Gday everyone
I’ve been slowly feeding a long term desire to get into relic and gold detecting. I’ve done a fair bit of couch research and am ready to finally get myself a detector. I’m therefore asking for your general opinions about which machine to get. Any opinions will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Hi.
Garrett Ace 350.
Happy Hunting.
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Thanks Shane…have you had any experience with the AT Pro and AT Gold. Price difference is about $300 and was wondering if that difference is significant in actual gold detection.
GOLD, not sure.
The AT and PRO are an updated version of an Ace 350. I recommend you get a 350…
The Ace 250 is the best machine ever - keep that in mind…
Good luck out there.
Happy Hunting.
Nice one Penga. You can’t do both with one machine.
Relic hunting you need a Garrett,
GOLD hunting you need a Minelab or equivelant.
Be safe out there.
Shady
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1 Like
Roger that…just been catching up on some previous chat on ATPro as an all-rounder. Your passion for the ACE 350 coming through loud and clear there too 
Nice one PENGA. Yes the 350 is the coolest street machine. Cheers.
Some of the other guys on here may stair you in the right direction for a GOLD hunter tho.
Keep posting - cool thread.
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Do check these ones out
Also good…justwhen I thought I was narrowing my options lol
Anyone have any opinions/ hands on experience with the XP Deus?
Maybe see if you can have a test of a locals machine.
Or watch youtube to see which beeps you find “least” annoying 
Yes, very cool machine. Has a very cool price tag tho.
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Hi,i’ve had an AT pro for a few years no,and the found its a great machine for hunting ,beaches ,parks etc.have some pic’s somehere of my first months finds ,impressive.hauled it out last sunday after a year in the cupboard,and took it ith us when walking the mutt.spent ten minutes around the flying fox {my favourite}at the playground and nearly paid for the coffees on the way home…don’t you love those gold coins…
I’m a newbie and interested also in finding the right detector. Not too heavy but a good all rounder. Tell me what you meant by Relics? I want to just find hidden treasure lol I worry that I will spend a lot on something I will find won’t do the job so need to get it right first time. Any help would be most appreciated.
Good to hear knl…i need to make my decision in the next week or so. Heading up to Nelson beginning Oct for my sons hockey tourney and will definitely have some hunting time on my hands between games.
I hear you Lilly. Most important thing for me is to get an all-rounder. ‘Specialisation’ in say gold finding can be the next thing to look forward to.
Yes we are on the same track, do post here what you decide on, and your findings.
Firstly, be extremely wary of second hand and ‘cheap’ machines (regardless of claims) Feel free to ask advice on here if unsure. Anything under about $200 is pretty much novelty value only.
I have run AT Pro for about 6 years now, no intention of ‘upgrading’ .
The beauty of the ATP over the 250/350 is that it’s waterproof (to 3m) which means I don’t have to worry about it getting caught in rain, and also allows me to do swimming holes as well. There is a new model out now, so the original should start to come down in price. Goes for days on 4 AA batteries, some take the 9v batteries which get pricey very quickly. The ATP can selectively notch out (ignore) target ranges so you can choose to some extent what you get to hear/dig.
As far as “treasure”, any machine will find gold rings etc, but you need to realise you’ll dig a fair few hundred junk targets first. No machine will guarantee you gold, and then you only stand a chance if the coil passes over it.
@LillyMarlene , Relics is a generic term for (generally) old domestic items - locks, old mortice keys, school bells, horseshoes etc. Usually iron, but occasionally nice brass and copper (as well as rarer gold/silver). Personally, I love handling something that someone lost a hundred years ago, even more so if it’s personalised with a name or similar.
For a beginner, there is temptation to get a huge coil “to cover more ground and get deeper targets” . My advice is to go smaller first. Allows you to get in amongst the trash and pull coins etc out that have been hidden from bigger coils by the trash signal next to it.
Welcome to a great hobby.
Kate
Thanks Kate, I agree with you about finding items that have been handled and lost, buried and forgotten, that’s my idea of treasure. The mystery of not knowing what you might find is very appealing, but I am also realistic about how much ‘junk’ there must be out there. Great advise!