Need Some Guidence

[dlt123me]

Hi, I am new to treasure hunting and have not bought a detector yet. In all my research so far, I am leaning towards going with a Tesoro as my first MD...

I am still in the learning process and I live in the Pacific Northwest near Portland Oregon. Not sure if that makes any difference but thought I would mention it.

I am interested in locating coins, jewelry and maybe small gold nuggets. I also would like to be able to use my MD on the Oregon coast to do some sand searching as well... and if possible, be able to place the coil end in the water to search for shallow water finds.

Question: Am I being unrealistic in expecting my MD to be able to do both water and land searching or am I going to need a completely separate MD for any water work?

Of the detectors made by Tesoro, which one would be better suited for my needs. I am not interested in searching for relics... only what I just listed.

Also, I am hoping to get my son interested in treasure hunting so not too concerned about the price at this point. I am willing to buy a nice MD to help him have success when using it.

Any help is appreciated and thanks for fielding my newbie question.

Dennis

 

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[dlt123me]

I still need an answer to this question... but I have to say I am loving this site. I just ran into a thread about The Golden Olde website. I am in the process of reading articles that are on that site.

I may have asked a dumb question with this thread, but in the meantime, I will do some searching over at The Golden Olde. Not sure if I will find what I am looking for there, but it will help I'm sure...

So, if you have an answer to my question, please feel free to let me know... in the meantime I'll be searching other places for my answer, but value what people think here at TreasureNet.

Dennis

 

[dlt123me]

I wondered why no one was responding until I did some more research... I've learned enough already to say that this post is your typical newbie question. I now know that I need much more education before buying my first MD...

Looks like I am just looking for the Holy Grail just like everyone else. LOL Sorry for such an uninformed question..

Dennis

 

[luvsdux]

Well, in a perfect world this would be an easy answer, but it's not perfect. If you're really serious about small gold nuggets, you should have a dedicated gold machine, not a general use detector. Nearly all detectors can be used with the coil in the water as long as you don't get the control box wet, perfect answer?- dedicated water machine then you can get the whole works wet. Ocean beaches are not aproblem in the dry sand area for most detectors, but many have problems with WET SALT sand. My choice for one only detector for what you describe would be the Vaquero primarlly because it has manual ground balance capability along with good depth. It's a good general detector and can be used for gold nuggets even if not a first choice for that use. (manual ground balance or true auto ground tracking is a must in most gold producing areas) The closest thing to doing it all well from what you describe would be the Sand Shark, a pulse induction detector that handles the ocean beach salt environment, is totally water proof and deep on normal ground. However, it is a dig all machine with little to no discrimination capacity. As you may see, there are arguements for owning several different macihines for specific purposes. Good luck on deciding which way you wish to go and happy hunting.
luvsdux

 

[dlt123me]

Thanks Luvsdux for responding. Yeah, I initially wanted the Vaquero, but since I want to start getting back into gold panning again, I might get a Tiger Shark first.

From what I am gathering, the Tiger Shark is better for fresh water and the Sand Shark is geared more toward salt water. Since most of my water searching is going to be fresh water, the Tiger Shark is a better choice for me at this time.

I am going to post another thread on the Tiger Shark to get feedback on the land and water capabilities of that MD. I am wondering if it will be *almost* as good as a Vaquero for coin and jewelry hunting on land. If so, that will kill two birds with one unit. I could eventually buy the Vaquero later if I need a better land unit.

I considered getting a Sand Shark unit, but don't frequent the ocean that much to really justify it. As for the gold dedicated MD, I have to think on that for awhile.

I am wanting to also get a smaller MD for my son. Not sure what to get him. I don't want to spend too much on a MD for him, but also don't want to buy a cheap one since it will frustrate his finding. Also, I am not sure if he will enjoy this sport or not anyway.

Any suggestions for a unit for my son?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[luvsdux]

You're correct as to the Tiger being more useful as to fresh water. Not so sure how good it would be for prospecting versus the Lobo Super Traq. The two most reasonable choices for your son are either the Compadre or the Silver umax with the Silver's additional feature of being able to change coils. Compadres are simple and fun to use, however.
luvsdux

 

[dlt123me]

You're correct as to the Tiger being more useful as to fresh water. Not so sure how good it would be for prospecting versus the Lobo Super Traq. The two most reasonable choices for your son are either the Compadre or the Silver umax with the Silver's additional feature of being able to change coils. Compadres are simple and fun to use, however.
luvsdux

I actually called Tesoro and talked with a gentleman by the name of Rusty. He said the Silver uMax would be a good choice for my son since the soil here has a high mineral content. I live in Oregon.

So I have some decisions to make and will do research on the Silver uMax and the Tiger Shark.

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[rainyday101]

The Tiger Shark loves gold, at least gold jewelry. Not sure on how it will do on nuggets. My guess is it will work, but is not ideal. The Tiger does work well on land but could be considered heavy for a land hunter. If you like to set your disc high and cherry pick coins, the Tiger is not the ideal land machine. If you are a dig it all guy it will do quite well.

