Re: any of u illinois'ers use the Ace 250? how is it? any local dealers?
RDB7,
I use an Ace 250 after having used a Bounty Hunter many years ago. It was a major improvement and for its cost, the Ace is a super great value. If you are new, there isn't a better detector because they are inexpensive and really easy to use. Essentially, they are turn-on and go. There are several modes on the Ace, but I use the coin mode mostly (when I'm hunting in trashy parks I switch to my custom mode which eliminates all signals minus quarters and dimes). I recently began hunting with a great group of guys here in Chicago and we detect an older area where another Ace user (TreasureFiend) and myself have dug silver coins and other great relics. The only downside to the Ace is that, with the standard PROformance coil, it doesn't detect very deep (at least not accurately), and this is the only reason I'm upgrading, though I'll never get rid of it and continue using it as my tot lot detector. I've had mine and used it extensively for a couple of years now, it's battered and beat but still works great and is good on batteries. I'd definately recommend it.
Joe