Which detector to compliment a Vaquero?

[sceptre]

New here, and new to detecting, this is my first post. I have a bunch of questions regarding the purchase of a second detector.

I already have a Vaquero and like it very much. I have no trouble with the single tone and I like the idea of having a dedicated knob for each control. My wife uses it the most but I usually do the fine tuning for her. She also liked the idea of knobs vs. LCD screen. So far, I have a better understanding of how to set it up but she is not far behind me.

I have used the Vaquero at the beach and in the water. It seems to work just fine but being near water is a worry with the open control box.

I've been scratching my head trying to decide what might be a good second detector for us but figure it's better to ask here instead of wasting more time.

1st question - Is there a Tesoro any of you would recommend as complimentary to the Vaquero and why?

2nd question - Keeping in mind the cost of the Tesoro's as a price range, is there another brand/model that I should consider and why?

3rd question - If price was not a factor, but high quality turn on and go detecting was, what detector would you recommend? (thinking preset modes if such a thing exists).

4th question - This one is a little odd and hypothetical. If I wanted to pay for my detector with my finds, what finds have the biggest payoff? Should I be a beach/water hunter looking for jewelery, and what detector would be the most cost effective i.e. low price but high value target hunter? The jewelry hunting seems like it would be the biggest payoff for time invested in my opinion.

Lastly, weight is an issue. I'd like to keep the weight of the detector as low as possible.

I'll probably have more questions but this is where I'm stumped at the moment.

Thanks

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Terry Soloman]

I just got my Tejon, and have not fired up my Vaquero since. Just sayin'..

 

[cudamark]

Welcome to Tnet!

Answer to #3.... Excalibur without a doubt.
#4..... Unless you have a solid lead on a cache, beach/water hunting for jewelry is your best bet for a fast return on your investment. A PI unit is much cheaper than an Excalibur but you'll have to put up with all the junk iron targets. Machine weight can be negated for the most part with a good sling.

 

[SusanMN]

If you live in an area with fresh water, I would suggest the Tesoro Tiger Shark. Excellent fresh water detector, fully submersible, and light enough that you can use it for shoreline hunting.

 

[sceptre]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Terry, I do like the specs on the Tejon and probably would go for it as a second detector if it was waterproof. The Vaquero is amazing so far and the lower price kept me away from the Tejon as a 1st detector. I think the Vaquero is priced perfectly for someone who's just starting out but also wants a well respected and really useful detector.

Cuda, I've been reading up on the Excalibur II today. I read good things about it and also the version two generations earlier (I heard some negatives on the 1000? version, but much praise on the one before it came out).

Susan, I am near fresh water, not salt so the Tiger Shark is very interesting to me. I've been reading up on it already and since I understand the Vaquero, it does make good sense.

 

[cudamark]

The 1000 designation has to do with the coil size, not year or "version". I would avoid the first generation Excalibur commonly called the "spear" or SeaSearch model. Nothing particularly wrong with it but Minelab is not providing any support for that model anymore. If you find a good working one for cheap (i.e. under $200), sure, go for it, but I'd put that money toward a later version if it were me.

 

[fella]

I just got my Tejon, and have not fired up my Vaquero since. Just sayin'..

That good?

 

[sceptre]

I think I've settled on one thing at least.

I want a detector that can get wet and not fail. I could put the vaquero in a box and go that route, leaving me to buy something else as a second detector.

If I just buy a waterproof detector the tiger shark and the at pro are closely priced so I wonder if anyone has ever compared them in the field.

Then I watched the video showing the vista gold, vaquero and gold bug on youtube. The thing I took away from that is that you may as well go all metal and forget discrimination if you are beach hunting. The vaquero did pretty well against the vista when it was out of discriminate mode but lost when even a tiny bit of discrimination was used.

Anyway, I don't think it would be hard to put the vaquero in a box and this opens up a new can of worms for the 2nd detector option. The bottom line seems to be this:

Which brand/detector has the best discriminator? Has anyone actually tested this before, I could use a link if it exists.
And.... Which brand/detector/PI/Standard detector does the best job of rejecting iron (that seems to be the only thing a PI can do and that is probably where I would have to run a standard detector based on the video).

Any thoughts?

Thanks.