How does a 1990 Whites Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

[The-Bone]

How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

Hi all. Have been reading this forum for awhile now and finally decided to sign up. Great info here!!! I have been MD off and on now for the past 10 years. I have a 1990 White's Eagle (i believe it is the predecessor to the spectrum). Anyway, it is almost impossible to use unless you hip mount it and i have never really been too fond of the depths i've gotten from it..Best find as far as depth has been an indian head at around 6 inches. It is very good on shallower clad and silver. I have read mostly good things about the ace and it seems like a great deal of machine for the money. Only thing that concerns me is the lack of ground balance but i am not sure as to just how much that affects performance. It always seems to be an iffy topic. I live in Pa around the Lehigh Valley so we do have a fair amount of mineralization and iron in the ground. What's your opinions on getting an Ace or another machine. I am really ready to get back into the sport and have recently pulled from the ground a 1907 indian head, 1928 and 1950 quarter. Maybe i should just hang onto what i have. I was really hoping for a little better depth however.
Thanks
Bone

 

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[birdman]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

In depth it does much better. The old eagle is a fine machine. I saw a buddy of mine dig a musket ball at about 14 inches with one.

 

[thompy]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

i would take the eagle over the ace any day

 

[diggerfororo]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

The big problem with the Eagle was that I think they had quality control problems on the production line. Some of the Eagles were fine and some were bad. I had 2 different machines that couldn't find a freshly buried dime at 4 inches. I tried changing coils and it made no difference. The Ace 250 is a pretty good unit for the money.

Les

 

[The-Bone]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

i think the Eagkle has a ton of features(especially for the year) but i have never had much luck with it for anything deep. 6 inches is about the best on a coin

 

[IronClad]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

The Eagle detectors are excellent. I own 2 of them. A Eagle I and II SL. The Eagle II SL has additional features/settings over the 90 Blue Box unit. It can be tweaked up for better depth and searching techniques. Has expanded Sensitivity range which I really like in low to medium mineralized soil. In wet or damp ground, its Hot.

 

[EasyMoney]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

The difference between those two detectors?

The Ace 250 is a toy...

 

[IronClad]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

I jumped on the Ace 250 Band Wagon earlier this summer and purchased one. I had it for about 2 months,, key word..........." HAD "

Don't get me wrong, I liked the 250, and it is an excellent detector,, but a 17 year old Eagle can
still...... " Spank your Ace ''..

 

[The-Bone]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

what are people getting as far as depth with these white's machines? No bull either please!!!! i am tired of reading about people pulling dimes out of the ground at 12+ inches..i have NEVER pulled a coin out deeper than about 6 inches. I have never seen anyone else do much better than this either. As far as the Ace being a toy i am interested in it because it is supposed to be lightweight, ergonomically friendly and i can get a small coil for it fairly cheaply. Plus, if i only get 6 inches on a coin with it i am no worse off than what i am now. any suggestions on what i am doing wrong would be appreciated.

 

[EasyMoney]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

Why don't you get a GOOD detector, one that a lot of people don't bitch about all the time?

A Tesoro Silver uMax is one of the best discriminators out there, the lightest of weight (2.2 lbs), can be used on high-salt, high-magnetite beaches and is real easy to use.

It L-O-V-E-S silver and small gold!

That Ace 250 is a joke!. I had one, gave it to my daughter and it just sits in her closet being used as a door stop, just it does in many other people's closets. If you live in high-iron areas you will eventually learn to HATE that #^+## ** Ace 250, and without the add-on factory chip from Garrett you will feel the same way about the 1250, 1350, 1500, 2000, and 2500 too. Wait til some mentally challenged total schmuck pulls out a nice fine gold ring RIGHT behind you using a Tesoro Compadre, Cibolo, or Silver uMax. That usually opens people's eyes real fast. Those Tesoros go a bit deeper than the Aces too.

Additionally, people who say they pull coins out of the ground at 12" all the time are just plain full of bull. Minelabs ARE NOT the deepest detecting machines out there (but they do run very smoothy on salt beaches) and everybody knows it too but people like to think so. I know better, because I've used most of them against other detectors and vice versa. A good White's will do the very same good job as an equally priced other machine. .

