Buy the Compadre like I planned or step up to the Umax?

[AgRunner06]

I've been doing my research and was set on buying a Compadre with an 8" coil to start off with. Then a Umax popped up on CL that wasn't too much more but has since been sold. So here's my question. Is a new Umax worth the extra $100? I'm fine with the price of the Compadre. $275 seems a little steep for a new hobby but if it's going to pay for itself... Is the sensitivity adjustment that important

Thanks guys!

 

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[AgRunner06]

So I'm thinking go with the Compadre then use the difference for a pro pointer if I stick with it. Sound like the best idea?

 

[crazy4coins]

So I'm thinking go with the Compadre then use the difference for a pro pointer if I stick with it. Sound like the best idea?

Sounds wise to me, a propointer is one of the best accessories I have ever bought for my F2. Don't even waste your money on a cheap First Texas pinpointer, they're horrendous.

 

[luvsdux]

Good way to start IMHO. You can always add an upscale detector later. If and when you do, I'd recommend one with adjustable ground balance. Nearly every Tesoro owner on this site has a Compadre in the stable regardless of what else the own.
luvsdux

 

[AgRunner06]

I'm glad to know a lot of people have a Compadre. It sounds like I won't need to get rid of it if/when I decide to upgrade. I hear the pinpointer is almost a must have. We'll have to see how much time I spend hunting signals before I order one.

 

[DiggerinVA]

IMO...the Compadre is a great little machine. U cant beat it for the price and it will last u a lifetime, garuanteed! But i prefer the 5.75 coil on the Compadre since u have no sensitivity adjustment. If you really want the bigger 8 inch coil go with the Silver. U will also have the toggle to go from disc to all metal without messing with your disc setting. Both are great machines...

 

[AgRunner06]

Thanks for the info Diggerin. I already ordered the Compadre with the 8" coil. We'll see how it does. I'm excited!

 

[DiggerinVA]

I am sure it will be just fine and possibly get a little more depth than the 5.75. And not to take-back my earlier comment, but if it was my only machine i might have got the 8 inch also. The 5.75 can seem very tiny in a larger area.....i am sure you will love it and find some great treasures!

 

[rainyday101]

Surprisingly the 8" concentric coils on the Tesoro's separate very well in trash. You will also see more depth with the 8". Great choice for a first detector. The Pro Pointer is a must. I have a Silver uMax and love it. One thing to remember is that when you have the disc set and you get in a trashy area, anything below that disc setting can come through in the audio as pops and clicks. This is normal as it is just items being partially discriminated out. When you get in an area like this, slow down your swing and overlap your passes. This will let you pick through the trash and give good audio signals above your disc. setting.

It sounds like you are new at this and there is nothing wrong with that. I would recommend starting by setting the disc. just shy of zinc penny. Doing this you will miss most rings at first, but you gain confidence in what a good target sounds like. In a trashy area you will get real good at picking the coins from the trash. As confidence grows you can then turn down the disc setting and go after rings. My reasoning for this is you will experience success much quicker and learn what a good target sounds like. Remember, when you get a good tone, check it from one direction and then turn 90 degrees and check it again. If it sounds like a clean tone with no broken or jagged audio from two directions, dig it! Also dig some iffy sounding ones to learn what the detector is telling you.

More important than any of that- learn to dig a clean hole. Check the surface where the target is located with your pro pointer. If you get a hit from the pro pointer, the target is from surface to 2 inches down. In this case make a small slit in the ground and pop the coin out. If you get no hit with the pro pointer, cut a U-shaped plug with a small garden trowel, flip the sod back, check the plug and hole with the pro pointer. If you have to remove dirt from the hole, set the dirt on a drop cloth. Keep going until you get the target. When you are done, lift up the drop cloth and pour the dirt back into the hole, flip the plug down, and stomp it in place. If done right you will not be able to tell you dug there. The drop cloth keeps all the dirt in the hole so there are absolutely no signs of you digging. Never take a small shovel or shovel of any sort onto public property. When people see you with a shovel they assume the worst. On public property I like to hunt during low use time like early in the morning or late in the evening. Less attention is good. Raining is my favorite time. Put a ziploc baggie over your control housing and have fun. Nobody is out during the rain and you will never get bothered.

Have fun, keep us posted, and ask questions!

 

[AgRunner06]

Thanks for the info Rainyday. Those are some great tips. Compadre gets delivered in 3 business days. Come on hurry up!

 

[digger27]

The Compadre does a few things that most others only dream about.
If you have a target right next to large iron like at a tot lot, fence poles or bench legs if you swing at just the right speed you will get a double beep even if that target is leaning right on that big metal.

