Tesoro Treasure Mate Pinpointer

SC_hunter

Bronze Member
Jan 16, 2007
2,410
160
South Carolina
Detector(s) used
Whites V3i,Whites XLT,Ace 250 and BH Tracker IV and Others.....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I was just checking to see if anyone else has used the Treasure Mate pinpointer? It has turned out to be one BIG disappointment. Then again, I didn't pay for it but it came in the deal I got with my detector. The price I have seen is not even in the realm of reality. I think I would have been better satisfied with one of the $20 nail finder from Harbor Freight. No wonder Tesoro doesn't list it on their site. If anyone has had better luck, please let me know.
 

Allcav

Jr. Member
Jun 14, 2011
99
21
Prescott, AZ
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I was just checking to see if anyone else has used the Treasure Mate pinpointer? It has turned out to be one BIG disappointment. Then again, I didn't pay for it but it came in the deal I got with my detector. The price I have seen is not even in the realm of reality. I think I would have been better satisfied with one of the $20 nail finder from Harbor Freight. No wonder Tesoro doesn't list it on their site. If anyone has had better luck, please let me know.

We don't list it because it is not our product. We make it for Jobe wholesale. It is funny however because it goes deeper than the garret. the Garret is 1.5" and ours is better than 2". Maybe there is something wrong with it.
 

Ace350

Hero Member
Apr 12, 2012
550
171
The Jersey Shore
Detector(s) used
Ace350/ATpro/2Excalibur1000's
Eldorado/Bandito II µMax/Conquistador µMax/
Silver Sabre µMax/ Compadre/ Whites TRX & Garrett Pro-Pointer/ Lesche digger model 75 Stealth 720i & S3i Scoops
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I use a different pinpointer. The one that most people on this forum and others either have or are going to get in the near future. It's the Garrett ProPinpointer and as all have said, It outshines all the probes used in the past.
By the way, if you do a simple mod to it called supertuning, it will detect down a good 5"!

I went on the sight and read the instructions for this pinpointer and noticed a difference in it that you don't have to do with most pinpointers.
This pinpointer has to be moved in a back and forth motion to detect, that is unlike most pinpointers that you just probe in the dirt till it vibrates and makes a beep.
It says "The Treasure Mate is an all-metal motion detector. Therefore it must be in slow motion to detect." and "The Treasure Mate was designed to probe small gold nuggets."
By that first statement it appears to me by further reading the instructions that it has to be moved in a back and forth motion to detect metal, just like a VLF detector.

By the second quote it was made for gold nugget prospecting. There is also something on the website about "at 16.5 khz it is sensitive enough to locate very small pieces of placer gold." So it appears it is more specifically made to detect small gold nuggets more than coin and iron.
I also noticed it also has a ground balancing feature which seems nice, especially in highly mineralized areas you would find gold in. But I find it unnessary for the regular hunting I do.

If it does not suit your metal detecting needs than may I suggest you go with the Garrett Propinpointer and sell that one on ebay.

Here are the instructions if you didn't get it with the probe:
http://jobewholesale.com/imagesupload/cms_files/Instructions for Treasure Mate.pdf

Happy hunting
 

Last edited:
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SC_hunter

SC_hunter

Bronze Member
Jan 16, 2007
2,410
160
South Carolina
Detector(s) used
Whites V3i,Whites XLT,Ace 250 and BH Tracker IV and Others.....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Thanks guys.....I took it back and the guy tested it....sure enough, my luck it was a lemon. He gave me another one and going to check it out this afternoon. Ace...I have a garrett pro pointer on the way and this one will go to my son.....or maybe not..depends on how this one works out. I did try it before leaving and seemed to work like a champ.
 

Ace350

Hero Member
Apr 12, 2012
550
171
The Jersey Shore
Detector(s) used
Ace350/ATpro/2Excalibur1000's
Eldorado/Bandito II µMax/Conquistador µMax/
Silver Sabre µMax/ Compadre/ Whites TRX & Garrett Pro-Pointer/ Lesche digger model 75 Stealth 720i & S3i Scoops
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Glad everything worked out for you.
Don't forget to check on YouTube on how to super tune your new Garrett ProPointer.
Speaking of YouTube, could you do a side by side comparison on YouTube of the Treasure Mate VS the ProPinpointer now that you have the two? I ask because I don't see anything on there comparing them, or anything at all on the Treasure Mate. It sure would be helpful to other MDers out there who were once like ourselves looking for a good pinpointer.
Happy Hunting.
 

OP
OP
SC_hunter

SC_hunter

Bronze Member
Jan 16, 2007
2,410
160
South Carolina
Detector(s) used
Whites V3i,Whites XLT,Ace 250 and BH Tracker IV and Others.....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Glad everything worked out for you.
Don't forget to check on YouTube on how to super tune your new Garrett ProPointer.
Speaking of YouTube, could you do a side by side comparison on YouTube of the Treasure Mate VS the ProPinpointer now that you have the two? I ask because I don't see anything on there comparing them, or anything at all on the Treasure Mate. It sure would be helpful to other MDers out there who were once like ourselves looking for a good pinpointer.
Happy Hunting.
I will, as soon and the garrett gets in, Ace350.
 

nuggetshooter323

Hero Member
Jul 22, 2005
963
870
Colorado Springs
Detector(s) used
The Legend, Anfibio Equinox 900, Gold Kruzer, XP Deus, ORX, Tesoro Tejon, Whites GMT, Falcon MD20, XP MI-6, Fisher F-Pulse, Pulse Dive, Vibra Probe, UniProbe.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
You guys were talking about supertuning a pinpointer so it will go 5"? Thats pretty much defeating the purpose of a pinpointer. Anymore than 2", and you might as well get your regular detector out again. My Vibraprobe goes about 1", and ideal conditions maybe 1.5", if I want more I'll get my Tejon with the 9" concentric and dig a hole up to my shoulder.
 

