Compadre or silver umax and why?

jmaryt

Sr. Member
Feb 6, 2007
280
189
You did good getting the Silver uMax. I have one and swear by it. Tom at Miller MDZ is a great person to deal with. He uses most of the detectors he sells and is very knowledgeable.

My opinion- Start hunting with disc. setting just short of penny. This knocks out pulltabs, most bottle caps, nickels, and of course rings. BUT it will be easier to learn because you will be cherry picking coins. This is good because you will experience success right away. Also you will know beyond the shadow of a doubt what a good target sounds like. Good target= nice clean short tone on both edges of the coin when you pass over it. Turn 90 degrees, get the same thing, dig, it's a coin. If you get double blips or crackling on one edge it is most likely a bottle cap or trash. Crushed bottle caps can fool ya. X over the spot and note the tone. A coin is relatively small and should give a short tone. If you move the detector coil 2-3" and get a tone it is a bigger target like large iron or aluminum can. Pinpointing is easy. Check from both directions with short sweeps and when silent the target is right in the middle of the coil. Practice this with your eyes closed and a penny on the ground. When detecting with disc set as I stated you will get pops, clicks, clipped signals. This is good as you are in a trashy area picking up short hits on items that are partially discriminated out. Slow the swing speed down at this point and sweep this area real good and slow. If you do this when you pass over a coin you will get a nice clean target sound. The Silver uMax is an expert at picking coins out of trash as it has great target separation and fast recovery speed. Place a penny on the ground and pull tab 1" to one side a nail 1" to the other side. The Silver will find the coin no problem with a slow swing speed. Take it a step further and litter a small area with trash and few coins to practice. I find my best finds in trashy areas. I think others just miss the coins in the trash. This is where the silver coins are in my opinion provided the age of the hunted area is older.

As you get confident on the use of your detector with the cherry picking high disc setting you can lower the disc. and dig more. I hunt silver and trashy areas so my disc setting is usually higher.

MOST IMPORTANT. When you are in a public area like a park or playground dig smartly. Cut a small U shaped plug flip the sod back, and most important, place any removed soil on a drop cloth. Once your target is retrieved lift the drop cloth and dump the soil back in, push the plug in and stamp down firmly. When you are done there will be no sign of your presence. I recommend the drop cloth because all the dirt gets back into the hole and leaves no evidence of your excavation. Park employees that have seen me do this are most impressed and I sure that is why the never bother me except to shoot the breeze once in a while. Get a Garrett Pro Pointer AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFFORD IT. This will keep your digging to a minimum and keep your holes neat and clean. With a pinpointer before digging check the surface for the coin. If the pinpointer hits on it you can just make a small slice or shallow 2" plug, pop the coin, push the cut closed or the shallow plug back down and keep going. If you don't get a surface hit with the pinpointer cut a normal sized 4-5" plug flip the plug back, check the plug, if nothing check the hole. If nothing in the hole take some dirt out and check until you find it. Your pinpointer will also allow you to size a target in the hole up to determine it is a coin or larger piece of trash such as aluminum can.

Good luck and if you have questions please ask!

what he said! +1..silver u-max is a "sleeper",and one fine detector!
it WILL embarrass pricier detectors,especially in trash! once you get the basics
learned,and if the "coin" is available,GET the 5.75 " concentric coil. just
an "outrageous" coil for "junked " areas.and will get silver down to about 6"
tell you what! been snipin' coins for over 33 years,and just got rid of a f-75!
guess what i am chasin? yup! a silver u-max OR a whites m6 BOTH detectors
are "crackerjack" really tough choice for me! i know both are ''sleepers" in their respective line-ups,
but guys like me,KNOW that complicated is NOT always best. i'm just sayin'..good luck!

(h.h.!)
j.t.
 

Last edited:

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
812
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
what he said! +1..silver u-max is a "sleeper",and one fine detector!
it WILL embarrass pricier detectors,especially in trash! once you get the basics
learned,and if the "coin" is available,GET the 5.75 " concentric coil. just
an "outrageous" coil for "junked " areas.and will get silver down to about 6"
tell you what! been snipin' coins for over 33 years,and just got rid of a f-75!
guess what i am chasin? yup! a silver u-max OR a whites m6 BOTH detectors
are "crackerjack" really tough choice for me! i know both are ''sleepers" in their respective line-ups,
but guys like me,KNOW that complicated is NOT always best. i'm just sayin'..good luck!

(h.h.!)
j.t.

Grab a dues xp awesome in trash a very fast recovery speed just a blast to use & lite as hell
 

jmaryt

Sr. Member
Feb 6, 2007
280
189
Grab a dues xp awesome in trash a very fast recovery speed just a blast to use & lite as hell

i agree from what i have heard, its terrific in the junk,however i don't want to "float" a second mortgage on the house
to buy one,as i understand they are NOT exactly given' e'm away!..thanks for the tip though!
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
812
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
True lowest Ive seen is 1200
 

OP
OP
D

drewpeacock44

Greenie
Jun 29, 2013
16
0
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
thinking about getting the little eagle from predator tools (lesche) thoughts and opinions?
 

OP
OP
D

drewpeacock44

Greenie
Jun 29, 2013
16
0
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
GAAAHHH IDK. that lesche 18" mini is pretty sweet too.... i just cant make up my mind....
 

christo000

Silver Member
Mar 17, 2013
3,765
812
mass North Attleboro
Detector(s) used
Xp Deus,m-6 pinpointer, technetics t2ltd (had, whites v3i,minelab xterra 705,atpro,prism 4,sunray probe minlabe profind,garret propointer, f75ltd and many more)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
GAAAHHH IDK. that lesche 18" mini is pretty sweet too.... i just cant make up my mind....