In fact, many very scientific tests have been made and there is seldom more than 20% difference between a $200 VLF detector and a $1500 one. 5 inches compared to 6 inches is not even worth mentioning since most coins and jewelry are no deeper than 5 inches anyway, save for LOW mineral, high salt beaches. The real spendy detectors just have more toys, are slower to use, and people like to brag about it simply because they already paid too much for that slow &$#@$^ piece of garbage that they paid so much $$ for, without really trying it out enough to begin with.

If you already bought an $85,000 Mercedes, do you think you would trash it? Nope. You would likely join the club of compatriots and just love that piece of C - - P to pieces instead. Don't believe the hype. If it looks like a duck...

 

[IronClad]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

any suggestions on what i am doing wrong

...probably nothing. If there aren't any coins deeper than 6'' or the ground mineralization is high, you won't locate any. High mineralization will kill detection depth.


Deepest coin I ever recovered was a Indian Head Penny at 9". That was with my old 6000/D S2 unit, in wet lose soil.

The mineralization around here in N. Central Ohio is about ( Medium ). On my 6000/D S2 and my 6000/Di S3, the GB setting is right below or at the Preset mark. I think thats an average indication in most areas I hunt.

As for depth, my Eagle II SL is excellent depending on the location I'm hunting and ( IF ) I can run the sensitivity up to 5, 6, or 7, and still maintain stability. So far, 5 seems to be the best. I've pulled coins consistantly from depths of 1'' - 7'' with it.

As for my Eagle I, not sure yet as I recently aquired it. The sensitivity only goes up to 5, and it has an 8'' coil as opposed to a 10'' on the Eagle II. Only had it out a couple of times and it hit coins at 6''.

I owned an Ace 250 for about 2 months and dug coins down to 6''. Is it better than an Eagle Well, I sold the Ace and kept the Eagle's if thats any consolation.

Will the Eagle find coins deeper than 6'' Certainly, if they are any deeper. It depends alot of the type of soil. Coins in lose/sandy soil will sink deeper than in a packed clay type. All I know is that coins down 7, 8, or 9'' around here are rare due to the hard packed soil...they just don't sink that far. Talking with other detectorists around here pretty much confirms this. They seem to get all coins fairly shallow. Barbers, Mercs IH and such.

There have been a few times I hunted places in Disc. mode and left wondering if I missed anything. Well, I went back over these places in ALL METAL and guess what,,,,,,,,,No coins left to recover.

One thing I'm sure of, if the coins are there, the 6000 and the Eagle's will find them. I have full confidence in my units.

 

[The-Bone]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

Easymoney,
i would like to try a Tesoro if i knew of someone that had one. I've never even seen a dealer that carries that brand close to me. They've always kinda looked like very basic machines to me.(most have no sort of display, depth gauge, target id) and alot have preset ground balances. I have no brand preference or loyalty. If you can believe the advertisements about the ACE it offers features that 5 years ago would have cost $500. IF IT WORKS!!!!For that matter it is a crime that ANY of the high end detectors still cost around $1000. This is not rocket science. it is basic transmit and receive. All of the technology that these machines ause is basically 20 years old. It is just getting smaller as IC chips get smaller. As far as getting a machine that no one complains about, well, that machine hasn't nor will it ever exist

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

If you've got the final generation Eagle, which had the 950 loop and the black box (SL II 90), then that is a much better machine than the 250, in my opinion. The trouble I had with the Eagle was that ..... despite its supposedly having ground tracking, it tracked LOUSY (if not at all). To get the most out of it, I found I needed to constantly re-ground balance, very carefully to be sure I wasn't over a target or any sort. Once I learned that, it out-performs what I see in today's 250. Deeper, more functions, etc...

 

[EasyMoney]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

Go to Metaldetectorreviews.net and see what Tesoro detector owners and White's, Garrett, etc say about their own personal experiences with their products.

Plasticy or flimsy-looking detectors don't indicate a detector's performance. I looked at a Minelab Eureka Gold the other day and it looked cheap and like a piece of junk but I'm sure that it worked a lot better than it appeared. The wings of a DC-8 the wings flap up and down like a bird flying and the first time I saw that I nearly messed my pants, but they never seem to break off and they held up 300-400 passengers safely for many years. I was told that they work better and safer if they have a little give to them.. The DC-8's are still being used today..

