should i get a At Pro metal detector

[JVA5th]

I'm thinking of getting a better metal detector I have a Ace 250 right now but its been problematic for me tends to go beserk a lot but the At Pro will cost me about $600 is it a lot better than the Ace 250 I'd rather ask you guys then go off of reviews which can be misleading just want to make sure its worth it I was pretty disappointed with my 250 I use my cheaper metal detector over it

 

[reednc]

I have been using my AT Pro for nearly 3 years and it still works great. I would recommend getting the 5x8 coil.

 

[bigfoot1]

at pro is a very versatile mid price point machine,love mine,5x8 coil a huge plus

 

[Sandman]

The newer AT Pro's are better than the older ones. Trouble is the dealer you buy from might sell you one of the older ones. The 5X8 coil is a must have. Personally the Tesoro Vaquero beats it, but isn't water resistant nor have a screen to lie to you. I won't use my AT Pro...

 

[G.A.P.metal]

JVA
I might go for one in the spring...just the thought of a hot summer day hunting in the cool water...no ticks.
Morning hunting relics in the woods ...afternoon hunting in the cool water....just retired...hard to resist .
Gary

 

[JVA5th]

I prefer opinions on here then to reading the reviews I felt cheated with all the rave reviews on the ace 250 my older cheaper metal detector finds so much it misses and as I said it tends to beep at nearly everything making it impossible to know what to dig and yes I know how to use my detector before I get the whole are you sure your just not using it wrong thing I've been metal decting quite sometime I just don't feel like being ripped off again and figure there's some very experienced and knowledgeable people on here who can tell me what is the best metal detector to get my budget is $600 I can't spend more than that so far I'm thinking the At Pro but I'm open to opinions and as always guys thanks for a any help

 

[pgfhgs]

Love my AT Pro, easy to make the upgrade from the 250! you will love it, as far as "the Dealer" buy from someone that is a sponsor on the website and you will be fine!

I just added a V3i to my arsenal, can't wait for the weather to change so I can side by side compare. I don't expect the AT to compare to the V3i but it will be interesting to see how much difference there is!

 

[bill from lachine]

I used the Ace 250 many years ago....you can't run it hot because it has a tendency to false....drop the sensitivity to around midway mark
and that should help.

Regards + HH

Bill

 

[JVA5th]

Okay guys thanks for the help looks like with my budget I'm going with the At Pro. And as for the Ace 250 I've tried lowering the sensitivity mid way to try to resolve its false readings still seems to do it just loves to beep at everything and anything tried all the trouble shoots to no avail but seems to work decently up in the mountains I'm in Central California so I go out to mariposa for most my hunts a lot of old miner settlements up that way

 

[Higgy]

The AT Pro with 5x8 coil is a lot of bang for the buck. Easy to learn, but you won't grow out of it for a long time. Get one cheap from Bart. He'll give you the best deal and best shipping out there.

 

[CincinnatiKid]

What Higgy said x2.
The ATPro is a great machine for price.
Your transition from an Ace 250 may be overwhelming initially. You will be graduating �� though.
Only learn The ATP in "pro" mode. Disregard bell tones.
You will do well.
Peace ✌

 

[JVA5th]

Okay thank you guys appreciate your inputs

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Okay guys thanks for the help looks like with my budget I'm going with the At Pro. And as for the Ace 250 I've tried lowering the sensitivity mid way to try to resolve its false readings still seems to do it just loves to beep at everything and anything tried all the trouble shoots to no avail but seems to work decently up in the mountains I'm in Central California so I go out to mariposa for most my hunts a lot of old miner settlements up that way

Where you are going is a lot of the problem the ground around Mariposa is highly mineralized soil it will definitely make it false. I live down here in the valley so I hunt there also, that was why I bought the AT Gold it handles the soil conditions well, you just need to ground balance frequently as the makeup of the ground you are detecting changes quickly. Don't give up on your 250 it is more of a city park machine (coinshooter)IMO.

 

[JVA5th]

Actually I have a lot easier time there then down in the valley where I live its all sand and my ace 250 won't work at all

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

That's strange maybe loose wires or cracked coil.The at pro should work good for you though. I have trouble with some alkali soil areas over here in Mendota and Firebaugh but everywhere else I have been has been O.K. although I did have a bad coil that created some of the same berserk issues you speak of.Sent it in and they sent new coil.

 

[JVA5th]

Where I live in Atwater its all sand maybe its pretty mineralized I don't know but seems my 250 has always acted strange from the get go but I ordered the At Pro today so should be better I'll have to get used to using it

 

[Sandman]

Okay guys thanks for the help looks like with my budget I'm going with the At Pro. And as for the Ace 250 I've tried lowering the sensitivity mid way to try to resolve its false readings still seems to do it just loves to beep at everything and anything tried all the trouble shoots to no avail but seems to work decently up in the mountains I'm in Central California so I go out to mariposa for most my hunts a lot of old miner settlements up that way

You guys with the chatty detectors ever think it could be EMI? Turn off the damn cell phone.
http://www.metaldetectingintheusa.com/files/explanation-of-emi.pdf

 

[JVA5th]

Its not my cell phone usually don't have it with me when I go out detecting

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello JVA5th,

The AT Pro is a good machine, bit of a learning curve, but compared to other machines not overwhelming. I agree with many of the above, you must have the 5"x8" coil, run the machine in pro mode and learn the tones. Most detectors (do not/should not) be run with maximum sensitivity (unless ground conditions favor this setting), too much energy transmitted in the ground matrix may cause unstable behavior. With most detectors the sensitivity is not linear, maximizing the sensitivity, may create an unstable detector with little to no added depth. Build a test bed (and field work) and experiment with the settings of your ACE 250 and your new AT Pro it is the only way. What works for our part of the country may or may not work in your area.

Good Luck,

 

[voodoo]

I've had my AT GOLD for a while and love it!! Pro or Gold are great machines!