class as the Pioneer 202. Don't believe all the hype about people finding coins at 8-10 inches. The Ace 250 is an entry level machine! It just isn't going to act like a mid-level or professional level machine. I have never came near that 8-10 inch depth claim that others make. My 250 has never found anything deeper than about 4 inches.

This machine (Ace 250) just doesn't have the depth that all the people claim for it. Pinpointing is iffy at best. With all the hype I expected great things from the yeller feller but I will have to say that I have been very disappointed. It really isn't any better than the Pioneer 202 that I already had. I

One thing that I didn't hear from anyone is that the Ace 250 has factory preset ground balance that cannot be changed. This means that if your soil matches that which the machine was set up for you should do great. If not (and most won't) then you will have problems. I feel that this is a BIG PROBLEM for the Ace 250. Even the cheapest machines from other brands have automatic ground balance. This really hurts the Ace 250 and I feel is a major problem that all those who brag on the Ace 250 just don't seem to mention.

The Ace 250 is a good machine for a machine in it's class. When I got the Ace 250 I mentioned to the dealer about the 8-10 inch deep claims on the Internet. He laughed and said that was just wistful thinking. He told me that the Ace 250 was a 5 or 6 inch machine at best. If you want deeper you have to buy more machine.

After extensive use of the machine I feel that he told me the truth. A lot of the hype about the Ace 250 is just that, HYPE!!

Apr 26, 2006

58 Yes
13 No

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How to buy a metal detector

William Schoepp in Portland , Oregon -
The first thing I did was to buy the latest issue of Gold Prospectors magazine, which led me to this website. The second thing I did was read ALL of the reviews in the price range I was looking for. I was impressed by the sheer number of good reviews I had seen on the Ace 250. My other option was a bounty hunter that I could purchase through my daughters employer with a fairly good discount. I chose the ace 250. After reading all those reviews I knew I couldn't go wrong. I found all of them had bits of info that were of great help to a novice such as myself, so much so in fact, that I felt I was armed with a fair amount of knowledge before I even stepped out to the yard. Now there are a lot less nails and other hardware in the dirt and more coins in my pocket! I took it to an old logging camp (do some research) I haven't found much yet but I will be back up there soon, with better tools to dig with! Right now I can't wait to get to the beach to see how it acts there. I would like to thank Metal Detector Reviews and all of the contributors to this website for helping me to make the right decision on the Ace 250.
Read the manual, get comfortable with the machine and do some experimenting

Apr 25, 2006

15 Yes
0 No

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Great ACE 250

Samuel in Lubbock,Texas -
I have owned a bounty Hunter and a GTAX1000 and
I have really never used them with much enthusiasm.I never really made time.The ACE250
had me excited for some unknown reason.Maybe because Garrett is from the Lone Star Sate. ?
The machine itself is bigger than what it looks in pics. I havent had it long but i have used it 3 times. I have only found 3 pennies, and several pieces of junk. The detector gives a good accurate display. Yes, the crushed can or tab will fool it but thats ok.I have noticed that when it jumps from iron/foil to coins it is junk. Yes,, it has 3 distinct tones. Dont let anyone say otherwise. Pinpointing takes practice but it can be done. I was skeptical about price to value ratio.This machine is a GREAT machine for the money. I have a sniper coil and intend to buy a larger coil which adds about 2 inches in depth approx for coins.i have thrown silver coins in a hole and it does ID correctly. The distinct BOING!BOING! means ..money. I feel this is a great detector. doesnt go 9 inches plus like the higher end detectors but i cant afford $700 + (usd)for a really deep detector but thats ok. with a larger coil i will be close i feel to getting that depth. Garret has finally made a real winner with this packaging.Great electronics at a great price.I will be using this with enthusiasm for a while . i will kep you posted on my finds and experience. HAPPY HUNTING

Apr 24, 2006

13 Yes
208 No

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Underpowered

Larry D Gressel in Sweet Home, Oregon -
I live in the PAC NW, and believe me, the little Garrett is not enough detector for all this high-iron soil here. Even my old Bounty Hunter with it's analog meter outdoes the 250.

It is an ok detector for kids and for using now and then or as a backup, but when you really get interested in the hobby, you wiil find a different home for it. The low-priced Fishers, Compasses, and White's are much better detectors, and they don't use the "delayed" sound the Garrett does. Personally, I don't really care for having to center a target by figuring out that the target itself is between the sounds on either side of it. It's backwards.

Another thing I don't quite understand, is why people actually claim that it will get 10" on a coin? Mine doesn't, and neither do any of the other 250's I've seen. Even in the ground this is almost impossible, I was a detector repairman from 1980 to 1990, and believe me, there is not enough power in the circuit to accomplish this claim, unless the coin is the size of a silver dollar, or larger.

