Can we talk about the Elderado?

Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
So I was wondering about the Elderado, plastic box/small housing version. I like the fact that it used the 5 pin coils, had manual GB, and frequency shift, like the Vaquero. It had ed180 as well, like the new Mojave, and it is in the 10khz frequency range, which is better for silver.

What is it's detection depth like?

I read that it can separate a dime from a quarter like the Outlaw, but how well did it disc out iron with that ed180, was it chattery or quiet in trashy sites?

Have been thinking about giving the Outlaw another chance (rather than try a Vaq.) but the Elderado seems to have everything the Vaq had, without the red button, and the ability to toggle to all metal mode, plus it uses the epsilon coils, so I can stay in the same family of coils as the golden u max and the Mojave (if I pick one up later).

So how would you compare the three (Outlaw vs Elderado vs Vaquero)?
 

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Welgund

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2014
355
478
Colorado
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, CTX 3030, CZ-6a, CZ 5, Tesoro Vaquero, Mojave, Fisher F75 Ltd2, MXT Pro, Makro Multi Kruzer, Deeptech VGG
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have owned all three over the years at some point or another. I sold my last Eldorado to Pinenut. It's a decent coin machine, not as good as the outlaw and neither of them as good as the Vaq imo. If your looking for a well rounded Tesoro I would say the Vaquero fits the bill. It's deeper than the other two and handles mineralized soil better. I am down to just 6 tesoros now including the Tejon, Vaq, Mojave, Bandido2 micromax and two compadres. The compadres will probably go cause the Mojave is so much better.
 

pinenut

Bronze Member
Mar 15, 2016
1,024
1,363
where bigfoot roams
Detector(s) used
Various Tesoro - mostly Bandido II μMAX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
for depth get the Vaquero..

Vaquero is deeper than the Eldorado. Eldorado seems to be about the same depth as my Bandido and Outlaw; not great, but adequate. With the ED180 and a small coil on it, Eldorado will get the small totlot stuff pretty well with disc down low. It's not as good at rejecting iron as the ED120 machines. Audio tone is close to that of Outlaw.
It is a good Tesoro, but I don't like it quite as much as the Bandido II μMAX or the Outlaw.

BTW, I had an Eldorado out today with the big 10-1/2" concentric donut; not Welgunds old Eldorado, but a different one. Hihosilver, you know the coil though.. :laughing7:. Depth wasn't overly impressive; was expecting better with that big coil, but it only seemed about the same as with the 8" donut.
It airtested about 9" on a dime with the 10-1/2". The Outlaw airtested about the same with that coil.

If depth is your primary concern, the Vaquero is a better all-around choice. If you're working in lots of trash though, I'd pick Outlaw or Bandido.
 

tabman

Bronze Member
Jul 5, 2011
2,306
7,241
Germantown, Tennessee
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Detector(s) used
Presently: CTX 3030, Tesoro Modded Cibola, F75LTD-2, XP Deus, Tesoro Mojave, MXT Pro, Tesoro Eldorado, Whites MXT All Pro, Minelab Equinox, Fisher CZ5 & CZ3D
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I bought and sold 3 Eldorado detectors. Not a bad detector, but the Outlaw, Bandido II µMax and Vaquero are better in my opinion. Also the Vaquero and Mojave both handle EMI much better. For depth get the Vaquero, for flat out fun and working around nails gets the Mojave.

tabman
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
I bought and sold 3 Eldorado detectors. Not a bad detector, but the Outlaw, Bandido II µMax and Vaquero are better in my opinion. Also the Vaquero and Mojave both handle EMI much better. For depth get the Vaquero, for flat out fun and working around nails gets the Mojave.

tabman

Yes, I will probably get both, eventually. I would have bought the Mojave right off, but wanted something with the manual GB, as the golden is fixed GB and want the adjustment. I am hoping that there will be something coming soon from Tesoro with tone break, if not, it will probably be the Vaq, then later in the summer perhaps the Mojave... but we shall see.
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
Vaquero is deeper than the Eldorado. Eldorado seems to be about the same depth as my Bandido and Outlaw; not great, but adequate. With the ED180 and a small coil on it, Eldorado will get the small totlot stuff pretty well with disc down low. It's not as good at rejecting iron as the ED120 machines. Audio tone is close to that of Outlaw.
It is a good Tesoro, but I don't like it quite as much as the Bandido II μMAX or the Outlaw.

