I can't argue with you on their website. I have said it before and will say it again, there is no excuse for that poor of a website in this day and age. Now Whites did update their website and the new look is refreshing, but they seem to have a lack of detailed information on their detectors. Most vendors have more info on the detectors on their sites than Whites does.
Why would anyone use one? I work in the tech field all day, and long days at that. Simple suits me for that reason. When I get time I just want to turn and go. For me the Silver uMax was a lot of detector for the dollar. Once you learn the single tone and it's variations and to use the disc properly, it is pretty simple to use. Bang for the buck is another reason I can think of. I am not against VDI screens and have seriously considered buying and MX5 or M6. I even got to demo a M6 and was amazed at how rock steady the VDI was. The weight wasn't really a factor because it was very well balanced and the build quality was exceptional. I came close to buying but didn't because I didn't get the impression from my testing that it was a depth demon like a Tejon, Vaquero, F70, F75, or T2.
To me it just seems you can get a lot of detector for less money. There is a trade off as you have pointed out, and that is living with single tone and no VDI. That's a fair trade off for some, while for others it's not acceptable.
Passionate- It's kind of the Ford vs. Chevy thing. When I grew up my dad hated Chevys and I was raised anti-Chevy. That being said I drive a Chevy today. It's what works best for me.
As far as jerks, there some on all the forums that are brand loyal and if you are not using their brand you are wrong. I like the word opinionated better. I read all the detector brand forums and well your perceptions of the Tesoro forum may seem that way, as an outsider on the Whites forum, I could draw the same conclusion. Some of the other forums too. I am not picking on Whites. Regardless, I still read them because even if I don't use that brand I can and do still learn a lot from them. I also enjoy seeing what others have found, what detector they used, how deep the target was, etc.
I like Tesoro for some of the reasons stated above. I also like the warranty and customer service. Having said that, from what I have read the other US manufacturers also have excellent customer service.
I am in the process of buying my third Tesoro. For now that is what I like using because I have success with them and am familiar with them, thus shortening any learning curve. Does that make me brand loyal? In some peoples eyes- yes. The thing is I have considered several VDI detectors from all of the major players, and someday I have no doubt I will own one. Right now though, with lack of time, I like what is simple and has been working well for me.
All of the forums have some opinionated people. Opinions are like something that everyone has (won't say it, but it is locate midway up on the backside) . It is just of matter of reading through them and sorting the good from the bad. That is on all the forums, not just Tesoro. There are some real good users on all the forums that are a wealth of information and help everybody become better.
I guess the bottom line is use what works best for you. We all have different things we want and need in a detector and that's good. That's why we have more than one manufacturer and more than one model to choose from. I like it that way.
lol I am not a Tesoro expert by any means but i have used several and looked at just about all of them. High-tech they are not, but great depth, awesome disc. and very good quality......all at a great price with a lifetime warrranty. Oh, i do see why yall hate them....