I don't have any particular brand preference but my early 1970's and 1980's Compasses and mid-80's Tesoros still work just fine and my 4 yr old Fisher cz-70 is a REAL HONEY, and if they quit I'd just fix them myself. I used to repair detectors, and trust me, if they were junk I wouldn't buy them to begin with.

Go with what people like the best and what works best in a much greater variety of soils.

So far, the Fisher 1236-x2, Tesoro Compadre, Silver uMax, Cibola and Vaquero, White's M-6, Eagle XL, Eagle Spectrum get the best scores out of all detectors made in the last 10 years. This is not a fluke, it's because they have the fewest problems with them, they hold up well due to their construction quality, and operate the best over a wider range of uses. The Cibolo, 1236-x2 and Silver UMax owners seem to be the happiest of all, and not just on that site either..

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, etc, you can probably bet it's a ....?

Or, as my old martial artist instructor used to say,, "we should stick with what works"

 

[Mike Silver -gold]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

The Whites Eagle is a great detector . I found that it was my deepest detector I ever owned. I got rid of it for a XLT,than a DFX. The Eagle was the deepest by far. Should have kept it. Mike.

 

[aladdin]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

How about keep what you got and go from there. If another detector meets the need, add to the collection . Easy! U know that! How many do ya have (Wish I had as many)! Ace a Toy ?? Many would say not!! This is a hobby that encompasses many a fine detector (Most brands that is) . Trash a detector that many enjoy and use should not be the way of the experienced detectorist as you appearto be Easy. As for the comparison, the White most likely has this one . But the Ace is a capable unit and can perform (IN THE RIGHT HANDS) did I mention it is lite!! The Prizm , to me is a better unit. I have both along with a few other detectors. Garrett/Minelab/White and I enjoy them all . But have a favorite. Experience is the only judge in this case and until one has Long Term ( not short term) experience with a given detector(s) an opinion of the facts is needed. Not judgements. Sir, choose your detector and learn it . As for Metal Detectorreveiws (great site)Tesoro has wonderful reviews but if a Ace is what U want ,go for it (great reveiws as well) and visit the Garrett site as well as other forums. The key to our hobby is knowledge! And Digging!!!!! gottit

 

[IndianaSmith]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

The Ace 250 is my 1st MD, so I can't speak for any "comparison", however I can tell you there's nothing at all wrong with the 250, it's a great detector, and the price is just an added benefit. If I were you, I'd give the 250 a try. I'm actually suprised more haven't posted in support of the 250. I don't know what kind of bad experience EM had with one, but I think you'll find few who have anything bad to say about it (the 250).

Smitty

 

[EasyMoney]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

I have written SCROLLS about how inferior the Ace 250 is compared to other detectors in it's class and price. . I owned one and to me it was EASY to turn on, use, and play with. However, it is really poor at handling ground worse than average. It loves hot rocks, and can't discriminate out iron very well at all. It is almost worthless on a high iron/high salt beach. It has poor depth compared to the Tesoro, White's, and Fisher cheapies, and in fact the new Fisher F-2 is nearly TWICE the detector that an Ace 250 is. I didn't like the bell tone that goes off on each side of the target instead of in the center where any decent detector is supposed to anyway.

It does have a poor balance too, it's like holding the short end of a stick that is obversely oblique with a short inverted handle attached to it, and that seems wierd to me. Primarily though, the air depth is less than 10 inches in any mode or on any setting, inside a building, or out in the sticks somewhere away from any electrical or wave interference. It is a toy. It is not intended to be used for long by anyone before they move up to a serious metal detector. A Tesoro Compadre or Silver uMax however, is. So is a Prism or White's Classic. The best depth the Ace 250 gets in this bad soil here in Oregon is about 3 inches. In more neutral soil (#5 or $6 on the Fisher scale) like in Ohio, it gets about 4 inches.

