Compadre vs. Silver Umax

[tribe683]

First off, thanks to any thoughts or opinions you guys can give. I have always wanted to get into metal detecting since I was a kid and now the urge is stronger than ever. Based on all the reviews and forums I have read through over the past couple of weeks, I know I definitely want to go with a Tesoro as my first and probably only metal detector. My thinking is that I can't go wrong with the lifetime warranty and they seem to be easy to operate. My problem now is in choosing between the Compadre and the Silver umax and this is were I am looking
for your advice.

I will be hunting mostly wooded areas in southern Indiana. I have 4 former homesites around the area where I grew up. These are places that my grandparents were born and raised and am guessing the homes were probably built in the early to mid 1800's. I know they were never overly wealthy so I really doubt they had any gold or gold jewelry. I realize that the Silver has the ability to switch coils and you can't with the Compadre and that the Silver has the ability to adjust the sensitivity.

With that said here are my questions:

In other threads I read that the Compadre is better at locating gold (especially gold chains) than the Silver, but is there anything that the Silver is better at finding than the Compadre?

Is the main advantage of a bigger coil to search more area quicker or are there more advantages (such as depth)?

In regards to the sensitivity knob, what are the benefits of having it? Not as much trash?

If it were entirely up to me, I would probably lean toward the Silver, however I would be more likely to get my wife's permission if I went with the Compadre due to it being about $90 cheaper.

Sorry for the long post and thanks again for any help. I may have more questions in the near future.

 

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[Topdecker]

A couple of things...

You can now get the Compadre with an 8" coil - so if you want a larger coil, you can have it.

For me, the sensitivity dial allows me to compensate for environmental problems. Power lines creating noise? Turn down the sensitivity. Does the soil seem to be magnetized or or otherwise noisy? Again, turn down the sensitivity. So it is advantageous under certain, and generally uncommon at best, circumstances.

I've not owned a Compadre (yet), so that is about all that I can address.

Top

 

[rainyday101]

First off if you look under the sponsors section here on this site you find Miller MDZ. He is a sponsor of this forum and will give you a great price. Call him for a price and the Silver uMax may be well within your reach. Next you are making wise decisions buying a Tesoro. The lifetime warranty is the real deal and Tesoro will stand behind it. Keeping it simple when getting started is the right way to go and both of the machines you mentioned fit that bill well. Don't be fooled by the simplicity and low price of these detectors, they are top performers.

I do own a Silver uMax and could not begin to tell you how much I love it. Having the sensitivity adjustment is nice, but not absolutely neccessary. Topdecker addresses the advantages of the sensitivity control quite well.

Where do you live and where are you going to hunt? Your soil may be highly mineralized and reduce the depth of your detecting. Someone here will be able to tell you about your soil conditions and make recommendations based on your soil.

 

[Pulltab Parson]

You can't go wrong with either detector, they are both great and will hunt, but for me, I would go with the silver only because I like having the option of the sens. adjust., But I think you would be happy with either one.

just my

 

[tribe683]

Thanks for your input so far. The area I will be hunting is southwest Indiana, Dubois County area. I have located this map,

http://www.hollandsbrook.com/blog-resources/iron-content-in-soil-united-states.pdf

and the area around me appears to have little iron content, with the exception of right around the Ohio River, which is about 30 miles South.

Are there other types of minerals that can affect the detector?

 

[rainyday101]

That is the same map that I use. You will be fine with a fixed balanced machine like the Compadre or the Silver uMax. Like I said call Tom at Miller MDZ and get a price on both of the detectors. I personally like the Silver a lot, but that is what I own and use. On the other hand I have NEVER heard anyone say a bad thing about the Compadre. Either way you cannot go wrong. If you chose the Compadre, give Tesoro a call and see when it will be shipping with the 8" coil. I believe they said in a couple of weeks. If Miller MDZ can give you a great price on the Cibola, that would definitely be worth considering. No matter which you chose just stay within your budget and don't let anyone talk you into spending more than you can afford. The Compadre and Silver will pay for themselves in no time. If want to upgrade later, you can. After you see how successful you are with one of these though, you may not have any need to upgrade.

 

[Trackerman]

I'd say compadre with the newer 8inch coil. Its good for coins and jewelry And has a slightly better frequency for gold than the silver Umax.

 

[tribe683]

Thanks for the input guys. I think it is going to be the Compadre with an 8" coil. My reasoning is to ensure that thoroughly enjoy MD'ing before investing too much $ into it. Maybe I can find enough and it pays for itself and then move up to one of the better Tesoro's. Again, Thank You.

 

[rainyday101]

Good choice, you won't be disappointed. Check our sponsors and call Miller MDZ. He is a Tesoro dealer and will give you a great price plus unbeatable service. I have purchased from him and have been very pleased.

 

[tribe683]

I already did. He has them in stock and I've received a good price quote. Thank you for the recommendation.

 

[rainyday101]

Great! I wish you good hunting. Remember to dig everything at first until you start to make sense of the different sounds and disc. levels.

 

[coon8448]

Great! I wish you good hunting. Remember to dig everything at first until you start to make sense of the different sounds and disc. levels.

good advice dig everything so you will learn what trash sounds like and what treasure sounds like

 

[jdo57]

I have owned both the Compadre and the Silver and really liked them both. Of course, I would rather have the Silver because of the larger open coil. I found more stuff with it and it seemed easier to pinpoint just where to dig. But now you have the option to have the 8 inch open coil on a new Compadre for the same price as the old 5 inch, so that is what I would reccomend.

 

[danrom]

I bought the Compadre for my girls to use (9 and 12). I have to say...I love this little machine. The disc is razor sharp and I have found myself using it instead of my Fisher F-70 in the really trashy areas. The 5.75" coil works really well getting in between the trash. I think I might one with the 8" coil to keep in my work pickup just in case I get a chance to look around.

 

[tribe683]

Thanks for the recommendations again. I still have not ordered it, but at least your opinions make me feel like I am making a good choice. I'm not in a big hurry because I have time to kill. I completely tore my Achilles Tendon about 4 weeks ago and still have about 3-4 more weeks to go in a hard cast with crutches. Then I'm in a walking boot for another 6 weeks or so. I know that if I ordered now, I'd be hopping around my yard with a MD getting all kinds of strange looks from my neighbors.

 

[tribe683]

Okay, I couldn't wait any longer. Just pulled the trigger on the Compadre with an 8"coil. Thanks again Rainyday for recommending Tom at Miller MDZ. I don't think I could have called anywhere else and got a better deal.

I just wanted to say "Thank You" to all who responded to this thread. I would have loved to go with the Silver, but at this point I think the Compadre is right for me.

Thanks again and Happy Hunting to you all!

 

[walnut]

Thanks for the input guys. I think it is going to be the Compadre with an 8" coil. My reasoning is to ensure that thoroughly enjoy MD'ing before investing too much $ into it. Maybe I can find enough and it pays for itself and then move up to one of the better Tesoro's. Again, Thank You.

This is an old post but I felt I had to reply, you say maybe move up to one of the better Tesorso's- I have a Vaquero and love it, it is deep and sensitive, but if I am honest with myself I can't say that it is any better than the magical Compadre which I also own.