Tesoro metal detectors?

DigIron2

Silver Member
Jan 22, 2014
4,031
2,967
Virginia
Detector(s) used
Fisher f75/1270/1266x/Radio Shack Treasure tracker/
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,408
30,017
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
My uncle has a tesoro,I am not sure what model?I have never really used one,but I was messing around with his and I didn't like the fact that his headphone jack was on the back of the box opposed to being on the front.Seemed like it didn't allow enough slack for the headphone cord.

I use Killer B's and Koss 480's with no problems at all.
 

Dave Rishar

Silver Member
Mar 6, 2008
3,212
3,256
WA
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, XP Deus, Vallon Gizmo
When I hunt with VDI guys and gals, I find that I dig twice the targets that they do in the same amount of time. Yes, I dig more aluminum, but I also score a lot more gold. I have seen guys swing over a target for a minute-and-a-half watching their VDI screen. By the time they walk away, I could have dug the plug, recovered the target, moved on and started cutting my next plug. I have been hunting with Tesoro for well over 20-years now, and I have never missed a good target.

What Terry says. If your back and knees are up to it, dig more holes. There's no shame in having the heaviest finds bag at the end of the day, and I don't like going home wondering whether or not I got everything worth getting. For me, any target that's interesting enough to evaluate past the initial swing or two is worth digging up, so I just dig it up. ANOTHER pull tab? No problem, it goes into the pull tab jar. ANOTHER zincoln? No problem, it goes into the clad tub. ANOTHER gold ring? No problem, and I remember why I dig in the trash range. :)

In terms of pure time vs. value analysis, I'd be spending my time much more effectively if I simply went into work for overtime and spent the money on jewelry. But that's not the same as finding it in the wild, is it? And if I want to find it in the wild, I'm going to have to dig through some trash to get to it. I made my peace with that fact after my first gold. It's going to take a lot more trash without any returns to make me stop. :)
 

TNGUNS

Bronze Member
Jun 23, 2012
2,368
1,208
Evensville, Tennessee
Detector(s) used
Whites 5900, Fisher 1266x, Tesoro Eldorado, Tesoro Silver Sabre, Whites Eagle Spectrum, Teknetics G2, Teknetics T2, Vibra-Probe 580
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
When I hunt with VDI guys and gals, I find that I dig twice the targets that they do in the same amount of time. Yes, I dig more aluminum, but I also score a lot more gold. I have seen guys swing over a target for a minute-and-a-half watching their VDI screen. By the time they walk away, I could have dug the plug, recovered the target, moved on and started cutting my next plug. I have been hunting with Tesoro for well over 20-years now, and I have never missed a good target.

All the respect in the world Terry........ but ........ never missed a good target?
 

roaddust66

Hero Member
Sep 22, 2013
608
342
Chattanooga Tennessee
Detector(s) used
Impact , Tejon . Fisher F75, Vaquero, uMaxSilver, Cibola , Delta 4000, F2, Ace350 , original Bandido
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
This puts tears in some of our eyes. Decades of memories of civil war hunting. Tesoro was the dominate detector. The Fisher 1265x was a "competitive response " to Tesoro because Fisher was getting it's butt kicked. ( I liked Fishers too ) not bashing them in anyway but fact is fact. So for some of us there is an emotional bond to the brand. I will share one text book example. I have told this before but will tell it again. My former hunting partner is 75 now. His memory is failing him. He no longer hunts. During the years he hunted in Georgia , he had two Eldorados , a Bandido II uMax and he did so well he built a building to display his relics all found with 3 Tesoro detectors. Enuff said. Yes, there are many better machines out there but for some of us there is more to it than that. Its decades of fantastic memories. One more story.. My partner was watching the bulldoziers grade for a new development. He found so many artillery shells that one day , he broke a leaf spring on his pick up from the shells.
 

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Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,408
30,017
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
All the respect in the world Terry........ but ........ never missed a good target?

Not one! If it rang up sweet, I dug it.
 

DiggerinVA

Bronze Member
Sep 16, 2013
1,666
1,654
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Detector(s) used
GPX5000, AT Gold, AT Pro, Whites TDI, Bandido 2 umax, Tejon, Vaquero, Deus 2, ORX and Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
So Terry.....You know anything about the Deleon? Found a good deal on a used one....and my wife wants "her own" machine. She wants simple but effective......
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,408
30,017
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

Rawhide

Silver Member
Nov 17, 2010
3,590
2,185
SouthWestern USA
Detector(s) used
Nox 800, Etrac, F75, AT Pro. Last two for sale.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
For the original poster.

