Advice on detectors

Gene Mean · Jul 5, 2017

I currently use a Garrett ACE 350 and am considering buying a Garrett AT Pro. Do you all think I will see a difference in the things I find?
Thanks for any input.

Gene

releventchair · Jul 5, 2017

If you really learn it.
I've informally competed with a 350 against a Pro. 350 with 5x8 and the pro with the larger stock coil.
A trashy site. A bottom of sorts to it mostly within a foot. Best recoveries on or near that bottom which seemed out of reach for both to be real sure on small coins, with again an edge to the Pro.
The other detectorist I will claim was a better one than I am.

The Pro had an edge overall it seemed and resulted in finds I did not recover. But then ,I made recoveries the Pro did not. A tough site with iffy type i.d challenges at depth below around several inches. ( soil moisture was great ,allowing deeper than usual depth..)
More " hints" than hard i.d. ' s had me wanting to try a V.D.I.. but..not sure at max depth it would have given a much greater edge(?).

I'd be tempted to trade a 350 plus some money for a Pro . Not sure how much money.......though it seems a decent upgrade , more of an upgrade when owning a 350 already is tempting.

Gene Mean · Jul 5, 2017

releventchair said:
If you really learn it.
I've informally competed with a 350 against a Pro. 350 with 5x8 and the pro with the larger stock coil.
A trashy site. A bottom of sorts to it mostly within a foot. Best recoveries on or near that bottom which seemed out of reach for both to be real sure on small coins, with again an edge to the Pro.
The other detectorist I will claim was a better one than I am.

The Pro had an edge overall it seemed and resulted in finds I did not recover. But then ,I made recoveries the Pro did not. A tough site with iffy type i.d challenges at depth below around several inches. ( soil moisture was great ,allowing deeper than usual depth..)
More " hints" than hard i.d. ' s had me wanting to try a V.D.I.. but..not sure at max depth it would have given a much greater edge(?).

I'd be tempted to trade a 350 plus some money for a Pro . Not sure how much money.......though it seems a decent upgrade , more of an upgrade when owning a 350 already is tempting.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I get a lot of iffy deep, non-precise signals that keep me wondering if I should dig. Just thinking a 'better' detector might give me a better read.

releventchair · Jul 5, 2017

Gene Mean said:
Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I get a lot of iffy deep, non-precise signals that keep me wondering if I should dig. Just thinking a 'better' detector might give me a better read.

IF, nothing is good without a good demonstration , a detector is a little harder because the buyer needs at least some time with it in conditions the actual user will face to be certain.
The AT Pro is an upgrade from the Ace series. A better reading is expected once worked with awhile, iffys are expected eventually with most any detector. Other features on the pro improve performance over an ace too.
In my limited reading I do not recall anyone going from a pro to the ace series as a main use. For what that is worth. A modern Lincoln cent maybe?

George (MN) · Jul 9, 2017

I found a clad dime 7" deep that ID correctly on every pass 80-85 all dime numbers. Soil moderately mineralized & very dry & hard. Found a quarter down a few inches that IDed correctly even though tilted. Got a shallow nickel that gave the correct 52-53 ID & it was surrounded by 5 pieces of iron. Copper pennies ID bounces upper 70s-low 80s. Zinc cents can be IDed without looking at meter as they alternate high & mid tones.

When I had an Ace 250 I could not ID a dime beyond 4 inches, so getting correct ID at 7" on AT Pro was very pleasing. In same park, got a 6" deep dime with correct ID using White's MXT, but wet ground then. All results were with the stock coils. Best wishes.

Gene Mean · Jul 10, 2017

George (MN) said:
I found a clad dime 7" deep that ID correctly on every pass 80-85 all dime numbers. Soil moderately mineralized & very dry & hard. Found a quarter down a few inches that IDed correctly even though tilted. Got a shallow nickel that gave the correct 52-53 ID & it was surrounded by 5 pieces of iron. Copper pennies ID bounces upper 70s-low 80s. Zinc cents can be IDed without looking at meter as they alternate high & mid tones.

When I had an Ace 250 I could not ID a dime beyond 4 inches, so getting correct ID at 7" on AT Pro was very pleasing. In same park, got a 6" deep dime with correct ID using White's MXT, but wet ground then. All results were with the stock coils. Best wishes.

Thanks for the advice. GM

Glerma56 · Feb 2, 2019

I'm like really new at detecting and would appreciate some help with detector type. I live in the Texas Gulf Coast and thinking of detecting at the beach using a BH Land Ranger Pro. Will this type of detector function ok in both dry and wet sand? did I make the right choice.