Ace 250 or Silver uMax?

[JDG186]

Hi everybody, new to this and looking for my first "real" detector. My wife got me a cheap one from Radio Shack for Christmas and I'm hooked! I have it narrowed down to the Garrett Ace 250 and the Tesoro Silver uMax. I probably couldn't go wrong with either, but I'm looking for the best for my $$.
Thanks.

 

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[Pulltab Parson]

I think you made the right choice with the Tesoro! I have decided to pick up a Tejon after the winter thaw. I have a Prizm III, which is a great machine but you can't rely on the depth meter and the TID especially in different ground conditions (wet, dry, etc.). In all that I have read and those who have posted here have attested to, The Tesoro is a rugged, no nonsense machine that performs every time. And if it doesn't they fix it (life time Guarantee).

 

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[rayredditch]

Notching is ideal if you´re just after modern clad, otherwise you should never really discriminate anything other than iron (Up to large nails) out. Anything more (Like pull tabs and foil), and you´ll miss small coins and thin rings.

 

[EasyMoney]

Here is a clue;

There are more used Ace 250's for sale online than any other detector, save for Bounty Hunters. Minelab Explorers come in a very close 3rd place. Now why would someone be doing that?

Hint: This is not a riddle.

 

[Keppy]

Here is a clue;

There are more used Ace 250's for sale online than any other detector, save for Bounty Hunters. Minelab Explorers come in a very close 3rd place. Now why would someone be doing that?

Hint: This is not a riddle.

I think i got the reason why....And you are right...........Except you are wrong on the Ace 250 ..............==Jim==

 

[Ray in CA]

As a Silver uMax user myself, I have to throw in my input.

This is one GREAT machine, whether you stick with the stock coil or add on the 12x10. The stock coil will, as Michigan Badger put it, get you at least 5 inches on coins. I've managed six inches, sometimes seven on pennies with just the stock coil and right ground conditions. I'm sure if there are any deeper, my 12x10 is not missing them. Coins and other good targets always give a good solid signal. I usually keep my disc down between iron and foil, and when I come across a good target I will up the disc with my thumb to see where it masks out. Generally this will give accurate results, but sometimes you gotta dig those "iffy" targets in between.

Since buying my Silver uMax in October, I have found a lot of great stuff including silver rings, silver coins, a gold-plated tie clip, Indian Head pennies, a very thin early 1900s era copper ring, a gold pendant and a silver pendant, buttons, tootsietoy cars, and lots of other goodies. I just don't see where you can go wrong with the Silver, particularly if you want to get a real machine for a downright ridiculous price. Not only this, but the compact size and light weight of the Tesoro line has always appealed to me being that I'm somewhat of a small guy (5'7", 150lbs). You can detect all day without wearing yourself out too much.

Ray

 

[r.r.warren]

i have been using the ace 250 and the pinpointing hell Ive read and tried all the ways 2 pinpoint and still dug big holes thought that was normal till i got another detector(an old Orion stage 2) which i use now and it pinpointing is dead on, man what a surprise! small little holes how cool is that?

 

[EasyMoney]

A Wilson-Neuman O'rion?

You lucky dawg!

Those old detectors were really good for coins, jewelry. Dead on accuracy and pinpointed extremely well.

I had the same pinpointing problems with my (ex) Ace too. In the midde of two "Boings" didn't quite suit my tastes either. Almost as bad as a Minelab. Not quite, but close. The pushbutton tuning was all over the board, worse than the "boing" "boings".

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

I'm not rooting for the 250, I've used it, I don't use it as much anymore. I use an Explorer these days. With that said.......the 250 can PP very accurately if you learn how to PP with it. Neither the manual nor the DVD show how to correctly do this. If anything, they start people off in the wrong direction. I cannot say the same for the Explorer. The PP I believe will never be very accurate and I accept that as a trade-off for other things it does very well. All said, the only thing that holds the 250 back in my opinion is the lack of a manual GB. In good ground, you can pull coins out of 6-7 inches with the ACE. The ACE has enough character to provide you with information. It is a silent search machine, but it gives so many clues. The guy who mentioned the 3 pennies 2" apart...........I am confident I would've at least known that there were two pennies there. I'd bet my weeks pay on that one. The Pin-pointer is gold on the 250..........I'd wish I could rip it right out and put it on my Explorer. This way I could literally feel with my fingers what coin is down under as that Pin-Pointer whines and drops off sharply to reveal the depth and size of that coin. It would also hesitate to engage on that cap, and I wouldn't have to even bother bending down. I love the PP'er on the 250. With that said, I'm also interested in getting a Tesoro somewhere down the line as a non TID machine. I've always wanted one and also a machine with a disc knob. That doesn't mean I'm selling my ACE 250 or Explorer. Why do we see alot of these for resale/Used? For the ACE I'd say three reasons......1) They get people interested enough and then they upgrade 2) They do not take the time to learn it (PP) 3) It does not fare well in their soil, known issue with most machines that don't have a manual GB. I hear some Tesoro models get around this problem. Why are the Explorers up for resale? One reason in my opinion, the owner did not dedicate the time or effort needed to learn it. PP problems can easily be resolved with a SUnray probe. Weight with a smaller/lighter coil.

