This Video Shows Some Of The Reasons Why I Swing A Tesoro Vaquero Metal Detector

DiggerinVA

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Fletch88

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Gold Bug Pro - $635.00

Makro Racer - $650.00

Nokta Fors CoRe - $595.00

Fisher F-44 - Give me a break! $350.00

Garrett AT Pro - $595.00

None of these machines are BETTER than the Tesoro Vaquero, not one.


You gotta be kidding me! Really? I can assure you that 95% of anyone who bought any of the first 3 and a $446 Vaquero would be glad to pay that little extra for much more machine after they compared them in the field for several hunts.
I threw the F44 in there for fun! Lol
 

dirtscratcher

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You gotta be kidding me! Really? I can assure you that 95% of anyone who bought any of the first 3 and a $446 Vaquero would be glad to pay that little extra for much more machine after they compared them in the field for several hunts.
I threw the F44 in there for fun! Lol

95% might be a little low.
 

DiggerinVA

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When you are talking detectors....."BETTER" is a vague word. Better at what.....better where? Each machine will have strengths and weaknesses. A lot of it will depend on your style and areas that you hunt. Do you hunt yards in New York or Cellar Holes in Mass. or maybe a battlefield in Virginia.....all three will not have the same machine perform the "best".
 

Terry Soloman

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I agree DiggerinVA, that is why I have several different Tesoro machines, as well as a couple of Minelab's. Yes, I like pulling a few member's chain every now and then, but I am a huge Tesoro fan. I think Tesoro is the most underrated metal detector on the market today, and the absolute best value for your metal detecting dollar. I'll walk behind Whites; Garrett; and Fisher machines all day long with a Vaquero or Tejon.
 

dirtscratcher

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I agree DiggerinVA, that is why I have several different Tesoro machines, as well as a couple of Minelab's. Yes, I like pulling a few member's chain every now and then, but I am a huge Tesoro fan. I think Tesoro is the most underrated metal detector on the market today, and the absolute best value for your metal detecting dollar. I'll walk behind Whites; Garrett; and Fisher machines all day long with a Vaquero or Tejon.

What I take from this is a guy with your experience and skill set can find stuff less experienced guys with better detectors miss because bad skills. Makes me wonder how much better you could do with a detector with something simple as 2 tones. The problem is new people reading this and thinking all they need is one of these (best value for the dollar detector) which in reality is harder to learn than say a 2 or 3 tone detector. And you guys are right about different spot call for different detectors. That's just a good reason to have more than one.
 

Terry Soloman

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I have used the Minelab E-Trac; CTX 3030; Fisher F75; Whites V3i; DFX; Garrett AT Pro and several others over the years. I have used these machines for several hundred hours each. I decided to just stay with Tesoro, because I wasn't getting any better depth or finds for the added weight and costs of these other machines. For me it is about gold and silver. I don't give a darn about old bullets and flat buttons (which I find way too many of).

It is simply Personal Preference. I choose lightweight, sensitive, fast and reliable - Tesoro.
 

DiggerinVA

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I agree with both of you.....Tesoro machines are very underrated and IMO one of the best bang for your bucks out there. But i also agree that Terry's experience has some to do with his success. But i have to disagree that a two or three tone detector is easier to learn.....An example: My wife is a complete novice, but she can run a compadre, a silver umax or even a Vaquero very successful, even in trashy parks! She says that the different tones are confusing.....but there again, opinions will vary from person to person.
 

atomicscott

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Current: Nokta Makro Simplex+, Teknetics Patriot, Fisher Gold Bug (original), GP Pinpointer (Garrett Clone) Lesche. Owned: Omega 8000, Minelab X-Terra 505, Fisher F2, Tesoro Vaquero, & Compadre, Whit
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I agree with both of you.....Tesoro machines are very underrated and IMO one of the best bang for your bucks out there. But i also agree that Terry's experience has some to do with his success. But i have to disagree that a two or three tone detector is easier to learn.....An example: My wife is a complete novice, but she can run a compadre, a silver umax or even a Vaquero very successful, even in trashy parks! She says that the different tones are confusing.....but there again, opinions will vary from person to person.

You seem to forget: You cannot run a Tesoro wide open, no disc & expect your wife to enjoy it! You must dig it all or trust the disc. Many hunters prefer to use little or no disc in trashy sites to avoid masking due to adjacent targets. In this case, a multi tone would be MUCH easier for a beginner, as they know "wow it's iron cause it's a low tone/number!" Or "wow it says it is a quarter and it's a high tone, I think I should dig this one." After using the Vaq for over a year, I realized that I could not trust the disc. Set below dime, and constantly digging rusty iron junk that would not disc out no matter how much 'thumbing the knob' I tried. For a cheap nugget shooter, it is a good machine with a small DD coil. Disc mode, no thanks.
 

DiggerinVA

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After only around an hour with the Vaquero(disc set between 5c and foil) my wife was already "calling" good targets from junk. Not pull tabs ofcourse, no machine does that, but can slaw, larger iron, etc.
 