OP
OP
SC_hunter

SC_hunter

Bronze Member
Jan 16, 2007
2,410
160
South Carolina
Detector(s) used
Whites V3i,Whites XLT,Ace 250 and BH Tracker IV and Others.....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You guys were talking about supertuning a pinpointer so it will go 5"? Thats pretty much defeating the purpose of a pinpointer. Anymore than 2", and you might as well get your regular detector out again. My Vibraprobe goes about 1", and ideal conditions maybe 1.5", if I want more I'll get my Tejon with the 9" concentric and dig a hole up to my shoulder.
No, heck I just wanted it tuned where it would pick up a coin as good as my whites bullseye....and that one had to be touching the coin to sound off. The treasuremate does good at air testing but once it hits the ground it beeps at nothing..take it back out the hole, retune it..same thing.
This came out the "Manual"
"
Air Balancing for Coins
The Treasure Mate has a simple learning curve for coin hunting. To air balance you turn the tune knob towards the “+”(plus) sign, then back off towards the “-“(minus) sign until the Treasure Mate becomes stable. That’s all!! Air balancing is all that is needed for coin and relic hunting. But remember, for coin hunting it’s not that important to adjust the Treasure Mate so that it becomes so sensitive. When you move it through the air and it vibrates or beeps its set too sensitive and you need to turn the tune knob down. " Makes it sound so simple a monkey can do it....Well, guess I don't have the sense of a monkey ...:laughing9:
 

Ace350

Hero Member
Apr 12, 2012
550
171
The Jersey Shore
Detector(s) used
Ace350/ATpro/2Excalibur1000's
Eldorado/Bandito II µMax/Conquistador µMax/
Silver Sabre µMax/ Compadre/ Whites TRX & Garrett Pro-Pointer/ Lesche digger model 75 Stealth 720i & S3i Scoops
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You guys were talking about supertuning a pinpointer so it will go 5"? Thats pretty much defeating the purpose of a pinpointer. Anymore than 2", and you might as well get your regular detector out again. My Vibraprobe goes about 1", and ideal conditions maybe 1.5", if I want more I'll get my Tejon with the 9" concentric and dig a hole up to my shoulder.

For those that "don't know Jack" about supertuning a Garrett Pro pinpointer.

When you hunt in public parks and other public places you want to make the smallest plug possible for several reasons.
You don't want the general public as seeing you as a nuisance or a vandal by digging big holes in their pretty parks and leaving either holes or dead grass patches where ever you have been. That just makes a bad name for us MDers and will get it banned in your town.

To avoid this, after you have pinpointed with your metal detector mark the spot with your foot then take out the Garrett Pro pinpointer and put the tip on the spot you marked. Move the tip around until the rate of the pulsing audio and vibrations increase proportionally. If a coin is down an inch or so, the pinpointer will be going crazy when it is directly over it. If it is an inch and a half to three inches it will be doing the same but at a lesser rate according to the depth. If you are getting no audio or vibrations from the Pro Pinpointer when it is over the spot it means it is deeper than 3".
That's when you supertune it. Then if the object is a little deeper than 3" the pinpointer will now detect it and using the same method as I described above in regular mode you will know the exact location and depth down to about 5". (If you still get no alert after supertuning the pinpointer you know the object is deeper than 5".) Now you can make the smallest plug possible or if it isn't too deep you can pop it out using a brass coin probe (preferred) or a screwdriver. That way you leave the smallest profile and least amount of damage to the grass that is possible.

Here are some vids on it:




 

badger

Jr. Member
Mar 7, 2012
41
3
Divide, Colorado
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, Garrett Pro Pointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
that's funny. According to the reviews on the Treasure Mate, it's an excellent pinpointer. Clearly top of the line. Read the reviews.
 

scannerguy1968

Jr. Member
Jun 4, 2015
31
25
Wisconsin
Detector(s) used
Many
Current
Tesoro Vaquero
Nokta Fors Core
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've had the pro pointer and ended up going with the Nokta pointer. Did a comparison video on youtube of these two. Garrett was stable and the increased frequency of it beeping when closer to a target were its strong points. The Nokta blows it away for depth and One button to turn it down as you progress closer to the target helps pinpoint to no end. Which is the whole reason for a pin pointer. Simple buttons. One up and one for down. Very accurate. Plus the Nokta was very sensitive to small copper pieces vs the pro pointer
 

Mike70

Full Member
Jan 23, 2015
175
85
Gold Coast, Queensland
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Cortez, Tesoro Stingray, C&G Wildcat, Pistol Probe Pro. Tesoro Sand Shark
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I had been using a Pistol Probe for a while, but did get a few funny looks carrying it around, it sure goes deep though, but I now use a Nocta and really like it, so easy to use, and good depth.
 

luvsdux

Bronze Member
May 16, 2007
1,767
690
Lewiston, Idaho
Detector(s) used
Multiple Tesoros and Whites
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have two Treasure mates and they both serve well. Will respond to small gold flakes that the propointer ignores.
luvsdux
 

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