DetectingWales.com

hello everyone im new here please be gentle with me!
im looking at getting a garrett 250 as it seems an ideal all round good entry level machine
what do you think?
my budget is about £150 thanks

Hi Jed and welcome to the site, If your budget is a strict £150 then yes the Ace 250 is definitely the one to get. It's a very capable machine and for the money there is nothing to touch it.

Hi Jed, welcome to DW mate dont worry we do take our time with new members , people like Geoff Chef are the best in the detecting field and yes like he said the ace 250 is a cracking machine to start off i had one and had some superb finds , feel free to ask anything be more than  happy to help.Enjoy the forum mate.Nap

If your wanting to find small hammered's and Roman coins at good depth

For £240 delivered you can buy a brand new Golden Mask 1HF with an SEF coil a much better choise than a Garrett Ace 250

Hi jed and welcome.

in my experience you won't do better than the Garrett Ace series at this price level. I currently use a Garrett Euroace 350 which is essentially the same machine albeit with a larger coil and a couple more switchable mode options.

The Ace 250 is a a very lightweight detector and you'll find it a breeze to swing for extended periods without arm and back ache.

Its pretty much a switch- on- and -go- machine too without complicated programs and settings adjustments which is just what you need when starting off.

later when you feel ready to upgrade you'll find the Ace 250 will have held its price very well if you should wish to sell or trade it although most owners seem to keep them as a spare machine.

Have a search on youtube and you'll find loads of video guides and tips .
I've found hammered coins , groats, gold and silver jewelry,Roman coins  and Medieval artifacts galore with mine so i know you'll not regret buying an Ace 250.

Welcome to the mad house mate ;)
Like Some have said you can't go wrong with the Garrett ;)
I think this is the hardest part of MD'ing choice of MD ;D
Good Luck
TF

big thanks everybody for the swift reply-to complicate matters in the cash generator in wrexham(where i live)they have a minelab x terra 50 sitting there for £200 its missing the arm cup thing off the end-good condition
i was wondering if this would b better buy than the garrett 250?
im sure i could get the minelab for £180
thanks jed ???

The minelab x terra 50 lacks depth i wouldent touch it with a barge pole

You may get a second hand Minelab sovereign xs for £200 -£250

thanks for replying
yea thats outa my price range at the mo unfortunately i think ill go for the garrett ace 250
for my 1st machine
glad i joined this site  :D

There was a second hand Golden Mask 1HF on Rogers site for £150 ono

A good choice and as a beginner it'll help you that it has a screen. They are well built.

They hold their price so if you buy second hand you won't lose much. You could keep as a back up machine should you ever decide to stay in the hobby and upgarde.

Good Luck!  :)

i think ill enjoy it a lot
theres so much i dont know-like apparently  i need a permit to metal detect uk beaches?so i was told today by the bloke in the shop?

Have you been smoking something?   ??? ??? ??? ;D ;D And just how many months or years is your experience with a Xterra machine?

Jed if it's still there grab it with both hands and your toes, the Terra 50 is in a whole different league to the Ace. Believe me you won't regret it. A new arm cup will only set you back about £10 delivered.

 :o  I had to log in when i see that , grab that detector or you will be sorry the x terra range is bettter than the ace 250 big time so please dont make a mistake for £200 wowwwww .  ::)

really?
im at a real loss now!lol
ive looked at sites with test and comparisons for both the garrett 250 and the x terra 50 and both seem really similar in capabilities?
ive found a site doing replacement arm cuffs for £15 so thats sorted
its just i have no real way of knowing if its ok?could be buggered and i wouldnt know?so im still slightly leaning towards a new garrett 250 £170 special offer 0n detecnicks
i dont know what to do?

Dont touch the stuff Geoff,so tell me how many months experience do you have with the x Terra  50

My mate had one and told me it was rubbish, i have also read Rogers field test on the machine

It probally is better than a garrett ace but thats not hard  ;D

As I said the Xterra is whole different machine and I have sent you an email about it.
They have to give you a 6 month guarantee with it so you can't really lose and as I have told you in the PM I am so certain that (if it's working) you will not be sorry by getting it. I will personally guarantee that if after 2 months you can't get on with it, I (as Chefphones.com) with supply you a new Ace 250 in exchange.

2 years with a 50 and 18 months with the 705. If we listened to Garry's website then we would be changing machines every couple of months and the best bit after all his field tests he uses an Explorer II by choice.

I've had an xterra 50 for over 5 years, and have had many finds from all sorts of depths. Once one sorts out the tones the find rate increases. Admittedly the lower KHZ coil means that hammered coins are not easily detectable, once you change to the higher frequency then this improves the chances immensely.

The machine is lightweight, switch on and go after the simple ground balance and has a quick recovery rate.

for £200, i'd snap it up.... but do test it out first before buying

Who said anything about garrys web site    ??? 

I was talking about Rogers relics review on the machine,and he said it lacked depth on low conductive targets like hammereds

Probably ok for a beginner and at £200 you can not lose you could resell it for £250-£260 on Ebay no problems

How you finding the Deus Chef ?

thanks again for the advice i didnt mean to start a row lol :P
im going there again 2moz to sell a cd player  so ill get some batteries and a selection of coins and see how it works
im going to jot down what readings i should be getting for the different targets-£1 coins etc and see if they tally
thats the only way i can think of testing it?
ill post an update 2moz
ta again

Whoops!
Sorry Shaun, I put my fingers in motion before my my brain was in gear lol. Roger ahh well he isn't quite what I would call an impartial user when it comes to Minelab. Any machine and I mean any, that a person uses only a couple of times will look bad if you haven't the experience with the system. So many people don't rate the Explorer but that is generally down to not giving it the time to learn. If someone took the Deus out for the first time I'm sure that it would seem confusing and even not that good but as you know with a little experience it shows how good it is.

Any machine and I mean any, that a person uses only a couple of times will look bad if you haven't the experience with the system. So many people don't rate the Explorer but that is generally down to not giving it the time to learn. If someone took the Deus out for the first time I'm sure that it would seem confusing and even not that good but as you know with a little experience it shows how good it is.



I think you are spot on there, Geoff!

Great deal to swap if Jed doesn't like the X Terra.   Go for it, Jed.

Well Geoff with my experience and the Deus. I have only found 3 hammered's this year. :'(

I try and aim for an average of 30 a year but I am struggling big time,the weather and lack of land is not helping

Tempted to get an Explorer 11 myself  

Oh don't say that lol I'm thinking of a Deus lol. I think an Excalibur might be a better choice if this rain continues lol.
I had a good ish start with 10 but haven't even been out for what seems like months, roll on the harvest, only 4-5 weeks and it will be all to play for again.

roll on the harvest in 4-5 weeks your hoping,i have two weeks leave in August and i still do not expect to get on any land around here

thanks for the email-i did some more reading and i now think id outgrow the garrett quite quickly
so i took what was said by you and the other experienced people who posted on board   and returned to the shop- and no way would he budge on the price-the tite arse lol
neway ill go after work 2moz and find out if ill have a decent guarantee
so fingers crossed ill be trying it out  on barmouth beach on sunday!

Your only thinking of the Deus cause of your advanced years correct chef !

 ;D my detector: minelab explorer xs

  Hammered coins so far for this.year : 10

 This machine is brilliant

Napoleon 10 hammereds for this time of year is good going

The weather and lack of fields has not helped anyone