 

[The-Bone]

Here is a clue;

There are more used Ace 250's for sale online than any other detector, save for Bounty Hunters. Minelab Explorers come in a very close 3rd place. Now why would someone be doing that?

Hint: This is not a riddle.

If 2 million ace 250's are sold and 20 thousand silver umax's and 10% of each are offered up for resale which detector will there be more of on Ebay?
Hint: This also is not a riddle

 

[MD Dog]

Around the world the two most sold machines would be 1st) the Bounty Hunter Mark IV 2nd the Ace 250 so now you do the math if it is the number 2 seller world wide then it stands to reason it would also be one of the highest resold machines in the world. BTW I get my facts and figures from Kelly Company who at the time of this writing is the largest seller of Metal Detecting machines worldwide. That said, I have never used the silver u max and can't speak to it's attributes, however almost all people whove owned the ace 250 and then moved on to other top of the line machine will tell you that the depth differences are not really that great. I also wanna point out that most reported depths are over estimated. due to many factors but a hard rule of thumb is that a machine won't detect deeper than it air tests no matter what supposed halo people wanna imagine. It also is limited by the size of the coil. I.E. a coil eight inches in diameter won't penetrate any deeper than eight inches no matter what gadgets an gizmoes anyone hooks up.

Now who wants to explain to me the differences between The Silver U max and the Gold U max ?

 

[Keppy]

Around the world the two most sold machines would be 1st) the Bounty Hunter Mark IV 2nd the Ace 250 so now you do the math if it is the number 2 seller world wide then it stands to reason it would also be one of the highest resold machines in the world. BTW I get my facts and figures from Kelly Company who at the time of this writing is the largest seller of Metal Detecting machines worldwide. That said, I have never used the silver u max and can't speak to it's attributes, however almost all people whove owned the ace 250 and then moved on to other top of the line machine will tell you that the depth differences are not really that great. I also wanna point out that most reported depths are over estimated. due to many factors but a hard rule of thumb is that a machine won't detect deeper than it air tests no matter what supposed halo people wanna imagine. It also is limited by the size of the coil. I.E. a coil eight inches in diameter won't penetrate any deeper than eight inches no matter what gadgets an gizmoes anyone hooks up.

Now who wants to explain to me the differences between The Silver U max and the Gold U max ?

I really like my Ace 250..........Now between the Gold & Silver......$230.00..

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Well, I took my new Silver out in the backyard but didn't find anything but some old copper pipe fittings and some car parts. Oh yeah, lots of nails. I really believe the last owners must have buried a car back there. Anyway, since I got it I have had offers from lots of people to come to their house and do some detecting. Can't wait for the nice weather to hit. Thanks again for all the advise, I think I made the rite choice. I'll be asking lots of questions along the way, and from the posts I read here, I know you guys will have the answers.

John

I think you chose wisely. The Ace 250 and the F2 both have features that, while they seem advanced, will trap you into thinking the detector knows more than it does. As a beginner you should dig ALL hits to begin with to learn what's out there, where, and what it "sounds" like. I still have days when I dig everything (even in parks) because I don't want to get into bad habits. Detectors notify you of conductivity of items in the soil. There are lots of overlaps in the millions of possible items and eight icons ain't gonna cut it. You may decide to move up, but you'll always have a good back-up with that unit.

Get a good headset.

 

[scrapdoggie]

Here is a clue;

There are more used Ace 250's for sale online than any other detector, save for Bounty Hunters. Minelab Explorers come in a very close 3rd place. Now why would someone be doing that?

Hint: This is not a riddle.

If 2 million ace 250's are sold and 20 thousand silver umax's and 10% of each are offered up for resale which detector will there be more of on Ebay?
Hint: This also is not a riddle

Well Said....again "not a hint"

 

[aladdin]

Run what ya got !! Every MD unit can/ will and does find things!!! The user is the key to the "Find" by learning one's unit . I used a discovery 1000 for bout a year I found a lot of stuff {tons of coins} why? That is what I brought to the fight. I was eager and wanted the "find" and I did. Not all who speak, know of the truth!! That being said, know thy unit and all else will come!! Either unit will work if You put the time in to learn said unit. Good luck and go diggin!!!