Garrett Ace 250 Metal Detector with Submersible Search Coil

Being new to the hobby of metal detecting, I was expecting a steep learning curve with the detector. By the time the ACE 250 arrived, I had watched over 2 hours of on-line video and read one book on the subject. Here is what I found out: 1. Setup is super easy. Only small issue is fitting the rubber seals that act as a friction clutch into the races on either side of the coil. It is a very tight fit and the seals may rip a small bit. Order several to keep as spares...only cost pennies. 2. Detector is very light. Almost comically light. Both me and my wife are able to use it for hours without arm strain or fatigue. 3. Using this detector is extremely intuitive. Garrett has definitely invested time in engineering and provided an easy to use button layout and an easy to understand display. 4. Comfortable arm rest. 5. Very sensitive detector. Stock coil is sweet. Detects easily to 6~8 inches, deeper in optimal soil conditions. Within minutes of use in my backyard, I uncovered 5 rusty nails. Each target that I located was easily uncovered and target depth was close to where the detector indicated. With these things being said, it will be important to understand what your machine is telling you. In clay soil, I found that I need to turn sensitivity down to 50% or I get false signals. This is not a bad thing, just means that the device is sensitive to minerals in the soil. I have found that in loose soil and sand, this machine will find large targets as deep as 12" with the stock coil. I have found several pennies, can tabs, and foil easily in dense clay soil at 8". Color me impressed. There are a few things that I wish could be better, but, these are very small things (maybe nit picking), and some are most likely universal to all metal detectors to some degree. 1. Better iron discrimination. In clay soil, this machine will ping at very small mineral deposits. Even with iron notched out, you will need to lower sensitivity to get past iron signals. 2. If you are taller than 6'2" you will need a longer shaft or you will be hunched over. That's it for the cons. Overall an excellent first detector or back up. Light and fun to use. Excellent battery life (7 hours of use so far and still have 75% of battery life remaining). As with any detector, you need to understand its limits and understand the meaning of the data that it provides. In closing, just a few things. This detector will open a window on a hobby that is fun for the whole family. Once I have mastered this device, my next detector will definitely be purchased from Garrett. Lastly, don't expect to find valuable coins and relics the first time you use the detector. Keep your expectations low for what you will find and you will never be disappointed...enjoy the hunt. With time invested in researching, you will be rewarded.

I purchased this metal detector to help find a lost wedding ring. We believed it to be in a backyard or driveway and had scoured the area multiple times with no luck. We got this Garrett ACE 250 from Amazon with Same-Day shipping as our last resort. It took about 3 minutes to put together, including reading the instructions. Controls to adjust sensitivity, discrimination, and elimination were all rather simple to use, as was the pinpoint function. We took it out and used it for about an hour, learning as we went and narrowing settings. I then went over an area that we had searched many times before and got a strong hit. I moved away the leaves and scratched away some dirt where the detector had pinpointed. There it was: just a glimmer but I had found my ring. It had fallen off my hand and been stepped on enough that it was pressed down into the soil. First time out and the detector paid for itself 2.5 times over. Highly recommend this unit. I will say that I have no experience with other units, but as a novice this detector was easy to use and got the job done.