BTW, I had an Eldorado out today with the big 10-1/2" concentric donut; not Welgunds old Eldorado, but a different one. Hihosilver, you know the coil though.. :laughing7:. Depth wasn't overly impressive; was expecting better with that big coil, but it only seemed about the same as with the 8" donut.
It airtested about 9" on a dime with the 10-1/2". The Outlaw airtested about the same with that coil.

If depth is your primary concern, the Vaquero is a better all-around choice. If you're working in lots of trash though, I'd pick Outlaw or Bandido.

Yes pinenut, I know the coil :tongue3:. I did not find it much deeper than the 8" coil either, but it was NOTICEABLY heavier and put the Outlaw off balance. Plus, I only dared to use it in very open, less trashy areas for fear of masking good stuff under that large coil.

Thanks for the input on the Elderado, it seems my next detector will be "back to the Outlaw" to give her another chance, or the Vaquero, to try something different... but I will wait until late spring to see what Tesoro might have around the corner first.
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
I have owned all three over the years at some point or another. I sold my last Eldorado to Pinenut. It's a decent coin machine, not as good as the outlaw and neither of them as good as the Vaq imo. If your looking for a well rounded Tesoro I would say the Vaquero fits the bill. It's deeper than the other two and handles mineralized soil better. I am down to just 6 tesoros now including the Tejon, Vaq, Mojave, Bandido2 micromax and two compadres. The compadres will probably go cause the Mojave is so much better.

Welgund, I like your Tesoro arsenal. I am hoping to add some of those to my stable as well. The Vaq seems to be well respected by all and that is probably what will be next, the Tejon too, and the Mojave eventually to have something for my kids and eventual grand kids to use when They might go detecting with grandpa.

Thanks for the input on the Elderado.
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
I bought and sold 3 Eldorado detectors. Not a bad detector, but the Outlaw, Bandido II µMax and Vaquero are better in my opinion. Also the Vaquero and Mojave both handle EMI much better. For depth get the Vaquero, for flat out fun and working around nails gets the Mojave.

tabman

Tabman, I have followed your posts for a few years now, on this forum and another one we won't mention... anyways, you seem to have a lot of experience on both the Vaquero and the Outlaw. How would you say they compare? If I was to get a Vaquero, I would order it from a certain Arizona dealer and have him do the high tone mod before shipping. I owned the Outlaw for a bit, needed to sell and should have given it more time.

I want to get another Tesoro and it seems for me it always comes down to the Outlaw or Vaquero. I hunt mostly for coins, deeper silver maybe, but want the option of searching for gold jewelry. Any insight would be helpful.
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
Can those who have owned one tell me, is the no-motion all metal mode a true no motion mode AND is it auto retune?
 

pinenut

Bronze Member
Mar 15, 2016
1,024
1,363
where bigfoot roams
Detector(s) used
Various Tesoro - mostly Bandido II μMAX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
which one..?

Can those who have owned one tell me, is the no-motion all metal mode a true no motion mode AND is it auto retune?

On Outlaw you have both auto-retune all-metal, AND no-motion all-metal, as well as disc. Same with Bandido II μmax.

Eldorado is only motion (auto-retune) all-metal, and disc. It doesn't have the no-motion mode.
If you can grab one at a good price, try it out. Eldorado is a good detector. If you don't like it, just sell it again.. :thumbsup:
 

doggoneitdignit

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2016
747
374
Canada
Detector(s) used
Current: Vaquero,Compadre,T2,300i, ML 440V, and Simplex+
Past:Whites 4000 D Series 3, Radio Shack 3001 Micronta
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Some ebay history.

Tesoro Outlaw $255.01 12 Bids
Tesoro Eldorado $204.59 49 Bids
Tesoro Bandido II uMax $208.05 25 Bids
Tesoro Vaquero $244.50 14 Bids
Tesoro Vaquero Metal Detector High Tone 9x8 & 5.75 concentric coils $255.00
Tesoro Tejon 2 Coils $325.00 1 Bid

But I will go back to what I have stated months back, :tongue3:


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 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 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?

