Cibola vs silver umax with garret pro pointer

[rossman85]

Hello everyone,
Im am looking to get started metal detecting and ive done hours and hours of research on reviews of metal detectors. I was thinking of either getting a cibola or a silver umax with a garret pro pointer. I was wondering if the hot circuitry in the cibola makes a big difference over the umax. Also when i get a machine i will probably stick with it for awhile.... I was wondering if the silver umax has good longevity in ownership, or after like two months will i be kicking myself for not getting something better. I will mostly be doing coin and relic hunting in central pa. I would greatly appreciate any insight.

 

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[treasure4pleasure]

I would like to hear answers to this too

 

[Sandman]

Both these machines are very capable at finding stuff in the dirt. Neither has ground balance which is OK if you are not hunting where the GB changes a lot. But I would look at the new Tesoro Outlaw.

 

[rossman85]

The outlaw is a little too high for me..... Honestly I would love a vaquero, but it's not in my price range. $400 is my max and I really want a garret pro-pointer too. I have watched many youtube videos, and almost everyone has a pro pointer, and it makes sense after watching people dig for stuff. I just really want to know how much better is the cibola than the umax, and is the "hot" circuitry worth spending the extra money on with the cibola. Thanks for the input so far, but please remember I cannot afford to buy a tejon, outlaw, vaquero, etc..... I wish I could though!

 

[treasure4pleasure]

THis is what someone on another forum told me
"A used Cibola could be just like a Vaquero. Any way the things you will loose when you don't have a threshold are kinda really help full. Sizing an object is much easier, also depth of object. If its sound quiet its either deep or really small. If its loud its on the surface or big.... yes you can lift the coil up on compadre but you will still not know size of object. The more you know about the object in the ground will make it a better guess for you to dig or not.


This should sum it up
Here is my explanation of threshold."

 

[rossman85]

that was a good video.... i do understand that threshold button better now... finally an explanation in lamans terms. I think after watching that I am going to go with the cibola for sure, and learn to use that pin pointer on the detector, and buy a garret pin pointer down the road. If anyone has a better reason you think I should buy a silver umax and a garret pin pointer together please let me know instead of the cibola without a garret pinpointer. Thanks, treasure 4 pleasure for the video. Do many of you detect without a garret pinpointer or a pin pointer in general?? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to choose the right detector for me, that will be good for various situations without having to upgrade anytime soon, and that is pretty easy to use.

 

[treasure4pleasure]

I've only went out a handful of times with my son and his ace 250 we got for his 12th bday. I also got him a Harbor Freight pinpointer and it's ok. I am in the exact same boat as you. I'm looking at the cibola and silver umax but really want a vaquero, and i also want a garrett pp. lol I wouldn't go out without a pinpointer even though the detector has one, when you're down on the ground trying to find the item in the hole you don't want to grab that big md and run it over the hole. The pinpointer makes things easier and faster!!

 

[treasure4pleasure]

Here is his channel, he has several cibola vids that are very good.
flyfshr11 - YouTube

 

[rossman85]

I initially was looking at an ace 250, but after reading many, many user reviews, it led me to the tesoros.... a pin pointer seems very necessary, especially if your hunting on somebody else's property

 

[Rebel73153]

I had a couple of Ace 250's. A lot of people swear by them. I just swore at mine. Lots of false signals and i can't take the Bell tone. I like Tesoro's. I have a Silver Sabre Umax on the way. I would say go with the Cibola and get one of the Harbour Freight pin pointers for now. They are about $16-$17 and work fine. There are videos on You Tube on how to modify and improve them. The Pro Pointer is Great but the Harbour Freight will do mostly the same things for a Lot Less money. JMO Ohh, and welcome Both of you to the Forum.