I've used various metal detectors off and on for many years. While I would certainly not classify myself as a hardcore-detecting hobbyist, I do try to do it properly when I participate. One thing I have noticed is that there are a lot of metal-detecting "snobs" out there that love nothing more than telling you that while your detector is cute, it might as well be a giant turd with earphones compared to theirs! It's weird--I like this hobby because it's different / not mainstream, but when that stuff happens, it may as well be golf... Anyway - I'm not into this hobby enough to spend $700 - $1500 on a detector, but I do want to get my moneys worth. There are A LOT of reviews on the web for this particular detector, and I would say that 1 in 10 were negative, with the rest being very positive. For $200, I gave it a shot. My findings: The good: When I received the device, I walked out into my backyard to play around a little, and immediately, with a resounding "DING", found a penny about 4 inches deep. It seems to really like coin shooting The discrimination and sensitivity settings work well, and the various settings (coins, all metal, jewelry, etc...) work fairly well-- as far a coin shooting, the find usually is exactly what the detector says it is. I've read many reviews slamming the "pinpoint" feature. Honestly, after I READ THE BOOK and played with it for a couple minutes, I found that it worked quite well. It seems to work very well down to about 8". It may work well beyond that... I really haven't had the chance yet to hunt anywhere for really deep items. It's very light, and the display crams a lot of usefull stuff into a small area without being confusing. If you turn it off while you're digging, the batteries last a long, long time. The bad: The shaft is a bit on the flimsy side, although it is pretty easy to stabilize if you desire. It only has a couple tones - a dull beep for trash or unknown items, and a 'DING!' for coins. Honestly though, after I got used to them, they were plenty. It seems to like a slightly slower sweep than most detectors. There is no volume knob. This used to make me mad, but now not so much. Sometimes headphones are just a drag, I wish I could turn it down. In short: The bottom line is this - you really need to read the book that comes with it and spend an hour getting aquainted with the device for it to really work for you. I like it, and for the money wouldn't think twice about buying another.

Fonctionnement parfait, belle sensibilité, facile à porter. Nous n’avons pas encore trouvé le trésor du coin mais de belles heures de découvertes et de ballades avec les enfants, il est même possible de le manier pour eux! C’est un loisir pour nous mais bel appareil.

Jag köpte denna produkt. Men sedan ångrade jag mig. Så ville returnera denna produkt tillbaka till säljaren. Men jag förlorade ca 350kr på detta köp. Betalade ca 3000kr och när jag skickade tillbaka denna så fick jag bara 2600kr tillbaka. Men det står ingenstans i annonsen att man kommer förlora pengar att returnera produkten till säljaren om man vill skicka tillbaka den. Det är jätte dåligt kan jag tycka. Man ska ha fullrätt att kunna skicka tillbaka produkten oavsett orsak utan att behöva förlora flera hundralappar. Mycket dåligt stil.!! Mvh

A good choice for those entering the hobby. Although the ACE 250 has been around for a good while it has remained a dependable and predictable detector to start out with.

Works every time. We did also buy a pin pointer which helps for locating items. However we not far from disappointed! This is a great metal detector and great for younger adults or older children as it’s not too heavy.

As all males approaching middle-age are reknowned to do, I decided to act upon the ever-increasing urge to look for treasure. I did the right thing; checked reviews before I bought - and the Garret range kept coming up in forums as being reliable, relatively cheap and 'productive'. I'm sure all novice detectors have quasi-delusional visions of finding a saxon crown on their first outing. Personally, I knew I'd be happy just discovering anything from the past, regardless of size, value or importance. Basically, I wanted to dig up metal knowing there was a very slim chance of finding something valuable (btw - I haven't found anything of true value yet - but the Garret 250 has more than paid for itself in terms of keeping me interested. The Garret Ace 250 is really simple to use. If anything, the controls are more intuitive than the admittedley brief instructions. The different modes (All Metal, Coins, Jewellry etc.) really do make a difference; when set to coin mode I lifted several coins over the space of an hour on Polzeath beach - shame the total only came to 26 pence! When in 'All Metal' mode, you really get an idea of just how much metal there is below the ground. It soon gets to the point where you can get to recognize the general size, depth and even shape of the object that's triggering the device. My first outing left roughly 50 holes in a field near my Gran's house (which I obtained full permission to dig - this really is the key to happy hunting, anyone who is thinking of digging without permission should really think again). Back to the machine - it's compact when assembled, and the stem can easily be split for transport. Battery life is excellent. The only annoyance is a lack of volume control, but the machine really comes into its own with headphones that have separate volume control. I haven't unearthed anything that will help me retire early, but I have found a very old iron pot, old shillings, nails by the bagfull (yawn), a lot of lost change, oh and a scaffolding pole. Darned builders. It's a great machine, and very comfortable for lengthy sweeps of large fields or similar. You'll soon get in tune with it. I'm hooked!