Looking for Opinions

DigDugNY

Bronze Member
Aug 19, 2006
1,234
253
New York
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excalibur 2, Fisher F75, XP Deus
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hello, I currently switch between a Tesoro Vaquero and a whites eagle spectrum. I've had the Vaquero for about 2 years and have only used the eagle spectrum for like 5 or 6 hunts. I mainly wanted to detect for silver/old coins and relics and thought the Vaquero would suit my needs, but at this point in time I just can't figure out how people are successful with it. I have found more silver in my few hunts with the eagle, including a Spanish reale, than the whole time I've had the Vaq. I'm thinkin of trading the Vaquero for a different detector and was thinking another whites. I'm not trying to bash it or Tesoro, I just can't understand its "language" and don't have enjoyment using it anymore. The eagle is just a little too heavy and stuff and i want something a little more modern. I was thinking I might be able to get a used DFX or something because I like how it can switch between 3khz and 15khz, but I'm just looking for any opinions. I got accustomed to the eagles programs pretty quickly so that's not an issue for me..thanks for any input
 

I'm hoping somebody will chime in...I know the tesoros might have better results when relic hunting, but my main goal is finding what's left of the already scarce silver out there. The Vaquero is probably comparable to the DFX in everything else but finding deeper silver, I just haven't had success with it
 

The MXT paired with a D2 coil is a beast on the deep stuff, I can get dimes at 10"+ with some being at 12" before. I've detected with people that have the V3i and the E-trac and can get every bit as deep as them, the MXT pro has tone ID as well but it wasn't out when I got my MXT and all the coils for the MXT will work on the M6,DFX,and the V3i. HH
 

Bobby, a few questions. Did you purchase the Vaq new or used? Have you tried burying a silver coin say 4" in the ground and will the Vaq locate it? Have you performed any other tests on the machine to see if it actually finds the various metals you want to find(gold, silver, copper, platinum)? Do you have a manual for it? Just trying to give us more to go on here to offer some helpful answers to possibly solve your plight........................63bkpkr
 

Bobby, a few questions. Did you purchase the Vaq new or used? Have you tried burying a silver coin say 4" in the ground and will the Vaq locate it? Have you performed any other tests on the machine to see if it actually finds the various metals you want to find(gold, silver, copper, platinum)? Do you have a manual for it? Just trying to give us more to go on here to offer some helpful answers to possibly solve your plight........................63bkpkr

I purchased it new about 2 years ago and I sent it in to get a check up a while back and got it back from the factory about a month ago with both of my coils re-tuned. I have buried a silver coin about 7" and having the detector maxed out could barely pick up. I'm sure it would pick it up though at 4". It does pick up all those other metals and everything so it's working properly and I do have the manual. There is really nothing new I can learn about the machine and I have tweaked with it for 2 years trying to learn its language. It can find me shallower silver no problem and is a great relic machine, but I'm interested in finding some older silver coins and bejng able to adjust to my conditions. That's why I'm interested in a DFX
 

Thank you Bobby I've a much better understanding of your situation. Something still does not sound right especially as you are still not a happy camper and I understand that as I've owned a machine that, in my hands, never produced. Have you posted this same thread in the"Tesoro brands" area so more Tesoro users can respond? Also you might consider sending Terry Soloman a PM about your machine as he is a Tesoro user And personally knows the folks at Tesor, might be interesting.

I hope some explanation bubbles to the surface about the Tesoro. As you can see from my Avatar info I own White's machines and I am pleased with them. My in town units are old or are getting old and newer technology is out there that offers real advantages to switch over say to a multi frequency machine but for now I am content to work with what I have as they do find targets so I'm still satisfied with them. Best of luck with your search..............63bkpkr
 

Thank you Bobby I've a much better understanding of your situation. Something still does not sound right especially as you are still not a happy camper and I understand that as I've owned a machine that, in my hands, never produced. Have you posted this same thread in the"Tesoro brands" area so more Tesoro users can respond? Also you might consider sending Terry Soloman a PM about your machine as he is a Tesoro user And personally knows the folks at Tesor, might be interesting.

