Newbie intro: Hello My name is Jeff.

[jspence]

I am in the market for a detector. I would like to search for artifacts on land, some of which will be in the mountains of Virginia. I'm willing to spend about 200.00 and would like to know what some of the better options I would have.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[del]

hello Jeff , welcome to the forum .

picking out a detector that will compliment your type or style of detecting you want to do and handle your particular type of soil matrix is a challenge. do a lot of research find out if your area has the bad red irony clay soil thats difficult for most detectors see into. then looks at the different options the detectors in your price range have to offer , ask questions about what you don't know ( detector features , frequencies anything you don't understand ) thats what were here for . theres a lot of experience here to give advice but asking which detector is for you is kinda of a loaded question and could even confuse you more. list the ones your thinking about and maybe we can point out the pro's and con's . again glad you joined us here Jeff and looking toward see you post your first finds soon.

Dan

[aloldstuff]

That's some good advise that Del gave. Welcome to the forum from western MA and I hope you get the detector of your choosing.

[Celluforce]

Hi Jeff,

Del is right! ...There is some good detectors on the market in that price range, but they have some different pro's and con's... Have tought about a second hand machine? That's what I did...

Good luck, keep us informed and see you soon


Daniel [attachimg=1]

[jspence]

Ok. I've done a little research and I have decided that a VLF would best suit my needs. However, when I look at the ads they don't discriminate between VLF, PI, or BFO. I found one that is in my price range called the Garrett Ace 250 Metal Detector. It seems to be suited for my needs, coin hunting or other relics that would be found around an old house. What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Jeff.

[Tony Two-Cent]

Hi Jeff! The vast majority of metal detectors these days are VLF machines. BFO is an old technology and pretty much outdated. PI units are a different animal and more expensive, and are used primarily for hunting gold nuggets.

The Garrett ACE 250 is a very popular machine, perhaps the MOST popular because of its affordablity. Many detectorists have great success with an ACE 250, including Silver Star here on this forum who does quite well with his.

I think you would be happy with the ACE 250. thumbsup01

[CousinEddie]

Honestly, spend the extra $50 and get the ACE 350. It's a slightly higher frequency and it can get a little deeper than the ACE 250. I had an ACE 350 and found alot of great stuff. You can probably find an ACE 350 on Ebay for less than $250.

[jkress]

Hi Jeff, welcome to our group. Glad you are here.

I started this hobby with an Ace 250 and found lots of great relics and old coins (72 silvers in 11 months. It is a fantastic machine for the money. Although I haven't used mine for quite a while... if someone took both of my machines away and I had $200 to spend on a detector to get back in the 'swing of things' , I would again buy a 250! Find a deal with a double D coil. It will work much better than
the concentric coil I started with.

Silver Star is a great example of what can be done with the 250. |)

Let us know what you choose to go with and what your first hunt turns up. :->

[Fire Fighter 43]

Welcome to the forum and the hobby Jeff from SE Wisconsin. I agree that the Ace 250 is a great detector for the price. You may also want to look at the Whites Coinmaster. Good luck and Happy Hunting.

[CODY]

Welcome from Mississippi, welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your post and finds.

[Dry Holes]

Welcome to the forum. Im new too. Believe you have already been given a good choice here. All machines produce, some do it better. Consider saving a little extra and getting a water proof AT Pro. Another thing I would suggest is to find someone in your area who detects and see what works for them. I also looked at how light the machine is, and battery consumption. I go out, way out sometimes and if the batterys are gone, you are done. Last, some machines discriminate Iron very well. You will miss a lot of targets if you have a machine you cant adjust for that.

[OxShoeDrew]

Good luck with your choice and welcome to the forum.