Thinking of Detector Upgrade - Some observations about Detector owners

[Normsel]

I am thinking of up-grading from my Ace 250 to a mid level Detector. Looking at AT PRO or similar. Anyway I have read lots of forums and comparisons of detectors. What I think I have gleaned from the different posts is the kind of detector is more of what is personal preference and skill level with the detector of choice. I have been detecting daily for about 3 months now and even with my ACE 250 I rarely dig tabs or cans. It takes a combination of the nickel sound and a quick glance at the screen to decide whether to dig or not to dig. I test my observations often to make sure what I think is trash really is and in the past two days I have plucked 35 nickels.

From what I have read there are many long time detectorists on here and each guy has his own preference. I have watched side by side tests on many detectors and more often than not the detector that fails is not the guy doing the test his favorite. So what I am seeing is you get what you pay for and without much detail I have had two owners of detector stores recommend the same detector as the next one to move up to.

I think ground balance would be one of the most important features. My ACE 25O acts different in different soils and i pick up on it quickly so I have to pay more attention to what it tells me.

So I am actually torn on which detector to up-grade to. I am looking at Garrett, Fisher, Minelab and Whites and not counting out the others either. It's like trying to pick one desert when you have a choice of 50 but can only have one. Trying to get the best bang for my buck in the $600 range.

So as usual I did a whole lot of blabbing without saying much. I am wondering if others feel if most detectors in a price range perform about the same and it's more choice of brand.

 

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[kayden]

My 2 cents!...I had an ace250 also & upgraded to an At Pro ....I looked at others but what sold me is the water proof AT Pro...I love it .. Im not saying its the best out there but if I had to do it over again.....I would not change my choice!!

 

[sonofadigger]

cant go wrong with the AT PRO its an amazing machine

 

[Terry Soloman]

Save some money and get a huge bang for your buck. Get a Tesoro Vaquero Tesoro Metal Detectors - Official company web site with metal detector models for treasure hunting land or water.

 

[DirtDiggerDaveinMD]

Whatever detector you decide on getting, do not focus on depth as the main deciding factor. Discrimination, audio, separation/ recovery speed and threshold all play very important parts of the experience. The ability to adjust these attributes as well and an adjustable ground balance will make for a better detector.

 

[Jeremy S]

If you are very familiar and good with your 250, then upgrading to the AT Pro will be pretty easy. It took me months to figure out my 250 as it was my first detector ever, but maybe a day to really learn the Pro. Sure, I've already noticed the the AT Pro can get slightly better depth, but I like it more for its other features.

There are a lot of good machines out there to choose from, you won't go wrong with any of them. Do you have a local detector store where you can go demo some of these?

 

[sonofadigger]

If you are very familiar and good with your 250, then upgrading to the AT Pro will be pretty easy. It took me months to figure out my 250 as it was my first detector ever, but maybe a day to really learn the Pro. Sure, I've already noticed the the AT Pro can get slightly better depth, but I like it more for its other features.

There are a lot of good machines out there to choose from, you won't go wrong with any of them. Do you have a local detector store where you can go demo some of these?

it gets alot more depth than slightly vs the ace 250

 

[Jason in Enid]

Just like you have discovered, you pretty much get what you pay for, and everyone has their favorites. I like your desert analogy, and it's very appropriate. I think if you pick a midrange detector from any of the companies you listed, that you can't go wrong. The biggest challenge is to pick one and not keep wondering, "what if". Just like picking the peach cobbler desert, and then thinking, "but I like cheesecake too." They're both good!

 

[Dwight S]

You have to think about what your intentions are. Are you going to hunt only on dry land, or do you want to hunt in the water too? (Including rain) Are you comfortable with lots of settings or do you want simple to use? What kind of ground conditions will you be detecting in? Good soil or highly mineralized? Do you want tone ID? Do you want VID? Coil selection...

Research, research, research. Ask lots of questions. It comes down to more than just price, it comes down to all of the above plus more I've overlooked AND price.

 

[TerryC]

Don't just take the word of those here who may be brand biased. Get some hands-on testing if you can. TTC

 

[Jeremy S]

it gets alot more depth than slightly vs the ace 250

I've only been using my AT Pro for less than a week, so I can't really comment on the depth until I get some more time behind it. Already I do notice greater depth than my 250. Probably the only way to know for sure would be to find some deep objects with the AT Pro, and then swing the 250 over it to see what it can pick up. Either way, I'm pretty darn happy with my new detector, and would happily recommend it to anyone on here. I bought mine from one of the vendors on here, Big Boy Hobbies, and Bart gave me a pretty good deal on it.

All of my experience is with Garrett, but I would like to try out some other brands someday to mix it up a little. Lots of good choices out there.

 

[Normsel]

I appreciate all the feed back everyone has givn me. I like this forum because there are alot of people willing to help. Unfortunately I have not been able to test other detectors but I know it takes a steep learning curve with alot of what ifs while learning. I picked up very valuble tips on here about the 250 and applied all of them but the most important tip I got was to listen to what your machine is telling you. I picked up over $7.00 in clad to day in about 3 hours and some of it was places I had already been over. I have found over $50 in the past month going from a few cents a day to averaging $4 to $6 a day.
My hope is I can learn my next machine as well. I have decided to go with the AT PRO and I am not going to 2nd guess my decision. I plan on using it in water and land. I spend alot of time on the beach in Mexico in the winter and hope it pays off. I have read all I can about most of the popular detectors and most are pretty much apples to apples with each seeming to have some sort of advantage over another brand.

I will keep asking questions because i know the new one will have a sharper learning curve.

 

[DaveandBlitz]

DFX 300, V3 I am a whites fan, great discrimination and you can make your own programs to hunt your way!!

 

[littlehugger]

Look for water resistance/waterproof. Its a wonderful feature. Backlit controls, pinpoint capability, and a big DD coil.
You can get an AT Pro new for $600. Probably a used Kruzer with three frequencies. Fisher has the F44 with 11 inch coil and splash proof. Older Fishers have dual frequency and splash proof too.
Performance is nice, but very hard to compare. You should be satisfied with any of the brand name mid-level detectors. But, features count too, and can really enhance your enjoyment.

 

[☠ Cipher]

If you've got $600 to play with you really might as well cough up the last $50 and go with an Equinox 600. There's nothing in the $600 range that has anything for it, save for the F75+ bundle. That's a lot of machine for the money too, but in the end it's not as adaptable to different hunting environments and not waterproof. I don't see the AT Series having anything for either of those machines. None of the AT machines compare in iron and again, are not nearly as adaptable.