need your opinion!

[outdoorfunblonde]

I have chosen the Garrett ACE 350 to be my first metal detector.
For the price, and all the good ratings, I thought it is the one for me.
Do you think it is a good choice??
I have plenty of places to go with it...
4 old home sites, and most of Canyon Lake's shoreline,
close by Guadalupe and Comal rivers.
I'm pretty lucky for the things I find w/o a detector... can't imagine how lucky I might be when I learn how to USE my new detector!!
I am SOOOO excited!
Anyone have anything particular they could tell me about this machine?? Perhaps a personal experience you've had that might help??
Thank you so much for your attention, and your input!
With MUCH appreciation,
~Kim~

 

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[releventchair]

Either build yourself a test garden or attach sample items to the back of card board or a rug to practice on.
Decide what you would be willing to dig,iron for example. When after coins and jewelry I dig aluminum too but try to dodge aluminum foil. Discriminating iron up to just before pulltabs.
Putting sensitivity a couple to three notches below maximum for starters in jewelry mode.
Time experimenting with your detector using different modes and settings ,comparing different ones on the same object before you start using it on sites away from home will help. But time running your detector will be the biggest help.
Learn how to reset it to factory settings. Take it near a powerline where safe and legal to see how it acts. Like some wet areas you will find it behaves differently in just a matter of feet in places.
Dig lots of objects and iffy ones. Your detector is trying to tell you what is there but at times if it is roundish and metal it will give the benefit of the doubt to you.
Dig them pull tabs.
An Ace 350 can provide many great finds. Mine has been an adventure. Keep it fun, and happy hunting to you.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

I do not!
Your first machine MUST have a numerical display! Discrimination is one thing, but initially narrowing a potential target by sound and particularly number, is foremost.
Do NOT purchase an Ace 350. It's an Ace 250 on steroids with an extra coil. If you are set on purchasing a Garrett, step up and get a ATPro.
I don't know you, you don't know me, but please trust me on this purchase. You will be pleased.
Also, if you wish to learn of other options, call Bart@BigBoysHobbies. He will help you.
GL
Peace ✌

 

[Frankn]

In the hobby form of metal detecting the simple rule of live and learn applies.
If you like the looks and feel of your detector you will probably be happy with it. Finding things is just icing on the cake. If you make the right choice, the pleasure increases. If you don't, you just move on.
The important thing is to give it a chance by learning what it is trying to tell you.
Just my thoughts. Frank

 

[releventchair]

A dealer visit or detecting club in area can help confirm a particular unit can run effectively in local soil conditions as well.
Here a fellow detectorist has more hours on a particular site thus more finds, but his AT Pro vs my 350 is pretty close. Only a small comparison sample though.
Some conditions require a more custom ground balance than an automatic one.

 

[airscapes]

Kim, all commercial MD will find metal, they are grouped more or less into 2 classes.. general purpose and beach. They are then grouped in price points.. as the price goes up the features and configurability/complexity increases. They do not find metal a lot better, just give you more and hopefully more accurate info of what the target is before you dig it up.
Your machine is in the entry level group. It will do very well for you if you take the time to learn the sounds and the differences in the sounds. The best way to do this is to dig up every signal you get to learn what things in the ground sound like. You do not want to get sucked into this forum and believing you need to upgrade to find more or better stuff.. most of the good stuff is within 6" of the surface and even a $60 Harbor Freight MD will find it if you have your coil over it..

For instance, I happen to be in the right spot last weekend and this was about 3" down under a pine tree in a local park... First gold and it happened to come with some stones.. I have been MD for about a year.. Had you put the ace over it, and you had decided to dig it, you would have found it... Please note, gold rings read as foil and pull tops on a MD, you have no real way to tell what the difference if you do not have a VID display with numbers..even then, there is no guarantee what is down there, you gota dig it up..
In the case of this ring, on my machine it rang up in the low 20s on the VID. The icons said foil/ring. I know I have dug foil wit numbers under 15 and in and over 30. I never see upper teens or low 20s in my parks. However when I first got my machine I scanned so gold rings.. they rang up on my machine in the upper teens and 20s so when I saw 20s I dug it up.. had it been a jumpy 10 I may have ignored it as I had just dug a 10 that was a round price of foil from a bottle cap..

So as has been suggested, the AT Pro is a much more robust machine as to the info it gives you.. The Whites Coinmaster GT is as robust but not water proof to 10' and about 1/2 the price..
You need to look at the options and if all possible go to a shop and put the machine in your hands as if you are uncomfortable it won't be fun... May people use machines with NO display and only one tone.. they find just as much stuff .. maybe more because they dig more...

Good luck!

 

[Terry Soloman]

READ the instruction manual TWICE. Get a GOOD digging tool like a "Lesche" digger. Use gloves, and you may want to get some kneepads. HAVE FUN, and I hope you find some Neat Stuff!

I have chosen the Garrett ACE 350 to be my first metal detector.
For the price, and all the good ratings, I thought it is the one for me.
Do you think it is a good choice??
I have plenty of places to go with it...
4 old home sites, and most of Canyon Lake's shoreline,
close by Guadalupe and Comal rivers.
I'm pretty lucky for the things I find w/o a detector... can't imagine how lucky I might be when I learn how to USE my new detector!!
I am SOOOO excited!
Anyone have anything particular they could tell me about this machine?? Perhaps a personal experience you've had that might help??
Thank you so much for your attention, and your input!
With MUCH appreciation,
~Kim~

 

[mikeraydj]

I agree with many of the members here. The only thing I would add is, to make sure you get the accessories. While they are not required, they make detecting easier and more enjoyable. A good pinpointer makes it easier to locate what your detector finds when you dig. And you can dig smaller holes. A good handheld digging tool, a finds pouch, good headphones so you can hear your signals and not disturb others. Many metal detector vendors sell detectors with an accessory package included. Just shop around. Good luck and happy hunting.