Tesoro Silver uMax Depth tests

[deathhare]

Due to concerns about the depth I was getting with my Silver uMax on coins I decided to do some real testing today.
I spent a lot of time doing it and feel it was a pretty thorough test of what the detector can and cannot do.
This test was done with the stock Silver uMax coil.

I went to the park and found a nice piece of space that I could dig in and not be bothered. There was no junk to be detected in the small area so I started the test. First, I dug out a very clean plug with my Lesche tool. This hole was exactly 6" deep in solid, non-rocky topsoil. I set my disc. on FOIL and my sens. at just under 10.

Results of laying each coin individually, flat on the bottom of the 6" hole, packing the dirt in and the plug on top.
25¢ : no sound from the detector
10¢ : no sound from the detector
5¢ : no sound from the detector
1¢ : no sound from the detector

Sadly, the Silver uMax could not find any of these coins laying flat at 6".
I did the same exact test on each coin at 5" and got a repeatable quiet blip from all four coins. The dime gave the signal in only one direction I believe. 5" was the limit on depth in this soil with the Silver uMax.
I then decided to do a sideways test. What i mean is that instead of laying the coin flat on the bottom I would turn it perpendicular to the surface of the Earth.
I only did this test with 25¢. At 7", no sound from the detector. At 6", no sound from the detector. At 5", no sound from the detector. At 4", no sound from the detector. At about 3", I got a repeatable blip from the quarter.
3" was the sideways limit on depth in this soil with the Silver uMax. I was afraid to test the smaller coins sideways because I knew the result would be even more pathetic than 3".


As far as I can tell my detector works perfectly as Tesoro designed it. Its been very reliable and predictable after more than 40 hours of use. The downside of this detector is that it basically sucks on coins at depth. Larger items wake it up a little more and I think its best area seems to be hunting relics of iron. Other metals pop good as well as long as theyre large enough. The Silver uMax seems to be a solid detector if you arent too serious about finding deep coins or small items.
Im currently looking into other detectors but not sure what to get. I love hunting relics and the uMax does a decent job as along as the target isnt small and deep. In a perfect world Id love to have a coin loving, relic hunting machine.
I'm not sure how these results rate against other detectors in the same price range but Id love to hear your input on that matter.


Also, If anyone has any other suggestions for detectors that are below $400 and do a better job than this Tesoro, Id love to hear them.

 

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[UncleVinnys]

Wow, that's kinda sad.
thought it had more pickup sensitivity.

 

[deathhare]

Yes, it is sad.
I felt very deflated and almost didnt want to do any hunting today after that.
I ended up finding a cool spot to hunt though had a good time anyway.

Im kind of scared to buy something else though and it not be all its cracked up to be either.
I heard some awesome opinions about this uMax before I bought it and it definitely swayed me to get one. Those opinions were obviously a little exaggerated or untested?

 

[ParkHunter61]

It could be your soil.
I have mild soil and get much better depth
with the Silver umax.
Your ground balance is preset.
You could send your Silver back to
Tesoro with a bag of your soil and
they can reset the ground balance for your area or
Get a Vaquero with manual ground balance.
You might get a machine that goes deeper
but find that there aren't any coins there -
it all depends on your soil.....
Most coins are in the 1 to 5'' range...
I know that doesn't make you feel better.
I would be unhappy too..
Bill

 

[ParkHunter61]

You could see if there is any Tnet members that are
in your area and what detectors they use or what kind
of problems they have had with the soil there.
Bill

 

[deathhare]

I would say the soil used in the test was pretty mild considering I was able to set the sens at 9. It still didnt chatter at 10 but I left it at 9 anyways.
And yes....I would love to hear from anyone in the area about their soil experiences.
I personally think it just boils down to the fact that this detector is a cheap-ish entry level detector and expecting unrealistic things out of it is, well, unrealistic.

I'm no longer unhappy. I'm just disappointed that my suspicions are now facts and that I didnt make a better choice when I bought this detector. I dont know what I would have chosen instead though...but now I'm in that place again and trying to figure out what to do.
I wonder if some of the higher end Tesoros are better??
I really like the design of the Tesoro and the lifetime warranty is nice to have as well.

 

[ParkHunter61]

I can run my sens maxed out with the stock coil
but with the 10x12 I have to back it down to 9.
It is an inexpensive entry level machine and a good one.
You may buy a more expensive machine and be even more
disappointed...If theres no silver coins where your
hunting you won't find them..
Depending what the density of your soil - the coin will
only go to a certain depth unless there was land fill.
Your Silver has good resale value and you can always
upgrade.. I wouldn't give up so soon with what you got.
I'm still learning mine (25 hrs) but have found no silver in a park
where I have found silver coins before with a Classic Id.
Bill.

