Just Watched Calabash's Rant on American Metal Detector Companies

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,410
30,020
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
What's YOUR opinion? Does he have a good point? I have to be honest, I couldn't believe he's wearing Crocs, and the toilet paper was distracting, but after I got over myself I heard the point he is making. I guess I'm just not as concerned about it. We already know who the posers are - hell, they are self-evident. New guys getting conned? I know it happens, I just.. CROCs? Really?:tongue3::thumbsup:

 

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FenderBass

Greenie
Mar 9, 2019
14
20
Detector(s) used
Minelab Vanquish540, Tesoro Vaquero, BH Pioneer 505
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Welp, after learning that @smokeythecat snuck over to ebay and bought the second from last of the Tejons, I lost control and tipped toed over there and purchased the last Outlaw with the 8-inch donut. With the ED180 on the Tejon and the ED120 on the Outlaw, throw a Vaquero in the middle and you have a pretty sweet little tool kit. New technology is great and I plan on picking up a Nox for some ruff weather hunting this spring, but there is something that can't be denied when it comes to these old classic VLF capacitor beast that just makes for some exciting hunts. Plus I love loaning one to a friend that wants to come hunting but has no detector. The look on their face when you turn one on and tell them to start swinging is just priceless, hehe.

For a professional treasure hunter, there will always be an extra spot in the garage for an old classic or two. RIP to Tesoro, Whites, and any other companies that fail to keep up with new tech. They will always be in our hearts and dearly missed.

On a sad note, I do believe that Tesoro could have stayed in business if they would have hammered out some duel tone machines and put a cabosh to the lifetime warranty.

Yea that lifetime warranty had to kill them. Most electronics eventually fail. Or become so obsolete you dont want them anyway. I dabble a lot in music, wedding band stuff. Sound boards, guitar pedals, electronic drums heads, guitar potentiometers, it all goes bad -all the time. Metal detectors are subject to a lot of extremes. vibration, temperature, uncontrolled environments (humidity). So far my Vaquero is alive and well.
 

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,682
40,650
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I didn't get it on Ebay! brouhaha brouhaha
 

Woodsy

Sr. Member
Oct 26, 2018
313
229
Michigan
Detector(s) used
Tejon, Outlaw, Mojave, Nox 800, E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I didn't get it on Ebay! brouhaha brouhaha

I bought my Outlaw from Serious Detecting. I used their website because they had it marked like $20.00 cheaper than their eBay price. Last night I had a few two many and ordered a Nox 800, but if what Calabash Digger says is true, then I should be able to find enough coins to have it paid off in about a month. Hehe, I hope he's right. If not, I'll never watch another one of his videos again.
 

Hunter1805

Sr. Member
Dec 3, 2005
273
566
NY
Detector(s) used
E Track, Fisher 6a
History of my detecting ... 1979 Fisher Was on Top of the Food Chain / Garrett has always been there but IMO Fisher's LVF - 555 (I found more Gold rings with this detector then all others. ........was the best and then club members ran to buy them... Whites was then taking over for the ease of detecting, Hip mount, Great ID, Nothing beat the 6000 DI series 2. Then a period when everyone was making detectors, Most were good but Tesoro, Teknetics sp. Coinmaster, Garrett still hanging on. Fisher comes out with the 6a Unit the deepest detector I ever owned. Then things started to change ,, Imports Minelab !!!comes out with a new unit and thus the foreign imports begin... Garrett comes out with Low Priced Detectors... Deus makes the grade... Garrett still hanging on ... Me still hanging onto my Minelab. I will use any detector that can add value to all my detecting places ,,, Try finding trade silver in an iron infested area... MY machine E- Track is the unit for this.. so small other units fail in this area of hunting, IMHO..Jim
 

Woodsy

Sr. Member
Oct 26, 2018
313
229
Michigan
Detector(s) used
Tejon, Outlaw, Mojave, Nox 800, E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
History of my detecting ... 1979 Fisher Was on Top of the Food Chain / Garrett has always been there but IMO Fisher's LVF - 555 (I found more Gold rings with this detector then all others. ........was the best and then club members ran to buy them... Whites was then taking over for the ease of detecting, Hip mount, Great ID, Nothing beat the 6000 DI series 2. Then a period when everyone was making detectors, Most were good but Tesoro, Teknetics sp. Coinmaster, Garrett still hanging on. Fisher comes out with the 6a Unit the deepest detector I ever owned. Then things started to change ,, Imports Minelab !!!comes out with a new unit and thus the foreign imports begin... Garrett comes out with Low Priced Detectors... Deus makes the grade... Garrett still hanging on ... Me still hanging onto my Minelab. I will use any detector that can add value to all my detecting places ,,, Try finding trade silver in an iron infested area... MY machine E- Track is the unit for this.. so small other units fail in this area of hunting, IMHO..Jim

Those E-tracks sound so good and have a really neat hum to them. It was really hard deciding between the E-trac and the Equinox.
 