Lots of good testimonials from Tesero owners. Like to read good stuff like that myself.

Download the manual for the Fisher F75 and look at the target mask and threshold settings section to give you a better idea of other machines. VDI hunting is for kids in my humble opinon. But its nice to have the back light and be able to configure the machine to my settings compared to a machine I would have to just tune it and hope i did it right. My vdi tells me exactly where I have the machine set.

Target mask is always a problem, I think fisher did a good job solving this problem. No lengthy explanation, just read the manual.

Threshold is the F75's ability to adjust the sound to your ear making deep targets sound more clear. Dont need a vdi to do that, but knowing which end of the spectrum your on means more depth or more sensitivity is important to me. You can get that info from the VDI.

I have a bad back, just cant do the extreme heat or dig every target. Might as well just dig good solid targets. I also dont like to leave a bunch of holes so I am picky. The VDI can give you a sense of confidence. But the old hands here have said, you get that with all your finds from a tone only machine.

Here is a good example of what I think is being said here. I use this expensive detector with a vdi at the same tot lots for a few years. One day I put the expensive detector down as I was finding no targets and pick up my PinPointer and crawled under the equipment. I made out like a bandit. My expensive detector missed the targets due to all the metal. My Pinpointer is a PI.

Look at where you are going to hunt and pick the right detector. There is several hunts, meteorites, relics, gold nugget, coin shooting and many more. Terry said something very important, he digs targets as we look at our vdi. Digging more targets is what I strive for too. But I like to dig good targets and leave the trash in the ground. Due to others digging all targets, we just got a no dig rule for the parks I hunt in. Last the VDI helps you set the detector to different settings. You adjust to the hunting conditions. If I want to buy a choked machine where the settings are set for me, Ill look for the hasbro seal lol.

Read the F75 manual and then demand a detector that gives you options for all your hunts. I cant buy a new detector every time I change places to hunt. Do I like fisher, yes. Has fisher been good to me, yes. Do I use a VDI, yes. Could I own a Tesero, yes. Our friends across the pond are serious hunters and very proud like some of us here. Dont believe the hype, they all work, just some detectors work better in your particular area. Good luck.
 

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rickydoo

Newbie
Apr 19, 2014
3
1
Carson City,NV
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Lobo Super/Trac
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I love my Lobo Supertrac!!!!! Why are you all fighting??? Im just happy to be outdoors enjoying what i love to do!!!!
 

DiggerinVA

Bronze Member
Sep 16, 2013
1,666
1,654
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
Detector(s) used
GPX5000, AT Gold, AT Pro, Whites TDI, Bandido 2 umax, Tejon, Vaquero, Deus 2, ORX and Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My house was built iin the 1940's and my 1.5 acre yard has produced countless coins (both clad and silver) and also many other cool fiinds including ww2 medals both nazi and american....i have filled 2 1/2 gallon jars of clad coins from this yard. My point is that i feel thiis yard is nearly hunted out! I have mainly hunted it with my ATPro but also some with my f75. A few days ago my wife wanted to detect it with my sons compadre(5.75 coil)....so i set it to knock out tabs and turned her loose. In just 30 minutes she had 8 coins (2 wheaties) and a very cool vintage childs belt buckle with a musket on it! Why did i miss these targets? All of them had nails or pull tabs in with them or very close, throwing my vdi numbers off on the ATP making me pass them up! My point is that numbers can help but they can hurt us also....
 

Boatlode

Bronze Member
Mar 30, 2014
1,728
3,033
Florida Treasure Coast
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark......
Nokta Pulse dive....
Scubapro Jet Fins...................
Mares Puck dive computer.......
Sherwood Silhouette BCD.......
Poseidon Cyklon 300 regulator...
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks
When I decided to upgrade, I literally researched every machine on the market. Many of them hands-on. I suggest you do the same. No single machine will do it all - you need to evaluate what your needs are. Be honest with yourself and decide what type of environment you will be hunting most of the time, and choose your tool according to the job.

