What would be the best light weight relic/ coin detector for me?

Reed Lukens

Silver Member
Jan 1, 2013
2,653
5,418
Congres, AZ/ former California Outlawed Gold Miner
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, Whites MXT, Vsat, GMT, 5900Di Pro, Minelab GPX 5000, GPXtreme, 2200SD, Excalibur 1000!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Currently I have a Whites MXT and it gets heavy. I also have a GPX 5000 and I've modded it to fit my needs. What I would like is a new Relic/ Coin detector that will help me cope with my new disability. New? Well since late 2013, I was wrecked by a kid texting and now have a partial rib cage on my right side where I carry my detector and it gets sore pretty fast when swinging. Plus the MXT is getting old, so I want a new really well balanced detector and you guys are the pro's, so... What would be some of the best choices for me with right shoulder problems? Using it left handed works but still feels weird so I would like either a good ambidextrous model, maybe a lefty..., really I would like a righty that is a superlight as far as weight but great as far as depth and dependability. I'm lost, I really miss being able to use my right arm like I could before but I won't give up :) Honestly, I'm really only familiar with Whites and Minelab and have used plenty of both for many decades, so I am really open to trying a new brand or whatever it takes to get me back in the ground with a great detector.
 

RobRieman

Silver Member
Nov 12, 2012
3,282
1,915
Cincinnati Ohio
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
White's V3i / Minelab E-trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
How about an XP Deus? It's light as a feather and a real high performance machine. It's also totally wireless.
 

airscapes

Hero Member
Nov 13, 2013
973
555
Philadelphia PA
Detector(s) used
DFX 950, U13,6"Exc & 4x6 Coils, Coinmaster GT 4x6 & NEL Hunter coil, TRX Pin Pointer, CZE-T200 FM Transmitter, Sangean DT-400W and ER6i in-ears.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
have you tired a harness or a swingy thingy..
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,422
30,105
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
Tesoro Vaquero!
 

OP
OP
Reed Lukens

Reed Lukens

Silver Member
Jan 1, 2013
2,653
5,418
Congres, AZ/ former California Outlawed Gold Miner
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, Whites MXT, Vsat, GMT, 5900Di Pro, Minelab GPX 5000, GPXtreme, 2200SD, Excalibur 1000!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
have you tired a harness or a swingy thingy..

Yes, I have, use both and I use it on the MXT also. I connect the swingy thingy to a day pack :)
4063.jpeg
 

masterjedi

Bronze Member
May 24, 2014
1,757
1,349
Oregon
Detector(s) used
Minelab's CTX 3030, E-Trac & EQ800, Fisher F75LTD SE & F44, Whites MXT All PRO, Whites TRX Pointer & Shovel, Predator Tools Raptor hand digger & Ranger shovel. Grey Ghost Ultimate headphones.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
You need a bigger coil than you have in the pic... :) That thing would hurt anyone's arm... If you use the correct harness it will take all of the weight off of any coil... Good luck!
 

OP
OP
Reed Lukens

Reed Lukens

Silver Member
Jan 1, 2013
2,653
5,418
Congres, AZ/ former California Outlawed Gold Miner
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, Whites MXT, Vsat, GMT, 5900Di Pro, Minelab GPX 5000, GPXtreme, 2200SD, Excalibur 1000!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You need a bigger coil than you have in the pic... :) That thing would hurt anyone's arm... If you use the correct harness it will take all of the weight off of any coil... Good luck!

My problem isn't weight on the arm, that is an old pic with the modified swingy thingy on I think the 22SD, or could be my old GPXtreme. My problem now is any weight on the bad right shoulder for more than maybe 10 minutes. The less weight total, the longer I can run between breaks and the last detector that I bought was the MXT and I've had it for 5+ years or just after they came out. So I'm wanting to buy a new detector. Throw out some names, I will look at them all, then maybe take a poll. Then I will buy one and let Karen have the MXT as a good starter unit so she can learn. We're going to start doing a lot more detecting as we start traveling again next week. I like to research before I buy and now I can afford to buy a nice new coin/ relic machine because my gold mining has paid for itself.
 

OP
OP
Reed Lukens

Reed Lukens

Silver Member
Jan 1, 2013
2,653
5,418
Congres, AZ/ former California Outlawed Gold Miner
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, Whites MXT, Vsat, GMT, 5900Di Pro, Minelab GPX 5000, GPXtreme, 2200SD, Excalibur 1000!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Tesoro Vaquero!

