Ace250 users chime in.....great machine or more for back-up????

[njnydigger]

Hi all,


Normally on the Whites forum as I own the MXT300. Had it for about a year now. Wouldn't say it's a great machine. Very, very good, yes. But, my question concerns the Ace250. I've heard it can rival machines costing 4 times as much with no problem. I've also heard that it can go to a max depth of 8 to 10 inches if cranked to the max on a good day. Also heard it is a coin and jewelry MONSTER.

So, should I jump in and make the purchase? Or is all the hype just that, hype. A LOT of folks swear by them. Others say they are a good back-up machine.

Curious as to what you actual users have to say. 100% unbiased feedback. The good, the bad and yes, even the ugly. $200 for me, as for most people is a lot of money. Your feedback will be the ultimate decision. Thanks.

 

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[lucky d]

i have an ace 250.....i use it in the parks when i'm not at the beach/water.....i have found some goodies at 4-8 inches with the sens. at full power and have used it with great success here in florida and while on vacation in maine...i have not compared it to other more expensive machines so i can't really comment on that, but i think its well worth the 200 clams i paid for it....my favorite feature is its pinpointing/sizing capabilities....it's right on everytime.....for the limited amount of time i spend on dry land, i see no reason to upgrade/switch at this time....i love my 250....hope this helps....hh

 

[DPBOB]

Nothing wrong with the 250 but...
Just my opinion...
I would think that is taking a step backwards...

 

[terryo]

Ditto! I have had mine for over a year, pretty decent, tough, fairly reliable to find targets, pinpointer on mine can be somewhat misleading, but overall well worth the $$...I just got the basic package from Kellyco, in hindsight I would go with the 2 coil package, just for a little more versatility.I would give it an 8 outa 10....

 

[creeper71]

I have a Ace 250 it was my very first starter machine... I was told by the guy who sold me my machine that you will never need it at full sens.. I keep mine at around 4-5 bars... I have dug nail heads an coins at 8-10inches but average is 4-7inches. I personlly don't like the sniper coil other people love it... I have no complaints about the machine... but if you crank it to full sens when you don't need it that high it will give false signals alot..to remdy that just turn down your sens til you don't get false signals anymore... I can't think of anything to complain about...

 

[DigsAlot]

I got mine a little cheaper than most, you just have to look around, use Google Product Search to find the lowest price, if needed. http://www.google.com/products

I compete with a Minelab (brother) & a MXT XTerra-50 (dad), which are both higher end detectors..

It isn't the greatest for finding older stuff, which is what my dad always aims to do. It's good in shallow water, on the beach, fields, and your neighborhood tot lot. It's very easy to use, no ground balancing to deal with, which some people might see as a negative.

The only problem I've had with it is chatter, which any detector can get when you get too close to electrical stuff, like telephone poles. At times it will read nickel on every single hit I get, but I think I messed it up somehow. If I take the batteries out for awhile, it's usually good to go. The pinpoint is affected when that happens.

I have found older items with it, just recently, a 1899 Indian, 1909 'V' Nickel, some Mercs, and quite a few Wheats.

Turn it on, pick what you're looking for and start walking.

I've never experienced anything else. I'm aiming to pay off the Ace 250, then move up a notch to a new detector.

 

[deathhare]

The 250 wins the prize for the most annoying sounding machine ever.
I cant stand the sound of one being used in a trashy area.
Its like a pinball machine on PCP.

 

[njnydigger]

Hey DP Bob,


I totally see your point. And don't get me wrong. I do LOVE my MXT. Just wanted opinions on the 250 to see if all the hype is true. I WOULD use it as a back-up machine. However, if it is as super as i've heard, I would use it full-time as my MXT is fairly heavy and I hunt for long periods of time.

 

[Goes4ever]

I had one and yes I found stuff, NEVER coins at 8"........maybe with the larger coil but not the stock coil. I got very irratated because many MANY times it said I had a deep coin and it was iron, no matter how deep an item is it still has that loud annoying BONG,BONG....lol

I much prefer my Minelab x-70. NO comparison, the ace can't touch it..........no way. I went back to many sites that I gridded with my ace and re-hunted them with my minelab and I continually pulled out coins that were deeper the ace missed!

 

[lonelyduckhunter]

My experience with the Ace 250 is very limited because I have only been doing the hobby a little over 3 months but I have been using one a buddy let me use and I can tell you for a fact I have pulled a coin at 8" with it a 1898 barber quarter. I have pulled gold rings, around 10 or so silver coins and around 90 bucks in clad along with relics with it in the short time I have been hunting. Once you learn the machine it can hold its weight with the rest of them. A hunting partner of mine walked over silver with a high end machine that I dug with the Ace 250. I am a firm believer in it and it's very simple to use. I have got good coin ids mixed in with trash more then once and listen to the machine and dug the coin and found small pieces of trash right around it (small nails, 22 casinings) I for one reccommend it. For the price I bet there is no comparision with any other machine. I love it and the machine is probaly the reason I didn't lose interest in the hobby once I started I give it a big Listen to what it's telling you and 99% of the time it's right.

 

[Swartzie]

It's good for parks and places where you're looking to dig clad/jewelry at shallow depths. It won't let you miss a coin if it's just an inch or two below the surface. But, I have yet to find any coins deeper than 4-5 inches with the stock 6x9 coil. Sensitivity set too high will give you lots of false hits and it will also give you a false high ring when the detectors' field catches the edge of iron even with sensitivity turned down. I have had mine for about 4 months and am seeing the need for an upgrade. But, hey what do I know. I'm new to this stuff.

