which garrett should i buy the 300 or what

rochestergirl

Jr. Member
May 12, 2005
28
0
rochester new york
Hi everyone ,
im trying to buy a better dectetor for all climates here in ny state.. something for coins and jewerly.. im sick of the beginner ones i had a bounty tracker all i found with that was pennies and beer cans.. i was looking at the 250 or 300 or up .. which one is the best for this climate and can pinpoint stuff better to what it really is? any one have any experience on this? thanks lorraine :-*
 

jeff of pa

Super Moderator
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Dec 19, 2003
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I believe the 250 is better then the 300,

HOWEVER, I'm not so Sure on the Pinpointing Abilities of Either.

I'll have to let the Final answer come from one of our GARRETT Users here.


? ? ? ? ? ?JEFF
 

S

sobered91

Guest
I love my ACE 250,although I'm still learning it.
I've found coins down to 9" with it and it's really easy to use,no ground balancing.
There's not a better detector for the price,anywhere.
Great detector at a very affordable price.

Ed
 

R

rvbvetter

Guest
? ? ? Not knocking the Ace 250. My hunting partner has one, and I've tried it and it has impressed me for the price. Pinpointing on it is a little suspect in my opinion, but it is a nice machine.
? ? ?But here's the thing. You say your tired of the beginner detectors.
? The Ace 250 is considered by many, to be an entry level machine. (beginner detector if you will)
? My thinking is that since you already have experience. You might not be advancing far enough up in detectors with the Ace 250.
? ?My suggestion would be to look more toward the Mid level detectors. Depending on your finances of couse. A midlevel one would be something you could run right away and have room to grow into. By that I mean,? it would take a little longer to master it. Thus keeping your interest and hopefully increasing your older and better finds.
? ? Also I would suggest (say,? I suggest a lot, don't I?)? ?uh....O yeah!? Staying with the proven name brands. Such as Whites, Tesoro, Minelab, Garrett and Fisher. No particuler order there.
? You might check out Kellyco Detectors on line. Simply because they have pictures and details of the mid level detectors of the companys I mentioned. (except Tesoro detectors) And higher level machines as well.? ? ? ? ? ? ?Good luck? ? ? ? ? ? HH

...uh....nevermind.
 

OP
OP
R

rochestergirl

Jr. Member
May 12, 2005
28
0
rochester new york
well i have been doing more research i see the garrett 300 is not that great.. the 250 everyone is raving about it seems..
what should i do i need something that will pinpoint what it is so i dont have to dig for nothing as i have been..thanks for the advice though everyhone.. i will do some more looking..
 

bobm31

Jr. Member
Dec 18, 2005
50
0
Rowlett, TX (Dallas)
rochestergirl said:
well i have been doing more research i see the garrett 300 is not that great.. the 250 everyone is raving about it seems..
what should i do i need something that will pinpoint what it is so i dont have to dig for nothing as i have been..thanks for the advice though everyhone.. i will do some more looking..

The 300 is OBSOLETE, the ACE 250 uses the latest technology and has features of MDs costing 2 to 3 times as much. I got mine thru a dealer (A&S Company) on ebay. You can get the ACE 250 for $199.95 with FREE SHIPPING! I believe that you can also get some FREE goodies with the ACE 250. It is in a class by its self at that price.
 

D

DavHut(SC)

Guest
Alot of things were said in the forum and if you dont mind let me add a few, if I may.You said,

"im trying to buy a better detector for all climates here in ny state.. something for coins and jewerly.. im sick of the beginner ones; i had a bounty tracker all i found with that was pennies and beer cans.."

Unfortunately you can only find what is there, and if its beer cans well, you can always recycle! No detector can solve this for you. To find good things you have to go to good places and that takes knowledge and research. As for seasonal use, there are plenty of 250 users in Canada, so that counts. One fellow wraps one of those heat pads around his detector with a scarf when he goes out in winter...