That said I use a Silver uMax and Tejon on land. I love both of them. I use a Tiger Shark for freshwater coin and jewelry hunting and it is extremely good. I bought a Tiger Shark because as you have realized, no one detector does it all. I wanted separate dedicated land and water detectors that were great for each of those types of hunting. Add nugget hunting into the mix and I would have another dedicated detector. My choices were greatly influenced by others on this forum and I glad I listened to them.

My friendly advice would be to start with one aspect of the hobby and buy the right detector for just that aspect. As you feel the need to broaden your horizons buy additional detectors as needed. I guess what I am trying to say is don't bite off more than you can chew initially. When you get good at one type of hunting the others will be easy with the right detector.

 

[Sandman]

You're correct as to the Tiger being more useful as to fresh water. Not so sure how good it would be for prospecting versus the Lobo Super Traq. The two most reasonable choices for your son are either the Compadre or the Silver umax with the Silver's additional feature of being able to change coils. Compadres are simple and fun to use, however.
luvsdux

Luvsdux gave excellent advice. The Tiger Shark is an excellent water detector and would do better in fresh water or on dry sand at a saltwater beach. I've used in the water at salt beaches. but for the salt your better off with a two or more frequency unit as it will handle the salt and black sand well. Something like an Excal II or CZ-21 The Tiger Shark can find gold nuggets, but not the tiny ones, but it can find earring backs, bird shot and thin chains. The Super Lobo is better as it runs at a higher frequency.

Your son would do well with the Silver Umax The Vaquero has a pinpoint mode which makes it a better choice for hunting grass where you can't leave any evidence that you were there. Amazon has an great kindle book on Mastering the Tejon and Vaquero metal detectors. http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Tes...&ie=UTF8&qid=1411166104&sr=1-1&keywords=tejon Its okay if you don't have a Kindle as you can download the free reading App and read the book on your computer.
Sandman

 

[dlt123me]

Thanks Sandman. Yeah, I've seen the Kindle book you're referring to. I am going to buy it since I will eventually be getting a Vaquero one day.

I'm curious, why do some buy the Tejon over the Vaquero? Is it the minerals in their area that signifies one over the other?

I will look into the other detectors you've mentioned...

Dennis

 

[Deftone]

If you havnt metal detected yet just know its tough. I started w a bounty hunter 202. Don't get me wrong I had good day's with that puppy. Long story short I got a vaquero I was in bliss. Then I got a tejon. Holy crap.... Digging stuff up is hard work man. You can ask all day but you will not go wrong with a Tesoro. Once you get a detector you won't care what anyone says. I say splurge on u and go cheap on the kid. If it say's Tesoro go for it. We all hope the kid goes for it.

 

[Sandman]

Dennis, the Tejon is deeper than the Vaquero, but I like it because of the two different disc modes. I can set one to knock out iron and the other one to barely knock out pull tabs and I can switch between them with the trigger. There are many other features that make it great like the VCO. The signal goes up in pitch the closer you are to the target.. You should read the book to learn why Tesoro's out preform digital detectors with screens.


Dennis

 

[Higgy]

Dennis, If you want one detector to do it all, probably the closest you will ever get to that will be the Minelab CTX-3030, but for the price of it you could get three detectors to hunt for gold, water, and everything else.

 

[masterjedi]

Take a look at the Garrett AT PRO...

 

[Hobojo]

I think it would be safe to say I'm a New B. My wife and I started in November of 13' almost a year ago. First thing we did was to try and figure out what type of hunting we were going to do. Second we wanted MD's that were easy to learn and use. Thirdly we did not want to spend a whole lot of money on a hobby we weren't sure we would enjoy. Fourthly we wanted to deal with a company that would answer our questions and be able to help us if we had any problems with our MD's
Does any of this look familiar?
After looking at our questions we came to the conclusion that TESORO was the ONLY company that would meet the need!
Hey YOU may come to a different conclusion, but if you want a FUN ,EASY TO USE AND REALLY GOOD BUT INEXPENSIVE MD then get a TESORO or a few since they are SO competitively priced. Only one word of WARNING , like a Lays potato chips, you can't have just ONE!!!
Do as Rusty say's!!!! Sliver Max for the son and then get the Vaquero for yourself. And then after you get the bug, get the Sand Shark and you will be a very Happy Hunting man. By then you will have spent some where around 1200$ and have 3 really good detectors NOT just ONE.
Also remember the accessories, headphone, pinpointers and diggers. A pair of good headphones are a must with any Tesoro. All Tesoro's excluding the two water machines allow YOU to pick out the headphones YOU want.

 

[rainyday101]

Like Hobojo said. For less than the price of one Excaliber or E-trac I have one phenomenal water detector, the Tiger Shark, and also two excellent land machines, the Tejon and Silver uMax. Not only that I have Grey Ghost headphones and a Garret ProPointer and all the detectors and these accessories are still less than the either of the two Minelabs. Then there is the lifetime warranty. Now I'm not saying in any way, shape, or form that my detectors are better than the Excaliber or E-Trac, but for what I need and want, my bases are well covered. It is hard to go wrong with Tesoro. Whatever you chose just take the time to learn it well.

