Garrett Ace 250 and salty beaches

[zilch]

Hello

I am about to order my first metal detector (paycheck comes on Tuesday) and I think it will be the the "Garrett Ace 250". It seems like a good alround detector, but I hear some say its no good at beaches with saltwater. I really like to detect the beaches as well, and the only beaches where I live are salt water. The more I read about this, the more confused I get.

My question: Is this detector good for beachhunting or should I choose a different one? I have also considered the Garrett Seahunter Mark II but it has no lcd display.

 

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[hollowpointred]

the 250 will do great in the dry sand and ok in the wet sand but will suck in the surf and/or the water.the salt water will make the ace give false signals.mine worked fine at the beach as long as i stayed out of the water and right where the waves were crashing.the wet sand left by the receding high tide was no problem either.hope this helps

 

[Michigan Badger]

It's the old story that you really can't find one machine for everything. The Ace 250 is a very good land detector. As stated above it's not hot in the salt water.

If I were limited in funds, I'd attempt to specialize in one area instead of trying to cover all fields.

If the beach were my game I'd go for a used name brand waterproof PI machine. Sometimes the older models go pretty cheap at this time of year.

A lot of people don't like PI's due to the lack of discrimination. However, the good brands go deep and that's what counts at the beach. In other words, dig everything which does pay off in the long run.

If you plan to hunt mostly land then by all means go with the Ace if you only have $200. For the price you really can't beat it.

Anyway, for whatever value--that's my two-bits.

 

[KevGA]

I've actually had reasonably good luck in the salt; you just have to keep the sensitivity low and resist the urge to sweep from wet to dry. It's by no means a beach detector, but you can get by and as previously noted it's a killer in the dry and on land.

HH

 

[neilo]

I wouldnt recommend the garret for wet sand or highly mineralised ground you will have to turn them down too much to get rid of the false signals and in doing so lose depth and miss small good targets eg Jewelry, rings and chains better of with a Minelab Sovereign which will out perform the garret all around in all conditions.Go to a dealer and talk to them about a good secondhand Sovereign It would cost about the same amount but you will be much better off in the long run.I have picked up coins at over a foot in depth with mine and the other machine is lucky to make six inches.
Good luck on your choice of machine seeya Neilo

 

[Sandman]

The other posts are right. The Garrett ACE 250 is not the machine to go with for salt water beaches. You can't have an all round detector for all types of hunting. Think of them as expensive golf clubs, one for each shot.

Check out a dealer about his used machines that would be good for the beach. If he has a store that you may look at all the different brands so much the better. You get what you pay for and good quality is not cheap. Never buy a detector from E Bay as you have to ask yourself why are they selling me this detector instead of keepin it as a back up or let a relative use it.

The Ace 250 is a nice starter machine for someone that doesn't want to spend much money because they don't know if they will like the hobby, but it works better than a Bounty Hunter. Why do you think Wal Mart sells them?

HH,
Sandman

 

[neilo]

Hi sanbman it seems that you and I are on the same wave length I like to try and steer new detectorists away from buying cheap poor performing machines.I like minelab mainly because of my own passed experince with them. Even today I was on the beach trying to help a lady with her ace 250 I buried a coin in moist sand and there was no response a friend came over with his Sovereign and found it immediately.I agree with you about different machines for different jobs like golf clubs.For general all round detecting beach and parks i think the old Sovereign is one of the better machines. Seeya Neilo