Inductive Reasoning

Why would I own a Tejon if I already own a Vaquero?

Deductive/Inductive Reasoning

Why would I own a Vaquero if I already own a Outlaw? This would be arguable.

I know we can bring in other models but left it as this to compare.
:laughing7:

Why would I own a Compadre if I already own a Mojave
Why would I own a Silver uMax if I already own a Mojave
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
Some ebay history.

Tesoro Outlaw $255.01 12 Bids
Tesoro Eldorado $204.59 49 Bids
Tesoro Bandido II uMax $208.05 25 Bids
Tesoro Vaquero $244.50 14 Bids
Tesoro Vaquero Metal Detector High Tone 9x8 & 5.75 concentric coils $255.00
Tesoro Tejon 2 Coils $325.00 1 Bid

But I will go back to what I have stated months back, :tongue3:


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 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?

Inductive Reasoning

Why would I own a Tejon if I already own a Vaquero?

Deductive/Inductive Reasoning

Why would I own a Vaquero if I already own a Outlaw? This would be arguable.

I know we can bring in other models but left it as this to compare.
:laughing7:

Why would I own a Compadre if I already own a Mojave
Why would I own a Silver uMax if I already own a Mojave

So, if you are asking why would I own an Elderado if I already owned the Golden and the Mojave?

Well isn't it obvious? It has the ground balance and the frequency shift, and I want that feature. So for me the question is a used Elderado or a new Vaquero. With El, I stay in the 5 pin coil family, with the Vaq I get the lifetime warranty and greater depth, but will need 4 pin coils.
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
... but now I need to play with the Mojave for awhile before I think about another detector.
 

doggoneitdignit

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2016
747
374
Canada
Detector(s) used
Current: Vaquero,Compadre,T2,300i, ML 440V, and Simplex+
Past:Whites 4000 D Series 3, Radio Shack 3001 Micronta
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I would still wait to see what Tesoro produces next is all I am saying. All good choices other then the Eldorado unless you got a good deal as mentioned used. Mine would be used Vaq, used Outlaw (tot parks trash)..if you can still find one for a descent price., the Bandido II uMax used, since you have the Golden already, hold on to that baby, at least to a new Tesoro release to what that will provide. Mojave a good choice new!

I think just what I have listed still. Also I yanked out the Compadre and Tejon comparison ,still would own a Mojave with anything equal too or below the Cibola myself here. If I owned a Golden with it's notch width features not comparing depth, seperation, but for GB Id go with the Vaq still. Really I don't think depending on your soil conditions anyone needs anything other then the three everyone has mostly mentioned the Bandido II uMax OR the Vaq and the Outlaw in it's own right all good choices really.

Im going with what Welgund thinks.:icon_thumright:
 

doggoneitdignit

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2016
747
374
Canada
Detector(s) used
Current: Vaquero,Compadre,T2,300i, ML 440V, and Simplex+
Past:Whites 4000 D Series 3, Radio Shack 3001 Micronta
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have owned all three over the years at some point or another. I sold my last Eldorado to Pinenut. It's a decent coin machine, not as good as the outlaw and neither of them as good as the Vaq imo. If your looking for a well rounded Tesoro I would say the Vaquero fits the bill. It's deeper than the other two and handles mineralized soil better. I am down to just 6 tesoros now including the Tejon, Vaq, Mojave, Bandido2 micromax and two compadres. The compadres will probably go cause the Mojave is so much better.

