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COMPARISON of Fisher F11 with Tesoro Compadre 5.75 Coil Model.

ToddB64

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2006
Messages
749
Location
Georgetown, Ohio, USA
Hi :tiphat:

To those who have or have had experience with the two detector models in the title:

#1..How would you rate one to the other for easy operation ?

#2..Do you think the F11 could compete with the compadre 5.75 coil model ?

#3..How would you rate one to the other in terms of your personal success finding good stuff (Any targets on the list below.) ?

If you have comments that deal with issues other than questions #1, #2 and #3 feel free !

(a)..Copper Cents, like Wheaties, pre '82 and some post '82 coppers.
(b)..Silver coins and Jewelry.
(c)..Gold coins and Jewelry.
(d)..Precious metal finds other than silver and gold.

See Specifications, etc. Below

Thanks for your input !

ToddB64
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fisher F11
All-Purpose Metal Detector

(See attached picture on left.)

msrp $199.00, Dealers $159.00
SPECIFICATIONS:
Recommended for: Coin Shooting, Jewelry Hunting, Relic Hunting
3 Modes of Operation: JEWELRY, COIN, ARTIFACT
9-Segment Visual Target-ID
4-Tone Audio-ID
Pinpoint
6 Levels of Adjustable Sensitivity and Volume
7-Inch Concentric Elliptical Waterproof Searchcoil
Ultra-lightweight Only 2.3 lbs. Operational Weight
Operating Frequency 7.69 kHz.
Batteries : (1) 9V
Multiple Notching System
Graphic Target Depth Indicator
5 Year Warranty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tesoro Compadre with 5.75 inch Coil

(See attached picture on Right.)

msrp $189.00, Dealers $160.65
SPECIFICATIONS:
Operating Frequency 12 kHz
Searchcoil Type Round concentric, hardwired Searchcoil Size 5.75"
Cable Length Approx. 3'
Audio Frequency Approx. 630 Hz
Audio Output 1 ½" speaker and headphone jack
Headphone Compatibility ¼" stereo plug
Weight (may vary slightly) 2.2 lbs
Battery Requirement One 9 Volt DC (alkaline)
Battery Life (typical) 10 to 20 hours
Optimum Temp. Range 30° to 100° F
Optimum Humidity 0 to 75% R.H.
Operating Modes Silent Search Discriminate
Tesoro ED-180 discrimination
Limited Lifetime Warranty to Original Owners
_______________________________________________________
 

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I have't had an F11 but I've used a 5.75" Compadre to dig silver coins, gold rings, and CW relics. I trust the discrimination on that Compadre more than the digital tones/ID of the F2 that I had. I was "fooled" a LOT less than the around $200 digital unit.

If someone told me $200 was what I had to spend and it had to be new, I'd have no problems plopping it down on a Compadre.
 
I have't had an F11 but I've used a 5.75" Compadre to dig silver coins, gold rings, and CW relics. I trust the discrimination on that Compadre more than the digital tones/ID of the F2 that I had. I was "fooled" a LOT less than the around $200 digital unit.

If someone told me $200 was what I had to spend and it had to be new, I'd have no problems plopping it down on a Compadre.

Curbdog.....Sorry you were displeased with the F2 digital tones/ID.

On the other hand, Digger27 (Dave) has extensive experience with both the F2 and the 7" coil Compadre he bought from Ski Whiz for $130.00 and judging by his posts, he seems pleased with the F2 and has had good success with it. He even made a video demonstrating the F2 that's probably somewhere in the Church of the Compadre forum, if I recall correctly. So that's another member's opinion. See the following link for more !
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=53930

I hope to get more replies to this post, to judge what the majority of other users think of the F11 and/or other low-cost Fisher digitals of that ilk.

Thanks for your input ! :thankyou:

ToddB64
 
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My take...
I enjoy using both the Tesoros and Fishers so having both kinds I can switch between on a whim is the way I have enjoyed doing this hobby since the end of 2010.
Still do it like that and I wouldn't do it any other way.

Comparing both the F2 and the Compadre, and by extension the replacement to the F2, the F11, they both had their strengths and weaknesses.
I never had any problem with any aspect of the F2, the numbers, the tones, nothing, I learned it better than just well and went on to win most coins found awards at my club for 3 years and enough silver and gold added to that clad amount to pay for the F2 10 times over.
Plus it was a blast to use...I assume the F11 would be just as capable.
Go the were easy to use because I learned them, I believe the same effort with any detector the results would be the same.

