Are newer machines the key to older coins ?

[Jazdo]

Hi all.. I have been detectin since the mid 80s,and have wanted a new detector since the mid 90s,but have always
put it on the backburner due to various reasons. My first machine which I still use some is a INCA,followed by a
Golden Sabre II in 93 I think LOL..

My ? is are the newer machines with Target ID and all the bells and whistles really worth it ? I mean I have
found 1880 coins on top of ground and memorial cents at 6 inches so why all the depth issues?

The deepest old coin I have dug was a Barber Half at almost 7 inches other than that its 4-6 for the most part.
Maybe I am missing alot huh..

Soil condition probably has some to do with machines and depths,but no 2 machines are really the same
anyhow.

I am thinking a Tejon mainly because of reviews and the dual disc. followed by depth capabilities. Plus I
really wouldnt think of changin brands.I dont think Tesoro is topped by anyone.

So lets hear some responses.First hand accounts from people that have newer machines,and input
from THers like me who have used old school machines forever LOL

 

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[Nick A]

Silver coins found in two years hunting with TESORO metal detectors....by an experienced metal detectorist, me!

Hey thrillathahunt! Great to see all that silver! That's awesome! Is there one of your Tesoros you like better than the others or that does a great job on silver? I usually think of gold when I think of Tesoros, and I suppose you may have some of that in your part of the country too. Thank you for taking the time to post, that exactly the kind of thing I wanted to see!

 

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[Keppy]

I have been useing minelabs since 1992 still use a Sovereign ...If you ever read all my post from the last couple of years you would know i never tell were i hunt or show or tell what i find. That is for me only to know....................Read my bottom line ..Let No One Know What ,Were or when .. And i really mean that .. NO ONE

 

[Digger]

I used a Tesoro Inca & Mayan for years. Great detectors and I found a heck of a lot of good stuff, but then any detector will find a lot of good stuff when conditions are right. We had hunted our city park for a good 10 years and never found more than an occasional wheat. The park was established in 1883, so we found lost at the lack of old coins. We assumed it had been hunted out since we were all very good with our detectors at the time.

In 1991 I decided I was going to buy a new detector so I bought a White's Eagle Spectrum. As usual, we took it to the city park for a trial run. After turning it on and ground balancing, with the factory Coin & Jewelry program, my first hit came within 1 minute of swinging. It ID'd as a dime at 6 1/2". My buddies checked the target and got nothing. Out of that hole I dug 3 silver dimes, 1 barber and 2 mercs, a 1942 war nickle, and 3 wheats. I couldn't move 2' without repeating this over and over. I ended up pulling over 2000 coins over the next few years many back to the 1800's.

Those older detectors can do a good job in the hands of an experienced user, but don't be fooled into thinking they are any match for even the lower end detectors of today.

After 18 years of cleaning that park with the Eagle Spectrum the good stuff is few and far between. I know there is plenty left, but it is not within the ability of the detectors I have used. The XLT, Minelab SE and Sovereign GT, and the DFX. The DFX and SE can still pull a few goodies at extreme depths(10-12") and what had been masked at shallower depths, but the pickins are slim. I sold the SE and GT and now only use my DFX. I could show my finds but that really doesn't prove anything since I'm the one who cleaned the park out in the first place.

Yes learning the detector you use is most important to get the best performance, but that best performance will always be limited by the detector you use.

 

[Keppy]

U.K.Brian.... Bull59.... Digger.... Now you 3 know that i know that but there are some that just don't understand what you and i have said. They think the more they pay for a detector the more they will find . All you pay for is bells & whistle's not depth... so you can plug it into your computer big deal..... you want real depth get a..PI detector... Garrett Infinium.... Whites TDI... then you get depth not bells & whistles...

 

[Corpsegrinder]

well Being a long time Tesoro user since i was 8 years old using my Golden Sabre+ and my dad using his golden sabre 2. I will add what we both have learned and experienced first hand.

We bought new machines last year. he went back with tesoro and got a Cortes, i went with Minelab and got an SE with pro coil..

We have hit churches that we searched back in the early 90's and on more than one occasion i have pulled more deeper coins than he has. Even let him scan a where i get a deep signal and he cant pick it up.. normally they are wheat's 9-11 inches deep. Probally because soil was moved in over the original dirt. Although i will add its VERY Slim pickings now days at churches.

