Advice On New Tesoro

[Hawkeye35]

I've done some detecting in the past with several types of detectors from really cheap one's I can't remember the name of to old White's lunchbox detectors and recent Garrett budget models. For the first time I'm getting really interested in the hobby and I need a detector. Currently I don't have one. Since my budget is low and I've heard great things about the Compadre, I've been thinking about buying one. However, I'm not sure if I should go ahead and save a little more and get the Silver µMax. The only real difference I can see between the two are the presence of a sensitivity knob on the Silver µMax. Other than that and the fact that the the coil is removable on the Silver µMax they seem nearly identical. Is the sensitivity feature worth the extra $95? I also know the operating frequency is slightly higher on the Compadre. I mean if I'm going to ever upgrade from the Compadre, I would just move up to the Vaquero. I also want to note that I prefer to buy new. Thanks in advance!

 

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[Terry Soloman]

Get the 8" Compadre and start finding the change, gold and silver that will move you up to the Vaquero or Outlaw. Good luck!

 

[rainyday101]

While I have the Silver and can say it is a coin vacuum, Terry is right. The Compadre will pay for itself quick and easy. Nothing finds gold like a Compadre. So..... my advice, get the Compadre with 8" coil and buy a Garret Pro Pointer to go with it. In my opinion the Pro Pointer is a must. You will make quicker recoveries, cleaner holes, and less mess on public property and that is essential. Compadre and a Pro Pointer and you will have one heck of a combination.

Heck, many of the guys on here with much more expensive detectors buy a Compadre just because they are fun, simple, effective, and the best at finding gold.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[Hawkeye35]

Thanks again guys. I'm gonna go with the Compadre and get a Pro Pointer. I Really like the simplicity of the Compadre. I've owned more complicated but similarly priced detectors in the past which were also heavier. I also like the fact that the Compadre is analog. The one thing I hated about the Ace 250 I had was that digital control box. The buttons just didn't work right on mine and the display never seemed necessary. I think I'm gonna be a Tesoro guy for life.

 

[rainyday101]

Great choice, and yes Tesoro does make great detectors. They also have great customer service, but don't worry, you will never need it.

 

[Hobojo]

I think I'm gonna be a Tesoro guy for life.
You can say that again!!!!!

 

[Hobojo]

I think I'm gonna be a Tesoro guy for life.
You can say that again!!!!!

 

[Dan B]

Be aware that the Compadre and the Garrett Propointer cross talk when the Compadre disc is low. I find when I'm using my Compadre, the Vibraprobe is a better choice for pinpointing.

Just wanted to mention that so you don't get surprised when the Compadre starts chattering away when you pinpoint.

Dan

 

[Hawkeye35]

Well, my new Compadre is on the way! My ol' man is into detecting as well. In fact the detectors I've used in the past were all his. Well, neither of us owned one and I got him all interested in it again and after I ordered my Compadre he went and bought a used Silver µMax for $138. I guess I can try em' both out then.

 

[rainyday101]

Hawkeye, they are both good detectors and will perform well. One thing to note is that if you have your disc set at something like just shy of penny and you hear pops and clicks when hunting, you are hearing trash being partially discriminated out. When you hear this, slow down the swing speed, overlap your passes, and when you hear a good target, it will ring loud and clear through the trash. Both of these detectors are great at picking coins from the trash if you just slow down and be patient.

 

[Hawkeye35]

Thanks for the advice rainy! I've read elsewhere but can't find where on how to set the Compadre up so as to not miss small gold objects. Something like "just shy of pulltabs". Does this sound right?

 

[TallTom]

Just shy of 5c (nickels) is what you want to pick up gold.

 

[digger27]

Just shy of 5c (nickels) is what you want to pick up gold.

Thanks for the advice rainy! I've read elsewhere but can't find where on how to set the Compadre up so as to not miss small gold objects. Something like "just shy of pulltabs". Does this sound right?

I ALWAYS look for gold when using the Compadre and I would never consider either of these settings because I would have missed too many gold targets at these levels.
Sure, plenty of gold items show up here and you will find them, but many more do fall way below these area...really small targets like studs and smaller rings and earrings in yellow gold and larger rings in white gold, also, not to mention chains in both silver and gold of different sizes.

I usually hunt in all metal to get the deepest and clearest signals, then thumb that knob up past the fade out point and then down to see where and how all targets come in.
So far all gold targets have come in solid with little or no noise, lots of trash will too, but lots of trash comes in noisy so I can avoid lots of that stuff.
Most every gold item I have ever dug has also come in at areas where I usually find trash because depending on the size and other factors gold can and usually will mimic this so well.
These areas will include the space between iron and nickel and everything inbetween and if I didn't dig in these areas I would have way less jewelry in my collection.

