Metal Detecting

hi all just been looking at the reviews for both detectors garretts ace 250 and the new euro ace
dose any one else have any thoughts of which is the best machine for the money many thanks all

Hi jeffo, the Garrett ACE 250 is a very popular machine within this forum but I have noticed a few have upgraded to the EuroAce and highly rate it Hopefully we will get someone along soon who has actually made this transition
Both great machines for the price!
Best of luck
mrix

hello Jeffo
I use the Euro,my first machine-light and easy to use/understand!!If you need any help you`ll get it here!!Can`t comment on the 250 but I`ve seen `em used and they seem OK too.If you intend to beach detect they are really only good on the top end of the beach ie. dry sand as the wet/salt sends them haywire!!Otherwise great!!

regards

Clint

Hi Jeffo and welcome to the forum.

I replaced my Ace 250 with a Minelab Safari and my partner has a EuroACE which I've compared to the Ace 250 I used to own.

There are three options with regard to the Ace 250/EuroACE question. The basic Ace 250, the "Sports Pack" version which also includes a larger concentric search coil and the EuroACE.

If you look at the typical costs, these are:

Ace 250 £190
Ace 250 Sports Pack £260
EuroACE £280

If you are really not sure about whether metal detecting is for you, have little available land to search and you are on a tight budget, the basic Ace 250 is a good choice. If you fancied the Sports Pack version, forget it and get the EuroACE for only £20 more.

The Ace 250 and EuroACE are basically the same machine, with the same performance when equipped with the same coil. The EuroACE has a slightly higher operating frequency and the discrimination has been shifted to give less discrimination in the copper/silver area and more in the iron area. The 8.5" x 11" double D coil of the EuroACE will perform better on many soils than the concentric coils usually used on the Ace 250 (including the larger one in the Sports Pack), the difference in rough figures is approx 1.5" greater depth on a coin sized target compared to the standard Ace 250 coil. Also the double D configuration covers more ground per sweep than the concentric coils.

The reduced discrimination of targets in the "good" area with the EuroACE isn't really a problem as mostly you will dig anything that isn't iron. Many of us operate with "all metal" (Ace 250) or "zero" (EuroACE) settings and rely on the audio tone and the display indication rather than the various notch settings on these detectors. The reason for this is both detectors are much better at responding to good targets near iron junk when run with no discrimination (when passing over iron with iron notched out, the detector ignores everything for a split second and will consequently only pick up a good target several inches away from iron).

If you were to buy an Ace 250 and then upgrade the coil to the one normally fitted to the EuroACE you would spend as much as the cost of a EuroACE - the coil costs £99.

The choice is really down to how much you want to spend, don't forget you will need to include headphones, coil skid plate and a water/mud cover for the control box. In addition, most of us buy a pin point probe and the favourite by a significant margin is the Garrett Pro Pointer which is expensive but well worth it. Some or all of these extras are included in various package deals from most dealers.

Both the Ace 250 and EuroACE are very popular and will retain a reasonable value if you decide to sell them later, also if you upgrade they are good to keep as a spare detector. Both are equally easy to use.

Dave

hi again i whent for it and got the euroace cant wait to go and try and find sme bling bling heres hopping anyway ill keep you all informed jeff