Mojave.....compadre on steroids? /// Lobo?

The mojave is just as capable on little gold jewelry as compadre.
Run the sensitivity between 1-3 and it's even better than the compadre
next to big iron poles in playgrounds and swing sets.
Turn the sensitivity up to max and in some places you will be
amazed by the depth it can get.
I've dug a couple wheaties at the 7-8" mark with mine, and
actually dug an old 410 shotgun shell that was every bit of 9" deep.
Mind boggling performance from the Mojave.
The compadre is still a monster especially considering the price, but
the mojave is definitely the better option if you spend the extra $80.

Never used the lobo but there does seem to be quite a few posts
from folks that love them for coin and jewelry hunting in parks.

Also make sure the modifications are operating properly because it
will add to the repair bill if you need to have it serviced by Tesoro.

Im pretty much sold on the mojave if I dont pickup this used tesoro lobo.

If I get the lobo I would be able to do some prospecting if I travel west, Im just wondering how the lobo would compare to banging coins out here in the midwest and on jewelry in tot lots vs the mojave?

passed on the lobo....kind of wishing I got it. Going to get the mojave this fri I guess.

Im soooo undecided.
Part of me wants to start slow and get the mojave... but part of me wants to jump all in on the new equinox.

I am pretty much sold on Tesoro up to this point. Lifetime warranty, quality parts, no nonsense analog which would force me to learn the tones..... but all the features of the equinox has me thinking about jumping the fence. ..arggggg what to do

A mojave or even a compadre is a great way to start.
And the new equinox probably won't even be available
until late this year, maybe even next spring.
Plus the Tesoro will make a great backup or loaner
if you try to recruit a friend to come diggin.

deezdrama said:

Im soooo undecided.
Part of me wants to start slow and get the mojave... but part of me wants to jump all in on the new equinox.

I am pretty much sold on Tesoro up to this point. Lifetime warranty, quality parts, no nonsense analog which would force me to learn the tones..... but all the features of the equinox has me thinking about jumping the fence. ..arggggg what to do

Click to expand...

Sent you a PM

From what I've experienced adjusting the Mojave, it seems the best way to use it is to use low disc until it beeps. Then, turn up disc and if any signal remains, dig it.

On my 5" deep test dime buried years ago, it is real solid at low disc settings, but if I were to search in pulltab disc or worse yet zinc cent reject, the signal would be small and broken on my 5" deep dime. So it seems for those that want deeper coins without digging much trash, search at low disc, then turn it op when something beeps.

Both models are same frequency. Mojave is basically a Compadre with add-ons.

Look at it this way, for an additional $80-$90 you can get the Mojave. Take a Compadre, mod it with similar controls and to allow for interchangeable coils, while voiding the warranty in the process (lol, and yes I've done it) and see which makes the most sense

Spend the extra few $$, get the Mojave, upgrade later. If this is your 1st detector, don't just jump on a bandwagon because others are drooling over the latest-greatest. Everyone just starting should begin with an entry to mid-level detector. Develop a feel for the hobby on your own, and base your decisions off that.

Found a like new vaquero from a dealer for same price as a mojave. I jumped on it, hope it works out for me. Will be a longer learning curve than the mojave but should go a little deeper .

Vaquero should go waaaaayy deeper supertuned!!

deezdrama said:

Found a like new vaquero from a dealer for same price as a mojave. I jumped on it, hope it works out for me. Will be a longer learning curve than the mojave but should go a little deeper .

Click to expand...

Not really much of a learning curve. No menus to scroll through, programs to fool with, screens to try to decipher, just set it and go.

Go to youtube and watch some videos on Ground Balancing and Supertuning. No reason it shouldn't work-out for you, they're great detectors. If you didn't happen to get a 5.75" coil with it, get yourself one (be sure to get the correct Delta/4-pin coil).

This one has the 8x9 concentric. So a 5 3/4" concentric would do better in tot lots?
Does the 1/4 turn to negative ground balance work for most soil conditions?

deezdrama said:

This one has the 8x9 concentric. So a 5 3/4" concentric would do better in tot lots?
Does the 1/4 turn to negative ground balance work for most soil conditions?

Click to expand...

It would allow you to get closer to some of the equipment, and works in between trash better.

I don't fool with 1/4 turn either way, I've heard both ways (- or +). I ground balance and go on.

deezdrama said:

Found a like new vaquero from a dealer for same price as a mojave. I jumped on it, hope it works out for me. Will be a longer learning curve than the mojave but should go a little deeper .

Click to expand...

Any machine without a target ID screen is going to have a bigger learning curve because it does not have a notching feature to help you learn targets to tones & target ID numbers. Both give a new user more information pre dig and take some of the guess work out.

With these machines, you will have to turn the discrimination knob on each target to figure out where drops off to get an idea of what range the target is is, pre dig... more guess work for a new user.

I wouldn't suggest a machine with knobs to a new user for some of those reasons mentioned. Just my educated .02

deezdrama said:

This one has the 8x9 concentric. So a 5 3/4" concentric would do better in tot lots?
Does the 1/4 turn to negative ground balance work for most soil conditions?

Click to expand...

My first hunt with my Vaq after using a second hand cheaper BH unit that had many issues and problems in my dirt.
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=48335&highlight=Pioneer

It was like starting off brand new.
Despite using a screen unit first getting used to it wasn't so hard, at first I set the thing just below nickel and dug most beeps but eventually I lowered that disc knob little by little and soon got into the thumbing thing which I liked much better and eventually started to dig a lot less trash and find much more.
In time I got very picky and cut out about 80% of the volume of trash i came across but still managed to do shockingly well using that thumbing method and other tricks and techniques.
Still do it that way to this day.
I have always recommended that for shiny newbies starting out with screen or metered units is a bit easier but many just jumped into the hobby with a Compadre, Silver, Vaq or other non screen detector and still did fine.
It might take a bit longer to learn to hunt with these things but most get there soon enough.
I also am of the opinion that learning to hunt well with these audio only units can only help you be a better hunter even if you end up with and like using screen units more.
I still use both, the hobby wouldn't be the same or as enjoyable for me if I didn't have that option.

The standard concentric does very well, it has great seeration and gets pretty darn deep in good soil, the big DD coil is great for covering large areas of real estate with confidence that you won't be missing much and the smaller snipers will get a bit closer to large iron and does make it a lot easier to deal with, and still find, better targets in heavy trash or iron infested sites.
Also pretty sensitive to gold and smaller targets.
Here is a vid I made very soon after I first got my concentric sniper.
Huge area, small coil, moving faster than I should have but still got a signal on small gold that stopped me in my tracks.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FhPT55m2TOM


The Vaq is a great all around tool, learn it well and it can pay you back in hours of fun and a lot of great treasure.