Garrett ACE series
Garrett ACE 200 Target ID Chart for a Concentric Coil
Quick answer
Garrett states the ACE 200 carries a digital target ID scale of 0 to 99 alongside sharp audio tones. The ordering is the usual one: iron at the bottom, foil and small gold low, nickels and pull tabs mid scale, and copper, clad and silver coins reading high, with the concentric coil giving tight but shallow-biased readings.
The ACE 200 is the entry point to the Garrett line and the machine most often bought as a first detector. Garrett's listing for it is unusually specific for an entry machine: a digital target ID scale of 0 to 99, sharp audio tones, and a 6.5 by 9 inch PROformance waterproof concentric searchcoil, with the control box explicitly not waterproof. The package is listed as including the detector, that coil, four AA batteries, the owner's manual and a three year limited factory warranty, made in the USA.
The coil type is the part people skip, and it changes how the numbers on this page behave. A concentric coil produces a cone-shaped detection field rather than the blade-shaped field of a Double-D, which gives crisp pinpointing and tidy target IDs on isolated targets and poorer separation when two targets sit close together.
Top pick
Garrett ACE 200
A real 0 to 99 numeric target ID and a waterproof PROformance coil at the bottom of the Garrett range, with a three year warranty behind it.
Price was accurate when this page was compiled and changes often.
What does a 0 to 99 scale mean on the cheapest ACE?
The same thing it means on the expensive ones: a conductivity score, not an identification. The ACE 200 has fewer tools for resolving an ambiguous score than the ACE 300 or the ACE 400, which is the honest reason to spend more if your ground is full of iron. What it does have is a clean, repeatable number on isolated targets in reasonable soil, which is exactly what a new detectorist needs while learning to trust the machine.
If you are comparing models before buying, the ACE 300 chart is laid out identically, and the battery and specifications page sets out what each model actually gives you for the money.
What does each band read on an ACE 200?
Bands, not values. The concentric coil tends to give tighter repeatability than a Double-D on clean isolated targets, and worse behaviour when two targets are within a coil width of each other.
Across the ACE line the nickel band around 50 to 60 is the most repeatable reading on the scale, and the 55 to 75 tab band is where gold jewellery hides.
| Target | Typical band (0 to 99) | Concentric coil behaviour | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nails and small iron | 0 to 35 | Clean rejection when isolated | Two nails crossed can read non-ferrous |
| Bottle caps | Bounces widely | Unstable from two directions | No iron audio on this model to confirm it |
| Foil and thin chain | 20 to 45 | Repeatable when shallow | Dug constantly in parks |
| Small gold ring | 30 to 60 | Same band as foil and tabs | Number alone cannot separate it |
| US nickel | 50 to 60 | Very stable | Use it as your reference target when testing |
| Pull tabs | 55 to 75 | Stable and numerous | The cost of finding jewellery |
| Zinc cent | 68 to 80 | Drifts down when corroded | Acid soil eats zinc cores |
| Copper cent and dime | 78 to 86 | Crisp when shallow | Depth pulls it down |
| Quarter | 82 to 90 | Crisp when shallow | Wanders below about six inches |
| Silver half and dollar | 88 to 95 and up | Loud and high | Also the reading given by large flat non-ferrous scrap |
These bands express the conductivity ordering on the machine's own ruler. They are not Garrett-published lookup values. Soil chemistry, moisture, depth, orientation, corrosion and firmware all shift them, and a concentric coil in trash will blur two close targets into one misleading number.
What does a concentric coil do to the numbers?
A concentric winding produces a detection field shaped roughly like an inverted cone. Directly under the centre of the coil the field is strongest, and the useful width narrows with depth. That geometry gives excellent pinpointing, because the strongest response is directly under a known point, and it gives tidy target IDs on a single target in clean ground.
The weakness is separation. When two targets sit within the cone at the same time, the machine averages them, and the average of a nail and a silver coin is a number that belongs to neither. This is why iron-heavy sites reward a smaller or elliptical Double-D coil, and why the ACE line's stock concentric is better suited to parks and pasture than to a farmyard.
What does a first-machine owner actually need next?
Not a bigger detector. The two accessories that change a beginner's results are a pinpointer and a way to carry trash.
Garrett ACE 200
$149.99A 0 to 99 digital target ID, a waterproof concentric coil and a three year warranty at $149.99.
Best for: a first machine for parks and yards
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Garrett Pro-Pointer II
$99.99The cheapest way to stop digging blind, with a 360 degree detection field and a fast retune.
Best for: dry-land beginners
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Rechargeable AA NiMH Batteries, 8 pack
$10.49The ACE 200 ships with four AA cells and will eat many more; NiMH cells recharge up to a thousand times.
Best for: anyone hunting weekly
Check price on AmazonHow we chose
We did not test these machines in person and we publish no find claims. Picks are researched from manufacturer specifications and owner manuals, published listing features, waterproof ratings and warranty terms, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. We favour the established detector brands because coils, shafts and control boxes have to stay available years after a model is discontinued, and we place every pick in the tier where its price and capability honestly belong.
Sources
- Garrett ACE 200 owner's manual
- Garrett ACE 200 published listing, for the 0 to 99 digital target ID, the waterproof concentric coil and the box contents
- Garrett PROformance searchcoil specification sheet
Frequently asked questions
Does the Garrett ACE 200 have a numeric target ID?
Yes. Garrett's listing states the ACE 200 features a digital target ID scale of 0 to 99 along with sharp audio tones, so you can judge target conductivity before digging. That is unusual at this price, and it is the main reason the 200 is worth choosing over an analogue two-knob machine when you intend to keep detecting past the first month.
Is the ACE 200 coil waterproof?
The coil is, the control box is not. Garrett states that the 6.5 by 9 inch PROformance waterproof searchcoil can be submerged in shallow water, streams or damp shoreline sand, and states plainly in the same listing that the control box is not waterproof. This is a different arrangement from the AT line, which Garrett lists as fully submersible to ten feet.
How heavy is the Garrett ACE 200?
Garrett states it weighs under three pounds, with an ergonomic grip and an adjustable stem to suit users of different heights. Weight matters more than most buyers expect, because the load on your forearm is what ends a session rather than the battery. A sling or harness redistributes it if you detect for more than an hour at a stretch.
Should I buy the ACE 200 or spend more on the 300?
If your ground is clean pasture or a mown park, the 200 will find what is there. If your ground is an old house site, a farmyard or anywhere with heavy iron, the 300 adds iron resolution and an adjustable frequency, and the 400 adds Iron Audio on top. Buy for the ground you actually have permission on, not the ground you hope for.
What comes in the box with an ACE 200?
Garrett lists the detector, the 6.5 by 9 inch searchcoil, four AA batteries, the owner's manual and a three year limited factory warranty, and states the machine is designed, tested and manufactured in the USA. You will still need a digger, a pouch and ideally a pinpointer, none of which are included with any detector at this price.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published specifications, manuals and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Target ID numbers, depth figures and settings vary with soil chemistry, moisture, target size, depth, orientation and firmware version, so treat every figure here as a starting point and verify it against your own machine's manual and your own ground. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.