Mar 23, 2006

51 Yes
15 No

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The cheap and helpfull detector

David Phillips in Panama -
Like many of us, IŽm new in the use of a detector. So when I read the OwnerŽs manual, I could understang how to use it and I did (but only whith practice), in my country (Panama) it isnŽt easy to do that. My avice is to put some items (coins, jewerly, relics, etc), in the ground and try to detect each one. Only when someone have enough practice, could get more treasures whithout complains about "I canŽt"

Mar 05, 2006

7 Yes
2 No

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Great, but user guide sucks!

Jerry in Aviano AB, Italy (wyodude@libero.it) -
I am brand new to the metal detecting hobby and searched diligently for what looked like the best detector for the money I wanted to spend. I found it! The Garrett ACE 250 is an absolutely fantastic metal detector. On the very first hunt (in the dark after I received it in the evening...flashlight in hand) I found a 45 calibler bullet in my back yard...no telling how it got there (maybe I don't want to know, was my wife practicing?) The next day I went to my farming property hoping to find valuable metals, which I didn't! However, can you believe I dug for 10 minutes to discover that I had found a BB? Now that's getting down to the miniscule! Being new, I know nothing about how to use and strategize the use of the discriminator features. The user guides describe where to look for the indicators, but even then, I have no idea what I'm looking at. Can anyone recommend a good book that might help?
Anyway...great machine. I can't wait to get it on the beach Lignano Italy when weather permits!

Feb 25, 2006

18 Yes
2 No

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My experience so far

Andy York in Peterborough, Cambs, England -
I'm new to metal detecting and bought the 250 as my first detector. Overall, and after significant practice, I feel I am now at one with the machine, and find it very sensitive, and superb for coinshooting. If it helps anyone, I have found that if you get no signal on pinpoint it's not worth digging!
Also, you do need to keep the detector at a constant distance from the ground in pinpoint mode, which is quite difficult if the surface is not level.
The only query I have, which still baffles me, is when I dig for a target and get a strong pinpoint signal, there are times after digging, that the signal goes away. I pass the detector over the hole...nothing. I then pass it over the spoil..nothing. Then after passing it over the spoil a few times, the signal returns....anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Feb 25, 2006

13 Yes
2 No

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The Ace 250 Excels

David Hutton in Aiken, SC -
First impressions:
1. Solid. There's been some griping that the 250 was flimsy and felt cheap, like plastic junk. I have to disagree. It has a solid feel to it, a weightiness, that I didn't expect.
2. Lower rod "wobble". The lower rod is a slide fit into the S-handle. Every detector Ive ever owned that went together that way had the same "non-problem" - there is a little wobble at the connection. I'd like to see a locking collar. I wont cry for lack of one.
3. Functional. In testing on my slab floor, it does quite well, 4-5 inches on a zincer with SENS set at half level. That rivals my more expensive models. This slab is negatively mineralized, compared to the usual soils around here. Judging by previous experience, this will be more than enough.
4. Complete. Opening the colorful box is fun! 2 superb Garrett books, an instruction manual, a detector bag, a coin apron, 4 AA batteries AND a set of digiphones were in there. Only thing missing was a trowel!
I'm heading out the door to try the 250 within ten minutes, including my functional testing - I timed it.

After extensive use, here's what I'd add:

+ Light weight - easy to swing, all day.
+ Functional discrimination and ID.
+ Better than adequate target separation.
+ Uses only 4 AA batteries
+ Very nice tone ID, a real boon.
+ Very sensitive. VERY.

Just to be fair, here's some negative's:

- The headphone jack is oddly placed, on the offside rear.
- The pinpoint is sort of vague, not real sharp and the overall target response is very broad. You have to really focus on the response to get a "minds eye pinpoint". Simple enough to master, and very useful having done so, it could be a bit disconcerting for the newcomer.
- The display is peckish, ie, small. For less than 200$, whaddaya want?. But, it aint real big.

Enough warning should be given to newcomers about the sensitivity of this baby. I'd call it barely restrained, especially at high SENS settings and it WILL false plenty if you crank her too high while in the trash.
(It's best if you use the higher SENS settings to help define deep or 'iffy' targets, while sweep scanning in the midrange settings, 4-6).

So what do these things mean? Much of my observations are based on preference, not any lacking of the detector. The Ace 250 works and does what you need it to do, at a value price that is untouchable. It has a language all it's own, as do all detectors. It's up to you to learn it.

Jan 11, 2006

108 Yes
2 No

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