What benefits do you get with an expensive detector?

[Kevin75931]

I have a Tesoro Compadre, and it does ok. Even set to most sensitive, it still picks up iron.

If I were to upgrade, what would the higher priced detectors do for me?

I mostly metal detect around old homesteads in southeast Texas. Found some spoons, a coin, and lots of iron. I also do amateur local history. There use to be a church not far my house. It disappeared after the sawmill burned down in 1925. That is the kind of places I go around.

At what price range can I get some nice features, like detecting only alloys, but without spending a fortune?

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Hi Kevin! It is a question with several different answers. Let's start with your Compadre. Discrimination works along with Sensitivity. You must set your DISCRIMINATION to block iron, not sensitivity. More advanced machines, operating at Very Low Frequencies, or Multi-frequencies, deliver more power to larger coil, resulting in more depth and sensitivity in various soils. Machines are like golf clubs, they each do different jobs.

 

[RW]

There is no sensitivity on the Compadre. It is also well known for discriminating out iron. Should pick up alloys like a champ. Not sure you are understanding the discrimination adjustment?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

..... set your DISCRIMINATION to block iron,....

There is no sensitivity on the Compadre. It is also well known for discriminating out iron. Should pick up alloys like a champ. Not sure you are understanding the discrimination adjustment?

This was my thoughts too: The Tesoro should have no problem passing iron. Iron would give tell-tale broken non-repeating chirps or clicks. Should be easily distinguishable from conductive metals. An exception would be larger iron O-rings, or larger chunks of cast-iron stoves, etc.... would "bleed through" and fool you. But for the most part, iron should be easily distinguished.

To answer your question Kevin: Higher priced more advanced machines would give more depth and TID than that Tesoro. That Tesoro is good for ghost-townsy type hunting , or under bleachers, etc... (where you want a machine that sees in/around/through nails ). But is not known for being a deep seeker. Nor does it have any fancy target ID's.

 

[☠ Cipher]

The compadre is a great machine. I had a ball with it when I ran it. What you get out of a more expensive machine is more information, more depth, more control, and more consistent performance across more ground conditions depending on what you buy. But unless you're willing to study and learn what makes metal detectors work and each new feature you've gained you won't have any more success. In fact, you'll have less if you don't study up because you've made something simple more complicated with all those features and programs. It's worth the effort in my opinion. It's an exciting time to be in the hobby from a technological perspective. It seems like things may finally be advancing more rapidly than in the past. We have features like target trace, spectrographs, multi-IQ, Boost Process etc.

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, I have used Tesoros exclusively for years. I first had a Lobo, then a Vaquero and still my trusty Cibola. I have found a LOT of good stuff with all of them. The Lobo was especially good at the higher frequency of picking out Revolutionary War pewter buttons from old sites. The Vaquero loved Civil War buttons.

Just over a year ago, a friend of mine wanted to come to my house to show me this thing called an XP Deus. I wasn't too impressed with the tiny, lightweight thing, as I thought to myself, how could this TINY thing actually find stuff? My lawn is a trash pit, and as we found out, a treasure trove. I had the Lobo and the Cibola through it and got trash and modern clad.

So my friend, who is a dealer came over and he was going to show me! how good this tiny Deus was. About 10 minutes later, as I'm not interested in detecting in my own (stupid) lawn, I'm sitting watching and he nearly jumps in the air and yells "I found a gold ring". I froze. Yup, he found a 14k gold ring at 13" my machines missed. He also got more clad from where I knew there had been clad and had thought I had it all. I bought it on the spot.

I was wrong. Dead wrong. That tiny lightweight thing sucks relics and coins out of the ground. I had a friend over several times after that and my lawn turned out not only to be a trash pit, but a treasure trove. After the ring, we got two Civil War buttons, a gold US coin, brass harmonica pieces, fired colonial musket ball, a couple silver and old copper coins, a huge silver ring and other stuff. And a trash can full of trash, mainly brass fittings for our old well repairs and fishing sinkers from the boat.

What I have discovered, is that in a trash pit, the Deus will pick up a non ferrous item right next to and even touching iron. My Cibola would have been fooled. At the beach, with the discrimination on it, I can tell with 99% certainty if a target should be dig or no dig. It is great discriminating out iron and aluminum foil.

In all fairness, some of the best items found in the last year anyone could have found (belt plate 6" under ground with nothing around it), (gold coin 3" in beach sand), but in the iron infestation, or if you don't want to waste time to dig aluminum, then that's when a higher end machine will do well.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... That tiny lightweight thing sucks relics and coins out of the ground.....

Good post smokey-cat. Yes there are some hunt environs where those 2-filter Tesoros will out-perform the power-house deep-seeker bells & whistles machines. I've done some ghost-townsy ruins and sidewalk tearout demolition type sites, where my Tesoro silver Sabre (similar to the OP's Compadre) outperformed my explorer. But if the discussion were deep turf parks, or wet salt beach, or wide open fields with targets spread out, then the Tesoro would not keep up.

