Xterra 505 or Vaquero

[atomicscott]

again, it all depends on the user, subtle faint signals are worth of digging no matter what machine you use, for some users like me there is no escape. It is possible that your vaquero was not working properly, because I have done several coin and nail tests and my vaquero had good results. I don't want to put down the mxt (another detector I like a lot) but the vaquero with the stock coil did best on that test than the mxt with the 950 and 6x10dd coil.
Maybe the 505 is your detector and there's no problem with that, but the Vaquero is not inferior.

Nope, Rusty re-tuned the coil and gave it a clean bill of health on final testing (when I was doing the rusty nail, dime test I was using the 5.75 DD coil). Sometimes times with my V, I would get faint or one way signals that would be a coin at 6-7", but the 505 hits solid tone and ID#s down to 9" on the same coins. Just my preference, but I like digging the signals that will repeat, not one way signals or intermittent beeps. It was alot of wasted digging for me. The 505 will still fool me on big chunks of aluminum, etc... (I can raise the coil and verify these easily) but I very rarely get a coin tone/ID# that ends up being rusty iron. To me, it would seem hard to compare the 2 machines, if you haven't used BOTH detectors. I have used both. I used the Vaq for over 1 year (80+ hrs) and found most of my coolest finds with it. When I got a one-way blip at 5"-6" on a dime though, I realized I may have missed alot cause that was a very common occurrence for me to get one way blips in the field. The majority of the time, they were trash, so I usually ignored the one-way short blips. Isn't that the whole reason we have discrimination? Even on the deeper 9" coins I have found with the 505, it's not a very short beep or faint signal. It hits just about as solid as it would on a coin at 4". A great thing Longhair said is something like, "the best you had is the best you know". That is very true for detectors, just as it is for cars, women, guitars, etc!

 

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[chinchilla]

Nope, Rusty re-tuned the coil and gave it a clean bill of health on final testing (when I was doing the rusty nail, dime test I was using the 5.75 DD coil). Sometimes times with my V, I would get faint or one way signals that would be a coin at 6-7", but the 505 hits solid tone and ID#s down to 9" on the same coins. Just my preference, but I like digging the signals that will repeat, not one way signals or intermittent beeps. It was alot of wasted digging for me. The 505 will still fool me on big chunks of aluminum, etc... (I can raise the coil and verify these easily) but I very rarely get a coin tone/ID# that ends up being rusty iron. To me, it would seem hard to compare the 2 machines, if you haven't used BOTH detectors. I have used both. I used the Vaq for over 1 year (80+ hrs) and found most of my coolest finds with it. When I got a one-way blip at 5"-6" on a dime though, I realized I may have missed alot cause that was a very common occurrence for me to get one way blips in the field. The majority of the time, they were trash, so I usually ignored the one-way short blips. Isn't that the whole reason we have discrimination? Even on the deeper 9" coins I have found with the 505, it's not a very short beep or faint signal. It hits just about as solid as it would on a coin at 4". A great thing Longhair said is something like, "the best you had is the best you know". That is very true for detectors, just as it is for cars, women, guitars, etc!

then there is a no brainer, stick with what works best for you. I also have the opinion that VDI detectors are the best way to save efforts of digging because the screen helps you to decide passing targets

 

[christo000]

then there is a no brainer, stick with what works best for you. I also have the opinion that VDI detectors are the best way to save efforts of digging because the screen helps you to decide passing targets

I can second the screens in help weather to dig or not to dig my v3i offers an aray of valuable info many different ways in helping the detectorist decide weather to dig junk or good

 

[chinchilla]

I can second the screens in help weather to dig or not to dig my v3i offers an aray of valuable info many different ways in helping the detectorist decide weather to dig junk or good

that's one reason why I don't depart from my mxt, speed hunting

 

[christo000]

Not to get off subject for the op but oh ya screens on the whites spectras give alot of info u could probly get away with tuning the Speaker off & pull good targets I use polor plot it works wonders

 

[christo000]

Oh & I been reading up on these 2 machines though i dont use one would like to try out both I now c y its such a hard decisión they both r great & 1 up each other in different ways idk Man good luck

 

[dieselram94]

On land machines I have to have a screen. IN the water I don't think screen is important.
I think if Tesoro would add a screen and update the look of the machines their following would be even bigger...

 

[christo000]

On land machines I have to have a screen. IN the water I don't think screen is important.
I think if Tesoro would add a screen and update the look of the machines their following would be even bigger...

