Me and my limited budget

[Ism]

Swantek, Tesoro will likely refuse to honor the lifetime warranty on a modded unit.
Also the mod could actually destroy the resale value. Just so you understand before you take the leap.

 

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[swantek]

Ya no modding for me. I like the warranty and so far I love this unit. The only thing I don't like is the snow

 

[liftloop]

tesoro

I don't see why tesoro has a silver U max when it doesn't operate were silver response the best at
6.5 or lower
it's up there a 10 khz It doesn't make any sense the silver U max the golden U max and the out law are all around 10 khz give or take .6 the Deleon is 10 khz and the cortes operates at 10 khz the tejeon and lobo are 17 . sum-then khz com-padre is 12 tiger shark is 12.5 the com-bola an veqreero is 14 . sum-then khz take a .
I don't see no big change when it comes from the tesoro line up only the price...


liftloop

 

[heathgeo]

Do a google search on Cibola ground balance mod. Sven over at the findmall forum is an expert on this one. It involves simply removing the preset pot from the circuit board and adding an external multi-turn pot to the face of the cibola.

Just keep in mind that by modifying, you void the lifetime warranty...

 

[Chadd]

You may also want to consider the Discovery 3300. For $400 you could get the Discovery 3300 "$225, and a 11" DD coil "$169". I have been pretty happy with the one that I have. I have a few videos I have made on youtube with the 3300 there is a thread in the bounty hunter section of the forum that has links to the videos.

It has manual ground balance, disc, notch, zap, all metal, VDI, 4 tone, pinpoint mode, made in the USA with a 5yr warranty.

If you keep your eye out you may also be able to find a used DFX for the $450-$500 mark.

 

[LuckyLarry]

So far, the Delta out of the above mentioned is the best way to go, but it still doesn't have manual ground balance. That's fine if you just want mediocre performance in any bad soil, but not if the soil gets rough. The Aces are annoying as all heck with their dated audio "bong, bong" sound lag from 1980's phase-shift delay technology. I know, I owned one. They DO NOT DO WELL on far-Western (or) high Fe soils, and by now most experienced detectorists know that. .

The Fisher F5 is a good way to go. It costs $495 but it's also the same thing as a Teknetics Omega 8000 at $599, with more toys but in a different, more adjustable package if you care to fine-tune it. It's just set up differently as an analog. Both are powerhouses! They can even do pretty well at salt water beaches if you ever get near one. The above other ones won't match the F5, including the MXT, although the M6 gets close to the F5 in these cases. The M6 is a bit noisier though, as many Whites often are.

I see that you bought the Cibola. It's a nice little unit, extremely popular. You will like it, especially since it runs so very smoothly and quietly. HH

Larry

 

[Qlander]

You could also get a Minelab 305 for $400 from Big Boys Hobbies.com

 

[crazy4coins]

Every detector has it's pros and cons, and I think you'll be happy with any machine made by tesoro, fisher, teknetics, or minelab (305) within your budget. However, if it was me, I would go for either the vaquero, or teknetics eurotek pro with 11in DD coil.

 

[chinchilla]

the Vaquero has more value than the Cibola due to GB, taking that out both are quite the same, good detectors

 

[dirtfisher23]

I had the Vaquero and sent it back. It's not a BAD detector, and lots of
people LOVE Tesoro, but I prefer something with depth reading and easy pin point.
I had the Ace 250 and recently traded up to the Ace 350. Great machines.
Go to Technetics and check out their new EurpTec Pro. It's giving the Delta 4000
and the Ace series a run for the money. Barts BigBoys sells the EuroTec.
Dirt Fisher

 

[christo000]

Another one thats given the lower end a good run is fishers f2 seems as though alot like it & getting it with the extras is offley hard to beat

 

[Cal G.]

You've done good with the Cibola. I use the Vaquero and the only difference is the ground balance. If your ground is mild you will get great depth and smoke machines that cost hundreds more. I personally think the Cibola maybe hotter out of the box than the Vaquero. All of the delta coil units are hot and I don't know how they keep from having lots of EMI issues, but they don't. I think the disc. on Tesoro's are great and jewelry machines deluxe. Good luck and good hunting!