In areas with tons of small iron nails and tiny foil and can slaw pieces that come in below the "I" in iron I will raise that knob up to just below the "I" in iron.
Some areas have so much foil and can slaw that even this is too low so I will raise the knob to around the "F" in foil which will kick out those little larger pieces of trash.
At the end of a long hunt when I am tired I might raise the knob again to just below the 3:00 position to pick up all silver and any large gold like class rings but I rarely hunt at these setting when I am fresh or during a hunt...only at the end on the way back to the truck and I have been lucky and found things although this is lucky and rare to actually do it this way.

You never know what will happen out there, but as long as I am hunting with a detector like this that can find just about all jewelry it passes over and has the ability to let you know why not take advantage of that?

Below are some pics of a few gold items I have tested using the Vaq with the standard coil and my 7" coil Compadre.
Also some of the silver chains I have found and where they came in.
I also threw in a few gold pieces I found that were not in that air test list and where they came in.
With the knob set high at the levels previously stated I would have missed these.
The white gold ring is larger than an almost identical one I found in yellow gold.
The yellow gold ring came in at high nickel almost to tabs, the larger white gold ring, due to the alloy mix, came in way lower just about at the "N" in iron which is the same exact same place where most condiment packages, gum wrapper foil and sports and juice drink cap inserts come in.

Again, you have a tool that can find just about everything.
Set it as low as you can, dig as much trash as you can stand till you are tired of that and you will have a much better chance to find jewelry...all jewelry and not just a lot of it.

 

[luvsdux]

This thread makes me think of the many similar where the poster asks for advice about the same two detectors. My main thought about the Compadre is even thought the choices such as no sensitivity knob, hard-wired coil etc. are somewhat limiting, the Compadre can and does find a great number of good targets and can't be beat IMHO for the price.
luvsdux

 

[Hawkeye35]

Wow digger! Thanks for the great in depth article complete with detailed illustrations to boot! I'm gonna have to take a screenshot. I don't mind digging up trash. I suppose it's like that old saying. "One man's trash is sometimes laced with gold". Or something like that.

I too realized shortly after I started this thread that there were many others like it. Just more useful info added to the subject with this one I guess.

 

[atomicscott]

I've done some detecting in the past with several types of detectors from really cheap one's I can't remember the name of to old White's lunchbox detectors and recent Garrett budget models. For the first time I'm getting really interested in the hobby and I need a detector. Currently I don't have one. Since my budget is low and I've heard great things about the Compadre, I've been thinking about buying one. However, I'm not sure if I should go ahead and save a little more and get the Silver µMax. The only real difference I can see between the two are the presence of a sensitivity knob on the Silver µMax. Other than that and the fact that the the coil is removable on the Silver µMax they seem nearly identical. Is the sensitivity feature worth the extra $95? I also know the operating frequency is slightly higher on the Compadre. I mean if I'm going to ever upgrade from the Compadre, I would just move up to the Vaquero. I also want to note that I prefer to buy new. Thanks in advance!

FYI, I thought the same thing. I bought a Comp and it worked so great I figure the Vaquero would be the ultimate! Nope. The Compadre (for the money) is better. The disc circuit on the Vaq had me constantly digging up trash that sounded like coins! If you will be using all-metal and need the threshold hum (IE, for gold nuggets) the Vaquero is great. If you want to use discrimination & LESSEN the trash you dig, then do yourself a favor and stay away from the Vaq. There's a lot of people out there that have been talked into buying a Vaquero from all the hype, then end up selling them on ebay 6 months later for $300. I did the same thing only I tried to like mine for over a year before I sold it. I guess I didn't learn all the little tricks to figure out what it was telling me. Detectors should just work. There shouldn't be a complex 'language' to learn from ONE tone. I didn't realize what I was missing until I swung my other detectors over the spots I had 'hunted out' with the Vaquero. What a revelation (and disappointment at the year I wasted). I sure wish I had done more research before wasting my money, but these schills make the Vaq sound like the best thing since the iphone! Bad analogy, being that the Vaq technology is from the 1980's, the antithesis of the apple philosophy! I'm not a schill, in fact I haven't mentioned Minelab (Xterra 505) until now! Good luck, but I really like the Compadre more than the Vaquero as far as the 'fun factor' goes. Good luck & HH