Don't Get me wrong i love tesoro. they have the best warranty but you just cant get the depth a Minelab can.

And i also want to point out this is just my experiences with these 2 brands and we have found thousands of coins and relics with our Old tesoros, But then again 15 years ago not everyone had a detector.

I cant speak for the other brands. but would like to see a heads up comparison on the Whites V3 to the E-trac. I think that machine has some good new age Bells and whistles.

 

[chemist100]

In my opinion, it all depends on how well you know your detector PERIOD... If someone gave me a brand new top on the line detector with all the so called bells and whistles, I would get smoked by an experienced user of another detector. Other detectors might go deeper than others, but if you cant interpert it, it dosent do much good. Plus, if you swing the coil where the silver ain't... Just go have fun when you are detecting, if you get silver it's a plus!!

 

[erikk]

I'm seeing the naysayers providing their opinions here, but not seeing the proof. I posted my Minelab finds, I provided links to the finds of other users as well.

So, put your money where your mouth is guys... if you use something OTHER than a Minelab and you are hunting hunted-out parks and schools in the USA, let's see your finds, please post your yearly totals so we can truly compare.

I want to see the Garrett, Tesoro and White's (and other brands) users that are getting 100+ silver coins annually out of hunted out parks and schools.

Show me the money!

 

[Digger]

In my opinion, it all depends on how well you know your detector PERIOD... If someone gave me a brand new top on the line detector with all the so called bells and whistles, I would get smoked by an experienced user of another detector. Other detectors might go deeper than others, but if you cant interpert it, it dosent do much good. Plus, if you swing the coil where the silver ain't... Just go have fun when you are detecting, if you get silver it's a plus!!

Yes and No! We all understand that how well you know your detector is important, but to think the detector itself plays no part is wrong. Take 2 people with the same experience and it will be the detector that makes the difference.

If you plan to become the best you can be with your detector, wouldn't it be wise to have a detector that can be the best as well?

I think we can all agree that most detectors on the market today are capable of some very impressive finds. Heck, in the right conditions a sharpened stick can make some nice finds, but not all detectors are created equal. For example, when it comes to finding deep silver I don't think the Minelab Explorers can be topped, but for those who consider accurate target ID as job one, the White's E-Series are hard to beat. Now toss in the mix the Garrett ACE 250. While a killer entry level detector, no matter how experienced you become, it will never equal the deep silver ability of the Explorers, or the target Id'ing of the E-Series.

 

[thrillathahunt]

"a sharpenend stick can make some nice finds"? huh?

 

[Digger]

It's a reference to the people who are lucky enough to live in an area where no one else has been. Where you can take a $50 detector and pull some nice coins. You know, the coins are so abundant you can poke a stick in the ground and hit something good. If you're one of those few then by all means save some money and buy a cheap detector, but just remember, even that easy stuff will run out eventually and then you're gonna need something better.

If you happen to live in an area with a lot of competition already, you had better plan on having an edge. Your edge can be experience, but what if your competition is experienced? You had better have the better detector.

 

[dirtscratcher]

After two years of not finding more than a handfull of wheats, I bought a used Explorer XS. Now I'm finding old coins regularly. I'd like to add it was less than many mid priced units, its not how much you pay.

 

[thrillathahunt]

Check out the field tests, there is very little difference in all around performance between the Minelab Explorer and the Tesoro Tejon, besides the bells and whistles.

 

[Nick A]

Check out the field tests, there is very little difference all around between the Minelab Explorer and the Tesoro Tejon.

Wait, what? I looked at the field tests. The list of differences seems endless. Not the least of which is a meter of some sort. At a minimum I like to have the depth displayed, and in trashy parks having some sort of ID rather than just a discrimination knob.

I'm still not seeing people posting finds with any other brands to seriously rival the Minelab machines for the type of detecting I do. People's finds are the truest test of a machine to me.

Seems like the Tejon has it's place, especially for relic hunting and it seems many relic hunters like the Tesoros.

Anyhow, to each his own. If you like the Tejon and it's finding the targets you want, awesome! I like my Minelabs and they are finding the types of targets I want... also awesome!

 

[dirtscratcher]

I own a Tesoro Vaq which I like for certain things. My Explorer allows me to pick and choose targets with tones and Id. Granted Id is'nt always right but its preety good.