 

[Florida Sand Digger]

My primary machine is a DFX. I also have a 250. As people have stated it is a great park machine. If you hunt beaches at all, you will be limited to dry sand only. It will not work well in the wet sand. The reason I have a 250 is to hunt tot lots. I use the 5" sniper coil on it. With this coil I can hunt the tot lot fixtures and benches with the metal poles and i can get as close as 1 inch away. This allows me to hunt where most people can't due to the metal poles.

I agree with an earlier statement that if you are looking to replace your MXT with a 250, it would definitely be a step down. If you want it for a specific purpose, such as what I use it for, then it is a great machine to have.

The one thing that I do really like about the 250 vs other machines of the same class, is that it uses AA batteries instead of 9V batteries. A big price difference.

 

[Zofchak]

I had one as my first detector (Just a few months ago). It's a killer machine for newer parks, schools and in the wood chips! Shallow targets (1-5") are not going to get by it very easily. I also picked up a few coins at around 8", but they were always choppy signals.
As mentioned above the biggest problem with the ACE is the false silver readings on large iron targets. That drove me nuts!

 

[Goes4ever]

I think it is suited well for tot lots, not good for old houses with lots of iron, you'll pull your hair out!

 

[creeper71]

. If you hunt beaches at all, you will be limited to dry sand only. It will not work well in the wet sand.

That statement above IS NOT true... You will have to turn your sens down to 2-3 range on salty wet sand.... then it will work perfectly fine I know I use mine at a beach!

 

[Jack(IN)]

I use it primarily for clad hunting and find more than I paid for it every year. Great on gold and I also hate the small sniper coil, but thats just my opinion. If you want to have it at a low cost back-up its great for the price, if you want to use it for finding older coins it trashy areas you might not want one. It sure does chirp alot, but if clad hunting tot lots and surface clad, go for it!!

 

[Goes4ever]

I agree that is is BETTER than other $200 machine available but it will not compare to $600-800 machines no way!

Even a minelab x-30 or new model 305 would be better, one reason is being able to ground balance them. If you could ground balance the ace it would be much better

 

[DANGLANGLEY]

I was used to a Garrett Deep Seeker, 1970's model. I bought it new and had not tried many other detectors over the years. When I got the Ace 250 I thought I would pull my hair out because of the false signals and hard to learn pinpointing.... Once I learned to cut back on the sensitivity (after finally listening to the advice of other Ace 250 owners on here) it was a fairly stable machine. It took me a few months to feel comfortable with it.... It does chatter around power lines but I turn the sensitivity down or move a little further away from the lines. The deepest coin I ever found with it was an 1872 Indian Head Penny and it was about 8" deep and the soil conditions were perfect.... It was in dark, loose, wet soil and it barely picked it up. I have found a couple of silver dimes at 6" but that is it's limit. Now for the good news... It is very light and you can hunt for a long time without resting. It is a killer machine for tot lots and I wouldn't use anything else at the lake. I found 6 gold rings and several silver ones with it last winter hunting the swimming areas while the lakes were down for the winter.

The Ace 250 is an excellent deal for around $200 and it will pay for it's self pretty quick with the clad you find, not to mention the jewelry... Once you learn it's limitations and quirks you will like it fine. It has served me well and I wouldn't call it my back up machine. I would call it another weapon in the arsenal, depending on where I am and what I'm looking for.

I also have a Minelab Explorer SE. For hunting deep coins it will be the only one I will use. It's just hands down better for coins at 6" or deeper (and it should be for the price)... Around here old coins are easily deeper than 6"... I found a 1943 Walking Liberty Half at around 8" with it and it was a good solid signal. I'm glad and fortunate that I have two machines for two different circumstances.

DANGLANGLEY

 

[garthbfan169]

I have had my ACE 250 since last Oct. I have never used another machine. But what I can say is that for the money you pay for it, it's worth it!! I am glad I started with this machine. Almost no learning curve. I have found coins at 6-8 inches with no problems. As far as false readings I think it's more about being in tune with it. I dig almost everything and I can correctly ID my finds about 8 times out of 10. Now you may be able to ID your targets better with a much more expensive machine but who got 600 -1k to spend on a new machine? Just my thoughts. Good luck with your choice!!

 

[day_sleeper_99]

Ive had my ACE since spring. Ummm, same as everyone else has said, good and not good. Its my first machine and I like it. I live in Germany and cannot tell how deep it locates US coins, yet. I hunt playgounds on weekends early in the morning only, total time hunting so far is about 30 to 40 hours i think. Bottle caps, too many to count, deepest one over 8 inches down. Euro coins, not too many to count - I count every one!! my money count is over 75 Euro, this is roughly 100 dollars so far. 1 Gold earring with diamonds - 18K. 1 wedding band - 18K, found this weekend. 1 silver earrring, 1 silver ring, and 1 silver necklace with pendant. and other assorted JUNK....... I read here alot about "listen to what your machine is telling you". The 250 has a small vocabulary- and it all translates to DIG THIS SIGNAL! It does not like being anywhere near Train tracks here, they are all electric. My deepest target was a hotwheels at the very bottom of the sandbox, and that was over a foot down. as for depth, Who knows but the digger For the price I paid at Kellyco and INT. postage and Customs, It will pay itself off by the end of the year in money alone.

How does the song go? "You can get it if you really want it"