It was never a depth demon but the time I used it I first hunted in bad soil that never gave up much depth most of the time and the bulk of the time I did hunt in good soil I was using the sniper so I never expected huge depth with that coil.
Still, the few times I did use bigger coils in good dirt I was able to get to the 7-8" area with an 8" coil.
I have a 10" coil but didn't use it for very long but I might have been able to get another inch or two out of that one.
I just didn't come across many targets that were much deeper than 5-6" even in good soil so I only have a few deeper ones that I experienced.
Using the sniper coil in good dirt I could reach that 5-6" area easily too also but never dug any target much past 5".

On the Compadre in good soil I could not make it much past 6" even with a 7" coil and the gain turned up internally so I give the Fisher a slight edge in the depth dept.
The Compadre could find targets next to big metal easy and my F2 could never get as close with any coil or settings so one for the Compadre on that.
Both found chains petty easily but as sensitive the F2 is the Compadre is hypersensitive and might be able to see a few rare really small targets the F2 couldn't but that list would be small.

I dug a bit more trash with the Compadre than the with the F2 but not a whole lot more and both were fun to use but in different ways.

I found more treasure with the F2 because I used it more, much more treasure because used it many more hours than I used the Compadre and I chose to do that.

If you made me choose I would go with the screen unit every time because there is just more information to work with on that one.
Depth might be a bit better too if that matters to you.

Warranties are different but 5 years on the Fisher is a long time and lifetime warranties are great but who is to say how long Tesoro will actually be around.
In the last 6 years things have changed a lot with that company and I hope they stay around forever but as a businessman they seem to do some odd and strange things so you never know.

For a long time I used the F2 as my main tool and the Compadre for fun along with the Vaq and I was happy.
Now I use the F70 as my main and got a Mojave which seems to work better in my dirt than the Compadre ever did so those are going to be the ones I reach for in the foreseeable future.
A Fisher and a Tesoro at my beck and call, slightly different than the duo I used a few years ago but it is a new era and old habits die hard.
 
My take...
I enjoy using both the Tesoros and Fishers so having both kinds I can switch between on a whim is the way I have enjoyed doing this hobby since the end of 2010.
Still do it like that and I wouldn't do it any other way.

Comparing both the F2 and the Compadre, and by extension the replacement to the F2, the F11, they both had their strengths and weaknesses.
I never had any problem with any aspect of the F2, the numbers, the tones, nothing, I learned it better than just well and went on to win most coins found awards at my club for 3 years and enough silver and gold added to that clad amount to pay for the F2 10 times over.
Plus it was a blast to use...I assume the F11 would be just as capable.
Go the were easy to use because I learned them, I believe the same effort with any detector the results would be the same.

It was never a depth demon but the time I used it I first hunted in bad soil that never gave up much depth most of the time and the bulk of the time I did hunt in good soil I was using the sniper so I never expected huge depth with that coil.
Still, the few times I did use bigger coils in good dirt I was able to get to the 7-8" area with an 8" coil.
I have a 10" coil but didn't use it for very long but I might have been able to get another inch or two out of that one.
I just didn't come across many targets that were much deeper than 5-6" even in good soil so I only have a few deeper ones that I experienced.
Using the sniper coil in good dirt I could reach that 5-6" area easily too also but never dug any target much past 5".

On the Compadre in good soil I could not make it much past 6" even with a 7" coil and the gain turned up internally so I give the Fisher a slight edge in the depth dept.
The Compadre could find targets next to big metal easy and my F2 could never get as close with any coil or settings so one for the Compadre on that.
Both found chains petty easily but as sensitive the F2 is the Compadre is hypersensitive and might be able to see a few rare really small targets the F2 couldn't but that list would be small.

I dug a bit more trash with the Compadre than the with the F2 but not a whole lot more and both were fun to use but in different ways.

I found more treasure with the F2 because I used it more, much more treasure because used it many more hours than I used the Compadre and I chose to do that.

If you made me choose I would go with the screen unit every time because there is just more information to work with on that one.
Depth might be a bit better too if that matters to you.