For what its worth, after months of evaluation, I chose a Tesoro. Best decision I ever made.
 

massi

Newbie
Aug 31, 2014
1
0
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
tesoro

hi jovan

i am completely new to this hobby , like a couple off weeks new..

don,t know nothing about treasure hunting , detectors , the goods and the bads in case of the many brands they sell all over the world..
and probably i may see things wrong , but i just can,t help the fact that i have one , a tesoro ...and i,m happy with it.

i guess it takes years and years of practice , listening , readings...vids...and espacially hunting to become one of the experts . i would be honored !

the one i own is a tesoro tiger shark , and i have absolutely no doubts that there will be better ones for the job , wich to be honest till today i didn,t

know what was ( the job ) all i know is that i want to start a intresting hobby , with a good unit , strong and capable off all weather conditions.

and please dont ask me because i myself really don,t know how i end up with the tiger shark..

i did some research , red some stories , has looked at a couple of vids on the net .. some revieuws etc etc..

and for some reasons , i end up with this unit..and again i,m happy with it , it feels like a reliable one , he is waterproof , and makes a funny sound

some times ...like a happy duck ! i am still practicing a lot with the knobs and doing air tests ...also i have barried some stuff in my garden ..

worked very well ! long story short , had some other detectors in my hands before buying this one, they felt like weapons out of a starwars movie..

with all the respect it simply wasn,t my piece of cake , the tiger shark , and most of the tesoro,s look more retro ...edgy , just out of a good bond-

film ,but with the ability to find things wich other more expensive ones seem to miss sometimes .

at least , that is what i found out on many readings on the net. also they are very light , even the tiger swings nice and smooth.

i have thrust in my tiger , and i know for sure that i wil find gold , some day !!!!!!!!

i,m not in a rush , i took my time comparing , and up with the tiger , and as long he doesn,t bit me he stays !!!!
 

penzfan

Bronze Member
Apr 12, 2014
1,417
994
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030 - Excal 1000 - Excal II - Sovereign GT - RTG/Oleg Scoops - XPointer
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
Tesoro = Affordable, Reliable, Technologically advanced, Great Customer Service and warrantied for Life!
 

Coin Digger

Sr. Member
Jul 13, 2008
328
47
Williams County Ohio
Detector(s) used
Whites Classic 3 SL
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Platinum
Whites XLT
Nokta Legend
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I use to own a Tesoro Cortes and I didn't like it. It had slow recovery and was really poor at Pin Pointing. It was terrible in trashy areas.
It's my opinion the Cortes is old tech compared to what's being put out by other manufactures.
You really should consider getting a machine with target ID and muti-tone. You listen with your ears first then compare it with target ID. Don't worry about leaving anything behind for others to find because once you learn your new machine you'll know what to dig and what to skip.
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,408
30,017
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
...Don't worry about leaving anything behind for others to find because once you learn your new machine you'll know what to dig and what to skip.

I LOVE this! I wish everybody thought this was true because I would find SO MUCH MORE gold! Yes, everyone should TRUST your target ID numbers - PLEASE! :thumbsup:
 

Coin Digger

Sr. Member
Jul 13, 2008
328
47
Williams County Ohio
Detector(s) used
Whites Classic 3 SL
Fisher F2
Bounty Hunter Platinum
Whites XLT
Nokta Legend
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I LOVE this! I wish everybody thought this was true because I would find SO MUCH MORE gold! Yes, everyone should TRUST your target ID numbers - PLEASE! :thumbsup:
If you like digging trash buy a Tesoro, that way you won't miss anything.
 

Turbo21

Bronze Member
Jun 24, 2014
1,099
1,555
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Eurotek pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
My house was built iin the 1940's and my 1.5 acre yard has produced countless coins (both clad and silver) and also many other cool fiinds including ww2 medals both nazi and american....i have filled 2 1/2 gallon jars of clad coins from this yard. My point is that i feel thiis yard is nearly hunted out! I have mainly hunted it with my ATPro but also some with my f75. A few days ago my wife wanted to detect it with my sons compadre(5.75 coil)....so i set it to knock out tabs and turned her loose. In just 30 minutes she had 8 coins (2 wheaties) and a very cool vintage childs belt buckle with a musket on it! Why did i miss these targets? All of them had nails or pull tabs in with them or very close, throwing my vdi numbers off on the ATP making me pass them up! My point is that numbers can help but they can hurt us also....

You would have had the same experience going from a Tesoro to an at pro All machines work just a little bit different. And will hit better in different targets. Think your yard is hunted out? Hunt again after a rain or during a drought or with a low humidity or high humidity level......or walking in a different direction etc. get my point

That's why they say no place is ever hunted out. You could hit that same 1.5 acre lot for the next 5 years and still find new targets every time you hunt
 

Boatlode

Bronze Member
Mar 30, 2014
1,728
3,033
Florida Treasure Coast
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Sand Shark......
Nokta Pulse dive....
Scubapro Jet Fins...................
Mares Puck dive computer.......
Sherwood Silhouette BCD.......
Poseidon Cyklon 300 regulator...
Primary Interest:
Shipwrecks

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