First time buyer

[Fiction44T]

Hello everybody, My wife for fathers day has given me $100.00 towards a Metal Detector and I will use $100.00 of my own money to buy a $200.00 Metal detector and I haven't picked one yet but I'm choosing between 2 of them. My current selection are either the Garrett Ace 250 or the White's Prizm II. Which of these are the best for me. I'm basically going to use it in the woods and occasionally going to take it at the beach when i go with my kids. I heard that some metal detectors don't do good in wet sand, I don't know if that's the case with either of these.

White's Prizm II
or ?
Garrett Ace 250

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[raif]

Hi Fiction;

I just bought myself got an ACE250 for my birthday (thanks VERY much to Tony). I'm really happy with it, bu then again it's my first MD ever, so what do I know?

That being said, it does perform as advertised, ready to go right out of the box. I've found some change, a lot of cans and some trash so far but the thing works pretty well as far as I can tell.

raif

[Kilika]

Hi Fiction

I love my Ace 250. Had it a couple months now and found lots of stuff and having a blast! It does seem to have a bit of a problem with false signals in wet sand, but maybe I just don't know how to adjust it yet. Great buy for the money, ready to go right out of the box, and easy to learn. Ask "Tony in CT" @ 860 623 1153. Heard he's a straight up guy and will give you a good deal. Or, go to the home page, scroll down, and look for the reviews on both machines.

Good Luck Deciding

Kilika

[BioProfessor]

The Ace 250 will most likely have trouble in wet sand, black sand, newly replenished beaches, and anywhere the mineral concentration is high. That just the way it is. You should be OK in the woods, fields, and dry sand on the beach. You can hunt towards the water until the machine goes a little screwy on you. To deal with heavy mineralization - salt water, black sand, etc. - a Pulse Induction unit is about the only way to handle them. If you find you like hunting the beaches, then make your next detector a PI machine. Just be prepared to dig a lot of holes. Most times, their discrimination (if you can call it that) is about non-existent.

My 2 cents worth.

Daryl

[Ricardo_NY1]

The 250 is a great machine, I recommend it. It will be very limited on the beach however.

[Treasure_Hunter]

If you want to hunt the wet sand, the sand bars and in the surf, and you don't want to dig a thousand holes for bobby pins, or a tunnel to China, I recommend you get an Excal. PI's are great if there is no trash iron to dig, me, I am too old and too lazy to dig 2 foot holes for bobby pins. If your just going to hunt wet sand there are others that are cheaper then the Excal, that are good, but if your going to be in any kind of water its best to have a water machine, or be prepared to have a very expensive paper weight when you slip.

I hunt the surf, I keep my eye on the surf rolling in, and I still get knocked on my butt when I least expect it, even in 2 foot of water you get caught off guard and down you go.

Good luck

[miser]

I have tested both and personally I prefer the White's Prizm II. I think its a better machine overall and better built.

Note, however, that there are a lot of Ace 250 owners who love their machine and would disagree with me vehemently.

It's all about personal preferences. If you can find a dealer for both, do your own inspection. That's what turned me towards the White's.

[Charlie P. (NY)]

If you want to hunt the wet sand, the sand bars and in the surf, and you don't want to dig a thousand holes for bobby pins, or a tunnel to China, I recommend you get an Excal.

If you've got a source for $200 Minelab Excaliburs in working order put me down for a half dozen.

[Treasure_Hunter]

LOL If I could find Excal's for $200, I would own 3, maybe 4 myself, one 800 one 1000, and at least one with a WOT coil. I don't know of any detector that will work well in wet sand for $200.