Warranties are different but 5 years on the Fisher is a long time and lifetime warranties are great but who is to say how long Tesoro will actually be around.
In the last 6 years things have changed a lot with that company and I hope they stay around forever but as a businessman they seem to do some odd and strange things so you never know.

For a long time I used the F2 as my main tool and the Compadre for fun along with the Vaq and I was happy.
Now I use the F70 as my main and got a Mojave which seems to work better in my dirt than the Compadre ever did so those are going to be the ones I reach for in the foreseeable future.
A Fisher and a Tesoro at my beck and call, slightly different than the duo I used a few years ago but it is a new era and old habits die hard.

Thanks for your reply Dave :thankyou:

I love the looks of the Fisher "F" series detectors and the F11 is priced competitively and within a dollar or so of dealer's price for the Compadre (F11 $159.00, Compadre $160.65).

I take it that while you "assume the F11 would be just as capable", i.e. as capable as the F2 (Now out of production.), you have not actually owned or used the new F11 and while I have great respect and faith in your conjecture, in truth it is supposition based on your experience with the F2.....correct ?

ToddB64
 
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I have a Compadre with 8 inch coil and I really prefer digital screens/sound,I get much more info from them.
I have not used a f11 but I did have a f70 which was quite nice.
 
Thanks for your reply Dave :thankyou:

I love the looks of the Fisher "F" series detectors and the F11 is priced competitively within a dollar or so of dealer's price for the Compadre (F11 $159.00, Compadre $160.65).

I take it that while you "assume the F11 would be just as capable", i.e. as capable as the F2 (Now out of production.), you have not actually owned or used the new F11 and while I have great respect and faith in your conjecture, in truth it is supposition based on your experience with the F2.....correct ?

ToddB64

Correct.
 
I have a Compadre with 8 inch coil and I really prefer digital screens/sound,I get much more info from them.
I have not used a f11 but I did have a f70 which was quite nice.

Hi metaladdict !

You "did have" an F70 ? I believe Digger27 has that one in his arsenal now and seems to be happy with it !
Below is a list of his detectors, along with the frequencies, etc. if you are curious.

I take it you no longer have the F70. If I may ask, why did you get rid of it ?

Thanks !
ToddB64

Digger27's current detectors:

-Fisher F70, Digital Screen, Multi-frequencies (seven total), default 13kHz.

-Tesoro Vaquero, Audio No Screen, Analog circuitry, Multi-frequencies (four total), default 14kHz, ED120 (120° Extended Discrimination).

-Tesoro Compadre, Audio, Analog, Single 12 kHz frequency, ED180° Disc..

-Fisher F2, Digital Screen, Single frequency 5.9 kHz
 
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Hi metaladdict !

You "did have" an F70 ? I believe Digger27 has that one in his arsenal now and seems to be happy with it !
Below is a list of his detectors, along with the frequencies, etc. if you are curious.

I take it you no longer have the F70. If I may ask, why did you get rid of it ?

Thanks !
ToddB64

Digger27's current detectors:

-Fisher F70, Digital Screen, Multi-frequencies (seven total), default 13kHz.

-Tesoro Vaquero, Audio No Screen, Analog circuitry, Multi-frequencies (four total), default 14kHz, ED120 (120° Extended Discrimination).

-Tesoro Compadre, Audio, Analog, Single 12 kHz frequency, ED180° Disc..

-Fisher F2, Digital Screen, Single frequency 5.9 kHz


Not quite correct...

Currently I use the F70 and I am thoroughly testing the Mojave.
Both work better in my dirt than any other detector I have swung here so far and better than a few other brands others I have hunted with have used.
Way better.

The Compadre is on hold and the F2 is in storage.

I traded the Vaq away for the Mojave and a Nel coil for the F70...a win-win trade for both of us.
BTW...that Vaq is actually about 165 ED despite what Tesoro says on their website.
 
Not quite correct...

Currently I use the F70 and I am thoroughly testing the Mojave.
Both work better in my dirt than any other detector I have swung here so far and better than a few other brands others I have hunted with have used.
Way better.

The Compadre is on hold and the F2 is in storage.

