Should I buy the Garrett ave 400?

[Vermont treasure hunter]

I am still relatively new at metal detecting and I am thinking about getting the Garrett ace 400. Do you think that it is a good metal dector or should I get something else? I do not want something to fancy or too expensive.

 

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[Vermont treasure hunter]

Sorry about title! I meant ace

 

[CalReg]

A good friend of mine owns an ACE 300 and loves it! Another machine that you might also consider would be the Nokta Makro Simplex. $340 and you get the machine and wireless headphones. One of the best values on the market today!

 

[Xraywolf]

I have the ace 400 it is a great machine easy to learn and a coin/ring magnet. That said, I have the simplex too and the simplex is a superior machine, so unless you can get the 400 at a considerable savings, I'd go with the simplex.

 

[Vermont treasure hunter]

Thanks!

 

[michealwhelan]

I preferred to buy American so I went with the Garrett APEX. A bit more money but I like the Multi frequency and ground balance features as well as the Iron audio. I am in a lot of different soil types and beach types so the ground balance was a must and the multi-freq Salt were important to me.

 

[Xraywolf]

Apex is [obviously] not even available yet, am hard pressed to recommend a detector that very few have had in hand yet ,,, Will likely get one myself when available and when there are some reviews.

 

[Vermont treasure hunter]

Thank you for all of the nice input! It was very helpful!

 

[bowwinkles]

I have the 400 and I find it very limited in performance. This is because of the lack of ground balance. I also do not like the youth arm cuff and heavy standard coil. There are other machines in the same price range that will out perform the 400's function. I will say that Garrett has some very excellent support should you need it.

 

[sprailroad]

I think the Garrett Apex would be a better choice now over the 400, they are not out yet I believe?, better to wait a little longer then wish you had, I say that Vermont because the Apex operates in a Multi-Freq. where the 400 does not, Multi will handle different ground better, and way better on salt beaches. You could also look at the Minelab Vanquish, it being Multi-Freq. as well, find and compare the two and see what you think. The 400 sounded like a good detector at one time for a fella new to this, but the Apex and Vanqish was not out then, and I think you might get more bang for the buck with one of them. Just a thought.

 

[Milspec6]

As a fellow newbie, I suggest you buy used and go with something else in the same price range.

I purchased the Nokta Simplex and did my first 3 hunts with it, simple and effective machine. I was initially wanting the Fisher F75 based on everything that I read and watched, but the price didn't match my needs right now. Then just a week ago, I came across a deal on the Fisher F70 with the extra coils kit for about what I paid for the Simplex and headphones. The Fisher was a Christmas gift that never left the house....a true bargain at $350. I used it today for the first time.....I absolutely love it. It is far more stable than the Simplex (less chattering), feels really well built with the aluminum poles, and did a great job identifying the targets. Even has a better pinpointer.

The Simplex has advantages over the Fisher in that it is waterproof, upgradeable, and LED Light, but I really enjoyed using the Fisher far more. I plan on keeping both for awhile, but had I found the deal on the F70 first, I would not have been tempted by the Simplex.

If the Simplex had a more rigid lower shaft upgrade, a recharge port seperate from the headphone adapter, a smaller coil option (might happen yet), and padded armrest I would have been happier. Still a bargain for so many options, so you can't go wrong with one, but it is probably never going to become your only detector.

 

[Vermont treasure hunter]

Thank you all for the great info. It was very helpful! Thank you.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

I agree with Milspec6 on the simplex. I would also add a 20 tone audio option.