"i was looking at the 250 or 300 or up .. which one is the best for this climate and can pinpoint stuff better to what it really is? any one have any experience on this? thanks lorraine
I think what youre asking is, "What detector can positively identify targets for me?" The answer is: sorry, none of them. :-\
They do a good job and can be accurate, to a degree, but they can also be fooled. Its really up to you to learn your machine and the conditions under which you detect. In the end, you should be able to tell your detector what it is.
I can say from experience that the 250 is a very good machine for the money and does a tremendous job. It has quick response, is light weight and offers enough depth for most practical uses. Mine has become my constant companion.

But detecting is really about you. You have to have patience for when all you do find is beercans and perseverence until the next good target comes to light.

David
 

KalamazooHunter

Jr. Member
Mar 26, 2005
90
3
Kalamazoo, MI
Detector(s) used
Garrett Ace 300
Well I have a Garrett 300 that I bought a few years back at a tradeshow for wholesale, so only paid about 150 for a 300 detector, but that was a few years back. I'm thinking of getting a new one but only want to pay around 200 - so it sounds like I'd be better taking a step back and getting a 250???
 

SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS

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May 22, 2005
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Rochester,

Your post said "i was looking at the 250 or 300 or up ."

I retired my old machine, just a backup now, and
I've had a Garrett 1500 for almost a year and I would
think it would fit your stated needs. It's a bear on coins and
jewerly.

The 250 is a good machine, all comes down to how much you
want to move up and what it will cost you.

Whatever you look at, stay with the brand names, like the
other posters said.

have a good un.........
 

Monty

Gold Member
Jan 26, 2005
10,746
166
Sand Springs, OK
Detector(s) used
ACE 250, Garrett
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For the life of me I cannot figure out how it got started that the ACE250 won't pinpoint. I've had mine about a year and it is extremely accurate at pinpointing. I'll bet the farm that whoever is having trouble pinpointing is not doing it right. Also, the ACE250 is so sensitive that it will pick up extremely small particles of metal and they are easily lost in your dig tailings. I use a cheap Automax probe with my ACE and often find a taget that I can't see with my naked eye. Mainly because it is the same color as the dirt and it is small. Going from the 300 to the 250 isn't really a step back since the 250 has all the modern electronic circuitry that wasn't around when the 300 first came out. I've said it several times but I will say it again......I have a GTI 2500, and love it , but I often find myself pulling out my ACE 250 just for the convenience and reliability of use. That being said, if you really want to move up, don't rely entirely on price. Look for a detector with an "auto track ", or a manual ground balancing function. Auto track is a feature that automatically ground balances your machine as you go. The only time you will need these features is when dealing with highlly mineralized ground such as black sand or wet saltwater beaches, etc. The ACE 250 has a preset, non adjustable ground balance while my GTI 2500 has all 3 features that you can use at will. If you plan on huntng saltwater beaches you will need to be able to adjust the ground balance. Hope this helps in making your choice. Monty
 

Diggincoinz

Bronze Member
Dec 19, 2004
1,581
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Wayne County, NY
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Minelab X-Terra 70 / Tesoro TigerShark / Fisher F70
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I have a new Garrett 550, pinpointing is excellent! Depth reader is good too. Identification is very close to accurate with the coins though sometimes it bounces from penny to dime and it's either one.
I have had it give me great quarter readings only to dig up a pop can, more than once.
It does well telling me of the pull tabs, but you never know if it's really a gold ring so dig them anyways.

