Detector Review Contradictions

[Michigan Badger]

I've just passed through a stage of posting to various treasure forums and purposely asking questions and making statements that would hopefully provoke some useful commentary in regard to today's metal detector market.

I was successful!

The sum: All brands and models stink!

No, I'm not kidding. If you post enough what you'll discover is there's always someone out there who knows all the technical jargon who will trash any and all machines.

When I was getting serious about purchasing a Tesoro, I couldn't find a sour note online. Some disliked this or that feature (or lack of same) but I found no statements like: "the Ace 250 is better than any Tesoro." Just recently in answer to one of my posts someone wrote: "I'd take an Ace 250 any day over any Tesoro" (or words to that affect).

It's really funny because I had someone on here post this same thing last spring (it was directed at me) stating that: "I'd rather have an Ace 250 than any Minelab!" (back then I was using the Minelab Excalibur).

Lately I've noticed that anytime someone wants to bash a brand and or model, the Ace 250 almost always pops into the story.

A few years back I was a Fisher man all the way. I was told in two or three languages that they are all junk. Unfortunately for the commentors, the Ace 250 wasn't around yet so they used the lowest cost Bounty Hunter.

This little voyage of mine has been interesting and I have learned a few things along the way. The major thing I've learned is NOT to take online reviews or even forum postings too seriously. When in the market for a new machine, read many postings to get a general direction and then pray?

P.S. Just one more added note. I also found those who say the Ace 250 is a cheap little toy. Round and round we go, where we stop--nobody knows.

 

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[jeff of pa]

ZEB, It comes down to What Machine you Know the Best.

 

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[Michigan Badger]

ZEB, It comes down to What Machine you Know the Best.

I believe that.

Also I'm finding that the better metal detectors have the least written about them.

 

[hollowpointred]

with all due respect,the explorer 2 isnt really designed for prospecting. its more of a coin and jewelry machine. using one to prospect gold is sort of like using a screwdriver as a hammer. it will work........but just not that well.

 

[DigEmAll]

It really has very little to do with the machines. All quality machines are quality machines, and all good hunters are good hunters. Both will accel in a specific type of hunting. Likewise, they will falter in other types of hunting. This applies to all types of events, not just detecting.

For example, take top fueler John Force and put him in Al Unser's winning Indy car and see how well he does, or take Dale Earnheart Jr. and put him in a rally car and see how he does.

Long story short, if a guy likes to hunt nuggets and wants to do so with a 250, eventually he will become more profecient at it. He will proclaim HIS success with the 250 as a nugget machine. Then another guy who is a coin shooter can go nugget hunting with a Explorer II and never find the first nugget. He might proclaim the downfalls of the Explorer II as a nugget machine due to HIS lack of success.

My two cents..... I'm done.

 

[Michigan Badger]

It really has very little to do with the machines.? All quality machines are quality machines, and all good hunters are good hunters.? Both will accel in a specific type of hunting.? Likewise, they will falter in other types of hunting.? This applies to all types of events, not just detecting.

For example, take top fueler John Force and put him in Al Unser's winning Indy car and see how well he does, or take Dale Earnheart Jr. and put him in a rally car and see how he does.

Long story short, if a guy likes to hunt nuggets and wants to do so with a 250, eventually he will become more profecient at it.? He will proclaim HIS success with the 250 as a nugget machine.? Then another guy who is a coin shooter can go nugget hunting with a Explorer II and never find the first nugget.? He might proclaim the downfalls of the Explorer II as a nugget machine due to HIS lack of success.

My two cents..... I'm done.? ?

Very well put!

We all have to find the machine that fits our personality and the chances are very good we already own it.

However, you can't find gold nuggets with a machine that's incapable of detecting them (no matter how much you believe in it). This is way we research before we buy.

 

[littlehugger]

Actually, it does make a difference.
The Explorer II is a coin/jewelry/relic machine, built as an all purpose detector. As such, it will not work as well for prospecting as a specialized gold machine. Thats why the manufacturers make specialized gold detectors.
Minelab started as a manufacturer of gold detectors, and makes several top dollar prospecting machines.
So far as the EX II being ielatively insensitive to small gold. this is more a function of its large coil than any shortcoming of the machine itself. I have seen several smaller than stock after market coils for the Explorer II and their ads justify their purchase by their extreme sensitivity to small gold.
It is a function of coils that big ones have depth but trade off sensitivity to small objects, while small ones are sensitive to small objects but lack the depth of the big coil.
I bet an EXP II user with a small coil has no trouble finding small gold.
Hugger

 

[JW]

Would you say a 1" coil is small enough?