DiggerinVA

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Relic hunting you do run the Vaquero wide open or just nock out the nails....That is where i feel that this machine really shines. It is super light, pretty deep, handles my bad ground better than most vlf's and now they make the perfect coil for it! It;s a relic hunters dream....
 

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tabman

tabman

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After only around an hour with the Vaquero(disc set between 5c and foil) my wife was already "calling" good targets from junk. Not pull tabs ofcourse, no machine does that, but can slaw, larger iron, etc.

The average person just starting out can learn how to use the Vaquero in no time at all and have great success with it.

tabman
 

dirtscratcher

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The average person just starting out can learn how to use the Vaquero in no time at all and have great success with it.

tabman

I couldn't agree less. Unless you guys just want to frustrate new guys so they quit before the dig any of the good stuff. I think you guys are on to something!
 

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tabman

tabman

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I couldn't agree less. Unless you guys just want to frustrate new guys so they quit before the dig any of the good stuff. I think you guys are on to something!

I could teach a little eight year girl how to use the Vaquero in no time at all.

tabman
 

dirtscratcher

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Mar 18, 2009
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Columbia falls Montana
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I could teach a little eight year girl how to use the Vaquero in no time at all.

What's your point? I've seen a bear ride a bicycle. To suggest a vaquero with manual ground balance and manual threshold and so on is ideal for a beginner is just wrong. Unless you are trying to frustrate them. You would have a better arguement with a simpler tesoro like the silver or better yet the golden with more than one tone.
 

DiggerinVA

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My 9 year old son loved the vaquero.....I would Ground balance it and turn him loose...he found plenty of clad, keys, etc. He already knew how to adjust disc. since he has had a Compadre for a couple years.
 

atomicscott

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Aug 18, 2011
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Current: Nokta Makro Simplex+, Teknetics Patriot, Fisher Gold Bug (original), GP Pinpointer (Garrett Clone) Lesche. Owned: Omega 8000, Minelab X-Terra 505, Fisher F2, Tesoro Vaquero, & Compadre, Whit
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I could teach a little eight year girl how to use the Vaquero in no time at all.

tabman

Sure, as long as it is in a pristine location with little trash and you use disc (hello masking) which on the Vaquero, cannot be trusted. She will be STILL be digging rusty iron that wont ever disc out. I have tried to use the Vaquero with no disc in sites with 10 targets per swing. It is no fun when every target sounds the same and you have to stop and 'thumb the disc' on 10 targets in 5' (approx) arc. A lot of wasted time, when you could just separate the tones with your ears and decide which to dig based on the conductivity, size, shape of target. I'm not sure how you run the Omega, but I use little disc and 3-4 tones (usually). I do not use disc & single tone. But I could if I wanted...At least I have the choice.
 

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tabman

tabman

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Sure, as long as it is in a pristine location with little trash and you use disc (hello masking) which on the Vaquero, cannot be trusted. She will be STILL be digging rusty iron that wont ever disc out. I have tried to use the Vaquero with no disc in sites with 10 targets per swing. It is no fun when every target sounds the same and you have to stop and 'thumb the disc' on 10 targets in 5' (approx) arc. A lot of wasted time, when you could just separate the tones with your ears and decide which to dig based on the conductivity, size, shape of target. I'm not sure how you run the Omega, but I use little disc and 3-4 tones (usually). I do not use disc & single tone. But I could if I wanted...At least I have the choice.

I use both the Omega and Vaquero very successfully. Your best bet is to stick with the Omega, because you don't seem to be able to grasp how to use and properly operate the Vaquero. In the right hands, the Vaquero is deadly.

tabman
 

DiggerinVA

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Sep 16, 2013
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Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
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GPX5000, AT Gold, AT Pro, Whites TDI, Bandido 2 umax, Tejon, Vaquero, Deus 2, ORX and Legend
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Sure, as long as it is in a pristine location with little trash and you use disc (hello masking) which on the Vaquero, cannot be trusted. She will be STILL be digging rusty iron that wont ever disc out. I have tried to use the Vaquero with no disc in sites with 10 targets per swing. It is no fun when every target sounds the same and you have to stop and 'thumb the disc' on 10 targets in 5' (approx) arc. A lot of wasted time, when you could just separate the tones with your ears and decide which to dig based on the conductivity, size, shape of target. I'm not sure how you run the Omega, but I use little disc and 3-4 tones (usually). I do not use disc & single tone. But I could if I wanted...At least I have the choice.

I felt the same way about the Tesoro's for a while but then I realized something: If the site you speak of is a newer park,etc. then some of the targets you speak of will be can slaw/pull tabs. So you have to decide if you are trying for nickels and gold or just high tone coins.....you will probably have certain vdi number in mind that you are lookin for on your multi tone machine. So on the Tesoro you just set the disc at that number and dig all the good 2-way signals. If it is an old or historic site, you best dig everything above foil so its all by the sound of the signal in these areas. My point is the only thing I have seen that the Tesoros may fall short is in the nasty nail piles of cellar holes, etc. There are better machines for this such as my G2+. But on the other hand I have found good targets with Tesoro's that I had passed up with Screen Machines because of trash targets in the hole with the good target throwing the numbers and sound of the target off.
 

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