Welgund have you ever considered the Outlaw and ever wondered if you need this in your arsenal.
 

doggoneitdignit

Hero Member
Oct 2, 2016
747
374
Canada
Detector(s) used
Current: Vaquero,Compadre,T2,300i, ML 440V, and Simplex+
Past:Whites 4000 D Series 3, Radio Shack 3001 Micronta
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Don't know if that came out the way I intended no pun intended here sorry that sounded just bad, but funny:laughing7:
 

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Hihosilver

Full Member
Jan 2, 2013
235
189
Eastern Ohio
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Mojave, Tesoro Outlaw, Tesoro Golden micromax (present machines), Past: once upon a time, long, long ago... a Bounty Hunter 840.
Coils: 5.75 concentric, 7” black concentric, 7" widescan,
Primary Interest:
Other
That's ok. My airtests with the Mojave show depth comporable to the Outlaw I once owned! A nice solid hit on a six inch dime. So, we shall wait and see what Tesoro has around the corner, but if I am choosing between the Elderado, Outlaw, or Vaq, I think I'll get the Vaq. But as I said, time to play with the Mojo e for a awhile.
 

Welgund

Sr. Member
Aug 27, 2014
355
478
Colorado
Detector(s) used
XP Deus, CTX 3030, CZ-6a, CZ 5, Tesoro Vaquero, Mojave, Fisher F75 Ltd2, MXT Pro, Makro Multi Kruzer, Deeptech VGG
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I did pick up an Outlaw shortly after it was introduced. It's operating khz and functions were to close to my Bandido2 MM that I didn't have it for long because I didn't see an improvement over the Bandido. I also liked the toggle switch of the Bandido over the push button on the Outlaw. I am a firm believer of having different frequency machines because they see stuff un the ground differently. So I have a 10khz, 12, 14 and 17 as the Tesoros I keep on hand nowadays.
 

tabman

Bronze Member
Jul 5, 2011
2,306
7,241
Germantown, Tennessee
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
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Detector(s) used
Presently: CTX 3030, Tesoro Modded Cibola, F75LTD-2, XP Deus, Tesoro Mojave, MXT Pro, Tesoro Eldorado, Whites MXT All Pro, Minelab Equinox, Fisher CZ5 & CZ3D
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Tabman, I have followed your posts for a few years now, on this forum and another one we won't mention... anyways, you seem to have a lot of experience on both the Vaquero and the Outlaw. How would you say they compare? If I was to get a Vaquero, I would order it from a certain Arizona dealer and have him do the high tone mod before shipping. I owned the Outlaw for a bit, needed to sell and should have given it more time.

I want to get another Tesoro and it seems for me it always comes down to the Outlaw or Vaquero. I hunt mostly for coins, deeper silver maybe, but want the option of searching for gold jewelry. Any insight would be helpful.

Get the Vaquero. It's deeper and it handles EMI better. Besides you have already owned a Outlaw, now you can give the Vaquero a try.

tabman
 

pinenut

Bronze Member
Mar 15, 2016
1,024
1,363
where bigfoot roams
Detector(s) used
Various Tesoro - mostly Bandido II μMAX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
another thought on the Eldorado...

If you can get a good one for a fair price, I still think they're worth snatching up. Mine has never failed to find me something interesting and today was no exception. Since this thread came up, I decided to take mine out again, this time with the good ol' 8" donut. It didn't do so well last outing with the big 10-1/2" on it, but works a treat with the 5.75" and 8". I did an airtest with this 8" coil before I left, and it was giving a solid response out to 9" on a dime in disc mode, with the GB set just outside my house.
BTW - the all-metal mode on Eldorado is an auto-retune (not no-motion), and is a VCO audio, like the Vaquero and Cibola has (for pinpoint), but the acceptance range is the full ED-180, like that of Tejon, Mojave and Compadre.

Today I decided I was going to just deal with the trash and dig those tabs... I set my GB right to the edge (power balanced) and sensitivity right to the limit of stability, about 1/3 of the way into the red zone. Disc was set just past the triangle (probably where foil discs out), a bit before nickel. Eldo found me a very nice 14K earring that weighs in at 2 grams, a '44 wheatie, some clad and another ring that looked like gold...'till I put my glasses on. Turns out the ring is some religious thing with a prayer etched into it; probably just gold anodized aluminum. Anyway, the Eldorado worked perfectly. I still prefer using it to the Vaquero.
Eldorado is another very good Tesoro. Not quite as nice in heavy trash as Bandido and Outlaw, but still very capable, and with decent depth. These were Tesoro's top "coin & relic machine" 'till the Tejon was introduced, and will still find the goods.

:sunny:

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