Still will not find small gold items.

Everything to the left of the nickel and gold ring would not hit on the Ex2 no matter which coil I used 12", 10.5", 8", Platapus, Joey or X-1 1" probe.? Not to rain on anyone's parade (I personally love the Explorer) but no matter what I did I couldn't get these small items to register as targets...My Bullseye2 pinpointer found them...

I think prospecting with the Explorer will get you larger chunks of gold say 1/4" in diameter or larger(still may be passed over)... the small nuggets will go to someone else.? I think the gold machines that Minelab makes are supposed to be really good on gold and highly mineralized ground(from what I have read).

In terms of audio differences between the Explorer and the Excal, I know the Sov and the Explorer are different, but the Excal?? Don't know...

HH

JW

 

[jeff of pa]

In terms of audio differences between the Explorer and the Excal, I know the Sov and the Explorer are different, but the Excal?? Don't know...

HH

JW

The Excalibur, is just an Underwater Sovereign.
same Tones

 

[Willy]

A person can be the best prospector in the world, but if he/she is swinging a detector that won't signal on a certain sized piece of gold, it won't be found. Now, I had : Sov./Excal. 7.5", 10", 12.5", WOT coils, GTI 1500? 9.5", 12"? coils,? Cobra II 8", 5" coils, Whites 4900? 9.5" coil , Gold Stinger 5x10" coil. Now, all the above detectors could see my 3 grain nugget, which the BBS units couldn't... even if I rubbed it on the coil. If we talk coil size, something with a 9.5" coil seeing a small target that a 7.5" won't?? I was prospecting up in Ak once with a Fisher CZ6 and, using the 10.5" coil, was popping nuggets down to 2 grains.. in salt mode. Granted, these were basically on the surface, but it saw them. True, this was for prospecting, but it carries over to, lets say, jewellry hunting. Not all jewellry comes in big honkin' chunks; lots of tiny stuff out there and a detector that can't see the really small stuff willl miss it. There are a lot of detectors that are not known as prospecting units which are perfectly adequate as such. True, nugget detectors often run at extremely high gain levels, but a lot of "coin" detectors have that same capability. It's just that people are conditioned to run at fairly low sensitivity levels in order to have a detector that runs quietly. There are also many detectors that seem to be "detuned" , which might be better for larger objects (coins & such), which could never really be too successful as prospecting detectors.. unless one is looking for large gold. Also, one has to take into account whether it has a true AM mode and, just as importantly, can be ground balanced. The Ace 250 does not have the option of GB'ing, which limits it as a nuggetshooter right off the bat. ...Willy.

 

[hollowpointred]

this thread has taken an interesting turn! there has been some really good points raised. i guess it all comes down to what you want in a machine.......what kind of hunting you plan to do.

 

[dave-enc]

Zeb , your right for the new follks looking for a detector it is indeed very confusing and often leave these discussions feeling even more confused and lost. You are right that there are those that say their machine is the best and everything else is inferior.
Detector bashing never helps anything. The right detector is very much according to the individuals tastes.
The key is getting the machine that best suits your needs. I have found that every time a new machine is brought to the market it is the best thing that was ever made, or it is least presented that way.
I guess I am still old time in that I believe even the most basic machine will produce good finds consistantly in the hands of the person that is very experianced and knowlegeble in the nuances of their equipment.
Bobbie still uses the same machine that she started with over 4 years ago, it was my shadow that I bought in 99, I use a shadow that we bought as a back up for that one in fall of 2002. Is it a do it all machine? no, but for our style of hunting they are very good.And we know these machines well.
Lastly metal detecting is a bove all else a hobby, a way to get out enjoy nature and hopefully make some interesting finds. Life is too short to make it a job
thanks for starting a good thread
hh
dave+bobbie

 

[TORRERO]

Would you say a 1" coil is small enough?

Still will not find small gold items.

