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Something I noticed

T

Thylacine

Member
Fellow Garrett users and others!

While perusing the forums , a thing I notice about the Garrett MD's (aside from MineLab trolls rubbishing them at every opportunity) is the ACE 150, 250 and AT Pro are well liked (loved) but you hardly read anything about the ACE 350 or AT Gold! Is cost a factor in the choice, people buying below the top of the line in that model and 'making do' or have I missed something?

I want to try my luck at 'electronic prospecting' and being a Garrett man the AT Gold seemed to be the natural progression from my ACE 350, so I started looking for posts about the AT Gold and how people were using them...... Not a lot has been posted, they seem a good machine, they find gold, even small gold so why is so little written about them?

Thoughts?
 
I use the Ace 250 at the moment and for a couple of reasons. The main one is I'm just starting out in this hobby and on a budget. The 350 was more than I was wanting to spend and while the 150 is a decent starter the 250 has the pinpoint feature. I could justify the 250 over 150 but not up to the 350. When I upgrade it will be to the the AT Pro. The AT gold will find smaller gold than the the pro but in my area it just isn't there. We have more relics and coins (and junk!) so the pro is the direction I'm heading. If I was in a more mountainous area where there is a better chance of gold I would possibly steer that way. In the end I think it comes down to what you can afford and what type of hunting you do. Just my 2 cents.
 
My own 2 cents...

Your logic sounds fine to me. I think the 250 is still excellent choice for getting into the hobby and you won't regret your decision. Assuming to like the hobby, I'd bet you'll own it a long time before feeling the need to upgrade. The 250 is a VERY nice detector and much more than just what many consider an entry level machine in terms of performance. In my case, the 250 more than paid for itself in the first season with clad finds alone. Over the years, the 250 recovered quite a reasonable collection of silver and gold items from parks, athletic fields and beaches. Lot's of other interesting finds (and loads of trash) as well.

My decision to upgrade to an ATPro was because I wanted a 2nd detector in the family and not because I felt 250 was deficient in any way for my personal detecting needs. At the time of upgrading, I had decided that something waterproof would be and the ATPro was a great value for the price. I've never regretted either purchase.

Happy Hunting
 
I also think your logic sounds fine, as does Tomcats and Franks...AtGold is an 'advanced specialty' rig it seems...a worthy component for the people that know how to run a rig for tiny gold...they say the AtPro performs 'better' on salt sand than the Gold, so that opens up a large market aside from the freshies...anyway, I dont think a guy cant go wrong with either...

For me the Pro works as intended, (fresh water gold jewelry)...I dont fool with any settings, I just turn it on and set disc to 40, 3 clicks down from full sens power, I never GB or use the PP feature, and swing away...simple, fast and effective...plus the thing hits gold chains to the amazement of well respected long time hunters..Both Pro series are documented performers in field...I think the Gold would be overkill for what I need in a tool for where and what I hunt...so thats probably why you dont see a lot of press about the Gold...

The Gold fills a niche market for a specialty kind of crowd..gold nugget hunters such as yourself who know how to set up a rig properly..most gold nugget hunters take the leap and go with really top shelf gear, so this may be why the Gold gets no love?

If I was a nugget hunter, I'd try my trusty Pro, but also be ready to pop for an AtGold if the 'dirt situation' merits the added features the Gold has...No doubt at all it would run circles and cover a lot of ground fast, and find Gold, which is the intent...Great thoughts and post! Food for thought..:clapping:
Mud.
 
I definitely won't be getting rid of the 250 when I get the AT Pro. Like yourself it will be for other family members and I want to expand my searches to water hunts. A coworker of mine wanted to get a detector and I told him about the Ace. While I was trying to find a good used one for him he went and bought a BH Lonestar Pro at the local hardware store.:shrug: It was on sale and he had "store point". He likes it and says mine has too many buttons. One day we'll get them both out and go head to head. :starwars::bouncy:
 
Hmmm, good points. I entered the hobby with a second hand ( as new, was a great deal) Master Hunter ADS 7, but it is a complicated thing to use, I've followed the instructions I downloaded and I'm sure I still don't make the most of it. So when the OZ was worth more than the Greenback I jumped at the chance to import the ACE 350 and I've never looked back. I looked at the specs for the 150 and 250, but thought the ACE 350 would better suite my needs. It's detected an OZ 2c coin in the bedding sand, under 10-12 inches of compressed pine bark, a lead fishing sinker that really chimed off under 10" of sandy soil near a creek and gave me my first gold ring in the first week I owned it!

I see the AT Gold as the next step, it seems to do everything the AT Pro can and more, the "dirt situation" here is 'highly mineralised' another reason to opt for the AT Gold. Also, I don't hunt beaches that much and when I do, I stay away from the water and find that the ACE 350 will hit on anything under the sand. The AT Gold would give me a chance at finding some yellow metal as it is a dedicated machine (18Khz) and a lot cheaper than the ATX, or machines from other manufacturers. Another plus is the AT Gold is waterproof, no more paranoid fears of dropping and drenching the MD in a creek, or making a mad dash to the car if it starts to rain.

My challenge now is to find more $1 & $2 coins to pay for the upgrade, I'm getting there slowly, Koinshooting is the hobby that pays for itself.

Mates, for taking the time to reply.
 
A lot of the AT Gold posts are on the AT Pro/Gold forum. Most people who purchase the ACE Series move up to the AT Pro.
 
I think the 250 is about the same as ATP in its standard mode. The in the pro mode ATP acts like a different animal. The 250 and atp standard mode has signal boast which make targets about the same intensity, so I don't see the need for headphones. ATP promode is designed for hearing fainter and deeper signals, I use the phones.
Headset is a bit more difficult to put back on the ATP than the 250, so my headset stays on the ATP, but not on my 250
 
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