Help with my next Tesoro?

[SteveM70]

Are you positive those are 1982 and newer zinc cents and not copper cents, (1982 and before), which will not disc out?
Just saying because I have never read of this exact problem happening on any other Tesoro, ever, but I have ready many posts from many new hunters that did not realize there is a discrimination difference between zinc cents, copper cents...and Indian head cents for that matter.

If you truly used to be able to disc out zinc cents and now you can't, that, to me, would be a major problem.

You were right! I did not realize the difference. Went back and checked the 35 pennies and every one with a legible date was late 1960's and 70's. I can't check the pennies I had found before that since I had already threw all the Lincoln memorials in one bag. I did get my detector out and air tested a copper penny and a zinc penny now that I know the difference. Needless too say, the Compadre was working fine, my ignorance was the problem!

Thanks for pointing that out! I feel better about it now but that was still a lot of dang pennies. Lol

 

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[pinenut]

all different, all good...

Ok I know I am going to get some resistance on this but I am going to state this anyways. I know there are alot of people out there with many Tesoro's out there and I envy this because they are great in what they produce and every line is never alike.. But I will add what "I" think and would like people response to this. But can anyone respect and see why I post this the way I did..

Deductive Reasoning

Why would I own a Compadre if I already own a Silver uMax?
Why would I own a Compadre if I already own a Tejon?
Why would I own a Silver uMax if already I own a Cibola?
Why would I own a Silver uMax if I already own an Outlaw?
Why would I own a Cibola if I already own a Vaquero?
Why would I own a Vaquero if I already own a Tejon?
Why would I own a Silver uMax if I already own an Outlaw?
Why would I own a Bandido II if I already own an Outlaw?
Why would I own a Bandido II if I already own a Vaquero?
Why would I own a Elderado if I already own a Bandido II?
Why would I own a Elderado if I already own a Vaquero?
Why would I own a Deleon if I already own a Cortes?
Why would I own a Golden if I already own a Cortes?....

That's kind of like asking:

Why would I go out with the black girl when I just went out with the redhead...?
Why would I go out with the redhead when I just went out with the blonde..?
Why would I go out with the blonde with when I just went out with the asian..?
Why would I go out with the asian when I just went out with the black girl..?

I think the only way to answer any of those is that they're all tasty and all a bit different.
If I could possibly play with all of them, I wouldn't bother with Tesoros at all...

I might as well play with all the different Tesoros 'cause my chances of playing with all of the above are about 0 to none.

 

[JoeDirty]

Deep.

 

[pinenut]

well, that's...

Deep.

..something I'm rarely accused of.

 

[fltacoma]

Oh god. It's all about sampling the detectors of course!

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Ok enough said, I guess that would entail alote of effort to explain the differences in detail and up to me to do the research on my own or by owning, I don't think I am coming across so bold as a Tesoro experience user because I definitely not.

All I was trying to do here is from the options that Tesoro does offer from just comparing two models to each other to what would you absolutely narrow down to your conclusions for the reasoning that would make you purchase 'NEXT' from a must need perspective..that's all for affordably..as there likely is 'some' features that would set this apart still.

The reasoning I was trying to deliver and to what you own already and what would drive you as a Tesoro user as a features set that would make sense to allow a user to make wise next choice decission. I know you most of you do get what I am saying when you really look at how I laid this out as I have read the forums which 'I' have drawn from my conclusions so far that this makes sense to 'ME' and me only no one else.. to alow me to make my next choice decision.

I don't think I rustled to many feathers here. I don't think I came across negative as well just my perspective and I obviously got more to try as long as I can afford to keep up to the others that have invested there time, $'s and patience over the years to what they have experienced and own so far. I respect that.

Am I at least remotely close though..I think so, just my two cents.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Hihosilver]

Ok enough said, I guess that would entail alote of effort to explain the differences in detail and up to me to do the research on my own or by owning, I don't think I am coming across so bold as a Tesoro experience user because I definitely not.

All I was trying to do here is from the options that Tesoro does offer from just comparing two models to each other to what would you absolutely narrow down to your conclusions for the reasoning that would make you purchase 'NEXT' from a must need perspective..that's all for affordably..as there likely is 'some' features that would set this apart still.