For me its balls I originally thought no to small im 6'1" but got it anyway u can still step on it & bring it more places cuz its not as big as the others its just about my go to digger with the sweet bomb sheath I got made for it
 

jdo57

Tenderfoot
Apr 7, 2013
6
4
Wyoming
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Cibola
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Well, I'm no expert, but I have owned both the Compadre and the Silver uMax....you get what you pay for....They are both good and you will find stuff. I can tell you that you will find more stuff easier with the uMax, less chirping, more accurate pinpointing...it's worth the extra money in my opinion. But, I finally broke down and bought the Cibola, and couldn't be happier! I can cover more area, and the reaction time and pinpointing are fabulous! I love it! If I had it to do all over again, I would have saved up enough to get the Cibola in the first place, instead of messing around with either the Compadre or the Silver uMax.
 

wheatymike

Jr. Member
Dec 31, 2011
68
37
Arkansas
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Golden Sabre Plus, Compadre. Deleon.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I had a Silver Sabre umax for awhile and it is not a toy. For the price some may blow it off, however it is very sensitive.
 

TallTom

Full Member
Mar 3, 2012
177
57
So. Calif.
Detector(s) used
Nokta Impact, Makro Racer, Tesoro Vaquero, Tesoro Sand Shark.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
You did good getting the Silver uMax. I have one and swear by it. Tom at Miller MDZ is a great person to deal with. He uses most of the detectors he sells and is very knowledgeable.

My opinion- Start hunting with disc. setting just short of penny. This knocks out pulltabs, most bottle caps, nickels, and of course rings. BUT it will be easier to learn because you will be cherry picking coins. This is good because you will experience success right away. Also you will know beyond the shadow of a doubt what a good target sounds like. Good target= nice clean short tone on both edges of the coin when you pass over it. Turn 90 degrees, get the same thing, dig, it's a coin. If you get double blips or crackling on one edge it is most likely a bottle cap or trash. Crushed bottle caps can fool ya. X over the spot and note the tone. A coin is relatively small and should give a short tone. If you move the detector coil 2-3" and get a tone it is a bigger target like large iron or aluminum can. Pinpointing is easy. Check from both directions with short sweeps and when silent the target is right in the middle of the coil. Practice this with your eyes closed and a penny on the ground. When detecting with disc set as I stated you will get pops, clicks, clipped signals. This is good as you are in a trashy area picking up short hits on items that are partially discriminated out. Slow the swing speed down at this point and sweep this area real good and slow. If you do this when you pass over a coin you will get a nice clean target sound. The Silver uMax is an expert at picking coins out of trash as it has great target separation and fast recovery speed. Place a penny on the ground and pull tab 1" to one side a nail 1" to the other side. The Silver will find the coin no problem with a slow swing speed. Take it a step further and litter a small area with trash and few coins to practice. I find my best finds in trashy areas. I think others just miss the coins in the trash. This is where the silver coins are in my opinion provided the age of the hunted area is older.

As you get confident on the use of your detector with the cherry picking high disc setting you can lower the disc. and dig more. I hunt silver and trashy areas so my disc setting is usually higher.

MOST IMPORTANT. When you are in a public area like a park or playground dig smartly. Cut a small U shaped plug flip the sod back, and most important, place any removed soil on a drop cloth. Once your target is retrieved lift the drop cloth and dump the soil back in, push the plug in and stamp down firmly. When you are done there will be no sign of your presence. I recommend the drop cloth because all the dirt gets back into the hole and leaves no evidence of your excavation. Park employees that have seen me do this are most impressed and I sure that is why the never bother me except to shoot the breeze once in a while. Get a Garrett Pro Pointer AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFFORD IT. This will keep your digging to a minimum and keep your holes neat and clean. With a pinpointer before digging check the surface for the coin. If the pinpointer hits on it you can just make a small slice or shallow 2" plug, pop the coin, push the cut closed or the shallow plug back down and keep going. If you don't get a surface hit with the pinpointer cut a normal sized 4-5" plug flip the plug back, check the plug, if nothing check the hole. If nothing in the hole take some dirt out and check until you find it. Your pinpointer will also allow you to size a target in the hole up to determine it is a coin or larger piece of trash such as aluminum can.

Good luck and if you have questions please ask!

This is an OUTSTANDING summary of things to learn about a Silver uMax!

I recommend you read it carefully, over and over, and try out everything
he said. It took me months to learn these things. Great job!

--Tom
 

crazy4coins

Sr. Member
Jul 9, 2013
467
58
Detector(s) used
Fisher F2, Garrett Pro Pointer, Lesche Digger
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hey Drew!
Although the compadre is a very popular and easy to use detector, I would definitely go for for the silver Umax. Like you mentioned in your question, the umax has adjustable sensitivity, allowing you to run the detector as hot as a location allows. Also, the umax has a slightly lower frequency, therefore going deeper on coins and rings. The compadre's higher frequency only goes deeper on very small objects, and makes it more sensitive to small jewelry. However, the silver umax is very sensitive as well and will pick out the goodies!
Hope this helps!
Crazy4coins
 

jmaryt

Sr. Member
Feb 6, 2007
280
189
thinking about getting the little eagle from predator tools (lesche) thoughts and opinions?

don't use it in a park! designed for fields.
if ya use it in a public park,ya risk gettin' pitched, and
the place closed to others! anything george lesche builds is
the best in the industry. i'm just sayin'

(h.h.!)
j.t.
 

jmaryt

Sr. Member
Feb 6, 2007
280
189
This is an OUTSTANDING summary of things to learn about a Silver uMax!

I recommend you read it carefully, over and over, and try out everything
he said. It took me months to learn these things. Great job!

--Tom

+1 what he said!
 

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