New Tesoro Cibola

jharhed

Hero Member
Jan 5, 2008
780
133
Marrero LA
Detector(s) used
DFX, MX5, M6, Garrett Pro Pointer AT
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Really sweet machine! Fast, great disc and deep in my mild soil, have fun!
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,716
40,795
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It is a sweet machine. I have most of the Tesoros and have bought and sold a few to get other models, and the Cibola is one of the ones I kept. It sucks up gold at the beach.
 

WhiteTornado

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2013
615
453
Baltimore/DC area
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, Tesoro Cibola, Garrett Pro-pointer, Sampson T-handle Shovel, Lesche hand digger, Garrett and Gray Ghost Ultimate headphones
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have had one for the past 3 years, probably have 150-200 hours total with it, have gotten mixed results. It was my first machine and the only one I used until I picked up an AT Pro just this week.

Pros:
• Very good depth.
• Really good for relics and in areas like farm fields where signals might be fewer and farther between.
• Lightweight, just 2.2 lbs.
• Takes one single 9-volt battery.
• Can be switched to one of 3 different frequencies. Comes in handy when hunting near other Tesoros or during competition hunts.

Cons:
• I have found the learning curve on it to be more like a learning mountain. There are still many times where I don’t feel all that comfortable using it.
• Is single-tone only, and no display. This may or may not be a “con” for you.
• At least where I live (central Maryland), I’ve hardly come across anybody using one, so there hasn’t been much chance to compare notes in person with other users.
• In my experience, it fairs poorly in trashy areas. Last time I tried it in a very trashy park (with old trash, I’m talking bottle caps over 6” deep), it was just going bonkers and I ended up lost trying to make any sense of the signals.
• You can swap out coils, but Tesoro says if you do this, you will need to send the machine back to their factory so they can reset the ground balancing. Now, some users on here say that doesn’t really matter and some say it does. I haven’t tried switching coils, so I have no experience to draw from.

When I was planning to get an AT Pro, I did think about selling the Cibola. But I kept it and will probably just use it sparingly going forward. Maybe for relic hunting or competition hunts.
This is just one person’s opinion and maybe the Cibola will work wonders for you. I think metal detectors are like cars. You can ask 100 people what is the best make and model of car, and probably get 75 different answers. What works for one person isn’t guaranteed to work for the next. Best of luck and happy hunting.
 

toasted

Silver Member
Jun 1, 2015
3,437
14,081
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600 XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
The Cibola is a great detector. Its light, deep and pretty fast but it does not discriminate iron very well. Especially any iron larger than a nail
 

OP
OP
tyrocksalot

tyrocksalot

Full Member
Aug 7, 2014
127
84
jefferson city,mo
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Cibola
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
It is a sweet machine. I have most of the Tesoros and have bought and sold a few to get other models, and the Cibola is one of the ones I kept. It sucks up gold at the beach.


Thanks for the input. I started with a tesoro compadre. Was lookin at a silver umax but seen the cibola for a few bucks more.

You said the Cibola didn't fare well in a trashy area? Was discrimination not working on it? My compare did great in trash once I got the disc set.
 

toasted

Silver Member
Jun 1, 2015
3,437
14,081
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
5
Detector(s) used
Minelab Equinox 600 XP Deus
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Thanks for the input. I started with a tesoro compadre. Was lookin at a silver umax but seen the cibola for a few bucks more.

You said the Cibola didn't fare well in a trashy area? Was discrimination not working on it? My compare did great in trash once I got the disc set.
It would fair fine in most trashy areas but areas contaminated with larger chunks of iron will have you pulling your hair out
 

WhiteTornado

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2013
615
453
Baltimore/DC area
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro, Tesoro Cibola, Garrett Pro-pointer, Sampson T-handle Shovel, Lesche hand digger, Garrett and Gray Ghost Ultimate headphones
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have found the Cibola to be maddening in trashy areas like parks. Even fiddling with the discrimination didn't seem to help much, at least not for me. Don't know if a smaller coil would help in those areas or not, I never did go that route, in part because of Tesoro's stated need to send the machine back in to have the ground balance reset when changing coils.

Maybe you will have better luck amid the trash with the Cibola. I think certain machines just work better for some people than others.
 

Captain Caveman

Silver Member
May 14, 2015
2,513
2,234
Madison, MS
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75SE, F44, F2 and CZ-20. Minelab E-TRAC and Go-Find 60. Tesoro Tejon. BH Quick Silver.
Primary Interest:
Other
Congratz on your new machine! I hope it brings you much silver and gold!
 

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