 

[Digger]

I'm still not seeing people posting finds with any other brands to seriously rival the Minelab machines for the type of detecting I do. People's finds are the truest test of a machine to me.

Scenario #1: Linda lives in a very old town(1700's) where no one has used a detector and owns the ACE 250. Jimmy lives in a relatively new town(1900's) where lots of people metal detect and he owns the Minelab E-Trac. Linda has lots of finds dating back to the 1800's, while Jimmy has never found any coins older than 1910. If you were to go by what each has found you would think the ACE 250 is much better than the E-Trac. A sad mistake.

The reason there has never been a detector holding the title as "the best" is because there is no such thing. There can only be what is best for you. If you feel the Minelab has no rival then it is probably the best for you and your type of hunting, but that does not mean it is the best for me and my type of hunting.

I believe the best way to compare detectors is a head to head in the field, and this will only show what might be best in those hunting conditions, and nothing else.

 

[Willee]

I own a Tesoro Vaq which I like for certain things. My Explorer allows me to pick and choose targets with tones and Id. Granted Id is'nt always right but its preety good.

How do you know when your discriminating detector has just lied to you and ID'ed that $5000 gold and diamond ring as trash?
When the person behind you with a Wal-Mart Bounty Hunter digs it up?
How do you know what you are leaving in the ground when you dont dig it?
Answer is simple ... you dont.
Why do you think there is still valuable stuff in parks and school yards ... stuff that has been there for years even after many have hunted those parks and school yards with metal detectors.
It is because people thought it was trash and not worth digging. (read instant gratification)
That gold coin deep and on its edge has been there a long time cause it dont flash the lights and play the music on the expensive detectors.

Anything beyond conductivity and Fe values on a detector ... things like icons showing treasure and nails, led's and tones for rings, coins, and iron, all then little icons spread out on the meter or display, all that is pure sucker bait designed to find consumers more than than treasure. And even that is questionable as to its real value.
The guy using the Tesoro Tejon has better odds of finding something valuable cause he has to use his brain, His experience, and his skill, to figure out what target to dig and which to leave behind.

 

[Keppy]

Willee.... ...Very good response to those who think all those bells and whistles are there answer to finding all the ... "good stuff ",,, but they will never see the truth...........

 

[dirtscratcher]

I thought we were talking old coins. Using the Explorer at the same places as before and find old coins I' sold.

 

[dirtscratcher]

Digging hundreds of holes to find a gold ring has no appeal. Nor would it be appreciated by homeowners. Tones and Id have me finding the old coins I'm after so I'mnot concerned with what is left behind.

 

[Nick A]

Willie "The guy using the Tesoro Tejon has better odds of finding something valuable cause he has to use his brain, His experience, and his skill, to figure out what target to dig and which to leave behind."

And the guy using the new machine does not? The process of determining what to dig and what not to dig is still made by the user, not the machine.

"How do you know when your discriminating detector has just lied to you and ID'ed that $5000 gold and diamond ring as trash?"

No one does. This is why you need a machine that gives you the best (or most relevant) data to make intelligent decisions about what to dig. Sure you can dig all, but I don't have that kind of time. I believe in the "round sound" - rings have a mellow tone that pulltabs and canslaw do not. The guy with any brand detector could have someone with any brand detector walk behind him and find targets that were missed due to discrimination, poor decision on what to dig or not, sloppy non-overlapping sweeps, etc.

"It is because people thought it was trash and not worth digging. (read instant gratification)"

I disagree. Targets can be missed for MANY reasons, not just discrimination. Many run the high end detectors without discrimination, so that can't be a valid argument against a high-end machine. The guy with any brand detector could have someone with any brand detector walk behind him and find targets that were missed due to poor ground balance, discrimination, poor decision on what to dig or not (lack of experience), sloppy non-overlapping sweeps, etc. I firmly believe a Minelab Explorer user can walk behind a "dig all" lower end detector user and find plenty of deeper and better targets.

"That gold coin deep and on its edge has been there a long time cause it dont flash the lights and play the music on the expensive detectors."

This is not a function of the machine as much as it is a function of how much discrimination you use. A Tesoro user with discrimination turned up is going to miss it as much as the user of any machine with the discrimination turned up.

As far as coins on edge in general, I have never found as many as I have with the Minelab machines. Pocket spills, shallow silver halves, coins on edge... these all give signals that say "DIG ME!" that my other detectors did not. Regardless of the amount of discrimination used.