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Let me tell you something…
There’s no universal best coil. Each one of them is suitable for a certain type of use. This depends on the soil type, the desired depth and the target’s nature.
For example, you need a small sniper coil for trashy areas and a large search coil to get more depth.
Each one of them has its own pros and cons. Using a certain type of coils for a specific type of environment won’t always solve the problem.
In many cases, you need to use a different type of metal detectors. For example, if you want to look for gold, you need a detector for gold prospecting. To look for jewlery in sunken ships, you need an underwater detector.
So let’s talk about the three types coils that you could use to upgrade your Garrett ACE 250.
By upgrading the coil, you can take your detector to next level…
Table of Contents
Best coil to increase the depth range
Each detector has a certain depth that it can’t go beyond. It’s determined by internal factors (related to the metal detector itself) and to external factors (the type of soil and the characteristics of the buried object).
Since the external factors are out of your control, I’ll start by talking about the internal ones, more precisely with the most important among them that is in relationship with this subject.
The larger the deeper
The depth range increases with the dimensions of the coil. The bigger the deeper your detector can go.
Therefore, a large coil is the best to hunt deeper objects using the Garrett ACE 250. It has another advantage; it can cover more area per sweep.
But, as you know, the bigger something gets the heavier. Some may feel tired after swinging a heavy coil for several hours.
For others, the weight is noticeable. However, it’s no problem for them especially after getting used to it. Or if they buy a trimmer harness that distributes the detector’s weight on the body.
The magnetic field of large coils is dispersed. So they’re less sensitive to small objects.
Pinpointing the buried metal object with a large coil is more difficult than with a smaller one. You need some time to get used to it.
After you recover the buried metal object, rescan the hole. You may find other coins in the same hole. The coil is big and it will cover a big surface. So you may get a beep for multiple targets.
There are many large coils that you can choose from. Nevertheless, the NEL Tornado coil is the most popular.
It is submersible. Its size is 12 * 13” and it weighs 1.5 pounds (the weight depends may vary slightly with the coil cover.)
Can you get more depth?
If you’re struggling to get more depth and you didn’t find an affordable large coil, these tips may help you (they’re also useful even if you mounted a big one):
Increase the sensitivity to get more depth. If the detector chatters. Reduce it until the false signals disappear.
Use headphones: the background noise may prevent you from hearing the weak signals from your onboard speakers. With good quality headphones, you’ll be able to hear them.
Walk and swing your metal detector slowly. The sweeps should overlap.
Keep the coil as close as possible to the ground. Be careful, don’t hit it with rocks and don’t scratch it. You can use a cover to protect it.
You can check this article for more details about the external factors that have an impact on the detection depth.
Best one to hunt trashy places
Trashy areas are frustrating but many of them are also promising. In order to hunt this type of ground, you need a sniper coil.
Its magnetic field is concentrated near the coil. It is lighter. So, you can swing it for many hours without feeling pain in your arm.
Because they’re small, you can use them to metal detect in tight spots like under the bushes.
But their downside is that their depth range is limited compared to the larger coils. As I already mentioned, the depth that a coil could reach is roughly equal to its dimensions.
The second con is that with a small coil, you cover a smaller surface in each swing.
Despite the limited depth range and surface covering, many users of this type of coils said that they collected more coins than with a larger one in places full of trash.
The small size by itself isn’t enough. The shape of the search coil has to be also a double D.
Which means that its receiver and transmitter have to be side by side. And the shape of its one of them is a D.
The other type of coils where the receiver and the transmitter are concentric has a better pinpointing. But, it’s not suitable for trashy grounds.
The stock coil
The ACE 250 comes with a 6.5″ x 9″ search coil. It’s concentric and submersible. It’s a mid-sized coil. So it should be good for most types of soil.
If you’re new to the hobby, keep your standard coil. Learn about its capabilities and its weaknesses.
Get used to the pinpointing, discrimination modes, sensitivity…Then upgrade at the right moment.
Conclusion
If you want to upgrade the Garrett ACE 250, you have to pick the best coil for a certain purpose. There’s no universal coil for all every type of dirt.
Actually, there’s no universal metal detector that can work in all the environments. Small coils are good for trashy areas and big ones give you more depth.
If you’re happy with you ACE 250, which a popular starter detector. Then go ahead and upgrade the coil.
But, if you think that you’ll pass to the next level after some time, keep the standard coil. And invest your money to buy a more advanced metal detector.
Before buying an aftermarket search coil, contact Garrett’s customer support. They will tell you whether The ACE 250 and the new coil are compatible or not and they’ll give you additional tips.
Don’t forget to tell me in the comments: which one you bought and how it changed your metal detecting experience?
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