They have with screens, deleon,& cortés i beleive the names r in a way the tesoro line since I work with autos & trucks remind me of a mack truck been around awhile built to work

 

[chinchilla]

there's something special about Tesoros, it's not by chance their cult of followers

 

[christo000]

True like everything else u got minelab guys tesoro guys,whites guys all what u like then people like me WHO just want to collect them all lol

 

[chinchilla]

True like everything else u got minelab guys tesoro guys,whites guys all what u like then people like me WHO just want to collect them all lol

you are right, expensive hobby LOL

 

[rainyday101]

Atomicscott, every time I think I have my mind made up you make me rethink things! I have different experiences on the pop and click signals, but bear in mind that is with a Silver Umax detector and not the Hot series (vaq. cibola. tejon). The strength of my umax is picking the coins out of the trash with nice clean tones. Clean tones with coins under or next to discriminated items. Things maybe different with the Vaq. as it is not a umax series detector. While the umax series of detectors are incredible, they are not depth monsters for the most part. The hot series are depth monsters, but maybe there is a loss in disc performance and separation abilities. I set disc on the umax to cherry pick and it is incredible, but not the deepest detector out there. I very seldom dig trash and when I do dig a questionable signal it is just to confirm what my ears told me. It is good to do this once in a while. I will have to do some more research on the Vaq's target separation abilities.

From what you are saying though it sounds as if the 505 is the hands down winner on the separation. Separation is important because this is where a lot of the good stuff has been missed. Depth is a plus. It sounds like the 505 has them both. Again I rethink things!

 

[fella]

I agree on separation being important. (Why I love my ATP w/5x8) But to get the best separation you are definitely going to want a DD coil. Might want to look at what coils are available for each and see if both offer like performances.

 

[atomicscott]

Atomicscott, every time I think I have my mind made up you make me rethink things! I have different experiences on the pop and click signals, but bear in mind that is with a Silver Umax detector and not the Hot series (vaq. cibola. tejon). The strength of my umax is picking the coins out of the trash with nice clean tones. Clean tones with coins under or next to discriminated items. Things maybe different with the Vaq. as it is not a umax series detector. While the umax series of detectors are incredible, they are not depth monsters for the most part. The hot series are depth monsters, but maybe there is a loss in disc performance and separation abilities. I set disc on the umax to cherry pick and it is incredible, but not the deepest detector out there. I very seldom dig trash and when I do dig a questionable signal it is just to confirm what my ears told me. It is good to do this once in a while. I will have to do some more research on the Vaq's target separation abilities.

From what you are saying though it sounds as if the 505 is the hands down winner on the separation. Separation is important because this is where a lot of the good stuff has been missed. Depth is a plus. It sounds like the 505 has them both. Again I rethink things!

No detector is perfect, but I really think minelab put alot of thought into designing the Xterra series. It works great with the stock coil, but if I decide to spend $142- $200 on a different frequency coil, its almost like getting a new machine for only the price of a coil. I spent $129 for the 5.75 dd for the vaquero, so the Xterra coils aren't really that much more. I happened to get a 6" mf coil with mine, and I really like it in the trash. The depth is great too. I use it more than the stock 9".

 

[chinchilla]

rainyday101 the dilema is that faint signals will occur with every detector, unless you don't care about them and walk. I think both machines will get goodies.
I find interesting though how hype is created by many detectorist who talk wonders about a machine on their first months of use and then suddenly they change opinions radically.

Good luck no matter what decision

 

[atomicscott]

rainyday101 the dilema is that faint signals will occur with every detector, unless you don't care about them and walk. I think both machines will get goodies.
I find interesting though how hype is created by many detectorist who talk wonders about a machine on their first months of use and then suddenly they change opinions radically.

Good luck no matter what decision

True, I do get and dig some faint signals, but I don't get tiny, very short blips of a signal (or one-way signals) that sound like the target is the size of a pea, not a dime. Also true, many times with a new detector, you find the goodies for the first few months, things slow down and you aren't finding stuff like did. So, you sometimes start testing (in the field, or a test garden, etc..) and realize the detector is not really living up to your expectations. The only way to know which detector YOU are really going to be happy with is to actually TRY others and see. Lots of people think their detector is the best thing going, until they actually try something else. I am guilty of doing this. I realize I simply like some detectors better than others, because I have used some different machines, and made a decision based on that. Not saying one is better, but some may be better for a particular person. It's not too hard to compare 2 machines once you have used them back to back. If you havent tried both units, you are simply making an educated guess at best. I know sometimes people are so loyal to a brand, they cant even fathom there is something they may enjoy better. That used to be me! I'm not so closed-minded to think that the Xterra 505 is better than another detector I have never even tried. I'm sure there are better detectors out there.

 

[dieselram94]

I think the bottom line is once you move away from the low end detectors (we all know what I mean) then all the detectors from the big names like Minelab, Whites, Garrett, Tesoro, and Fisher, all are great machines and it just comes down to preference.

 

[christo000]

I think the bottom line is once you move away from the low end detectors (we all know what I mean) then all the detectors from the big names like Minelab, Whites, Garrett, Tesoro, and Fisher, all are great machines and it just comes down to preference.

Agreed 100%

 

[fella]

Agreed 100%

Plus 1

 

[atomicscott]

True they all work great. That's why I kept stating that this is just my opinion from using the 2 machines the OP mentioned. It does seems like there is a kind of a 'sweet spot' in the intermediate part of the market ($350-$450?) where $100-$150 can get you a lot more detector (i.e. better coils, more features, etc...)