Suggestions on an upgraded metal detector please!

[Staci (Fargo ND)]

SOLVED: Replacing an Ace 250 ...but with what? A Tesoro Outlaw!

I've been detecting for around 15 years...I started out with a bounty hunter and about seven years ago purchased an Ace 250. It's nice and light and has a good sharp "ding" that makes it easy to pinpoint. However, it's downright terrible at ID'ing accurately. I'm looking for a new machine and really would love to hear some opinions!

Needs:

• Good at ID'ing (my Ace 250 says "SILVER" on tin cans and iron any further than 2" down)
• Good discrimination when I don't feel like digging up every nail
• Lightweight (I weigh about 100lbs, so with a heavy detector I'd last about 10 minutes)

Wants:

• Volume Control

I'm not sure what my price range is as I haven't looked at machines in so long, so I have no idea what to expect to pay for a nice machine. I'm not a pro, and I can only use it half the year here in North Dakota, so I'd like to buy something decent for a reasonable price although I know "reasonable" is completely subjective.

Any help, suggestions, or questions are welcome...I will do research on my own as well but value much higher the opinions of everyone here over advertising and Amazon reviews. Thanks all, I'm looking forward to detecting this year!

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UPDATE 2015/04/25
Most likely going with a Fisher F5 (and small coil) for its low weight, great features and analog control knobs. Thank you all for your help!

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UPDATE 2015/05/02
After letting the Fisher F5 marinate in my mind for a few days, I realized the features I picked it for could be found in just about all Tesoros... analog controls, no deep menus to navigate, excellent discrimination and great target separation.

After looking at as much information as I could absorb, watching videos and reading reviews, I decided the Tesoro machines were exactly what I was looking for. I have no need for a display, the detectors are amazingly light, and the target separation and disc seem second to none. I decided to go with the Outlaw as I found a great deal on one while searching for a nicely priced Vaquero. Really I think I'd be happy with most of their lineup past the Compadre ...but I think the fine-tune discrimination, manual ground balance, and re-tune features will be perfect for my needs. Not to mention it weighs all of 2.2 pounds...a half pound lighter than my Ace, a very light detector!

I definitely think there is no "best" detector out there as there are too many variables in the choice. For me, a display ended up being at the bottom of the list of importance ...for someone else, it may be at the top. There are many things that both new and experienced detectorists need to look at when buying a machine and we all value things at different levels of importance. I would highly recommend listing out each feature and need/want in a list and assigning a level of importance to them; it makes the choice less difficult and narrows down the options quickly.

The Outlaw I picked up was used and came with two coils, the 8" and a 5-3/4 which I think I'll try out first. Thank you all for your help, I'll put up an update once it arrives and I get some time with it. Maybe this thread can help someone else narrow down their choices in the future.

 

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[Metal Detecting Stuff]

Hi Staci,

Not sure about your budget, but I'd consider the Garrett AT Pro or Fisher F5 . The AT Pro is great at target ID, waterproof, and has good depth with a DD coil. The Fisher F5 has a huge display screen, good target ID and is very light weight. Either of these, once learned, will give you excellent discrimination.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[Ranger121]

I'm in the same boat, Staci. I wanna upgrade (Bounty Hunter Pioneer 202 and an old Whites Amphibian) because my BH, which actually does discriminate out pulltabs very well, is wearing out,and it never did find nickels or gold. The Whites thinks every pulltab is a coin. I'm too old to dig every signal and am willing to go $700-$800 (?) to get better definition BEFORE I dig. I'm looking at a couple options and will put up a "Help Wanted" post shortly,,,,,,like yours. Good Luck.

 

[cudamark]

You might also consider a good used machine since you both have some experience using one. I'm quite familiar with the White's SL90, Spectrum, and XLT models as well as the Minelab Sovereign, Explorer, and Etrac's. all of those I.D. very well and have enough options to make your hunting easier. They are fairly heavy machines though, unless you hip mount them or use a sling. Tesoro makes some very light detectors but most models don't have a display, which I desire. If you need it to be waterproof, the AT Pro is the best bang for the buck. If you're just park hunting, there are many others that will do the job too. Check out the Kellyco website for a comparison chart that will give you weights and features for each of the current new models. Oh, and dig all pull tab sounds/readings. There isn't a detector made that can tell a tab from a piece of gold jewelry with any degree of certainty.

