ACE 250 or BH Land Star

[Ricardo_NY1]

Before I even go on, I'd like to thank everyone that has answered my previous posts about the ACE 250. I'm about one or two days away from placing my order for an ACE 250, moving up from a BH 1100. I can get an ACE 250 pro package for $270. How would a Bounty Hunter Land Star compare to an ACE 250? My application will be coin shooting in NY soil. No jewelry, relics, etc. Just coins. Which would have the best depth? I was first dwelling over either an ACE 250 or BH 3300. Noting that the Land Star can be gotten for close to $300, I'll consider it.

 

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[gregl01]

Well, let me start by saying I've been there!!!! I moved up from a BH to a Ace250 and it was a improvement. My only reservations were that the Ace wasn't that much better really. So I then upgraded to a Tesoro Cibola and it is definitely better. You may want to take a big step up to a machine you can grow into. I don't have alot of experience with the top end BH, but I suggest also looking into a upper end Whites or Tesoro. Sometimes used ones can be had on Ebay for what you're looking to spend. Just a thought!!! Good luck with whatever you choose
Greg

 

[Sandman]

First off, the "pro package" is not worth even a quarter of the extra money over the cost of a ACE 250. A 250 should be had for under $200.00, and some dealers with just throw in the extras for free.

The Land Star is a top of the line BH and some like them. There are many better upgrade detectors from Whites, Garrett, and Tesoro that will do the job of finding coins next to iron with out masking the coin. Depth is not the most important issue you'll learn as you get more experience, so don't get hung up on claims for max. depth. Being able to id and discriminate different targets close together is what counts.

Sandman

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

Sandman, initially I was looking at ACE 250's for about $212 from Kellyco or dealers on Ebay, and then I read a bit about the 9x12 coil which sells for about $79 on Ebay. I figured the pro package might be a deal since it comes with this extra coil, and my reason for considering this coil is the possibility that it might improve things for me in areas that are not that trashy. Otherwise I would just as quickly Ebay the 9x12 coil if it turned out to be useless for my applications. Thanks for your advice regarding depth. I know it's not everything, would just like to have something better than what I'm working with right now. I would spend the extra $60-70 on a coil for an ACE 250 that could squeeze out an extra inch.......but that is where perhaps an extra $60-70 plus a few more dollars could just get another detector. I think I'm getting too critical........I think the best thing to do is get the ACE 250 until I'm ready to just pull the wallet out and get a top of the line piece like an explorer 2.

 

[ZoSo71]

Just My $0.02...

I have a LandStar, It has serverd me well... It was a good Silver Coin hunter.
Great on the beaches... I will always use it as a backup machine.
I always questioned the depth.. But it found Silver Dimes at 6 inches.

I'm have never seen a ACE 250 in action. So I can't compare the two...

Before I bought my DFX I was looking at the BH Land Ranger.

For the money...It was worth the cost...I did have to send the LandStar back a few times for repair
but the turn around was less then a week, I had a coil leak once..and the other 3 times were because the
detector would not ground balance and was very erratic. the last time I send it back it was out of warrenty and there was no charge..

ZoSo71

 

[drver]

I’m rather new to MD ing but got into it with an ACE 50, beach hunting. It’s a little unstable in salt water but I’ve found nickels is wet sand. It’ll report good targets even when the soil conditions call for a manual ground balance machine.
Got mine for $212.00 plus five extras, wish I had a bigger coil for the beach but it’ll hold it’s own for coin, even on a salt beach.

 

[dahut]

Much of the "Should I get this detector?" or "Should I get that one?" is moot, really. SO many variables go into the usage that it is impossible to say one is better than another.

What is constant is that good makers put their machines through the paces to ensure that YOU will get a product that meets your needs, the vast majority of the time. In fact, it behooves you to have more than one. I recently discovered a site/detector combination that allows me to get great results, when another instrument in the same location wouldnt do as well.

With that being said, can you indeed learn for certain if a BH LS is better than a Garrett Ace 250 from a few questions and a hodgepodge of answers. The answer is simple: NO!

Each is a different machine, wth different features, which will ultimately be used by YOU in the way you see fit. I can say that the Ace 250 is a good little machine. It is easy to use, has plenty of good features, surprising depth and a good price. The after-sale service is also top-notch, should it ever be needed. Charles Garrett, said that his goal was to make a detector with all the features of a high end machine, yet packed into a $200 package. He succeeded.**
Some will say the similar things about the BH LS. BH has come a long way in recent years in terms of product performance and market presence - I even hear that their service is improving! While to me, they remain a somewhat anonymous, even questionable company, the recent merger with Fisher and the consumer drive for ever better equipment may change all that.

But, you cannot possibly know from my comments, or those of others, that either will suit you.
** (I personally wouldn't expend the effort to get the "Pro" package for the Ace 250... Id rather have the sniper for the Ace.)

Here's what I usually do. Maybe this one suggestion will actually help.

Get one or the other USED and see what develops. If you dont like it, sell it and get the other. If you don't like either, you will not have given away much money in depreciation (The Ace holds its value well, due to it's overall abilities and demand. The BH not so much, but it has a devoted following of users).

The other possibilty is that you will like both, probably for different reasons. If you are lucky enough for that to happen, you will not have spent near the money you might have new and can likely feel better about owning BOTH, this way.