Smudge
Bronze Member
- Jul 9, 2010
- 1,532
- 44
- Detector(s) used
- A Propointer tied to a stick
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
I've decided to drastically short this post. The original was just too long.
I recently got back into detecting after a 15 year absence. I was trying to find a good detector to start with and after awhile I decided on the Compadre.
Then I let people talk me out of it. They told me it was for kids, that the technology was too old and its capabilities too limited. They also complained about the coil being hardwired into the unit so you couldn't interchange coils.
I let myself get talked into buying a different detector, one with more features, but I didn't like it so I traded it in for another, and then another. Finally I found myself not having as much fun with the hobby anymore because I was going nuts trying to get a perfect land machine.
I finally had to stop myself. I didn't need perfect. Perfect does not exist. Every detector, from the Compadre up, has their advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on the user's skill and where they are choosing to hunt.
I wanted simple. I wanted fun. Was that wrong? No.
So I just bought a Compadre, the unit I planned to buy in the first place.
The Compadre is simple to use. One discrimination knob. That's it. No TID screen, which I think is too inaccurate both on target id and depth. And this comes from experience using several. You just have a single tone on the Compadre, but the power and crispness of the tone can tell you a lot. It will teach you a lot.
The 5.75" coil is perfect for trashy areas. Sure it doesn't cover as much ground, but at 2.2 lbs you can swing the Compadre for hours and not get tired.
Depth is fine, between 6" and 7", a little deeper in the right conditions and on larger targets. Since I don't relic hunt, what more do I need? Honestly, about 80%-90% of targets are dug within the first 6" not matter what machine you use.
I have the Garrett pinpointer, so pinpointing accuracy with the detector isn't as big an issue, but with practice would be fine even without the pinpointer.
And at 12 kHz, the Compadre seems to me to potentially be better on small gold then even the uMax.
And then there's that lifetime warranty.
Using a basic machine will help me figure out what my preferences really are and which ones mean nothing to me. If I had done this in the beginning, I could have saved myself a lot of money, time, and aggravation.
Sure, I'll get another detector one day, but I doubt I'll stop using the Compadre.
I recently got back into detecting after a 15 year absence. I was trying to find a good detector to start with and after awhile I decided on the Compadre.
Then I let people talk me out of it. They told me it was for kids, that the technology was too old and its capabilities too limited. They also complained about the coil being hardwired into the unit so you couldn't interchange coils.
I let myself get talked into buying a different detector, one with more features, but I didn't like it so I traded it in for another, and then another. Finally I found myself not having as much fun with the hobby anymore because I was going nuts trying to get a perfect land machine.
I finally had to stop myself. I didn't need perfect. Perfect does not exist. Every detector, from the Compadre up, has their advantages and disadvantages. It all depends on the user's skill and where they are choosing to hunt.
I wanted simple. I wanted fun. Was that wrong? No.
So I just bought a Compadre, the unit I planned to buy in the first place.
The Compadre is simple to use. One discrimination knob. That's it. No TID screen, which I think is too inaccurate both on target id and depth. And this comes from experience using several. You just have a single tone on the Compadre, but the power and crispness of the tone can tell you a lot. It will teach you a lot.
The 5.75" coil is perfect for trashy areas. Sure it doesn't cover as much ground, but at 2.2 lbs you can swing the Compadre for hours and not get tired.
Depth is fine, between 6" and 7", a little deeper in the right conditions and on larger targets. Since I don't relic hunt, what more do I need? Honestly, about 80%-90% of targets are dug within the first 6" not matter what machine you use.
I have the Garrett pinpointer, so pinpointing accuracy with the detector isn't as big an issue, but with practice would be fine even without the pinpointer.
And at 12 kHz, the Compadre seems to me to potentially be better on small gold then even the uMax.
And then there's that lifetime warranty.
Using a basic machine will help me figure out what my preferences really are and which ones mean nothing to me. If I had done this in the beginning, I could have saved myself a lot of money, time, and aggravation.
Sure, I'll get another detector one day, but I doubt I'll stop using the Compadre.
It operates at 12Khz like the Compadre but has a sesitivity knob like the Soilver Umax and a pin point button like the Cibola with a toggle to switch from a threshold based all metal mode to a silent search disc. mode.