The reasoning I was trying to deliver and to what you own already and what would drive you as a Tesoro user as a features set that would make sense to allow a user to make wise next choice decission. I know you most of you do get what I am saying when you really look at how I laid this out as I have read the forums which 'I' have drawn from my conclusions so far that this makes sense to 'ME' and me only no one else.. to alow me to make my next choice decision.

I don't think I rustled to many feathers here. I don't think I came across negative as well just my perspective and I obviously got more to try as long as I can afford to keep up to the others that have invested there time, $'s and patience over the years to what they have experienced and own so far. I respect that.

Am I at least remotely close though..I think so, just my two cents.

Thanks for listening.

Well, I am sorry you did not get more detailed responses, I find that sometimes as well. I did not chime in because my experience is limited to only two Tesoro's, but I will share what I know. I own, use and love the Golden micromax, but this unit has been discontinued and I think as much as I like my golden, I would not pay the current asking prices for a good clean used one... many do not like a multi-toned machine anyways.

Next, I tried an Outlaw, got three coils with it. Debated between the Outlaw and Vaquero for a long time, in the end I settled for the Outlaw, MOSTLY because it's coils could be used on my Golden (with some adjustment to the internal GB pot). The 5.75 concentric is very nice on the Golden, but I was somewhat disappointed with the Outlaw. Don't get me wrong, it is very smooth, quiet and stable, has a wonderful discriminator that separates coins out better than most, can disc out a copper penny and clad dime and still hit on a silver dime... and that's pretty amazing. But... and here is where I am going to get blasted I am sure, setting the disc that high on the Outlaw causes loss of noticeable depth. In my area I was easily loosing 2 inches and was having a hard time hitting a 6inch buried dime. If I cranked the sensitivity up to try to get that depth back, the machine would hit hard on tabs, even in high disc setting. I sold it the Outlaw, would have held onto it otherwise, but needed some cash (and need to demonstrate to the wife I could let one go, if need be).

I might pick up another Outlaw in the future, but not until I try some others first. I had not tried the Vaquero and am giving it some strong consideration. If you like the Compadre, the Vaquero might be a nice compliment. Many prefer it to the Outlaw. And the Vaq does not have the "re-tune" feature of the Outlaw which can be difficult to get used to, and I not just talking about the red button, but even how re-tune effects GB and other things.

That's all I can offer. Some have said that the Outlaw has one too many nobs for the inexperienced detectorist, while the Vaquero is a great machine for both the noobie and the pro.

 

[digger27]

You were right! I did not realize the difference. Went back and checked the 35 pennies and every one with a legible date was late 1960's and 70's. I can't check the pennies I had found before that since I had already threw all the Lincoln memorials in one bag. I did get my detector out and air tested a copper penny and a zinc penny now that I know the difference. Needless too say, the Compadre was working fine, my ignorance was the problem!

Thanks for pointing that out! I feel better about it now but that was still a lot of dang pennies. Lol

Since you seem pretty new at this, or at least pretty new at digging coins, let me edumacate you a little bit about those lowly one cent coins, you know, the ones with the least value in our monetary system.
Many have an issue with these things, they get quite an attitude about them actually especially those zincolns but no matter what detector you use or eventually own you might want to adjust your attitude about them...at least a little.

First thing is those copper ones that don't disc out, every one could be a nice silver ring, religious medallion or something else cool so you want to dig those.

Second, digging those silver signals and finding a copper cent instead, or digging those zinc signals you know what, it is still money and it all adds up.
Here is a 3lb coffee can filled with a few I have dug that still need to be cleaned.
I have dug way more than that.



A decent amount of battery money in there, gas money too and I have taken me and the wife out to more than just one nice dinner just on the worth of these specific coins I have bothered to dig up.

Third...zincolns.
Yea, tons are wrecked, if you send them to the mint they will actually pay you their worth but many don't, most don't...shipping charges might negate any gain.
Still there are a few good reasons to dig these signals which on my Tesoros disc out at pretty much that 3:00 area.
There are all kinds of cool things that might come in as zinc signals besides those stinkin zincolns.




Not worth much if anything but still better and more fun than digging trash or a zincoln.

Tokens can come in at the zinc area, not just those restaurant rat ones but much better than that.
Here is one I dug that seems to be pretty rare, R10 according to an Alabama specialist and expert in Alabama tokens.






