Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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1792 Half Disme
Photo source: American Heritage Auctions Site. |
Here is a trivia question. In what year did the US Mint deliver its first coins? Find answer at end of post.
My 7/17/14 report included a review of the Garrett Ace 250. I was up north at the time I received the detector, assembled it, and used it for the first time on three different days. Not only was it easy to use, but I found a variety of types of targets in a short time, including coins from 1909 and 1829. I felt that was a decent demonstration of the detector's capability. I considered the fact that it cost me only $212 including batteries and headphones. I had no idea how well it would do and was pleased with the results.
Yesterday I read a number of reviews of the ACE 250 and was surprised by some of what I read. It seemed there were a lot of people who did not like it at all, and there were also a lot of people who were happy with it. There were very few reviews that fell in the middle. It seemed that people that wrote reviews either hated it or liked it. I would guess that people who are motivated to write a review fall on one side or the other. People who are middle-of-the-road might not be motivated to waste their time writing a review.
Anyhow, I wondered why so many people were so much against the detector while so many others liked it. Some called it a toy. Others complained that it wouldn't find anything.
One possibility could be poor quality control. There might be some lemons sent out, but I really doubt that is the reason for the mixed reviews.
Some people might expect a $212 detector to look, feel and work like a $1200 detector. I don't.
I think the mixed reviews come more from something that was discussed in my 7/12/14 post. I posted some of views on detectors and detecting that were sent to me by James F. Commenting upon the suitability of different detectors, James said it depends upon the type a hunting a person is going to do and where they are going to hunt. I agreed with that.
There are additional considerations that I've discussed since then, such as your specific strategies and techniques. I have presented some of mine in the past few posts.
I don't doubt at all that some of the poor reviews for the ACE 250 were the result of the fact that some people did not use it well. Maybe they didn't take time to learn how to use it. Maybe they didn't watch the instructional video. Maybe they didn't test it first under controlled conditions to learn more about it. Or maybe they expected it to perform like a high-end detector that they had more experience using. Or maybe they were unrealistic about target ID and discrimination.
Some people commented that it did not perform in wet salt sand. I haven't tested it there yet, but I suspected that would be the case. The irregular mineralization at the water's edge is difficult to cancel out, especially for a detector that is trying to do a lot of analysis. Some detectors simply don't handle wet salt sand very well. I thought that the ACE 250 might be one of those.
In summary, I stand by what I said. As James F. suggested, no one detector is a good fit for everybody or every detecting need. The ACE 250 exceeded my expectations, especially when the price is considered.
Many people seem to blame there detector when they don't find much. There are a lot of things that can be going on, but he skill of the operator is always a big factor.
Don't expect a detector to find anything for you. As I've said before, a detector is little more than a pin-pointing tool. You have to put the coil over good detectable targets. That is the big factor and the key skill.
Bad news! Florida mosquitos are not only being their normal pesky selves, but they may be carrying a virus. The Chikungunya virus has been detected in Florida.
Here is the link for more about that.
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/news/local/tips-to-avoid-mosquito-borne-virus-with-video/ngjQx/
Trivia question answer: The first delivery of coins from the US mint was in 1793, consisting of over 11,000 copper cents. That is what the US Mint web site says.
The half disme shown above is thought by many to have been a test piece, although there is evidence that some found their way into circulation.
http://coinauctionshelp.com/Half_Disme_First_U.S._Coin_Minted.html
Same old story on the Treasure Coast - a one to two foot surf for the entire week. Easy water hunting, but sandy conditions.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
