Me and my limited budget

[swantek]

Hello,

I live in Nebraska and have 2 low end detectors at the moment. Harbor Freight model and the bounty hunter quick draw. I shouldn't of bought the quick draw but it was free because I got reimburse from the seller because they didn't send me a pin pointer. Anyway I detect mainly parks, old schools, ghost towns and river bottom(sand). I love coin shooting mainly but love picking up jewerly and other relics time to time. My budget is 400 bucks and wish it was double otherwise this post wouldn't exist. I am right now loving the Tesoro Tejon's but there a bit out of my range. Next if I can split another 50 bucks I am looking at the Vaquero.
The other 2 are definitely in my budget plus I can spend a little extra to get a good pin pointer. The Delta 4000 and the Silver Umax. If I go with one of these 2 which might be better for me. I want dept and descripancy in trashy areas. The screen would be kinda nice like my bounty hunter but I could care less when it comes to performance.

 

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[Bump]

I got the Delta 4000 last year. I've only used a little bit. I really like it. Still getting use to it, hopefully get to use it more this year. It only cost $250, wish I would of got a pin pointer too.

 

[ZR2guy]

I had a Delta 4000 and it was a good machine for the price. The only issue I had with it was the interference from power lines. If the areas that you hunt aren't near power lines, you will do good with this machine. It can be set up with an eliptical DD coil which really separates targets/trash good. I would check with the dealers/sponsors on the site and tell them your budget , what you want to hunt and where you will be hunting. They will be able to set you up with a MD that fits your needs best.Don't feel bad about your budget. You can get a good machine on your budget. Remember, your results will only be as good as you learn the MD regardless of how much you spend! Good luck!

 

[treasurehound]

Your budget should get you a pretty decent machine to start out with. Since you mainly hunt parks, schools, etc.... I would get a machine that has a display to show you VDI numbers. This will save you a lot of time. Coins will have a high VDI number and trash will be lower. Also tone id is a big plus as well. Coins will give a high tone and trash will be low. A lot of people start out with the Ace 250 and then move up later to a better machine. Also you can get a very good used MXT or M6. I have owned several machines since 1979 and I have paid all of them off within the first year of getting them from my finds. Even my expensive TDI that I purchased last fall I paid it off with finds in two months. What I mean by paid off is the value of finds compared to value of machine. Your budget may be $400 now but those quarters and dimes add up and before long you can get the machine that you really want. Hit those tot lots. A lot of gold and silver jewelry can be found there. As far as a pinpointer the Garrett Propointer is the best way to go. Good luck. No matter what machine you get take the time to learn it and you will be finding stuff before too long.

 

[rainyday101]

I haven't owned the Delta 4000 so I cannot comment on it, I am sure it is a capable machine. I do however own a Silver uMax and love it. It handles emi interference really well and the discrimination circuit is amazing! It separates iron from coins extremely well. It has a single tone that once you learn you will be able to tell a coin every time. Now bear in mind some bottle caps and large metal will fool any detector. I have had displays and don't miss them. You will become much better at metal detecting if you learn to listen to tones. In your price range the Cibola would be a killer. It is deep and has excellent discrimination for trashy areas. You can also have the ground balance mod done at a later date to make it as good as a vaquero. Also Tesoro has a lifetime guarantee that you will probably never need. If you ever decide to sell it, Tesoro's hold their value extremely well, often selling used for not much less than a new one. If you have any questions on any of the Tesoro detectors, just jump to the Tesoro forum and ask away! Also wanted to note that in your price range you could get a Silver uMax and a Garret Pin Pointer and have money to spare. If you ever upgraded I would bet that you would never get rid of the Silver uMax just because it is a killer detector for the price.

Whatever you decide, stick to a name brand detector and do your research. Good luck and if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask.

 

[markincypress]

Your budget should allow you to get a pretty decent machine and a pin-pointer too. One of the supporting vendors on this site; Metal Detecting Stuff, has what they call a "no junk package" that include things you actually would use (no plastic diggers or trash aprons).

 

[swantek]

Your budget should allow you to get a pretty decent machine and a pin-pointer too. One of the supporting vendors on this site; Metal Detecting Stuff, has what they call a "no junk package" that include things you actually would use (no plastic diggers or trash aprons).

