Good cheap metal detector for first time.

I also have been detecting for quite a few years. The Ace 250 and 350 are good machines, but another Garrett machine you might want to look at is the AT Pro. it is more expensive than $300, but it is a good land machine, and can be used in the water up to the earphones (the control box can be fully submerged). I have a whites Vision (high end, $1000+) and an AT Pro. The Whites is my main land machine, and the AT Pro is my backup land machine and main water machine.