Ace 250 or F2

[samish]

I'm Wanting to get started in metal detecting. Being completely green, I really don't fully understand all the options on the kellyco page. I live in NW Washington state. Will either of the machine be better in our soils, or does one have options that will allow me to enjoy it longer before I'm wanting to upgrade? I'm sure allot of it is simply preference, but I'm just trying to get some educated impute before i make a decision. Thanks

 

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[gary in idaho]

Well, I think the F2 does better than the 250 in mineralized soil. I'm in N.Idaho and have used both machines up here and preferred the F2. Also the F2 is newer technology than the 30 year old technology used in the 250. Better warranty with the F2. I'm sure you will get many opinions on this.

 

[Tin Nugget]

I have tried both and believe they are both darn good detectors for the money. I have an F2. To me, what makes the F2 a better buy is the value of coming with a small coil in addition to the stock coil for only about 15 bucks more that the ACE 250.

 

[macattie88]

dont forget the tesoro silver umax....very good machine and a lifetime warranty.

 

[Willee]

dont forget the tesoro silver umax....very good machine and a lifetime warranty.

Yes I agree ... a Tesoro would be a better choice.

However between the two that were asked about, I would choose the F2.
I think it is a smoother running and a bit more stable than the Ace 250 and like another pointed out, for $15 more you can get another coil. Either way you will end up with a detector that WILL find things.

 

[LuckyLarry]

Compared to an F-2 in Oregon or Washington the Aces (all of them, including the 100, 150, 250, and 350, etc) really suck in our high iron (magnetite) soil here.
Wrapping a metal detector around the nearest tree is not my idea of fun, so people should consider this before buying. I have seen this done, so it is not a joke. In fact, try before you buy is the best motto.

And yes the Aces use some really antiquated circuitry while the F-2 uses more recent circuitry advancements - made within the last 5 or so years. The lower priced Tesoros use a tank circuit that is lightning fast, maybe even faster than the F-2, but not by much. The original cheaper Silver Sabre Tesoros discriminated a bit better than do the modern ones but got approx 1" less depth in average soil.

The Aces have a slow (delayed) audio response and it can be quite annoying to someone who is well-experienced. They are almost a carbon-copy of the original early 80's Bounty Hunter Red Baron and White's 5 and 6, 5000 and 6000 series detectors.

The Silver uMax and the Golden, the Compadre and the Cibola have auto ground balance which works much better than manual GB in our soil (here) in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Montana, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Eastward of there the soil is "wussie soil" so the rules all change. The reason it is this way is because of #1 the speed of retune to null, #2 the super-fast tank circuit as a processor, #3 because of it's reduced sensitivity, and #4 because you have to fool with the manual GB every ten seconds due to all our high minerals here..

DO NOT BUY one of Tesoro's high-end detectors for this part of the USA because you will really get P----d off when you don't get the depth of the guy next to you with a lame cheap Korean-made detector (with it's automatic ground-balance).

I would opt for the F-2 or the Silver uMax as a first detector but the Silver is better made and gets 1/2" to 1" deeper in average soils here.. I have owned, do own, or have used all the above detectors in question, plus about 200 others, at work or at play.

LL

 

[samish]

Thanks for the input. F2 will be here Tuesday. Can't wait

 

[Trackerman]

Silver umax much better than f2 more depth will find better stuff . Ace a bit better than f2 more depth better id system Less jumpy than the f2.

 

[extractor]

Hi Lucky Larry
Fantastic reply! I like my ace 250 and plan on keeping it. I like the weight and balance of the Silver uMax and the Golden, the Compadre and the Cibola . The auto ground balance is a big plus in our soils . I am real close to getting a Cibola .How do you think it will perform as compared to the ace 250. I'm a little skidish about no targer ID .
Thanks Extractor

 

[LuckyLarry]

The lower priced Tesoros are designed to produce RESULTS, even for a smallish child. The Compadre is rented to tourists more than any other detector ever made. The upper-end ones are more designed for those who like to tinker a bit. In fact, after several dozens of hours tracking my finds the cheapest Tesoros tend to find more small-sized items better than do the more expensive ones. Save for Tesoro's nugget-hunters, of course. I don't think you will get much more out of a Cibola than you would a Silver uMax. For the price though, the Silver uMax is the best you can do for under 3 C-notes. The Fisher 1236 x-2 is the best deal between $300 and $500 and in (bad) soil/high-iron trash beats the depth of any Minelab or Garrett I've ever seen for under $1000. In weak soil though the story starts to change. In "slight mineralization" most detectors get no more or less than 2" difference between the whole lot anyway, unless of course we are (unfairly) switching between PI's VLF's, and multi's.

I find the Aces to be quite inadequate in the Pac NW regarding their general behavior, excessive noise, and difficulty dealing with high iron and heavy trash when compared to the cheaper Tesoros. To me comparing them to the Tesoros is a lot like comparing the Mob to a drug addict trying to steal a $20 watch in order to get a cheap $10 fix.

LL