I hope some explanation bubbles to the surface about the Tesoro. As you can see from my Avatar info I own White's machines and I am pleased with them. My in town units are old or are getting old and newer technology is out there that offers real advantages to switch over say to a multi frequency machine but for now I am content to work with what I have as they do find targets so I'm still satisfied with them. Best of luck with your search..............63bkpkr

I don't there really is an issue with the machine at all. I have just come to the conclusion after using an eagle spectrum and finding more silver in just a few hunts than my whole time with the Vaquero, that I need a more modern machine that's closely linked to the eagle which would be another whites machine. Since the DFX has a deep silver program and has 3khz frequency as well as a 15khz, that seems to suit my needs more. I definitely enjoy multiple tones as well. I just need to find somebody who might want to do a trade plus cash
 

My experience mirrows yours with the vaquero. I put over a year in using the vaquero and now find more silver on good days than the whole time using vaquero. Not trying to bash but I never clicked with the vaquero.
 

My experience mirrows yours with the vaquero. I put over a year in using the vaquero and now find more silver on good days than the whole time using vaquero. Not trying to bash but I never clicked with the vaquero.

What detector you use now?
 

Personally I like the DFX a lot. I had one that could find silver in a copper mine and foolishly sold it and bought a V3i. I never clicked with the V3i and after a year sold it and went back to the DFX. However, I recently picked up a TDI and I am sorry I didn't do it sooner!
Now seems like a good time to buy the DFX as the used market seems to be flooded with them. Alternatively, you might find a dealer with a new one still on the shelf somewhere. The downside to that is that one of those would most likely have the 300 mm coil. Not my favorite coil. I much prefer the 950 as my main concentric coil and the 6x10 elliptical as my main coil.
 

I'm just hoping I can figure something out
 

I have a MXT and a Vaquero, both great detectors. I noticed the vaquero has better iron separation and depth than the MXT, but the MXT makes life a lot easier on difficult mineralized ground.

I have done a lot of tests between them and the vaquero is on first place
 

I have a MXT and a Vaquero, both great detectors. I noticed the vaquero has better iron separation and depth than the MXT, but the MXT makes life a lot easier on difficult mineralized ground.

I have done a lot of tests between them and the vaquero is on first place

Is this on silver though that's been buried in the ground for however many years? I know that the Vaquero can be deep, but not so much on silver. And to really get all that depth you need to supertune the Vaquero which takes away the use of a lot of its features
 

Is this on silver though that's been buried in the ground for however many years? I know that the Vaquero can be deep, but not so much on silver. And to really get all that depth you need to supertune the Vaquero which takes away the use of a lot of its features

I haven't buried the silver medal for a long time, the way I did was simply buring it. What I can say is that when comparing two detectors side by side on a buried item the halo effect is secondary, what matters the most is the depth they get and how they handle the ground. I have some done tests with a silver medal and rusty nails, and the vaquero with the stock coil picks it better than the MXT with 950 and 6x10dd. I have found gold and silver with my vaquero.

I don't run my vaquero supertuned, I think that's irrelevant when we use a set of headphones with limiter. The amount of hotrocks I encounter doesn't let me either
 

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The coils used make a big difference the 6x10 coil is basically a 6" coil so its not going to be that deep and the 950 while a good coil doesn't separate very well not being a DD coil. The D2 coil rocks on the MXT and have a detech 13" DD coil which gets about the same depth but hits hard on the really deep coins that are setting on edge, and I always try and run +2 gain setting for more depth which is a big difference over the suggested preset setting. HH
 

The coils used make a big difference the 6x10 coil is basically a 6" coil so its not going to be that deep and the 950 while a good coil doesn't separate very well not being a DD coil. The D2 coil rocks on the MXT and have a detech 13" DD coil which gets about the same depth but hits hard on the really deep coins that are setting on edge, and I always try and run +2 gain setting for more depth which is a big difference over the suggested preset setting. HH

the stock 950 not being the same as the 8x9 is more or less the equivalent. For rusty nail separation, the 6x10dd should has performed better than the 8x9, I was surprised that it didn't
 

The coils used make a big difference the 6x10 coil is basically a 6" coil so its not going to be that deep and the 950 while a good coil doesn't separate very well not being a DD coil. The D2 coil rocks on the MXT and have a detech 13" DD coil which gets about the same depth but hits hard on the really deep coins that are setting on edge, and I always try and run +2 gain setting for more depth which is a big difference over the suggested preset setting. HH

The 6x10 is a 10 inch long by 6 inch wide coil. It is also elliptical, which means the pattern is more of a 10 inch long blade. It's performance is in some ways better than the 950 concentric coil. It is less sensitive to mineralization, and the shape of the field doesn't require a 50% overlap, so covers ground faster.
 

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