Everything to the left of the nickel and gold ring would not hit on the Ex2 no matter which coil I used 12", 10.5", 8", Platapus, Joey or X-1 1" probe.? Not to rain on anyone's parade (I personally love the Explorer) but no matter what I did I couldn't get these small items to register as targets...My Bullseye2 pinpointer found them...

I think prospecting with the Explorer will get you larger chunks of gold say 1/4" in diameter or larger(still may be passed over)... the small nuggets will go to someone else.? I think the gold machines that Minelab makes are supposed to be really good on gold and highly mineralized ground(from what I have read).

In terms of audio differences between the Explorer and the Excal, I know the Sov and the Explorer are different, but the Excal?? Don't know...

HH

JW

Take it from experiance, there are extremly few detectors on the market today that can find that small gold stuff, and I'm refereing to the Salt water beaches, as most with common sense will not be digging such small crummy signals in a football field.
Tesoro Stingray was a good machine for this, and my whites DFX seems to do ok, in air tests, but I've not
found any chains or earings like that with the DFX.
these are too small and give almost no return signal for a machine to pick up.
Sorry..

 

[Willy]

Well , Dave, to some MD'ing is a hobby, but to others (like me) it's a significant portion of thier yearly income. Just like a tradesman has his tools and dislikes that which makes his job more difficult, so do many look at detectors. AS to finding very small stuff, I've had a number of non-prospecting detectors that will do so. I don't live near the ocean, but do hunt a number of freshwater beaches and, despite the trash, dig up a fair amount of tiny stuff. As I've stated on other posts, people are obsesed with having super quiet running detectors. Therefor, the sensitivity is lowered and target filtering added, and deep/small stuff lost. ...Willy.

 

[Michigan Badger]

Thanks for the nice words, dave-enc (and from all). You're right, when something NEW comes out there's all this hype.

I've learned a lot from the views shared here and really do appreciate the comments of those with a lot more knowledge and experience than I have in regard to this hobby.

The thing that just got me going was the number of extreme contradictory comments I found while visiting the various treasure forums.

Not to reopen a can of worms, but, just by way of example--this ground balance thing is really amazing. Sometime just travel the web and look for all the different posts in regard to this subject. I'll give you a hint--this subject is not nearly as cut-and-dried as some make it out to be. Ground balance is a complex and largely unproven field of study. There's the theory and then there's the practical.

I had just purchased a brand new Tesoro and after asking questions online and reading return comments I felt like putting it up for sale without even giving it a try!

What I'm doing now is copying all the positive info I can find online about my DeLeon. It may surprise some but there are many who love this machine. And, many of these people have been using it since it first came out.

I even heard from one major distributor (who asked me not to identify him here) who told me the Hawkeye (DeLeon) is a good machine. This person (distributor) is one of the major sellers of Minelabs and other top machines (including the Laser actually Tesoro brand) used in the UK. You've most likely read their large detector reviews for UK machines.

This distributor also told me that due to the Hawkeye's high price in the UK people often opt for the Explorer. But the Hawkeye is a great machine and a big producer. In fact, many are buying it in spite of it's high price tag.

We're getting a great bargin on Tesoros here in the US.

That letter (email) really surprised me for I never dreamed these people would even reply to my email. Now, this means little to most who will read this but it does to me. I really needed this encouragement.

No, I'm not going to sell my Tesoro DeLeon without giving it an honest chance to prove itself.

The bottom line: Find a detector brand that fits your style and personality and go with it.

 

[JW]

TORRERO, your DFX will find those small objects and so will Zeb's Tesoro! No doubt about it.

Great choice Zeb, stick with it, you will be rewarded!


Great posts!

Thanks.

HH

JW

 

[Michigan Badger]

TORRERO, your DFX will find those small objects and so will Zeb's Tesoro!? No doubt about it.

Great choice Zeb, stick with it, you will be rewarded!


Great posts!

Thanks.

HH

JW

Thanks, JW.

For years I've wanted to try the Tesoro product. TreasureNet is the site I mostly read because it is by far the best on the web as far as I'm concerned.

But one thing I noticed is there has been very little mention of Tesoro here.

So I finally purchased a Tesoro and can't wait for spring to really study it.

Since I can't hunt yet I've been doing some searching online to try and find out why there's so little about Tesoro on the web. I have discovered that Tesoro is the brand to bash.

Just put "bashing Tesoro" into the search and look for the sites having to do with the metal detector company. You should find lots of reading.

