[GoProZA]

Howsit Everyone

I’ve been following metal detecting on YouTube for quite a while now. I’ve been fascinated by it for a good few years and I’m keen to get into it myself. I have done quite abit of research on what I would like to go for. My dream would be the Garret AT Pro but as a student with a limited budget that’s out of my reach.
I have been considering the following:
Garret Ace 300 / Fisher F22 / Garret Ace 400 ( these are all recent upgrades of the older series units which I don’t want to look at)
- I know that the ace 300 and the F22 are very similar with the F22 being weatherproof while the ace 300 only has a waterproof coil.
- The Ace 300 also has a deeper max depth of about 2” greater than the F22 but the F22 has the Iron Audio feature which the Ace 300 doesn’t have but the Ace 400 does.
- I have been attracted to the Ace 300 as it comes with everything I’d need to basically start( headphones , protective dust/ rain cover which the Fisher F22 doesnt. I don’t want to have to buy a stereo headset on top of buying the detector.
Now for the Ace 400:
- from why I’ve seen this unit is comparable to the F44? But it is abit cheaper.
- it has the iron audio which might be quite helpful over the Ace 300 as I suspect there is a lot of junk around where I would be digging.
- is the extra money paid for this unit worth it?

Other info:
- I’m currently based in Port Elizabeth and would be doing searching on the dry beach / maybe wet sand.
- I know that these units are not water proof and that using them in the water is not advised especially salt water.
- How would the ground mineralization affect these units?
- I am going to be moving to JHB early next year and I suspect the ground mineral content would be different there.

Pricing:
- I have looked around and these units are very expensive in South Africa
- ordering off amazon and with Shipping they work out to over R1000 cheaper than local stores.
- I don’t want to look like the guy that doesn’t support the local market but if I had to buy local I couldn’t look at any of these machines.

Any advice / suggestions from expirience with these units would be greatly appreciated.

Matthew

[Paul van Heerden]

Welcome to the forum!!

All the detectors you posted there are good detectors, except for use in wet beach sand conditions. VLF machines just don't do well in salt water or mineralised conditions, no matter what anyone tells you.

I would also not worry about iron audio on your detector. I had an Ace 250 for a few years, and I never needed that feature. Even with owning an ATPro now, I still very rarely use the feature. You can use any of these detectors in water, as long as the control box doesn't get wet. The coil is waterproof.

The problem with buying detectors online, and not from a dealer in SA, is that there is no warranty and no support if you ever need it. In my mind, that would make buying local a better idea. There are several stockists around the country, Henry Clapton being one of them that actually lives in PE if I am not mistaken. I would contact him and pick his brains. He will offer you a good deal.

So....which detector should you buy?? That is going to be up to you, but don't buy any of the ones you listed if your heart is set on wet beach detecting. Otherwise all of them will be perfect for what you are looking for.

[GoProZA]

Thanks for the feedback Pual!

Okay so if the Iron Audio is not essential , I'd rather go for the Ace 300i.
I do want to metal detect the dry sand on the beaches, would it still be fine for that use?

The prices I have found in SA are:
- Doculam                  R5757
- Animal gear             R5749
- Metal Detector SA    R5749
- Futurama                R5739

From Amazon the Ace 300 with a carry bag included with shipping and VAT import it is going to cost R5000, which is my budget.

I am in a tough spot here

[Chris Twine]

Use discount code TH05 and get 5% discount online with Doculam. So your R5757 becomes R5469.

They are the official distributers of Garrett for South Africa, so you get your full warranty etc.

Importing always carries risks (besides import duties and VAT) that its faulty, and hence not covered under local warranty.

[Paul van Heerden]

Yes, it would be fine for dry sand use

[Clarence Florentino]

I would buy the F22 instead. The tone and slow speed of the ACE would infuriate me plus you can buy the F22 locally for only R4,995.