Am Buying the Ace 250

[Jazzylady]

Hi, I put my full response on the Garrett forum. In general, for my money, and what I hunt and where I hunt, and having borrowed both to try out, the X-30 does not offer the 'bangs for the buck' to justify costng more than twice the Ace 250. Thanks, Jazzy

 

[Mike Bearden]

Good for you, it's a lot of bang for the buck like so many have said. I kept one around the house for several months and it works great until you put it's coil over some hot ground like where I live.
The 250 doesn't like hot rock infested iron ore dirt at all, not many $200 detectors do. The best depth I could get out of it was 4" MAXIMUM and even then it was hard to tell a real hit between the constant falsing. They do make excellent park sweepers though. My X-30 and especially the X-50 will eat it alive in SOLID performance on hot dirt sites, but I guess you get what you pay for so good luck with it.
H.H. and keep the 250 in good dirt and you'll be fine.
Mike

 

[Dick from IA]

Mike:

Where do you live?; just curious.

I'm in the same debate in my mind as Jazzylady was, X-30 or Ace 250.

Any more input will sure be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Gort]

I am sure you will be happy with your purchase of the 250. It is always comforting to hear someone say spending less is just as good as the more expensive one. But take into consideration a few things. First of all you are coming off a CZ5 which I know for a fact and I am sure others can verify is considerably deeper than the 250 so that may be a downer for you right off the get go. Of course the weight of the 250 is much less than the CZ but the CZ could be him mounted (which I hate to do). I cannot honestly say what kind of depth you would have gotten with a xterra as I just purchased a 50 but to be honest I still have a CZ. I hope the Xterra 50 is close to the CZ depth (this may be wishful thinking). If you are comparing features only and not performance you can get a Bounty Hunter with more features for less. Not saying Bounty Hunter is a bad detector but I do not think you can compare it with the Fishers, Minelabs, or Garrets. All I am saying is that it seems that you made your decision on features rather than performance, and again you may be right as I cannot say for sure how the performance of the 30 would compare to the 250. In the final analysis the only thing that matters is that you enjoy your detector and get out and use it. Be it a Bounty Hunter, Tesoro, Garrett, Minelab, Fisher,Whites or a stick with a magnet on it to find iron as long as you are having fun that is the bottom line.

 

[Mike Bearden]

I'm in north east Alabama along the iron ore belt that runs all the way through Birmingham. The dirt here is as tough as any I've hunted anywhere.
H.H.
Mike

 

[Dick from IA]

Mike Bearden Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm in north east Alabama along the iron ore belt
> that runs all the way through Birmingham. The dirt
> here is as tough as any I've hunted anywhere.
> H.H.
> Mike

Hey Thanks , Mike.

I live in Iowa, so hot ground is not apparently a serious issue. However, being retired and an RVer traveling to many areas of the country in years to come (including yours), I want a machine that will work generally well in most situations.

If we ever settle in one specific area, then I can buy an "area specific detector", if needed. So I guess what I'm trying to say is I need a versatile unit that will work well in many different ground conditions.

Is the X-30 it, or something else? All advice is sure appreciated

 

[Mike Bearden]

If you want to be SURE about solid performance or having the best chance at it no matter where you hunt I suggest something with a manual ground balance like the X-Terra 50, MXT, or even a Tesoro Vaquero. I realise we're talking more money again but the overall dependable performance is there.
Everybodys needs are different and like what they like, having confidence in my detectors ability means a lot to me.
I like to try them all and see what works best for ME and my hunt style. A couple of hundred bucks extra for a quality detector doesn't seem like much to me compared to the Harley parts I buy, another one of my weaknesses
H.H.
Mike

 

[John(Tx)]

I've got $20k in my softail but love the way it handles, runs and sounds.....HH John

 

[Mike Bearden]

n/t

 

[Digger]

As I also live in Iowa. HH Randy

 

[pdeere]

Dick
Just went throught the same exercise. Ended up with the XTerra 50. The Ace was my second choice and made the decision harder. Jazzy Lady is an experienced hunter and pointed out "what and where I hunt".

Many better areas in the southwest and west will be around mining towns and mineral sites. That clinches the Xterra 50 for me. I'm set for gold detectors, but this is my first coin shooter. If I lived near the beach I'm sure I would have ended with something else. Depends a lot on where and how often your RV'ing takes you to different locations.

Haven't even finished reading the owner's manual yet so this is not an expert opinion.

Luck from AZ.
Paul

 

[Frank in NH]

n/t

 

[Jerry-Iowa]

n/t

 

[Dick from IA]

Thanks pdeere for your input; all the info I'm getting here at Minelab and from the Garrett forum is certainly helpful. But as in many cases, the more info I get the longer it takes to analyze and make my best decision.

Not in a big hurry , anyway, as it's a hobby and should be enjoyed..Gotta keep telling myself this