What metal detector is right for me? the Ace 250, 350 or the AT Pro?

[NoobFromMaine]

A little about myself, I am a 22 year old that lives in Maine and i am looking for a good entry level detector that i can grow into.
I have had one detector before, a Bounty hunter quick draw 2 and was disappointed with it. I am looking for a detector that
is noticeably better than the one i had. The main thing i am going to use this detector for is to hunt for coins and rings.

 

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[neuseman]

found 26 quarters today with my ace 250! good detector for the price but im a newbie too!!

 

[John-Edmonton]

the AT Pro has the standard mode, very similar to the ACE series. You can learn this mode, then work your way up to the Pro mode, which equals and beats many detectors costing 2 x as much, plus it it water proof, which also opens up a whole new detecting field.

If money is the issue, go with the ACE 350. It also is one heck of a good machine.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Choosing from the 3 you listed I would go for the AT PRO.....It will give you the option to hunt in the water as well as land, plus you will never have to worry about being caught in the rain....

 

[Bart@Big Boys Hobbies]

If you can swing it def go with AT Pro! Great machine. If I can help with pricing or questions feel free to email or call me.

 

[CheathamHill]

loving my ACE 350 ...she's easy to learn from and she's a metal hog!
Price point is good on it too

BUT I would 100% recommend the Pro Pointer as well...can't imagine hunting without it now

 

[Sandman]

Welcome to Tnet.

Your choices are many, but I too would highly recommend the AT Pro. Get yourself a long handle scoop and head for inland lake beaches to wade the water to find lots of gold rings if you don't disc out pull tabs.

Good Luck,
Sandman

 

[sandtrout]

For the price I think the ACE 250 is unbeatable and it's a great detector AFTER YOU LEARN ITS LANGUAGE. I've had mine for a year now and I like it from the get-go but I liked it even better AFTER I learned it. Just completed a new 4x6 card that I take with me for reference and it works great.....BUT....I'm now looking into the AT PRO for it's VDI numbering system and it's water hunting potential. The ACE will keep you going for quite awhile and it's gotten me enough cash to buy a Garrett Pro-Pointer and a Sniper coil. If you get the ACE, the resale value isn't bad or it makes a great "loaner" detector for someone who goes with you and a great "back-up" detector if your main detector is in the shop. If I get the AT PRO, I'll be keeping my ACE 250.

 

[liftloop]

Will some explain all thees mode,on the atpro!! when theirs only 12 blocks of discrimination on the positive side and you need at lest two blocks for a nickel,and 4 block form the dime to a dollar that leave 6 extra boxes oo don't for get the penny wich is another two blocks so thats 4 left to add or subtract sound pretty cheese to me.wheres,the rx gain setting ac setting the dc setting the no-motion mod,the tone id setting I don't under stand every setting or mode as they call it.
it ether take's a way one block of discrimination or it add two boxes of discrimination.or all metal all the boxes lite up.

 

[Blake29501]

i got the ace 350 a month ago... its great for shallow targets and big objects but once you pass 6 or 7 inches you wont get a clear or accurate signal. i buried several silver targets at 7+ inches and very unclear, inaccurate signals. but if your looking for a detector just to goof off with then ace 350 will be lots of fun to play with. im going to sell my 350 and get a more advanced machine.

 

[gleaner1]

Go with the 350 or pro, the price is right and you have enough experience to move on. The 350 will beat down the 250 and make it seem not up to the task.

 

[mts]

i got the ace 350 a month ago... its great for shallow targets and big objects but once you pass 6 or 7 inches you wont get a clear or accurate signal. i buried several silver targets at 7+ inches and very unclear, inaccurate signals. but if your looking for a detector just to goof off with then ace 350 will be lots of fun to play with. im going to sell my 350 and get a more advanced machine.

How long did you leave those silver targets in the ground? It is very common for a newly buried deep target to behave much differently than a deep target that has been there for a long time.

I don't know anything about the 350 but it's possible that your test was not at all indicative of a real world situation. I'm not sure when you will run across a silver item out in the wild that is freshly buried at 7".

 

[zincmaster]

well ive got a quick drawII and an at pro, both stock , and so far the bounty hunter has out done the at pro in finds. also the at pro doesnt pinpoint like it should seems to be off about for or five inches unless i pinpoint of the toe. and it seems to false some "may have to send back to get adjusted or whatever they do" the bh has done real good for me ive found 18 wheat pennys and about $5 in clad and three of the wheats came after i ran the at pro over the same area. the stock bh coil doesnt get alot of depth but an upgrade on the coil can solve that, dont give up on that bountyhunter yet just upgrade the coil , and save about $450 bucks. the at pro does go deeper but its not really better than the bounty hunter in my opinion . and just so you know i am a newbie also and have a lot to learn about the at pro, i just wish i woulda upgraded the quikdraw II instead. if ur in a trashy area with the at pro and using head phones it can absolutly drive you nutty with all the ringing lol

 

[MrPoptop]

The only thing to out hunt my At Pro, in my limited circle, is my 15 year old son with a stock Bounty Hunter Tracker 4, 1 time. I was tired from the day before digging too deep.
Seriously shallow targets BH Tracker 4 will clean em up fast fast fast.

 

[mts]

The only thing to out hunt my At Pro, in my limited circle, is my 15 year old son with a stock Bounty Hunter Tracker 4, 1 time. I was tired from the day before digging too deep.
Seriously shallow targets BH Tracker 4 will clean em up fast fast fast.

The BH Tracker 4 is actually a very good machine for the money. I picked one up a couple of years ago for $88 (new on Amazon) and you can't beat its capabilities for the price. But it is not a deep machine. You're looking at a max of about 5-6 inches on a quarter. But the discrimination is top notch and the dual tone feature is very nice compared to the single beep machines. It's also great for sorting pennies into piles of copper vs. zinc!

 

[Smudge]

Noob,

Go with the AT Pro. In standard mode its like the 350. You will grow into the Pro mode pretty quickly.

And the AT Pro's higher frequency will probably do better for you when hunting gold.

And let's not forget its waterproof...

 

[Monty]

I too started with a more mundane BH, got an ACE 250 and now an ATPro. I say go with the Pro if you can afford it. It should be just about as easy to learn as the ACE 250 which is my second choice. I have seen a ton of really good information on learning the ATPro on this site and others. Monty