It would seem this newer company has really ruffled some big name feathers! I find it most interesting that this rapidly growing "johnny come lately" enterprise has attracted so much negativity.

I wonder--could it be they have a very good product and somebody doesn't want us (the consumer) to know?

In spite of all the bashing, treasure hunters all over the world are daily posting pictures of fabulous Tesoro finds.

Kind of gets ya ta thinkin, don't it? Why is almost nobody bashing the other major brands anymore?--the crosshairs are on Tesoro.

 

[hollowpointred]

i wonder if the tesoro bashing you saw has anything to do with the outward appearance of the machines? they look hand made and not as slick as the minelabs or the garretts. of course, looks can be very decieving! i am looking forward to your posts after things have warmed up and you have had a chance to field test it. you are right about not that much being posted on this site about this brand. maybe we can all learn a thing or two!

 

[BOB in TX]

Most all detectors have thier good points,it is like buying a car ,it's what you prefer.Did you ever wonder if maybe the people that bash another brand just don't have the mentality to master it?

 

[bakergeol]

Zeb
There is a reason why Tesoro is hardly mentioned on this forum. To be honest Treasurenet is home to a high percentage of folks just entering the hobby. Now where do most newbies go to choose a detector? Why the Kellyco catalog of course. Well Tesoro is not sold by Kellyco so new folks initially are not exposed to Tesoro. I imagine a high percentage of them have bought their detector before even hearding about Tesoro. I bet if I posed the question who makes my detector, the Goldscan 5, the majority of folks here would be clueless as it is also not sold by Kellyco.

With regards to "detector bashing" the reasons have well been discussed here and we need not rehash the reasons. However, "detector bashing" is truly non discriminating as owners for all brands do it. You are implying that Tesoro owners are innocent victims but I beg to differ. To be honest my viewpoint is that some of the Tesoro users were actually the worst. It goes back to the Troy/Tesoro detector wars a while back. Visit the main Tesoro forum(on another site) and post an inquiry about the X-5 vs the Tejon. You will meet people literally foaming at the mouth clearly off their medication bashing the X-5. X-5 bashing is a common component of that forum whereas Tesoro bashing on the TroyShadow forum is unheard of. Now on another Tesoro forum it does not exist as folks there do not have this "detector wars" mentality.

I was guilty of "detector bashing" in the past or at least promoting my detector at the expense of others which I have always regretted. Today there isn't any "bad" detectors by the major players. If you want to see a "bad" detector just bid on one of those vintage BFOs on E-Bay. After a day with a Relco BFO you will think an Ace 250 is God's gift to the world.


George

 

[Michigan Badger]

If you want to? see a "bad" detector just bid on one of those vintage BFOs on E-Bay. After a day with a Relco BFO you will think an Ace 250 is God's gift to the world.

George

Oh yes, I remember the Relcos. In fact, I still have a BFO in my basement. Funny, back then they were the cat's meow. Remember D-Tex? I always liked their artwork in their fliers.

Actually, right now most of Tesoro bashing is aimed at only the DeLeon model. For some reason they singled out this one model from all the other Tesoros. And yes, I know the bashing thing has been going on for a long time between all brands but right now it seems to be mainly on Tesoro.

The big beef against the DeLeon seems to be the machines lack of a manual ground balancing feature. I have my own thoughts on this GB thing mainly from the correspondence I've received from the distributors I've written to and promised not to identify.

Personally, I don't think Tesoros are better than all the other brands. I'm just saying that these really crude attacks against this brand are totally without merit. Maybe some models don't have manual GB but for some reason lots of awesome stuff is being found by them every day in all areas of the world and often at great depths.

But practically I'll know myself how the DeLeon performs in highly mineralized soil because I've got this soil right on my own property. It will be interesting to see what happens. Although, I've got a feeling I already know.

Why have I done all these postings and threads? I get a little kick out of them. First, I could care less about Tesoro or any other brand. Actually, I'm already looking into my next new machine which I'll probably order soon. Can you believe I've never owned a Nautilus? I'm getting hot on the VLF DMC II-B. The DeLeon is simple to opporate so their shouldn't be any conflict learning the two.

For years now I've wanted to own a Tesoro and Nautilus so I'm finally getting around to doing it. In a couple years I may return to Whites and probably stay with them.