 

[Trooper733]

I like Waynes suggestions, and might add a Whites MXT to that list, same price range roughly and similar abilities.

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Teknetics Omega Software version 5 or 6 are great coin shooters with great depth,lite weight,lock on coins like a bulldog.
Gary

 

[TheRingFinder]

Hi Staci - I'm from Minnesota and I use the Minelab E-Trac, I started detecting around 30 years ago and have been through a lot of the machines. I settled on the E-Trac, it really is an incredible machine; Though pricy......If you've been at it for 15 years, I'd say you should be getting close to "Pro" status..........Time to get a "Pro" machine!!

 

[Ranger121]

Thanks for the advice, fellas. I do like Whites,,,,because 1. I've had one before and think their a tough machine. and 2. they're American made.....which I try to support. I'm liking that Whites MXT review. Hmmmmmm

 

[BigWaveDave]

If I may..The AT Pro will be easier to learn, as it is the big brother of the ACE series.

Then again, if I were a coin, I would crawl out of the ground to you.

 

[cruiserkev]

I recently upgraded from an ACE 250 to an AT Gold and love it. Simple to learn, waterproof to 10 feet, more depth plus better target ID than the 250, nice 5x8 inch DD coil and just a little heavier than the 250. I have also used the AT Pro with good results but went with the gold as I'd like to do a little prospecting someday. You won't go wrong with either of these. Can't beat Garrett's customer service if something breaks or happens to go wrong later on. Good luck and Happy Hunting!

 

[Loco-Digger]

I used the Fisher F4 (with a DD coil) last season and just loved it. It was a good coin shooter and weighs a little over 2.5 lbs. It's easier to learn than the F5, which is really what was looking for originally. I needed to upgrade after the MD Bug bit me hard. I started with an El Cheapo detector. The F4 paid for itself in about 3 months. I moved up to the F75 SE LTD, ran across a good deal I could not turn down. It weighs about 3.5 lbs. Last year with the lighter F4 I hunted many days for 8 to 10 hours. This year I am only hunting about 6 hours a day with the heavier detector. One pound can make a huge difference, and I am hoping I get used to the extra weight and can get back to hunting 8-10 hours a day by June. The F4 is so balanced that I did not need to use a arm strap. My back-up detector (a whites Classic ID) does require that I use and arm strap. There are days I still take it out because it is a nickle killer.

Hope you find the right detector for you.

 

[Fletch88]

I would look at the MX-5 from Whites also. While several listed above are good machines they are heavy or unbalanced for a 100 pound female. As listed above the Omega is very lightweight and balanced.

 

[el padron]

If I may..The AT Pro will be easier to learn, as it is the big brother of the ACE series.

Then again, if I were a coin, I would crawl out of the ground to you.

I feel violated.

 

[Phantasman]

I'm with the route loco-digger is on. The Fisher F2 is light, has numeric ID over the Ace, does a great job locking out iron when 0-19 is disc-ed out in the Iron segment and locks onto coins sized objects giving the proper # for coins over junk, but no volume control. Plus right now the F2 can be had for $215 with the inclusion of the 4" sniper coil. A good deal from FTP.

If you want to spend a little more, the F4 gives ground balance and all metal. If a little less, the new Quick Draw Pro is the lightest detector (2 pounds) that has numeric ID, segments, volume control, and a 10" concentric coil and I've seen it as low as $175. Not bad for a machine with a 9" depth record.



Of course, there are units with more bells and whistles. But not even close to this price range. Plus, the weight increases with each bell/whistle.

Just my thoughts.

 

[RustyGold]

This might help!
Fisher F4 Review 2015 | Pros & Cons of Fisher F2 Metal Detectors
Best of luck!