I traded the Vaq away for the Mojave and a Nel coil for the F70...a win-win trade for both of us.
BTW...that Vaq is actually about 165 ED despite what Tesoro says on their website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

OK....Gotcha ! :ewink:

Digger27's current detectors:

-Fisher F70, Digital Screen, Multi-frequencies (seven total), default 13kHz. ...Currently using

-Tesoro Vaquero, Audio No Screen, Analog circuitry, Multi-frequencies (four total), default 14kHz, ED120 (120° Extended Discrimination). ....Traded away !

-Tesoro Compadre, Audio, Analog, Single 12 kHz frequency, ED180° Disc. ...On hold

-Fisher F2, Digital Screen, Single frequency 5.9 kHz ...In storage -

-Tesoro Mojave (Superseded Bandido ll µMax), Audio, Analog, Single 12 kHz frequency, Silent Search ED180° Disc...Traded Vaq for this unit and being thoroughly tested !

ToddB64
 
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Tesoro Vaquero ED-???

Hi digger27 ! :tiphat:

In the last sentence at the bottom of your post #9 here > Detectors and Gear > All About Detectors > Thread titled: COMPARISON of Fisher F11 with Tesoro Compadre 5.75 Coil Model., you said "BTW...that Vaq is actually about 165 ED despite what Tesoro says on their website." (The Tesoro website currently says the Vaq has ED 120 , as stated in the following paragraph pasted below.)

"The main part of the Vaquero’s versatility is its three and three-quarters manually adjusted ground balance. This will give the detectorist the power to set up his machine to best suit the mineralization conditions that he is working in and his personal treasure hunting style. The Vaquero adds an ED 120 discrimination feature to filter the trash from the treasure and a Push Button Pinpoint that makes digging up the goodies that much easier. The discriminate knob is also used to switch into a threshold-based All Metal Mode."

Well, I have an old rag paper 21st Edition of Tesoro's MDI (Metal Detector Information) magazine and on page 28, pasted below, they said "We've also added an ED 180 discrimination feature....." (See the top-right paragraph).

Perhaps you or someone else can explain what's going on with this variation of the ED number.

Also, regarding your comment "about 165 ED", what sort of test or manifestation indicated to you that the ED is different than advertised ? This question isn't meant to challenge what you said, but rather that I might learn something new ! :ewink:

ToddB64
 

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Hi digger27 ! :tiphat:

In the last sentence at the bottom of your post #9 here > Detectors and Gear > All About Detectors > Thread titled: COMPARISON of Fisher F11 with Tesoro Compadre 5.75 Coil Model., you said "BTW...that Vaq is actually about 165 ED despite what Tesoro says on their website." (The Tesoro website currently says the Vaq has ED 120 , as stated in the following paragraph pasted below.)

"The main part of the Vaquero’s versatility is its three and three-quarters manually adjusted ground balance. This will give the detectorist the power to set up his machine to best suit the mineralization conditions that he is working in and his personal treasure hunting style. The Vaquero adds an ED 120 discrimination feature to filter the trash from the treasure and a Push Button Pinpoint that makes digging up the goodies that much easier. The discriminate knob is also used to switch into a threshold-based All Metal Mode."

Well, I have an old rag paper 21st Edition of Tesoro's MDI (Metal Detector Information) magazine and on page 28, pasted below, they said "We've also added an ED 180 discrimination feature....." (See the top-right paragraph).

Perhaps you or someone else can explain what's going on with this variation of the ED number.

Also, regarding your comment "about 165 ED", what sort of test or manifestation indicated to you that the ED is different than advertised ? This question isn't meant to challenge what you said, but rather that I might learn something new ! :ewink:

ToddB64


The Vaquero 180-165-120 ED thing...all this has been hashed out and the truth has been known by owners for years despite what Tesoro puts down in any paperwork, website or advertising.

You know about the Compadre, you asked Monte about this on his site several years ago...
https://www.ahrps.org/forums/read.php?2,2221,2253#msg-2253

Monte is a guru and well respected hunter, he has been doing this hobby for decades and also still uses a few of their models and used to be a dealer for Tesoro.
He has used and experimented with pretty much most of the models Tesoro put out over the years and all of their coils and has done some pretty good scientific research on them using all kinds of detector and coil combinations over many kinds of targets.
Maybe not quite as deep into it as Dankowski has done on a few units but close.
He came up with the nail board test and tends to do some pretty real world in the field testing on the units he uses because, well, he has to.
He is very particular and tends to hunt all kinds of locations but also in some very challenging soil out west like old ghost towns where the soil might not be great and most of his sites are littered with garbage and iron.