Remember I mentioned silver, here is a dead on I will give you my truck if this is not a zincoln signal I bent over and dug once.
Shocked me it wasn't a zincoln.
This thick silver men's heavy piece of bling came in like most chains do, weirdly.
Chains are strange, always, they will not come in where you think they might even the big silver ones.
This one is worth way more than one cent.




Here are a couple of targets I hope you come across sometime...especially with a Tesoro.
These will be another one of those stupid zinc signals, pretty much will disc out at that 3:00 area.
They should be solid signals but also something else...they will sound like no other zinc signal you ever heard or any other signal for that matter.
Big rings made out of yellow metal will sound like the sweetest most perfectly cast bell tone you ever heard.
Sweet, clear, slightly longer and sustaining like nothing else, I heard this sound once using a Tesoro and didn't realize what it was...the next time using another Tesoro I heard the same sound over an identical target and that one rocked me back on my heels.
It was the only time in my entire career that I knew 100% that I was going to be digging up a piece of gold before I dug it and the one sound I hope to hear every time I fire up and swing a Tesoro.
Once you know it you will never forget it and again most times,except for the sound, they act like a lowly zinc cent.





On Tesoros they come in at zinc, on detectors with VDI numbers they are in lower zinc but zinc signals never the less.

To recap....
One cent coins are actually money and have worth...and can add up to decent amounts.
If you go after a high tone silver signal and come up with a copper cent instead you are still 1¢ ahead of where you were before...a small but still positive thing.
Not all zinc signals are rotten zinc cents or junk like pieces of can slaw, sometimes they are other objects made with zinc.
Once in awhile zinc can be silver in tiny ring or larger chain forms.
Zinc can be lifetime finds like large gold rings and especially class rings.

Think twice before pass on digging these signals or at least try to have a positive attitude about them, they might not be something you want to avoid.

 

[digger27]

One more thing...
That Indian head you mentioned that confused you that was deep, I assume from the way you said that it came in unusually high...you don't happen to live in a part of the country with mineralized soil, do you?
I have hunted in several states, some with great soil and the one I live in now with some of the worst mineralized soil you ever heard of among other problems.
I can tell you for a fact that in mineralized soil the deeper you go the higher the numbers will soar on all targets.
Where I live I have dug Indians that are usually some kind of zinc area signal and even nickels which are way lower all at ranges much higher than normal.
Several nickels came in at tab and zinc levels for me that weren't spectacularly deep and if they are deep enough at the 6"+ depth area every one of those lower area coins came in way high and I mean at the half and silver dollar area.
Just some target behavior you might want to know and understand.
I would hate for you to pass on digging a buff, V nickel, Indian or something else great because you think it is a piece of can slaw, a zincoln or something else in the garbage range or even higher.

 

[SteveM70]

Digger 27, thanks for the wealth of info! It won't go to waste!

I live in southern West Virginia and from what I can gather so far the soil should be highly mineralized. The reason the Indian Head surprised me was because I got a good "solid" signal and it turned out to be between 6 1/2" to 7" deep. That's a couple inches deeper then any other coins I have found but yet the signal was so solid. The second Indian head I found was approx. 10' from it at about 4".

I've found a couple nickels, both coming in at the L in foil very crisp with no chatter above the L in foil. It has been on rare occasion that I have actually turned the discrimination down that far though because the places I have hunted are very trashy.

 

[digger27]

Digger 27, thanks for the wealth of info! It won't go to waste!

I live in southern West Virginia and from what I can gather so far the soil should be highly mineralized. The reason the Indian Head surprised me was because I got a good "solid" signal and it turned out to be between 6 1/2" to 7" deep. That's a couple inches deeper then any other coins I have found but yet the signal was so solid. The second Indian head I found was approx. 10' from it at about 4".

I've found a couple nickels, both coming in at the L in foil very crisp with no chatter above the L in foil. It has been on rare occasion that I have actually turned the discrimination down that far though because the places I have hunted are very trashy.

Nickels are also weird, I have found a ton at that nickel mark but a surprisingly high amount above and below that mark in both good and bad soil shallow and deep.

These are not the only targets that behave strangely...you might be surprised on what else does too.