Tesoro Vaquero wins hands down :)
Thanks Terry :)

I went to Big Valley Metal Detectors in Sacramento this morning because they had both the XD Deus and the Tesoro Vaquero and I was able to look at them both. Larry, the owner said that in the beginning he loved the Deus but after a while found that it didn't discriminate small pieces of foil from dimes and he put them on the shelf and stopped selling them directly. But either way he had both and there really wasn't enough of a weight difference between the 2 to matter as both weigh in at just over 2lbs. I was able to try a bunch of different detectors and the weight and versatility of the Tesoro out did the rest. Because I really loved my old Vsat and I know my sounds, he saw right off that I really didn't need a screen to tell me what's what and all of the higher end screened detectors weigh in twice as much. So Karen now has my MXT and she's really happy, and I have the new Vaquero that I will be able to use a lot longer between having to set it down because of its extremely overall light weight. Thanks everyone for all of the great input :)
Tesoro Metal Detectors - Official company web site with metal detector models for treasure hunting land or water.
 

Captain Caveman

Silver Member
May 14, 2015
2,513
2,234
Madison, MS
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75SE, F44, F2 and CZ-20. Minelab E-TRAC and Go-Find 60. Tesoro Tejon. BH Quick Silver.
Primary Interest:
Other
Good luck with your new machine! Did you try the Fisher F75se? It is extremely light and very well balanced. It feels like an extension of my arm.
 

OP
OP
Reed Lukens

Reed Lukens

Silver Member
Jan 1, 2013
2,653
5,418
Congres, AZ/ former California Outlawed Gold Miner
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero, Whites MXT, Vsat, GMT, 5900Di Pro, Minelab GPX 5000, GPXtreme, 2200SD, Excalibur 1000!
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Good luck with your new machine! Did you try the Fisher F75se? It is extremely light and very well balanced. It feels like an extension of my arm.

I looked at a lot but weight is the critical issue until my arm is back in full service again. The F75 is twice the weight of the Vaquero so I went with the lightest dependable detector that I could find this time.
 

Pointman

Silver Member
Feb 18, 2013
2,575
1,549
Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
I’ve used about all modern ones but right now: CTX 3030, White’s MXT Pro, XP Deus, Vaquero, White’s TRX
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
You are not going to get much lighter than the Tesoros and Deus as suggested. The Tesoros may not be your cup of tea cause they are a sound only machine.

The Deus is definitely the winner when it comes to light weight detecting and you can adjust the shaft lengthwise any way down the shaft. I use this when detecting mounds of dirt when houses are torn down, but it is a little different machine all together. I would recommend you watch videos on the Deus before you purchase. They run anywhere from $1,000 for a used one a few hundred more for a new one. The dealers on here can help you with your purchase. You can also talk with them concerning the ins and outs on the Deus and additional suggestions on the aftermarket accessories. I would also suggest you take a look in the Deus forum.
 

kshollywood

Hero Member
Jul 15, 2010
521
170
Brandon,ms
Detector(s) used
XP DEUS WS5 with 11" coil,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Whites VX3, whites DFX, MINELAB xterra 505
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
The DEUS is the best machine sold today, hands down
 

ToddB64

Sr. Member
Jan 7, 2007
418
73
Georgetown, Ohio, USA
Detector(s) used
Teknetics Gamma 6000,
Tesoro Bandido II µMax and
Compadre, White's Classic II,
Garrett Ace 250
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hey guys ! Read the man's post#8 . He bought the V already. Done deal. :laughing7:

ToddB64
_________________________________________________________________________

Tesoro Vaquero wins hands down
smiley.gif

Thanks Terry
smiley.gif


I went to Big Valley Metal Detectors in Sacramento this morning because they had both the XD Deus and the Tesoro Vaquero and I was able to look at them both. Larry, the owner said that in the beginning he loved the Deus but after a while found that it didn't discriminate small pieces of foil from dimes and he put them on the shelf and stopped selling them directly. But either way he had both and there really wasn't enough of a weight difference between the 2 to matter as both weigh in at just over 2lbs. I was able to try a bunch of different detectors and the weight and versatility of the Tesoro out did the rest. Because I really loved my old Vsat and I know my sounds, he saw right off that I really didn't need a screen to tell me what's what and all of the higher end screened detectors weigh in twice as much. So Karen now has my MXT and she's really happy, and I have the new Vaquero that I will be able to use a lot longer between having to set it down because of its extremely overall light weight. Thanks everyone for all of the great input
smiley.gif

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