The Vaq is a direct descendent of the Eldorado which actually did have real world 180 Expanded Discrimination circuitry like the Amigo, the Tejon and the Compadre and maybe a few others, and when they discontinued that one and came out with the Vaquero I guess they used a lot of the electronics from the Eldorado and just put down in all the ads and eventually their website it also had 180 ED.
They probably never actually tested them, they just assumed that it did.

Eventually Monte did a few tests himself a long time ago and discovered this wasn't exactly true...the Vaq had a larger discrimination range than their 120 ED units but not quite as much as a true 180 ED unit...he put the number at more like 165-170.
I discovered this was definitely true myself, most targets can be picked up by the Vaq in disc with the knob turned all the way down...but not all.
There were some small targets, tiny iron nails and things, that the Compadre could pick up easily in that model's version of low disc which they call all metal but still in disc that the Vaq just couldn't.
Not really a huge deal to most owners or it wasn't to me, I never cared about looking for targets that low and the Vaq does have true all metal which will see everything but if that little extra range of iron did have an effect on how successfully we can hunt in a nail and iron infested site, even a tiny one, the stated numbers were wrong...more of a truth in advertising thing thing than anything else but most owners never cared, we knew what we were getting if you read up on this model on the forums.
For years Tesoro never changed anything on their archaic website or in their ads but one day they finally revamped their website and they surprisingly changed that ED number all the way down to 120.
I don't know if this was a mistake they didn't catch when their web designer revamped the site, or they didn't actually want to do any testing to find out the actual real number or they just made a decision to err on the side of caution and just lower it down to 120.
This company is very good at what they do and making the type of niche detectors they manufacture but at heart they are Luddites...they never really moved into the the 21st century in their understanding of modern day promotion and advertising as most all the other companies have.
Their website seems to be pretty basic and almost an afterthought to them and before they changed it they went offline for months and didn't seem to care at all.
The track record they have on social media is laughable, the don't seem to have a clue on how important that resource is in modern day retail and when they made a big mistake and came out with a naming contest for a new model, the Cazador, it seemed to most they were close to releasing it from what they were saying and the way they said it but this was far from the truth...it has been over three years now and still no Cazador...there might never be one but who knows, they might surprise us one day.
For many Tesoro fans this was frustrating and they vented their frustration on the forums pretty vocally and for others that weren't all that into their products they also latched onto this mistake and mercilessly made fun of them.
What was Tesoro's reaction, one day one of their reps went on a forum and posted an insane, immature rant chastising all their detractors which was actually pretty funny and did more harm than good.
Then soon after they pulled back from most of the forums, stopped paying for sponsorship on the Tesoro forum on Findmall and have been pretty silent ever since.
Kind of a, "We are going to take our ball and go home", kind of thing.
This is a private company and they can do what they want but sometimes the way they act and the things they do are perplexing to many of us that have experience in retail...but that is them and for all of their lives their company has done things their way under the original owner and continues to do it their way under the son's guidance after he took over...as weird and illogical some things they do seem.
Alan Cannon has come on the forums a few times since all that happened and he seems pretty sane and logical but as far as disseminating any worthwhile information about most anything they just don't do that in public forums or on any social media...they probably never will.
On the other hand if you call them on the phone and talk to Rusty, Alan or even the owner Vince they can be very friendly, informative and forthcoming....but the modern generation isn't into that and expect to get all information they need and want to know on websites, social media or in emails.
With this company that will probably never happen.

So getting back to the 180 ED thing the Vaq doesn't have it and never did but it isn't 120 either and it is actually somewhere in between no matter what the website says.
It is possible they actually made a manufacturing change and it really is 120 ED but no owners that use them and have seen them in action believes that...I don't.
To me it is more of a case of laziness in changing that to a true number than anything else.
Tesoro might change their description on their website one day to reflect this reality but don't hold your breath.
As I mentioned for owners this is pretty much a non issue anyway, the Vaq is what it is, does what it does and does it very well and if you want to know the truth about any of their products over the years enough real owners have posted about them for so long now that as the X Files show used to say, "The truth is out there".
 
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