Buying a new Tesoro Lobo

Jack Hamilton · Mar 1, 2010

I've been prospecting for the last year, and plan on doing some drywashing and metal detecting in the deserts of AZ and CA this spring and early summer. I have only read excellent reviews on this machine and currently own a Tesoro Silver Sabre, from the 80's. Any reason I shouldn't buy this machine? Just a thought I had and wanted to ask. All I have heard are positive reviews and wanted to know if anyone had any bad experiences, and or thoughts you just feel like sharing. Thanks in advance. :icon_thumright:

U.K. Brian · Mar 2, 2010

The thing people don't seem to like is the audio thats often described as like a strangled duck !
In Europe you can have this modified. I haven't seen this mod being offered in the States.

If your going to be using it as a general purpose machine as well it would be better to look for a Wolftrax. Similar to the Lobo but with a much wider low range of ferrous discrimination.

Otherwise you won't hear much against these Tesoro's if used in the right areas. If looking for deep nuggets and or in extreme ground thats where the Minelab pulse machines come in to their own.

Sandman · Mar 2, 2010

I think the Lobo is a great nugget finder if you are in the right place. There are more expensive gold machines out there like the Infinium LS, but I like the Lobo because of the smaller gold it responds too.

Jack Hamilton · Mar 2, 2010

I'll be buying my new machine this evening. After my reading and research I think its a great starter machine for serious nugget shooting. It fits my budget as well. I would love a PI machine but I'm already familiar with VLF.

Jack Hamilton · Mar 2, 2010

I have a friend who owns a Lobo. Got to witness its sensitivity before I purchased mine.I also have a collection of fine gold and sizes up to pickers which I have been playing with this evening. Taped a few very small sizes to some poker chips and did some open air tests. Preliminary tests of course. After owning a Silver Sabre I know that I need to learn my machine, like all. Thanks for the input. I am now swinging a Lobo and a Sabre :headbang:

Jack Hamilton · Mar 2, 2010

I just had to add, "Best of the old, best of the new" Thats how I feel about my machines

Jack Hamilton · Mar 4, 2010

I know that the Lobo has new technology,and circutry. Open air tests with small gold pickers have been pretty much the same as my Silver Saber. The Lobo does not have much(a little) more depth than my sabre. I understand already this is what to expect with VLF. I am hoping to fine tune my understanding of the vocalizations on the Lobo and use it where it shines....in some ancient tertiary...in places my Saber just cant compete. Reports to come. :icon_thumright:

So far so good, Im a happy customer. Bought my machine locally from www.legendsprospectingsupplies.com John Buchholzer is a great guy to do business with.

2bits · Mar 6, 2010

You made a good choice! The Lobo can't be beat in Southern Ca and AZ.

Arid-Zone-A-seeker · Mar 6, 2010

I have used my new LOBO just once in the field, but here is what I found out on that one trip.
Don't put your head phones until the battery check is done!
The air testing is totally different than the real world dirt huntin, It preformed better in dirt than air testing.
It is the most sensitive VLF I have ever tried, Hot rocks, and trash, gold, give different signals, in all metal. If you have ever watched a sine-wave, a hot rock signal would be a round top wave. Iron wire and such is a more of a square top wave, with a quick fall after peak. And the gold is defiantly a sharp point wave. You have to envision the signals like this, and listen closely,
Here is a way to adjust the machine for the first time in the field,,,,,turn on the machine in Disc. Then flip the switch to all metal, adjust the Threshold to sound like a mosquito in your head phones. Run in normal ground, mode. Set the Sensitivity to ten. Run the Disc. at 3 for the first couple of trips. When you get that round wave sound, you can flip the all metal to Disc. and the hot rocks will disappear.
And the Pin point works great!
I should have bought this machine years ago. Good luck.
Arid.

Jack Hamilton · Mar 9, 2010

I left at 3 am on a trip to some GPAA claims with a treasurenet member and a friend of mine. He swings a Lobo as well. We arrived about 6:30 am maybe 7:00....I forget. I remember telling him this is like seeing the rides at disneyland from the freeway as a kid!" "Just let me out here!" HaHa :laughing7:

Well, where we went to be specific was the First Chance claim near Randsburg CA, then made our way to the ADK claim just east a few miles. I put a good 10 hours on my machine that day, this past sunday. While I didn't find any nuggets, I did learn quite a bit about the different tones, and just how extremely sensitive it is. I was packing around a 4 foot shovel and if I got that thing within 3 feet, my detector was looking at it telling me to move it behind my back or toss it over yonder hehe.

I'll get better with it in time and I'm pleased with my decision. When it comes to larger targets, like coins....I can just imagine the depth it can find them at, not to mention how far off to the side. I cant wait to take a beach hunt with this bad boy.

What say you about the Lobo's technology. We encountered alot of hot rocks in these washes. Some would disappear on second swing. Some would scream like steel. Does the lobo track its last swing and adjust out undesireable targets?

Arid-Zone-A-seeker · Mar 9, 2010

You know, what I found was if you bounce the coil over some of the hot rocks, just up and down about two to three inches, the machine will null (some) of them,(i noticed that i see like four different kinds of hot rocks) I think this is part of the ground balance, and it is so fast to re balance. I am going to try lining up some targets and check the responce time, or lag time as the case may be.(recovery time). Just waiting for some nice weather. One thing for sure, being out there is better than sitting here typing about it!