Chris

So what did you buy?
 

sabertooth

Full Member
Dec 13, 2005
126
3
Southwest Georgia
Detector(s) used
Whites Spectrum XLT, Whites Classic I, Minelab Sovereign, Garret GTX 2500, BH 3300
I have a GTI 2500 its a good machine not my fav, out of the ones I have but I can say this it pin points very very well. I have also hunted with a friend and he has a 250 , it pin points as well as the 2500, so I do not think pin pointing will be an issue. Aside from that I think if you are going to move up in machines you should look at the ones that have the option to manually ground balance. That can come in handy, and like someone said in an earlier post no machine is gona make a positive Id every time. I also have a whites XLT it often shows quarter or dollar and I pop up old sausage cans. But when I did get a signal once for a 50 center I found 2 seated liberties in the same whole 1846 and 1858. ImHO also I would look at the Tesoro line they seem to be great detectors and you can pick up a Deleon for under 500 dollars. I have a sovereign too, it shows good ranges on the digital then I pop up you guessed it....sausage cans. and its a 1000 dollar machine. What have I learned from all this, no matter what ya spend sometimes its good sometimes its bad...and sometimes its a pull tab...well mosta the time. The machine dont make the hunter.....thew hunter makes the machine. In the word of Mr Miagee......Metal detecting do...Hai, Metal Detecting no do...Hai...Metal detecting....do maybe....Squish just like grape....! Show me sweep a coil....Hai Very good Danielson come back in morning...do whole ballfield. Anyway hope ya find what fits ya..and Happy Hunting.
Saber
 

hollowpointred

Gold Member
Mar 12, 2005
6,871
56
Detector(s) used
Minelab Explorer SE/Garrett GTI 2500/ Ace 250
i agree that the 250 is very accurate when it comes to pinpointing. where it falls short is on a salt water beach (in the wet sand) or in highly minerilized soil. it ids targets as good as anything else does, but if you really hate digging cans, i would recommend one of the garrett machines with the target imaging (size) feature. (gti 1500, gti 2500). it isnt always accurate especially at deeper depths, but i gotta say that i dig a lot less cans these days.
 

sabertooth

Full Member
Dec 13, 2005
126
3
Southwest Georgia
Detector(s) used
Whites Spectrum XLT, Whites Classic I, Minelab Sovereign, Garret GTX 2500, BH 3300
I agree, the image does help, but in relic it dosnt matter need to dig it all. Though when I am coin shooting it is nice to see if its a size D or E then no need to dig it at all. Less I just want the work out. Sometimes Large Cents will show as a C, and sometimes talters will show as an A on my GTI 2500. Anyway just more of my 2 cents.
Saber
 

gldhntr

Bronze Member
Dec 6, 2004
1,382
79
you can find used garrett grand master hunter CX-3 for around $300.00 and while a bit old they are very hard to beat, have great depth/descrimination capabilities, surface trash ignore, accept a variety of coils, and even double as a two box.....personally i would go this route before spending the same or more for a basic coin/relic locator..............gldhntr
 

Earl

Jr. Member
Sep 16, 2004
76
3
Don't fool around, just step up to the plate and buy a gti 2500 or a whites dfx. You can't go wrong with either one. Both excellent machines and you won't end up with the drothers. Buy the best. Obviously you bought a cheaper detector to start with. Big mistake, buy the best top of the line and you can't go wrong. Hopefully you can get some of your money back on the bounty hunter and apply it on the new detector.
 

sabertooth

Full Member
Dec 13, 2005
126
3
Southwest Georgia
Detector(s) used
Whites Spectrum XLT, Whites Classic I, Minelab Sovereign, Garret GTX 2500, BH 3300
Well not sure with the step up and buy the best on the market approach, if you have never MDed before. May find out that slogging through snake and poison infested, wonderlands is not for you, then your out say 800 smackers for the MD, +800 or so for the snake bite, and maybe say 20 for the itch meds. So before long your in 1620 , if you had bought the low end detector youd have a savens of about 600 bucks. Anyway thats just my take. But now that you have decided you like the hobby/sport/adventure you shout trade what ever it is you have in and go for it With the DFX/MXT/GTI 2500/ Cibola/Tejon/ or Deleon. If it was a lady who started this post (Not to be sexest) but I would stear clear of any Minelab Soverign unless I got it with a Should carry system. They tend to be kinda a lil heavy. Anywho, just my 2 cents. HH and May the Swartz be with you!

Saber
 

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