Md question

treasure4pleasure

Jr. Member
Apr 18, 2012
89
15
Indiana
Detector(s) used
FIsher F2, Garrett ace 250
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I have decided on an MD and planning on ordering in a couple weeks when my funds are all together...but I have seen a used but not really used (only used inside for airtesting!?) outside I guess, Tesoro Tejon for sale. It isn't new by any means (several yrs old) but just wondering if i should go with this rather than what I was planning on which was the AT Pro sport pack. It would save me some $ but I don't know how good of a machine this is and it doesn't have a screen obviously.
Thoughts??
 

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I don't know your situation for dollars but there are several reputable dealers listed on this site that sell used machines and new and are able to take payments and layaways. I have purchased from a couple and would highly recommend calling any or all of them and talk with them about the type of hunting you will do, they can answer all your questions and maybe make you feel at ease when getting into this great hobby. From my experiecnes and others I have talked to when you start this hobby it will usually become an addiction. One other thought is that you might look for a MD club in your local area to tie into or there maybe some MDers in your area that are willing to take you under there arm. Here is a link that might also give you some more info on costs and reveiws. www.metaldetectorreview.com again best of luck
 

Also check aether the detector you are buying will cause interferance with or be interfered by your sons detector. Some will cause chirping if to close to each other.
 

Thanks all :) I hope I dont' get one that interferes with my sons ace :BangHead:
 

treasure4pleasure.Why not try an ace 350, it goes a bit deeper and won't interfear with your sons machine.:leprechaun-hat:
 

I hate the bell tone! ;) Not going with garrett this time. Unless I go AT Pro.
 

I say Tesoro. If your seriously looking for coins and jewelry then a screen will just hold you back. Especially if you are not an expert with the machine. The screen will make you think its another junk signal and you can skip 1 or 2 of those junk signals. Well my first gold rang up as a pull tab I wish I never saw that ID cause I almost didn't dig it.

Also consider the weight of the machine. Tesoro's look to be really lite. Garrett's to me feel pretty heavy but in a solid sturdy well built way. I haven't swung a Tesoro yet but they look well built(besides maybe lower rod issues).

Also Garrett's to me have too much going on the screen. I know AT PRO has standard and Pro mode but that just adds more crap to learn and wade through.

Consider battery use as well. Tesoro's one 9v AT PRo's use AA's not sure how many (6?). One 9v is pretty lite and easy to pack spares. Also interchange with pin pointers.

My buddy got an AT PRO and he's having trouble in wet salt water sand just like every other detector we have. I am sure he will get it set someday but they are not the answer to everything.
 

def. good points on the tesoro's. I am seriously considering one again. Originally i wanted a Vaquero, but strayed to a TID. Now i'm back to square 1. ugh
 

def. good points on the tesoro's. I am seriously considering one again. Originally i wanted a Vaquero, but strayed to a TID. Now i'm back to square 1. ugh

TID machine will naturally drive you to cherry picking. Beep and dig will lead you to more junk but also gold and silver jewelry along with coins. If I'm looking for deep silver, nickles, relics, I use my metered Sovereign GT. If I'm looking for gold, silver, clad and everything else, I use the Vaq and set the disc low and dig dig dig. If you live near the ocean, then its another issue to factor in. Point is, I don't like digging deep holes for junk, thats why I use the metered machine if I think I will be digging deep. A compadre would be a great machine for jewelry. The Cortes is a good detector but it has poor meter resolution. Ie, whats the point of a meter when it can't distinguish between a zinc penny and silver coin?
 

I'm wondering about maybe a Tesoro. Originally I was interested in a Vaquero but then got away from it. It's hard when you read about so many detectors on here

I may try to do that, sonofadigger. :)

I am in Columbus, Ohio. The Ace250 behaves better than my old Bandito here in our red clay. The Ace250 is inexpensive, half the price of the AT Pro.
 

Thank you Ism and mickey. I don't want to dig alotttt of junk. lol Mickey we have an Ace 250 already (for my son) I want something else. Hey i've never noticed red clay here!? I would've thought our soils was similar but who knows.
 

I started out on a garret 400 gtax. Great little machine. Horrible bell tone and recovery speed for the brain was lacking. My Vaq is super fast on recovery speed. I think most detectors have their pros and cons. The main thing is choose one so you can stop searching for metal detectors and start searching for treasure.
 

:laughing9: Amen to that! Well I think i've made a decision on a fisher f2 pk with the sniper coil but I still kinda want that vaquero. :/ I just don't know if the f2 will go nearly as deep as a tesoro but i'm worried the tesoro will frustrate me with one tone and digging lots of junk.
 

Right I totally understand. I say go for the fisher 2. It won't go nearly as deep and you cannot search in all metal mode like on a Vaq (all metal mode lets you listen to the ground, its like a live version kinda like seeing in the dark, for relic and cache hunting). Anyways an F2 is an awesome little detector. Super fast recovery speed for the brain. I was actually wanting an f2 then got caught up in metal detector search MANIA and ended up ordering an f5 fisher then after it was on its way in the mail I realized the f5 had major depth issues. I sent it back unopened and settled on a tried and true detector which as you know was the Vaq. I would say go for the f2 and call it a day they are really good at acuracy and all around good detectors. Use this one for a few years then use the money you find with it to purchase another one if you want to branch out.

On another note I just wanted to say that the Vaq has one tone but it varies in volume and the speed of the tones begining and ending deepending on how far away the target is and the size of the target. It certainly is a god send from that AWEFUL garret bell tone
 

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I will probably end up with a vaq or one of the other tesoros in the future. For now i'm going for the F2 and the 3 coil pkg kit. And i'm getting a garrett PP. I'm pretty psyched.
 

Tesoro is the only way to go and the "V" is an excellent choice.
 

I hate the bell tone! ;) Not going with garrett this time. Unless I go AT Pro.
Yes, the bell-tone is a pain. What I did was put poly-foam in the earphones and over that, a thin piece of cardboard. I plan to make an external-mount volume control that does not modify the detector and can easily be removed (zip-tie or similar fastener). A volume control would be great, but the Ace series of detectors are excellent hunting machines.
 

Micky-Garrets are good but the fisher f2's brain is light years faster in recovery than most Garrets.

Badger-tesoros are amazing but to each their own. What floats my boat may sink the next persons boat.

As far as entry level machines you picked the best one in my opinion. I will take a fisher over a garret anyday
 

I have to disagree with the TID theory, i know when my minelab xterra 505 reads out 24 on my TID its a quarter, it doesnt bounce just 24 on every sweep. Look all the machines are good, i prefer minelab xterras and dont care for the garretts, but look at every post on here and see the different answers? See if anyone will let you use their detector and check out as many as possible and choose whats good for you. Also remember opinions are like buttholes,,,, everybody has one!
 

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