If you want to get yourself really upset, lay two pennies down on the ground 3 inches apart and swing the searchhead quickly over them and see if the Ace 250 gets both pennies separately, instead of just one signal. THAT will tell you if the thing is a toy, or not. I'll bet it won't do it. The White's classics and Prism and the Tesoros will though, and very well too.

I ran into a guy one day who had an antique (it looked like a 1980) White's 5000 db that got only 4 inches in discriminate on a penny that was in the soil but got about 6 inches in all-metal. . I thought that 4 inches was pretty bad so I offered to to repair his detector for him because it had a capacitor problem with it's coil to detector connection. The Ace 250 wouldn't even pick up the coin at all. . He said he'd call me but that White's had recently done a tuneup on it and he'd return it there instead. A new detector that can't keep up with a 1980 detector with a capacitance problem is nothing but a toy, period.

I have 20+ year old detectors that run big circles around the Ace 250 and they include a 1983 Silver Saber, a 1983 Golden Saber, a 1995 Compass, a 1985 Compass, a White's 6 db, and a White's 6000 db. That's 6 detectors that will beat an Ace 250 and an ancient Bounty Hunter Red Baron will do even better than those old White's and Tesoros, but not the Compasses. The Compasses are the Kings, especially the one I fed steroids to. Yes, I modified my detector even after it got 14 iches in an air test, and it now gets 15-17 inches from nickels to quarters.. And no, I don't modify anybody else's detector unless they are a close friend of mine.

You can get an old 6db or 6000db for $75 bucks, even with a hipmount. They both go MUCH deeper than the Ace and costs a lot less, and some have a hipmount. A White's 5000 db (if working properly) had one of the deepest all-metal modes White's ever made and it (and they) all (above) beat the Ace 250 for depth and target separation totally, hands down..

I gave the Ace 250 to my daughter, but she thinks it's a piece of junk so it sits in her closet collecting dust. I told her to sell it because I don't want it. She lives in a different state but it sounds like she wants a Tesoro because of how well my Tesoros work compared to her Ace 250. These two old Tesoros whip that Ace 250 like it's an ugly red-headed stepchild and most detectorists know that too, but not a novice. Maybe she can get some $$ for it in a trade-in. It only cost me $200 so I'm not out much for expenses. I wonder if it would work well as a boat anchor? Maybe a little concrete in it would do the trick.

These are just the facts, maybe a little brutal, but still the facts. Opinions do not belong here, not in my book.

 

[robert roy]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

Am I wrong but arn't we comparing apples to oranges?
It seems to me your comparing the Ace, a low end, mid range machine to a high end.
The ACe IS good for what it is intended to do. It just seems unfair to compare it to a Whites
(even if the Whites IS an older model) and not expect the Whites to out preform the Ace.

I agree with the one person who complained about the BS you hear on the forums. The Ace just isn't going to pick up a small target at 10inchs unless perhaps they are useing the 9x12 coil and then thats a possibility. The Ace standard coil, depending on the size of your target of course, will be about 6ins maybe a little more.

The Ace, for a beginners turn on and go is an excellent machine but don't ask it to preform beyound its means.

Robert R

 

[John-Edmonton]

Re: How does a 1990 White's Eagle compare to an Ace 250?

Mines lighter, mines deeper, mines cheaper, mine ground balances etc. There are a heck of a lot of choices out there, both new and old. The deeper machines have a poorer discriminate-probability ratio vs. the not so deep ones. Buying a detector based on depth alone should not be THE deciding factor for purchasing one. Price, simplicity, warranty, history, proven track record all play into the "I want" formula too. If you are actively involved with metal detecting for a long time, you will probably have more then one detector, as certain metal detectors perform better in one environment compared to another. I hate putting down any other brands, so I will only discuss Garrett metal detectors. All metal detectors work great to various degrees. Usually (but not always) the more you spend, the more you get. Having said that, the ACE series detectors get you simplicity, lots of bells and whistles, coil choices at decent prices, newest technology, a balanced weight suitable for a younger person to adult great 2 year warranty backed with Garrett's great service at a great price.

The best machine in the world is the one you are using. Learn it well. Use it often and when you have gotten to the point where you can tell the machine what's under the coil, not the other way around....you have mastered it!