I have a 7" coil model and target separation and recovery speed is phenomenal, and I borrowed an 8" coil model this past summer and did some testing and it is the same.

Great in iron infested areas, can find anything from the smallest chains, clasps and micro jewelry on up to the largest, and as far as coin shooting it is a beast.

I do not hunt like most do where they set the knob at one point and dig everything above it, or thumb the knob up till the target fades out to get a good idea of target type.
Instead, I usually hunt all the way down in all metal to get the deepest and clearest signals and then thumb up past the fade out point and then down again slowly to listen how the target comes in.
Way more accurate this way, and not a 100% rule but most of the time targets that come in clean with no cracks, tics or clicks are usually good where trash is way more noisier.

The first video is about that double beep thing next to large iron.
You will notice sometimes I get 3 beeps when I swing too close to the target with the coil.
That is something else the Compadre will do on shallow targets...double beep, so one beep is the for the big iron and one is for the target as both ends of the coil pass over it in close proximity.

The second vid was supposed to show the differences on an F2 and sniper, my 7" Compadre with the sense turned up to max and that borrowed 8" Compadre in extremely trashy sites...but I ran out of space on my card before I got the 8" on film.

Just watch how the 7" coil Compadre deals with this trash heavy site because the 8" works exactly the same and that one also goes deep stock right out of the factory with no mods.


Double beep using the Compadre




Target separation at a trashy site
Iron knocked out on the F2 or there would have been way more noise from all the bottlecaps.
The Compadre was set at all metal at first, then the disc was raised a bit near the end.

 

[AgRunner06]

Great videos! Thanks!!!

 

[AgRunner06]

The Compadre came in! I got to try it out in my yard for a few minutes. This is going to be fun! Thanks for the tips so far. Does anyone have any more? Where do rings/jewelry typically fall on the discrepancy? I'm planning on mixing up my hunting between more modern sites and historical ones. I'll probably start with the parks, old stadium, etc so I start accumulating a few things of value first. I do have a few early 1900s locations on the list.

Thank you!

 

[DiggerinVA]

Gold rings will fall around pull tab and nickel area depending on size. Silver will be toward the top with coins...

 

[sandnut]

Get them both you wont be sorry.

 

[digger27]

The Compadre came in! I got to try it out in my yard for a few minutes. This is going to be fun! Thanks for the tips so far. Does anyone have any more? Where do rings/jewelry typically fall on the discrepancy? I'm planning on mixing up my hunting between more modern sites and historical ones. I'll probably start with the parks, old stadium, etc so I start accumulating a few things of value first. I do have a few early 1900s locations on the list.

Thank you!

Decent size silver rings will be in the high end and usually won't disc out like a dime or quarter.
Smaller silver rings, some earrings and other small silver targets can actually come in at the zinc area just like a zinc penny at about 3:00 on the disc knob position.

Chains are weird due to something called Eddy currents and will never come in high unless they are absolutely huge which would be a very rare thing and I have never come across one this size yet.
You want silver chains due to the fact that chain links will diffuse the return signal and they will come in way lower than normal silver targets you might want to consider digging all solid signals in most ranges.
The clasps are easier to pick up but not all chains still have clasps attached but the Compadre is still so sensitive it can pick up chains without them unless they are really, really thin.
The gold chain in the pick below was so thin even the Compadre could not see it but I could pick up the extremely small clasp.
Silver chains for me have come in between foil and zinc, usually, but a really small one was there at the R in iron but at the O it was gone.

Gold...anywhere and everywhere but usually a very solid repeating signal, and the bulk of my gold targets have come in from foil to tab.
Here is also a pic on some air testing I did with several gold targets for the Vaquero and Compadre.
In the ground these targets could be slightly different but most of them were at the areas on the disc knob stated when they faded out, or in my case came in because I always go past the fade out point and thumb that knob down to see where they come in instead.
A much more accurate way to use Tesoros in my opinion.

The one sound you do want to listen for when looking for gold is my holy grail signal and what I hope to hear every time I hunt with my Tesoros.
This would be the sound of a large gold ring like a class ring that would come in at also about that 3:00 position like a zinc penny.
I have heard this particular sound twice and it is addicting and the one signal I hope to hear again and again and as often as possible.

This tone is different than smaller gold targets would be on Tesoros, and it is a little longer and lingering, very clear and solid and rings true and mellow like the most perfect quality bell sound you have ever heard.
If you are lucky enough to come across this tone it will actually rock you back on your heels a bit because it is so sweet and different than most others.