 

[dlt123me]

Good Advice

There is some very good advice going on here... Thank you... I just have to ask the following since someone mentioned another MD in this thread that is not a Tesoro...

That was the Garrett AT Pro. I did some research and watched several Youtube videos. It seems to be a great unit. It does high mineral soil, on land and both fresh and salt water searches.

Now I don't want to start any fanboy or hateboy flame wars, so please be respectful... and NO

But how does the ATPro stand up individually to it's counter parts such as the Tiger Shark for fresh water... The Sand Shark for salt water and the Vaquero for land searching?

I realize all three Tesoro's would cost around ~$1600 as apposed to ~$650 for the ATPro. I guess I am asking would there be that much of an improvement with the separate Tesoros MD to counter the abilities of the ATPro?

Sorry for this question in the Tesoro forum, but this is a valid question that someone else might have as well. If I need to ask this in another forum, please let me know and I will move it there.

Any thoughts on this comparison?

Thanks,
Dennis

 

[rainyday101]

dlt123me, I personally am not a fan of the AT Pro. Why? I have tried my buddies and feel that ergonomically it is not well balanced making it seem heavy. I also did not like the display. That being said, he does well with it. I haven't tried it in the water though to compare it to the Tiger. It would have to be some kind of awfully good to beat the Tiger Shark in the water. In my personal opinion a lifetime warranty is a good thing to have on a water detector.

When I first purchased my Tiger I was asking questions similar to yours. I took the advice of some very seasoned people on this forum. The consensus was to buy a good dedicated detector for each aspect of hunting. Water detector for water, land detector for land. Right or wrong this has worked well for me. I have a hard time believing the AT could beat the Tiger in the water. Maybe Sandman will chime in and confirm this. Also on land I know the AT cannot touch the Tejon. My buddy and I switched detectors a few times. The last time he took my Tejon for about a hour. I had a hard time getting it back from him. He is buying a Tejon. Also in mild soil on land his AT can't find anything my Silver uMax can't with the exception of some coins that may just at the fringe of the Silver' depth. He can get slightly deeper. It won't be fair to say the AT is a pile of bunk. Lots of people are making really good finds with them. That being said, I still feel if you scratch the housing on an AT Pro it is yellow underneath. That is some pretty expensive paint!

Is Tesoro the end all to all needs? Maybe, maybe not. I know what I have works really well for me and in the end that is what matters. The reality is knowing your detector well and location will win everytime. Look at the forums for the other brands and you will see regulars that consistently make great finds. Their detector may or may not better, BUT they are very good with the detector they have and have chosen their location well.

In the end, no matter what brand you use, if there is nothing under the coil you won't find diddly!

 

[Hobojo]

I would think as far as the beach goes , our friends down in Florida might have an edge on us west coast guys. We tend to have beaches that have a lot of iron in the soil. It is my understanding that most of the single VLF machines will have some false readings when confronted with the mixture of salt and iron. The way that the really effective machines get around that problem is by using the Pulse Induction method or using the multiple VLF which is what the Minelabs use's . As far as the AT Pro goes it is a single VLF and " MAY " experience some falsing when in the presence of high Na/Fe wet soils.
The only Tesoro that Im familiar with that will not false in those conditions is the Sand Shark! And I will tell you it IS a deep machine contrary to others views, my real experience has proven different. I am OFTEN digging targets at over 18"in high Na/Fe wet type soil.
The Tesoro's that you have mentioned are what we call "Analog" machines the AtPro if Im not mistaken is a " Digital " machine. You are gonna have to ask yourself if you prefer some one else's program telling you whats in the ground or allowing your ears and experience tell you what might be in the ground. All the digital machines are 1s and 0s , the Tesoro's are full flow analog info! You are the computer , you decided to dig or not based on experience. After almost a year with my Outlaw I am just as confident that I can tell you wether to dig or not. My ears and experience would be on par with most digital programs. YES I KNOW we are not perfect !!! We are human and we make mistake's , but so do computers and how we interpret the data they are feeding us. The fun of a hobby is learning something new. Tesoro has managed to keep the fun in the game by allowing the HUMAN to still be involved in it. If you where to line it up on a scale I would quess the human involvement would be something like 75% with the info you are receiving from the Vaquero , with a number ID system it might be 50%. So the choice you have to make is how do you want to your info digitally or in analog. On this one to each is own! No one MD will ever be able to tell you with 100% certainty what's in the ground.
HH

 

[Sandman]

Okay I bought the AT Pro a while back to learn it. I had to send it back a couple times as it would become very unstable and sound off all the time with nothing under the coil. I am on the third one and I absolutely have no confidence in it so it sets collecting dust. My signature at the bottom of the post says it all. Many hunters use the AT Pro and swear by them and not at them but I have to wonder how many detectors have these guys used to make any comparison. It sucks at most saltwater beaches too in the wet sand for most hunters. But you don't have to worry about that.


Think of detectors like golf clubs. Golfers need a different club for each shot for the best results. But why would any man chase a lil white ball around a bunch of grass when he could be out detecting is beyond me.