It is good that you like to learn...here are few more things you might want to know.
Everybody is different, everybody enjoys the hobby in different ways and everyone has different thresholds for digging trash.
Whatever way you want to do this is perfectly fine and it is important to enjoy the hobby and not get frustrated especially when you are new and learning the ropes.
As we progress, gain skills and get better we usually change our thinking in order to find more and more while still enjoying ourselves and keeping any frustration at bay.
Keep doing what you are doing but consider this, there are ways you can hunt in very trash areas with any detectors, including Tesoros, and avoid lots of the trash while still having a pretty high percentage chance of finding good targets, sometimes great targets.
This takes some skill and knowledge and I am not saying any method you use is going to be 100% successful and you won't miss anything great, especially comparing them against the dig every blasted signal you come across way which many do, but that is not my way to do this anymore and over the years I have drawn my line in the sand about how much trash I am willing to dig and learned ways to avoid digging about 80-85% of the trash I come across while still bringing home a huge amount of the good stuff, more than enough to keep me happy and satisfied.
I learned to do this with both screen units and both my Tesoros.
Again not saying I don't miss anything using my high percentage methods but you might not believe how shockingly successful I have been doing it this way.
It is a learned process that I came to understand after swinging detectors for many, many hours but many others have done the same by either figuring out these things for themselves or by learning from others and it does seem to work for many.
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/t...r-27-s-method-thumbing-disc-knob-up-down.html

When I was pretty new with my Vaq I had read that most gold comes in at tabs or nickels so for a long time I hunted happily with that disc knob not much lower than that 5¢ Mark confident I would find most gold I came across.
Then one day I read a post from a hunter that stated the very best thing he ever found came in at foil and that affected me deeply...I started lowering that disc knob after that and continued to do that hunt after hunt and did that with my Compadre too.
This also became important when using detectors with screens but as you know the lower you go with discrimination the more targets you will get and in the foil area tons...and most of them are going to be trash.
Most, but most all.
I hunt sites with extreme amounts of trash most of the time, always have, so if I was going to do it in sites like that it was paramount I learn ways to do it successfully and still keep my sanity and avoid frustration and expending a large amount of time and energy digging garbage which I was not willing to do anymore.
After lowering that disc down and learning new skills to deal with all this my volume of great finds surprisingly soared and I still do it that same way even today.

Let me show you a few foil signals I have dug over the years.
One thing that you should know that not all silver comes in higher especially chains.
I told you those things are strange acting due to something regarding physics called eddy currents and those links that most are made from and how detectors perceive these things hiding in the dirt.
Links in chains, broken and open rings and sometimes crushed rings will diffuse the return signal and come in lower than normal plus affect the depth we can see them sometimes, this diffusion can and will confuse our detectors and then us in return.
Here is a display of just a few of my silver chains I have found and where they came in.
Even the thickest didn't come in higher than zinc, all the others were lower with several into foil.




Now let's talk about gold, my favorite target to dig of all.
Did you know that white gold is an alloy of gold and different metals...sometimes silver but sometimes it could be nickel which will lower that signal significantly.
Here is a channel white gold ring that is two sizes larger than another one I dug that was yellow gold on the right.
The yellow gold ring came in at nickel but the larger white gold ring was was lower in foil...exactly the same place as a condiment package or those round foil freshness seals that seem to be everywhere.




Here are a few more gold rings I have dug...every one of them was a foil signal.




One of them, that little heart one, was dug next to a basketball court which is a site where over time I usually do eventually dig most signals I can due to severe masking problems and the high possibility of jewelry at those sites.
Most of the rest were dug at other extremely trashy sites where I was using my high percentage avoiding most trash method or variations of that method.


Again not saying you should change what you are doing if you are enjoying the way you are hunting now...not at all.
What I am saying keep learning but keep your mind open to the possibilities of eventually turning down that disc little by little and learning techniques and methods to keep your interest high, your treasure pouch full and your trash bag fairly empty.
There is a world of great targets that come in below nickel into foil and even iron that are not iron...so why limit yourself?
It is possible to do these things if you want to learn and try sometime in the future, for now just go at your own pace and just keep swinging and learning and just concentrate on enjoying yourself.
That is the goal of this hobby no matter what you find.

 

[SteveM70]

Thanks again Digger! I just put the third battery in the Compadre today. Out of the four sites that I have been focused on so far, two belong to me and two belong to family so nothing's going anywhere from them unless I dig em. The home site that burned pre-1930 is the trashiest (multiple hits per sweep in the whole area with disc turned down) but may hold the most as far as treasures that come in low on the dial but so far it hasn't produced much more than a lesson on mason jar lids. To be fair though, this sights just proved to be a little to overwhelming for me in the January weather so I've not given it much of a chance yet.

