Silver uMax - How tall can user be?

[TallTom]

I'm considering buying a Tesoro Silver uMax.
I'm six feet, six inches tall. Over the years, I've
learned that "One size fits all" isn't really true for me.

Can I use a Silver uMax without breaking my back
if I set it to its maximum extension?
How tall are some of you users out there?
Thanks.

 

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[willie d]

I'm 6' 1".

Where I have my Silver set I've got 5" of lower rod left until maximum extension.

 

[noble]

couldnt you buy another middle stem that would help to extend it DEREK

 

[TallTom]

I'm 6' 1".

Where I have my Silver set I've got 5" of lower rod left until maximum extension.

That sounds promising. Maybe max. extension will be about right
for me, assuming we both have typical proportions for arm and
leg length, etc.

 

[TallTom]

couldnt you buy another middle stem that would help to extend it DEREK

That's a possibility, I guess, but I didn't notice that the manufacturer
sells any accessory like that. If I bought one independently, I'd have
to make sure it fit perfectly and didn't cause instability or other
problems. I would really rather buy a device that will fit me right
out of the box.

 

[willie d]

If you go to Tesoro's website and check for a local dealer, then you could try it out there to be sure.

 

[U.K. Brian]

Whites and Minelab at least do a "tall man" lower shaft. I would e-mail Tesoro and ask if they do. They might make one specially as Fieldmaster did for me years back. They might not have twigged there's a demand for such a thing.

 

[Detector Wars]

I'm about 6'.2",

The tesoros are the only brand I have used out of the box that extend well, and where I don't really need to modify anything!

At 6'.6" it may be low, I can't tell, hang on... ok, you will be, hunched, I just tested this. Easy solution, White's sells the cheapest lower shafts, they have a long lower shaft as well, just order one. The end might not fit too well, so just use plastic grommets outside of the lower shaft ends.

Here are their shafts:
http://whiteselectronics.com/products/accessories/replacementparts.html

 

[noble]

hi tall tom if you can get a middle stem it will work ok as i have just tried my cibola middle stem on my silver umax they connect ok you can then do the ajustment on the lower stem DEREK

 

[TallTom]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I've sent an email
to Tesoro asking if they have any longer shafts available
for tall people who want to use the Silver uMax.
No reply yet.

 

[TallTom]

I received an email reply from Robert at Tesoro:

"You can purchase a second middle pole. That will be long enough for you.
Just call any of our dealers to order one."


So that seems to be Tesoro's method to handle tall customers.
No indication of what the price will be for the added pole.

I wish my nearest Tesoro dealer was closer than 90 miles away
(Gold Fever Prospecting in Hesperia, CA), which it is.
I guess I'll phone them to be sure they have the extra
pole (and the Silver uMax) in stock and then I'll take a drive
out there and see how it looks.

 

[TallTom]

Update:
I phoned the dealer, who did not have the Silver uMax in
stock and did not have the extra middle pole in stock either.
She said she would check on availability and price, and
phone me back the same afternoon.

However, she didn't phone back the same afternoon.

I decided to order the detector (without the
extra pole) online from Kellyco. I figured I'd try it
first without the extra pole, since one person here thought
it would be long enough. If I need the extra length, I'll
order the extra pole later.

 

[TallTom]

Another Update:

I received my Tesoro Silver uMax from Kellyco today.

I assembled it as described in the accompanying manual and set
it for its maximum length. Then I tried to use it and I think the
length is just about right for someone my height (and with my
arm length). When I look at the picture in the manual, in which
they show a man holding it at the recommended angle, with
the coil about a foot in front of his right foot, I think I match his
positioning and pole angle.

So I'm happy with the length. I don't think I need the extra
middle pole to extend it. The length from the front of the
handle to the top of the coil (i.e., the length directly along the
poles) is about 38 inches when fully extended this way.

If I were 6'7" or more, it might not be long enough. But since
I'm only 6'6", it works fine. If I change my mind after a few
hours in the field with it, I'll post an update.

Thanks again to everyone who gave me feedback!
You're a fine group of people.

 

[willie d]

Cool deal.

Glad to hear you took the plunge.

Good luck.

 

[TallTom]

Cool deal.

Glad to hear you took the plunge.

Good luck.

Thanks, Willie. You're the one whose message gave me hope that
the Silver uMax would fit me without an extra pole, since you said
you had about 5" extra length and you're 6'1". That arithmetic
turned out just right for me!

Now if I only can have about half the success on Southern California beaches
that you seem to have in each of your videos from Florida, I'll consider
myself a happy MDer. It'll take me a lot of practice to get there, I'm sure,
but I'm going to try.

 

[diggummup]

I just found this post. I'm glad that the UMax worked out for you so far. I'm the same height as you (with my shoes on) and I use a Sand Shark. It fits me just fine when it's pole mounted. Fill us in after a good beach run. I'm considering one for the dry sand around here. Tired of digging bottle caps at 2 feet.

 

[willie d]

Cool deal.

Glad to hear you took the plunge.

Good luck.

Thanks, Willie. You're the one whose message gave me hope that
the Silver uMax would fit me without an extra pole, since you said
you had about 5" extra length and you're 6'1". That arithmetic
turned out just right for me!

Now if I only can have about half the success on Southern California beaches
that you seem to have in each of your videos from Florida, I'll consider
myself a happy MDer. It'll take me a lot of practice to get there, I'm sure,
but I'm going to try.

Glad I could help.
Looking forward to those first finds.

 

[Detector Wars]

Really, can you stand up straight whilst detecting?

 

[TallTom]

Really, can you stand up straight whilst detecting?

Yes, I can stand up straight and sweep the uMax out in front of me.
As I said in an earlier post, I'm following the posture shown in the
Operator Instruction Manual that came with my Silver uMax.

I should note that I have slightly long arms, even for my height.
My wingspan is about 80 inches, even though my height is
78 inches. For many (most?) people, their height and wingspan
are about equal, or their wingspan is slightly less.

So my long arms might make my hands hang down lower for me
than the hands of other people the same height or shorter with
shorter arms. Maybe I also have a long neck and a tall head, so
my shoulders would be lower than another person the same height.
I've never really compared myself to anyone in that regard.

I should also mention that I've seen a number of MDers who stick out
their detectors much farther in front of them than shown in the picture
in the manual. The man there has the coil pretty close to his feet.
If you stick out the coil farther in front of you, you need a longer pole.

Finally, I'll just mention that I hit one of the local So. Calif. beaches
today for about 1.5 hours. My results were five coins and about 20
bottle tops and pull tabs. (And one complete beer can, which was
buried at least 12" and made a huge signal over a big area.)

Not a great start, but better than a shutout. And this was a Thursday
afternoon. I hope to do better on a Monday morning after a busy weekend.