 

[deathhare]

I can run my sens maxed out with the stock coil
but with the 10x12 I have to back it down to 9.
It is an inexpensive entry level machine and a good one.
You may buy a more expensive machine and be even more
disappointed...If theres no silver coins where your
hunting you won't find them..
Depending what the density of your soil - the coin will
only go to a certain depth unless there was land fill.
Your Silver has good resale value and you can always
upgrade.. I wouldn't give up so soon with what you got.
I'm still learning mine (25 hrs) but have found no silver in a park
where I have found silver coins before with a Classic Id.
Bill.

Yeah Im definitely afraid of buying something "better" and being disappointed.
"If theres no silver coins where your
hunting you won't find them.."
How about if you know a coin is there (because you buried it!) and it cannot find it?
Its just the fact that this detector cant even locate a clad quarter on its side at 4". I mean that is pretty bad regardless of what kind of soil I have, eh?
Even on All-Metal with the sens at 9 it didnt make a peep on that 4" quarter.

 

[deathhare]

double post. whoops.

 

[ParkHunter61]

I feel your pain..
If you find a good spot to hunt
remember there was 8 ga-zillion guys
that hunted it already.....

 

[deathhare]

I feel your pain..
If you find a good spot to hunt
remember there was 8 ga-zillion guys
that hunted it already.....

True.
Although today I may have found a pretty untouched, hidden spot. Which is amazing around here.

Oh, Im also considering just getting the 12"x10" coil for the Silver uMax. People seem to be getting more depth out of it than the stock one.
It would definitely be cheaper than getting a completely new detector.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Sounds like it might be your specific detector. I have a uMax, and I get better consistent depth than that in my area. I don't know what to say...

If you send it to Tesoro for them to check it out, it won't cost you a thing.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

 

[deathhare]

Have you actually tested it the way I did?
Im finding that many people say what you say but havent done any tests at all.
What they have done is overdug targets, got the item and looked at the big hole they dug while imaging it was at the bottom.

 

[Planet1mars]

now im really happy i didnt buy the silver umax... im glad i got the cibla instead

 

[UncleVinnys]

I agree w Park, above. Could be other things, like soil or something.
I would not be too bummed out about it.
Try the test again with new batteries and max sensitivity.
Don't use rechargable batteries - they are only 1.2 volts,
versus 1.5 for standard.

If it's any consolation, I have a very expensive MXT
with a 9" coil. Although it gets to about 6-7 inches
the ID is way off after about 3 inches, so a bottle cap
shows up as a quarter, etc. AND most of the finds
are really just in the the top few inches
(Here in Calif. anyway.)

 

[BuckleBoy]

Have you actually tested it the way I did?
Im finding that many people say what you say but havent done any tests at all.
What they have done is overdug targets, got the item and looked at the big hole they dug while imaging it was at the bottom.

I have most certainly planted a test garden with the machine, and I have no trouble with mine picking up a quarter at 6 inches. As I recall, a test garden with an 8 inch deep quarter was detected fine as well.

 

[EddieR]

Deathhare, Something is wrong. The Silver should get much better depth than what you are reporting. I've had one for years and have had GREAT results with it. Perhaps you should send it in to Tesoro to be checked out. I've dug plenty of coins at 7-9 inches that gave a strong repeatable signal. But....if you upgrade, seriously consider a Vaquero. I know air tests are not very accurate....but my Vaquero will give a strong signal on my wedding band at 12". Just food for thought. Oh, by the way...it's harder for a detector to pick up a freshly buried coin than one that's been buried for a long time.

 

[jharhed]

Deathhare, the deeper the target, the longer its been in the ground therefore making the halo effect (oozing of the objects properties into the soil) much stronger. So if you drop a coin into a hole it has zero halo. Try leaving it there for a few days and check again. I feel your disgust, had the same thing happen to me and my cibola, wouldn't get a quarter flat at 8 inches, I was pissed! I went back abt 3 days later and there it was, try it out.

 

[SkiWhiz]

Yes I am a faithful Tesoro user, but I don't care what brand of detector you are using- if you dig a "clean" hole and put a coin in it you will NOT get a accurate reading. I have used many many different brands and models of detectors in the last + 25 years of detecting and have owned and used four Silver uMax's & they are the best - $250.00 detectors made, period. Air test, the test you did (digging a hole & tossing a coin in it) doesn't mean a thing. In the "real" world the Silver uMax will get the job done. Matter of fact I will go out on a limb and anyone can prove me wrong (it hasn't happerned yet) and say that the Silver uMax will out do the Ace 250 and the F2. Yes the Silver uMax does not have a TID but when it comes to gettin er done the Silver uMax will get the "goodies" that the ugly sounding belltone Ace 250 and the F2 misses. I quarantee that, I have had two F2's and two Ace 250's and 4 Silver uMax's. Steve.

 

[deathhare]

Thanks for the good words guys.
I will plant a coin garden this weekend.
I will plant a penny, a nickel, a dime and a quarter. Let them sit for a few weeks and then check it again and see what I get. Probably do 5", 6" and 7" and see what happens.
I will post my findings.