 

[rossman85]

thanks also for the insight rebel, I think I am going to take you and treasure 4pleasure's advice and get the cibola, and a harbor freight pin pointer for now. I should be ordering this week coming up, so I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for the welcome rebel!!! There is actually a shop a half hour away from me that sells tesoros I found out, so I am going to buy it from them as long as they can match the internet price. They said they would fully show me how to use everything too, so that alone would be worth paying sales tax for(as opposed to none on the internet). Also it is in Gettysburg, pa so hopefully they can give me some advice where to go too.

 

[Rebel73153]

There should be lots of places to go around Gettysburg. And it is a good idea to buy locally if you can. Then you can actually try out the detector first and get tips on how to use it. Good luck.

 

[rws51]

rossman85, Have you cosidered buying a used detector? I think you could get a nice used Vaquero with manual ground balance in the 300.00 range, and still get a pinpointer and be at the 400.00 you want to spend.
I know you didn't mention the Vaquero, but you will be much happier with a detector you can manually set to the ground conditions you have and not a detector set at the factory that may or may not work in your area.

Another thing is if you buy accessory coils, the manual GB Vaquero will work perfect with all coils. With the Cibola it may work or it may not, requiring the detector to be sent to the factory to have the coil tuned to the detector.
I had a Cibola a couple of years ago and it was ok but the fixed ground balance was off and performance lacked. I know own a Vaquero and it is a beast ! It's one of the best detectors out there for the money and you won't out grow it.

I honestly think you will make a mistake with the Cibola in your area. Talk to some hunters in your area and see what they recommend.....Good luck and HH

Roger

 

[rws51]

treasure4pleasure, The advice I gave rossman85 above would apply to you also. Buy a nice used detector to start with and let your finds pay for any upgrades you may want in the future. One gold ring will about buy you a new Tesoro
these days. I think you will see some very nice used detectors on the classifieds soon with the release of the new Tesoro Outlaw detector. Good luck and HH

Roger

 

[treasure4pleasure]

I have been watching the forums and it seems that when a md comes up it's usually close enough to the actual price of new that I hate to take the chance of getting a dud and not having the warranty either. I have decided on a Fisher F2 , reason being they're cheap, have a good reputation and a TID.
I'm sure I will have a tesoro at some point or other though.

 

[rossman85]

Hey rws.... I have looked into the vaquero too but i just cant afford that right now....but it honestly seems to be the best value for the price over all detectors. I should just get a umax, and get a vaquero once i find enough "clad".

 

[rossman85]

so guys and gals, I ended up getting neither a silver umax or a cibola. I won a used good condition eldorado for $278 with shipping, with all original box and manual. It's the detector that the vaquero replaced a few years ago. I read a good bit of reviews, and I think I got a good deal on a first detector. Can you guys give me any advice on the machine. I was looking to get something without ground balance controls initially, but it seemed like it is something that people want eventually... the only thing it doesn't have is a pinpoint button, which scares me a bit because I am new to the hobby. Anyways, please give me any feedback,
thanks, Ross

 

[crapdigger]

Definitly go for the cibola, try to finc an occasion. I bought one as a back up detector but the performance was so good that it became my first detector. ( but now k bought the tejon hoping its even better than the cibola)

 

[hunterray2002]

Your talking about Don Hinks place. Gettysburg Electronics. He's a good guy with tons of knowledge. He will fix you up.

thanks also for the insight rebel, I think I am going to take you and treasure 4pleasure's advice and get the cibola, and a harbor freight pin pointer for now. I should be ordering this week coming up, so I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for the welcome rebel!!! There is actually a shop a half hour away from me that sells tesoros I found out, so I am going to buy it from them as long as they can match the internet price. They said they would fully show me how to use everything too, so that alone would be worth paying sales tax for(as opposed to none on the internet). Also it is in Gettysburg, pa so hopefully they can give me some advice where to go too.

 

[rossman85]

I know that Don hosts some kind of metal detector club that is able to help recover artifacts for Gettysburg, so I am gonna do that, and it will hopefully be great experience too.