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Great reads and info Digger enjoyed it immensely, always enjoy your discussions and insight on the hobby|Also liked and heard you mention this before recalling that famous signal sounds to the Tesoro you are using and what treasure has brought you. Practice makes perfect! If you don't mind me asking what headphones do you use with your Vaq and Compadre?

 

[digger27]

Killer B's.
But at the time I found those gold class rings some decent Sony cheaper ones.
Pretty good but not as good as the B's.

 

[DannyB.]

Great thread..!

 

[doggoneitdignit]

Well, I am sorry you did not get more detailed responses, I find that sometimes as well. I did not chime in because my experience is limited to only two Tesoro's, but I will share what I know. I own, use and love the Golden micromax, but this unit has been discontinued and I think as much as I like my golden, I would not pay the current asking prices for a good clean used one... many do not like a multi-toned machine anyways.

Next, I tried an Outlaw, got three coils with it. Debated between the Outlaw and Vaquero for a long time, in the end I settled for the Outlaw, MOSTLY because it's coils could be used on my Golden (with some adjustment to the internal GB pot). The 5.75 concentric is very nice on the Golden, but I was somewhat disappointed with the Outlaw. Don't get me wrong, it is very smooth, quiet and stable, has a wonderful discriminator that separates coins out better than most, can disc out a copper penny and clad dime and still hit on a silver dime... and that's pretty amazing. But... and here is where I am going to get blasted I am sure, setting the disc that high on the Outlaw causes loss of noticeable depth. In my area I was easily loosing 2 inches and was having a hard time hitting a 6inch buried dime. If I cranked the sensitivity up to try to get that depth back, the machine would hit hard on tabs, even in high disc setting. I sold it the Outlaw, would have held onto it otherwise, but needed some cash (and need to demonstrate to the wife I could let one go, if need be).

I might pick up another Outlaw in the future, but not until I try some others first. I had not tried the Vaquero and am giving it some strong consideration. If you like the Compadre, the Vaquero might be a nice compliment. Many prefer it to the Outlaw. And the Vaq does not have the "re-tune" feature of the Outlaw which can be difficult to get used to, and I not just talking about the red button, but even how re-tune effects GB and other things.

That's all I can offer. Some have said that the Outlaw has one too many nobs for the inexperienced detectorist, while the Vaquero is a great machine for both the noobie and the pro.

Yeah I would pay $350 for a good condition Golden UMax or a Tejon, see their is one Golden uMax on eBay still....3hrs left only $800 golden eggs for that unit I have seen this same one originally back in November a few times over from the same person posting this.

 

[Stoof2010]

Get the Outlaw. It has more depth than Compadre and it's probably the quietest currently made Tesoro in iron trash.
The three coil package comes with one really deep DD coil, as well as my two favorite concentrics. You can't go wrong.

If the Outlaw wasn't available, I'd say find a clean Bandido II microMAX...daddy of the Outlaw.

I agree with Terry and all who have recommended the outlaw.
I admit that my only tesoros that I bought new were my 2 compadres.
But that also is a testimonial to Tesoro as a whole. I was comfortable enough to buy mine used.
If buying a ground balance adjustable model there's not much that could be wrong with the machine unless the coil is bad.
It's the internal GB machines are a toss up. The only other one I have are the Deleon and cibola. Cibola I bought specifically to do the mod so it does have GB adjustment now. But the Deleon I sent in. It was over 10 years old when I bought it and I knew the coil was bad. So I bought at a price where I could add in the $50 to send it in and I sent it in right when I got it and paired it with the Troy super 7 coil and had that rebut and the machine set to the coil and couldn't be happier.
As long as you find one that's cheap enough to allow for a $50-$100 (depending on state of machine) cost after purchase price, then you're golden (no pun intended :-))

But back to the outlaw. Got a great deal on one gently used. But you can't beat the lifetime warranty and the the 3 coils that come with for the price of the vaquero.
I can give 2 thumbs up to the outlaw.
Best on not only on value for price but performance all around.
The bandido II son is a beast especially that it's currently available to you with a lifetime warranty :-)
Happy hunting!!

 

[SteveM70]

Well, after much research I went in a different direction, getting a Fisher F75 to compliment the Compadre.

Thanks to all who replied!