I will check out Metal detecting Stuff out. I am trying to get myself out of beginner and maybe a mid range detector that will satisfy me for a long time. I see pin pointer packages for the Delta at 279 of eBay. I just made a offer for a vaquero that is a year old for 350 but I don't think it will fly. I am debating on it because it's used but again it has lifetime warranty right? I see a lot of people refer to the Delta "as good beginner detector" which I am trying to get away from. But a lot of people have good reviews of it and say good things about it. If I decide between the silver Umax and Delta, I will choose the Delta for the screen and less digging. But like I said I am kinda looking for the challenge of using ears to discriminate what I am going to dig. Let ya know what I pick soon. Thanks for your inputs.

 

[swantek]

I do see a Delta with a nice combo with the 11 inch DD coil, headset and pin pointer. $379

 

[heathgeo]

I say go with Tesoro but im bias...
They are some of the best detectors on the market in my opinion and have excellent discrimination & depth...
Not to mention their made in the USA and have a Lifetime Warranty...
I also like having knobs & switches compared to touch pads which wear out faster...
a VID is handy but when you get multiple targets like in a trashy area it jumps all over the place which leaves you to a judgement call anyways..
if you havent already check out Michael Czahur ( 53Silver ) on youtube hes goes over the Vaquero, Outlaw & Golden Umax pretty well...

 

[swantek]

I say go with Tesoro but im bias...
They are some of the best detectors on the market in my opinion and have excellent discrimination & depth...
Not to mention their made in the USA and have a Lifetime Warranty...
I also like having knobs & switches compared to touch pads which wear out faster...
a VID is handy but when you get multiple targets like in a trashy area it jumps all over the place which leaves you to a judgement call anyways..
if you havent already check out Michael Czahur ( 53Silver ) on youtube hes goes over the Vaquero, Outlaw & Golden Umax pretty well...

Ya I really think Tesoro is the best way to go but I need to stick with a higher end. I see the Cibola is right in my price range. I don't know if the 100 bucks more will give me more and if the 100 bucks less then the Vaquero is going to hurt me. I do like there warranties, great reviews and there made in the good ole USA.

 

[norbyx]

I had two Tesoro detectors; the lobo and the cibolla and sold them both. In my opinion you can have a much better detector with a vdi and a screen that can actually save some time in your detecting. Also the tesoros didn't behave too well in my soil that has high mineralization.
My opinion is that the delta 4000 is a good option, also a Garrett is an option the 250 or 350 are excellent detectors.

 

[swantek]

The cibola it is. Purchased it last night. Also got a better then nothing bounty pinpointed with my remaining funds. Someday maybe a Garrett pro. Thanks all, the choice was difficult with all the different opinions. I didn't know shelling out 400 a used 1 year ole vaquero was worth it so I went with a step down and had the extra funds for that pinpointer.

 

[rainyday101]

Swantek you made the right decision for the amount of funds you had available. Don't consider your Cibola an entry level machine. In the hands of an experienced user it will outrun much higher priced detectors. If you need ground balance at a later date you can have the ground balance mod done and it will be just as good as the Vaquero. Like heathgeo said, a display will jump all over the place when trash is present and you have multiple targets.

 

[swantek]

Tell me more about ground balance, why is it and important. Were do I Find more info on doing this modv

 

[heathgeo]

Ya I really think Tesoro is the best way to go but I need to stick with a higher end. I see the Cibola is right in my price range. I don't know if the 100 bucks more will give me more and if the 100 bucks less then the Vaquero is going to hurt me. I do like there warranties, great reviews and there made in the good ole USA.

I've seen nothing but good reviews on the Cibola...
I'm not sure how it compares to a Vaquero... they seem to be close in design..
And you could use the extra $100 towards a Garrett pro pin pointer...

 

[Rob 183]

The only difference is the Cibola has factory set ground balance, the Vaquero is manual.

Rob

 

[rainyday101]

Do a google search on Cibola ground balance mod. Sven over at the findmall forum is an expert on this one. It involves simply removing the preset pot from the circuit board and adding an external multi-turn pot to the face of the cibola.

 

[swantek]

Definitely check it out. In fact I was just googling GB today and learning about it. Also watching Silver 53 vids as he ground balanced is Valero.

 

[swantek]

Got a text from wifeypoo my Tesoro is already here, awesome fast shipping. Hope the unit is working good out of box.

 

[kshollywood]

Tesoro's are awesome machines, I don't own one but I get skunked by one every weekend.