 

[Terry Soloman]

FYI, I thought the same thing. I bought a Comp and it worked so great I figure the Vaquero would be the ultimate! Nope. The Compadre (for the money) is better. The disc circuit on the Vaq had me constantly digging up trash that sounded like coins! If you will be using all-metal and need the threshold hum (IE, for gold nuggets) the Vaquero is great. If you want to use discrimination & LESSEN the trash you dig, then do yourself a favor and stay away from the Vaq. There's a lot of people out there that have been talked into buying a Vaquero from all the hype, then end up selling them on ebay 6 months later for $300. I did the same thing only I tried to like mine for over a year before I sold it. I guess I didn't learn all the little tricks to figure out what it was telling me. Detectors should just work. There shouldn't be a complex 'language' to learn from ONE tone. I didn't realize what I was missing until I swung my other detectors over the spots I had 'hunted out' with the Vaquero. What a revelation (and disappointment at the year I wasted). I sure wish I had done more research before wasting my money, but these schills make the Vaq sound like the best thing since the iphone! Bad analogy, being that the Vaq technology is from the 1980's, the antithesis of the apple philosophy! I'm not a schill, in fact I haven't mentioned Minelab (Xterra 505) until now! Good luck, but I really like the Compadre more than the Vaquero as far as the 'fun factor' goes. Good luck & HH

Wow. Did your girlfriend leave you for a Vaquero? I respect your right to an opinion, but I sure do disagree with it. If you take the time to learn how to use the Vaquero, it is THE best machine in its price range. Mine has paid for itself SEVERAL times over. The discrimination is excellent if you choose to use it, it is lighter than anything else in its price range, pinpoints like a charm, and is deeper than most. YES, I am biased - I admit it openly! Using Tesoro machines has made me this way.

 

[Hawkeye35]

FYI, I thought the same thing. I bought a Comp and it worked so great I figure the Vaquero would be the ultimate!

Well... I was just sort of using a higher end model just as an example and as Terry said I'm sure the Vaquero is a great machine but I'm like you scott. I don't - at least not currently - need the extra features that the vaq offers or really want to be bothered with that amount of fine tuning. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure if I will ever upgrade from this affordable, lightweight, simple, effective Compadre. I also have access to a Silver uMax and I've used it a little but the only feature it has that I think is an improvement over the Compadre is that the battery test is manual and not automatic as soon as it's turned on. I think if I ever get another detector it will be for something the Compadre just can't do like go completely underwater or in the surf and wet sand at the beach. Now if Tesoro ever comes out with a detector that will disc out aluminum passively while I decide what I want to actively disc out with a knob I will be upgrading to that one asap.

 

[atomicscott]

I would never try talking someone into a one-tone battery eating, trash digging machine. Unless I was getting paid for it, hmmm... Don't you ever feel guilty Terry, knowing there are such better options for people? I don't disc ANYTHING now, and STILL I'm able to distinguish trash from treasure. I wonder how well that would work with that single tone? How many people have bought Tesoro's on your recommendation, only to sell them a few months later? I know of at least a couple people that have!

 

[Terry Soloman]

I would never try talking someone into a one-tone battery eating, trash digging machine. Unless I was getting paid for it, hmmm... Don't you ever feel guilty Terry, knowing there are such better options for people? I don't disc ANYTHING now, and STILL I'm able to distinguish trash from treasure. I wonder how well that would work with that single tone? How many people have bought Tesoro's on your recommendation, only to sell them a few months later? I know of at least a couple people that have!

I don't sell them Scott, I USE them. It's OK to disagree with me. I disagree with you and many others all the time. I've been USING Arizona made Tesoro machines for over 20-years now and found quite a bit of treasure with them. I am COMPLETELY satisfied, and VERY comfortable steering folks to the Tesoro line of detectors. I have visited the factory, met the folks that design, build, test, and repair them, and I am a personal friend of a few of them. I am not a paid spokesman, but I would take that job in a minute if it were ever offered.

It should be noted that I believe just as strongly in the Minelab line of gold nugget hunters. We use both Minelab and Tesoro machines at our school in Arizona, because we feel they are the BEST machines for finding gold on our claims. I have taught hundreds of folks how to nuggetshoot, and my professional instructors have taught hundreds more. I speak about and recommend detectors from personal experience Scott. You can argue with me all you want, but I still can't figure out why you find it necessary to bash Tesoro. Did someone at Tesoro beat you up or steal your girlfriend?