Garrett Ace 250 vs Fisher F2

[ottawadigs]

Garrett Ace 250 vs Fisher F2

Does anyone have experience using both machines and if so, out of the two which do you prefer and why?

[ottawadigs]

Found an air test comparison
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syqBp4bEZUQ[/youtube]

[U.K. Brian]

I found the F2 not as good when it came out. The late models have either been improved or I tried a lemon as now the F2 is deeper. Faster in use, more sensitive and the target resolution is 100 segments compared with the 12 of the Garrett.
Better on wet sand as well, though neither will ever match multifrequency or a P.I.
I also preferred the balance/general feel of the Fisher.

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

Fisher is lighter, easier to swing, faster recovery, and 5 year warranty compared to 2. I personally highly recommend the F2 over the 250 for several reasons.

[SamuelPickwick]

Fisher is lighter, easier to swing, faster recovery, and 5 year warranty compared to 2. I personally highly recommend the F2 over the 250 for several reasons.

Does the pinpointing on the F2 work as well as on the ACE 250? I was leaning toward the 250, but these are interesting points you have mentioned.

[U.K. Brian]

Pinpointing works better on the Fisher. The Garrett pinpoint seems to move off with depth.

[woof!]

When the Garrett Ace 250 first came out, it redefined what you could get at an approx. $200 price point. It quickly became a popular low end unit, and still is.

FTP-Fisher took this as a challenge, and our answer was the Fisher F2. Performance, features, ergonomics, it's just plain better than the Ace 250. I'm not saying that to knock the Ace, after all, the Ace worked then and still does, and since it got there first it probably still outsells the F2 by a wide margin.

Now I suppose there are some Garrett fans here who may want to defend the Ace 250. That's fine, it's a good product in its price category. This thread asks the question which is better. Usually things like that are "apples and oranges", but in the case of the F2 vs. the Ace 250, they're similarly priced intended to do the same sort of job for the same sort of customers. Comparison is fair dinkum.

I don't think any Garrett fans will argue that performance-wise the Ace 250 is the sort of product that wants to take on the F2.

I don't think any Garrett fans will argue that the Ace 250 ergonomics are superior to those of the F2.

I don't think any Garrett fans will argue that the Ace 250 features add up to more useful stuff than the features of the F2.

I don't think any Garrett fans will argue that the Ace 250 has a better warranty.

--Dave J.

[SamuelPickwick]

Thanks very much for the responses. No offense to the ACE, but I'm now likely to go with the F2 and feel comfortable with that decision. I'm also looking at the options that come with it, I see they have a pinpointer kit.