 

[Staci (Fargo ND)]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I have it somewhat narrowed down to these:

White's MX5
White's MXT or MXT All-Pro (Update: Too heavy, crossed out)

Garrett AT Pro (Update: Too similar to Ace series for me)

Fisher F75

Minelab E-Trac

Tesoro Cortes or possible another Tesoro?Non Digital Machines..?


The dilemma I'm in: I'm not sure if I want or need an LCD display. While researching I remembered my first detector had no LCD (just a meter) and just had a few tones. It was very easy to use and it seemed less disappointing than it is when I dig up garbage with the Ace that showed as "SILVER" I watched many YouTube videos of hunts and liked the numerical ID better than straight "nickel" or "dime" ID blocks, but thought non-display machines looked nice as well.

Do we need displays, are they just useful or are these machines better than those without? I came across some "Analog vs Digital" arguments and was left more unsure than ever about what direction to go.

I like to hunt for coins and jewelry, but also old toys and tokens. I usually detect very trashy or iron nail ridden areas like parks and homesteads. Is it just down to a high quality machine and a smaller coil, or are some machines actually better than others for those spots? Which machines process information very well and quickly enough to discern multiple targets correctly?

I have no problem digging pulltabs and cans along with the good stuff, but every sweep of the detector in my yard yields 8+ targets which are 99% nails or old tinfoil. The Ace can't do the job whatsoever and I'd like something that can, whether it's a machine with an LCD, no display, or a meter like my first Bounty Hunter sported.

What do you all think of the ones listed above when it comes to those things, and why does someone choose a non-display machine versus a display one? Thanks again!

 

[SusanMN]

I am biased, I admit, but having tried just about every one of the lighter weight machines out there, I really like my Xterra the best. For the record I have owned an XLT, f2, F4, F70, At Pro, Cortes, Golden Umax, and Vaquero.

 

[Uncle Jeff]

If you are familiar with a Garrett keep using it.. there are any number of things that can change you signal. !!! Ground mineralization.. orientation of object.. how long item has been in the ground.. So pop top flat under ground might give the perfect pop top signal.. lay it end to end and it can ghange.. leave it for 20 years and the aura can change again..

The Identified target signal on a metal dector is just a suggestion and will never be exactly what is lying benieth the surface ...

 

[cudamark]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I have it somewhat narrowed down to these:

White's MX5
White's MXT or MXT All-Pro

Garrett AT Pro

Minelab E-Trac

Tesoro Cortes or possible another Tesoro?

Now the dilemma I'm in: I'm not sure if I want or need an LCD display. While researching I remembered my first detector had no LCD (just a meter) and just had a few tones. It was very easy to use and it seemed less disappointing than it is when I dig up garbage with the Ace that showed as "SILVER" I watched many YouTube videos of hunts and liked the numerical ID better than straight "nickel" or "dime" ID blocks, but thought non-display machines looked nice as well.

Do we need displays, are they just useful or are these machines better than those without? I came across some "Analog vs Digital" arguments and was left more unsure than ever about what direction to go.

I like to hunt for coins and jewelry, but also old toys and tokens. I usually detect very trashy or iron nail ridden areas like parks and homesteads. Is it just down to a high quality machine and a smaller coil, or are some machines actually better than others for those spots? Which machines process information very well and quickly enough to discern multiple targets correctly?

I have no problem digging pulltabs and cans along with the good stuff, but every sweep of the detector in my yard yields 8+ targets which are 99% nails or old tinfoil. The Ace can't do the job whatsoever and I'd like something that can, whether it's a machine with an LCD, no display, or a meter like my first Bounty Hunter sported.

What do you all think of the ones listed above when it comes to those things, and why does someone choose a non-display machine versus a display one? Thanks again!

The E-trac will perform the tasks you require quite well. As for having a detector with a display or not........can a blind person walk to their local store? Sure, but it's a lot quicker and easier when you can see. If you find that you don't like it, put tape over it or ignore the thing.

 

[BigWaveDave]

At Pro
At Pro
At Pro