Vaquero or AT Pro / AT Gold??

Pulltab Parson · Jan 20, 2013

Hey all,

Looking for opinions on which machine I need to get. I really like Tesoro, but the AT Pro / AT Gold are really nice machines. Can anyone give me some feedback on which machine they would go with and why?

thanks for the input and HH

Pulltab Parson

Terry Soloman · Jan 20, 2013

I would and did choose the Vaquero for a couple of reasons. It is just as deep or deeper than the AT Pro, it weighs a lot less, it costs less, and it has a lifetime warranty with no history of problems or arm cuffs breaking. I don't hunt fresh water deeper than a foot or so, and I can put a plastic baggie raincover on it in the rain.

Ace350 · Jan 20, 2013

It depends where you hunt and what you hunt for mostly.
I am a big fan of the AT-pro. I use it inland and on the beaches and in the surf of the ocean with no problems.
It has the DD coil which is better in mineralized soil than a concentric coil on Vaquero.
Most land machines like the Vaquero will not work well in the wet sand and salt water of the ocean. Also if they are not water tight like the AT-pro, salt in the air will get inside the machine and eventually destroy the internal electronics. So if you plan to detect on salt water beaches it is something to consider.

All the above problems with the AT-pro Terry mentioned were fixed last year and all the ones made from 2012 and on are built well with no more problems.

The digital VDI display is helpful but isn't necessary if ya know what you are doing.

In my opinion the AT-pro is more versatile.
Like I said earlier. It all depends on where and what you plan to hunt and what you have to spend on a machine.

Trackerman · Feb 7, 2013

I went At pro can hunt in rain at beaches at lakes prospecting anywhere . This machine is a do it all machine. At gold can't hunt beaches. Vaquero not weather proof.

norbyx · Feb 7, 2013

Just wonder why the AT-PRO is the detector that is most talked about in most forums. Everyone wants one. That is not only because it's waterproof, its because its a great detector.
As for tesoros, well I was not lucky with any, they do discriminate but have much less features than the AT-Pro. I wouldn't have to think it just go for the Pro.

Trackerman · Feb 7, 2013

Yep have had tesoros and usually they have eighter pinpoint no id or id with no pinpoint. Whites make awsome machines but heavy as hell and a bit on the pricey side. Fisher and teknetics arent too bad but build quality is sometimes questionable and no weather proof like the At pro. Minelabs are over priced and typically heavy. I think Garrett did there homework on tge At series.

xr7ator · Feb 7, 2013

Terry Soloman said:
I would and did choose the Vaquero for a couple of reasons. It is just as deep or deeper than the AT Pro, it weighs a lot less, it costs less, and it has a lifetime warranty with no history of problems or arm cuffs breaking. I don't hunt fresh water deeper than a foot or so, and I can put a plastic baggie raincover on it in the rain.

I see you posting on here a bunch, Terry, but I'm gonna have to call BS. How can ANY detector weigh A LOT LESS than 3.5 lbs

norbyx · Feb 7, 2013

xr7ator said:
I see you posting on here a bunch, Terry, but I'm gonna have to call BS. How can ANY detector weigh A LOT LESS than 3.5 lbs

Well Terry is a great guy, only loves its tesoros a little too much. As for the weight well a 1.75 lb detector is half the weight of the 3.5 Lb so a lot less...

dirtfisher · Feb 13, 2013

norbyx said:
Well Terry is a great guy, only loves its tesoros a little too much. As for the weight well a 1.75 lb detector is half the weight of the 3.5 Lb so a lot less...

I have to say I'm with Terry on this one. Using a Fisher for a long time I seen a guy just dig everything up from behind me with a Tesoro Cibola. I had the Fisher 1265x. Everyone says they are really great relic hunting machines but truth be known they are about the worst detectors for that type of hunting. You will dig every tiny nail and piece of iron in whatever site you are hunting unless you turn up your discrimination but then guess what? You lose your minnie balls and musket balls and forget finding anything gold unless you turn down your discrimination and dig everything. Now coin shooting they are amazing and hit HOT on coins. I use to love to take my Fisher to parks. I got me a Cibola and turned the discrimination knob just above Iron and it was like a whole new world opened up to me. I was finding minnie balls, musket balls, buttons, buckles, suspender buckles. Just about everything I dug was treasure out in the relic field. Now it is time for me to upgrade my detector and I decided I wanted something with a VDI screen. Took a look at about everything from Fisher to Garrett and to Whites and even Minelabs. To be honest all of those detectors including the AT Pro had really nice features and had all the features that I wanted in a detector. But I only had one problem with them and it was a major problem. None of them really goes past 10 inches on the small stuff unless you pay MORE MONEY for their most expensive models. THEN and ONLY THEN you get the depth you desire such as the Fisher F70 and F75, or the Garrett GTI 2500, or White's Spectra V3i. It is all a marketing gimmick to get you to spend more money. The more money you spend, the more depth you get. Well it's not that way with Tesoro. You can get the depth of the other name brand manufacture models for half the price with their metal detectors. Yes most of them may not have that fancy display, but in all honesty you really don't need it. Don't let the looks of those detectors fool you. Tesoro has packed outstanding trash separation capability and really good discrimination with their machines. Not to mention they back everything with a lifetime warranty. As a buyer that means a whole lot to me. So until the other manufacturers make a VDI machine that has excellent depth at a reasonable cost to me, I will buy Tesoro any day. What I want is the depth. And to me, the Cibola, Vaquero, Tejon, and the Lobo will give it to me. This is why I have definitely decided to buy the Vaquero. If I want to hunt at the beach I will buy me a double D coil and throw a plastic baggy over that bad boy to keep the salt out. I am not trying to bash and other detector or manufacture that makes them. This is just my opinion on how I see it and what appeals to me so take it with a grain of salt and happy hunting. :icon_thumleft:

CaballoDeOro · Feb 14, 2013

I have a Cibola and an AT Pro. The AT gets a lot more use. But having said that, the best advice I can give is to try both before you buy - perhaps if you have friends from whom you can borrow?

Both are excellent detectors but they are very different in terms of feature set and the way that you'll use them. The most important thing about a hunter/detector combo is the EXPERIENCE of the hunter with that particular detector, not the brand he or she decided to buy. You have to learn your machine - there's nothing more important than being familiar and proficient with YOUR detector.

liftloop · Feb 14, 2013

Trackerman said:
I went At pro can hunt in rain at beaches at lakes prospecting anywhere . This machine is a do it all machine. At gold can't hunt beaches. Vaquero not weather proof.

Aaa there is only 3 frequency different between the at pro and the at gold I don't see were that makes a different

Metal Detecting Stuff · Feb 14, 2013

The At Gold is 3 kHz higher than the Pro and extremely sensitive to small micro gold. It isn't recommended for wet salt beaches due to its extreme sensitivity. Freshwater is fine, dry salt sand works ok.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com