4treasures

Greenie
Dec 9, 2010
12
11
REALLY??? Crocks and toilet paper? SERIOUSLY??
I seem to remember something about judging/book/cover as well as many lessons learned from every president/election ever talking crap like that about people with a message that they didn't immediately agree with.
Sorry, I'm much more about who a person is (and here what they know/share" than their apparel or any stupid distractions in their video...and that's saying something as a pro photographer/media/etc.
Let's stay on point, eh?

What's YOUR opinion? Does he have a good point? I have to be honest, I couldn't believe he's wearing Crocs, and the toilet paper was distracting, but after I got over myself I heard the point he is making. I guess I'm just not as concerned about it. We already know who the posers are - hell, they are self-evident. New guys getting conned? I know it happens, I just.. CROCs? Really?:tongue3::thumbsup:

 

eyemustdigtreasure

Silver Member
Mar 2, 2013
3,596
5,576
California
Detector(s) used
Fisher Gold Bug Pro
Tesoro Cibola
Nokta Pointer; Phillips SHS5200 phones
Nokta Macro SIMPLEX +
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
wonder why the comments are turned off for his videos? I think people new to hobby will be quick to watch videos and become an expert overnight to run out buy machine they see other people using...
Why not have an seasond Detectorist run a new machine through the paces in the feild who can make intelligent comparisons?
You are right! Getting and old pro to try out units, would be like a guy who's used a stick shift car, all of sudden get an automatic car....! STomping the Brake Pedal, instead of the Clutch...! :laughing7:
A seasoned detectorist would indeed jump right in with a new machine, tune it up, and recover stuff faster and have a good idea...., what NOT to Dig...!
Trial and Error is normal anyway...??
Since I got this Nokta Makro Simplex+, I've had to use the trial and error, with the Tones and Numbers, on most targets. Sure, I did the Air Test when I first got the machine, but later just relied on Consistency in the Numbers AND the Tones...! Becoming quite Fun, now!
 

DannyB1954

Full Member
Nov 29, 2015
161
154
Pahrump, Nv.
Detector(s) used
Whites GMT, DFX, V3i. TDI SL
Fischer F-75, F-19, CZ7a Pro.
Garrett Infinium, ATX
Nokta AU Gold, Racer, Simplex, legend
Minelab Explorer SE
Tesoro Lobo ST, Tejon, Compadre
Teknetics Omega 8500
XP ORX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
For years there was a rumor that Tesoro was soon to have a new detector. Why spend good money on their detector, when a better one was just around the corner? Letting the rumor live hurt their sales I think. There were valid suggestions offered to them to make a desirable model, but it never happened. They just changed paint cans. .
 

bc5391

Hero Member
Sep 23, 2016
522
749
Southern Arizona
Detector(s) used
Minelab ,XP
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I agree with him. I've tried the ATX, very heavy, not enough depth. Tried the Apex, did not do as advertised. Tried the whites 24k, it may have been a good machine, but not much information out there (videos)
My first machine was a whites in the mid 70's it lasted about a year before it died. Then bough a compass , out performed the whits x 100%. I've owned Fisher, tesoro, and whites. When I bought a Minelab, I decided not to ever buy a detector made in the USA (but got talked into buying the Apex(Sold quickly))The Deus and Nox are equal competitors having their own followers, I'll wait on the new Nokta for someone like Calabash to test. with an unbiased opinion
 

louisianaman

Jr. Member
Jan 4, 2012
49
45
New Orleans Louisiana
Detector(s) used
Nokta Simplex Plus,Garrett At-Pro, Tesoro Vaquero and Bandido 2 Micromax
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I agree with him. I've tried the ATX, very heavy, not enough depth. Tried the Apex, did not do as advertised. Tried the whites 24k, it may have been a good machine, but not much information out there (videos)
My first machine was a whites in the mid 70's it lasted about a year before it died. Then bough a compass , out performed the whits x 100%. I've owned Fisher, tesoro, and whites. When I bought a Minelab, I decided not to ever buy a detector made in the USA (but got talked into buying the Apex(Sold quickly))The Deus and Nox are equal competitors having their own followers, I'll wait on the new Nokta for someone like Calabash to test. with an unbiased opinion

I agree. I cannot afford a $1500 detector. I have a Simplex Plus and I've seen videos where it outperformed the Nox. Maybe multi frequency isn't what I need. Never needed one before.
 

oldkoot

Hero Member
Jan 18, 2017
922
1,340
in the Tucson AZ area now
Detector(s) used
Garrett Axiom
Garrett GM 24K
2-Nokta/Macro Legend Pro Pack
Simplex Plus
Xterra 705
x2 quest X Pointer Max - my favorite
Fisher F Pulse
Nokta Pulse Dive 2in1 kit
Garrett AT Pro (not Used)
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I agree 100% with the point Calabash was making I have been turned off from Garrett ever since I purchased my AT PRO which was back in 2010 when they first hit the market, I bought into the hype and will not do it again although I did just do a pre order for the Legend LOL but I did the pre order because i have always wanted to try a Nokta/Makro detector and the legend is rite in the price range i want to be the only other machine i have ever done a pre order on was the GM 1000 Gold monster and it did not disappoint me it was everything I was told it would be
 

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