 

[flyadive]

It’s not entirely the detectors fault. Operator error is a major contribution in determining weather you find anything. I know guys that use the cheapest detectors($200.) and find the best stuff! It has to do with patience patience patience. Working a very small grid over and over again in a known area of found items. And knowing your detector inside and out. Having good hearing , the size of the coil in trashy of non trashy area. And the willingness to pursue those items. You have to be totally into it! In a trance!
So what I’m saying is expensive does not mean better , it comes with experience.
HH [emoji41]

 

[smokeythecat]

flyadive, you are absolutely correct. You can have the most expensive machine out there, and if you don't know how to use it, you might as well go home. My most expensive gold coin was found with a $329 Cibola.

 

[Mackaydon]

Bragging rights; if you're in to such things.
Don...

 

[RW]

I hate to say it, I actually hate to even think about it while typing this post, but I found more jewelry with my cheap Tesoros than all other detectors combined. Finds from my cheap Tesoros paid for my Etrac, Deus, and lots of accessories. I'm not trying to push Tesoros, just stating personal facts. I have gone hunting twice this week so far and left Tesoros at home. Found a lot of coins and such with Etrac and Deus, even some jewelry, but not even close to what I found with Tesoros. I have found coins and things with Etrac and Deus that I have missed with Tesoros but the jewelry finds are thin. Still hunt the same kinds of locations so what's the deal? I really prefer and enjoy the feedback and adjustability of high-end detectors but tend to not dig as many medium and low tones so that is probably the reason. Not a lot of old coins in my area, I squeak out a few, but not a lot of deep signals either. Something about the simple circuitry and discrimination of Tesoros is like magic under 6" in my area. I really need to get over the guilt of leaving a couple thousand dollars of machine at home and bust out the cheapies more often.

 

[smokeythecat]

RW, I also need to bust out the Cibola more often. There really hasn't been a huge leap in technology in a very long time. Wireless is not a leap. The next leap would be visualization and identification of the target. Maybe even drone technology to find certain types of non ferrous metals by running a drone a foot off the ground and setting it on a search pattern, then you go over with a conventional machine and dig it. It's conceivable. Somebody would just have to spend a fortune to develop it. Some of the ways it would happen might not be practical and the FCC might have something to say about it, but lots of things in micro circuitry can be done these days. Infared, 3d imaging, all expensive things.

 

[against the wind]

Hi Kevin! It is a question with several different answers. Let's start with your Compadre. Discrimination works along with Sensitivity. You must set your DISCRIMINATION to block iron, not sensitivity. More advanced machines, operating at Very Low Frequencies, or Multi-frequencies, deliver more power to larger coil, resulting in more depth and sensitivity in various soils. Machines are like golf clubs, they each do different jobs.

That's right,, and some of those golf clubs can be pretty expensive too,, you know.

 

[Kevin75931]

Not sure you are understanding the discrimination adjustment?

You are probably right. I am getting the two mixed up.

 

[Carolina Tom]

I went from At Pro to Deus, 3.5 years ago. It's ultralight, wireless and can be 'tuned' to specific needs, in specific areas.

Yeah, it's around $1500, but MDing is what I do for fun, so I felt that I deserved a nice machine. It was some of the best money that I have ever spent. I have more than gotten my money out of it, and it's still under warrantee! I realize that is a lot of money, but life is short.

Good luck to you sir!

 

[marjam]

I started out with a entry level bounty hunter with a meter. Then moved to a whites prism 3. Then fisher f70, whites dfx, and now the etrac. The more I moved up in price on my detector, the more desirable targets I started finding. I found good things with all of them, but I started finding good things on a regular basis when I got the higher end machines, especially the dfx and etrac.

The features on the more expensive machines make it easier to identify desirable targets from my experience. Everyone of the detectors I have had would go beep over silver, gold, etc., but its the additional information the higher end detectors give you that really makes it easier to identify good targets in the ground. Like a poster said about the deus, it is expensive, but if you hunt alot and really enjoy it, the cost shouldn't be an issue if you can afford a higher end detector.

 

[azdirtdigger]

Lots of great finds with inexpensive machines. In truth, it is probably hard to justify the cost of expensive machines based solely on the separation between them and moderately priced detectors. It is like every other hobby in the world. The cost is justified by the enjoyment received.

I sent you a PM

 

[WaterScoop]

It’s not entirely the detectors fault. Operator error is a major contribution in determining weather you find anything. I know guys that use the cheapest detectors($200.) and find the best stuff! It has to do with patience patience patience. Working a very small grid over and over again in a known area of found items. And knowing your detector inside and out. Having good hearing , the size of the coil in trashy of non trashy area. And the willingness to pursue those items. You have to be totally into it! In a trance!
So what I’m saying is expensive does not mean better , it comes with experience.
HH [emoji41]

I agree with your post however a gold ring like Smokey references above at 13” will most likely not be “detected” by a $200 detector. Yes I agree research and experience is part of the “secret sauce” but you still need a good detector to “see” things others are blind to.

 

[choppadude]

You get to hold your nose just a little bit higher than all those Bounty Hunter guys LOL!

 

[Nicksan]

Better sensitivity, better pinpointing, better VDI (Depending on brand and model of course) Better sound.
I had a whites prizm and coinmaster and compared to the MXT and M6 they were like using a toy.