Which detector would you choose?

Park, Field for sure, house if it wasn't too old...........Equinox but with the 11" and 6" coils

Cellar hole or really old house or house site........XP Deus (but I would make sure I got permission for at least a second visit and would bring the Equinox for the second one)
 
Well, I obviously only have two options right now...but I would choose my Bandido. I was just talking to a former dealer of Tesoro who told me those machines can work around iron about as well as many of the recent releases....without having to go menu diving. Simple, powerful. My Gold Kruzer is a highly sensitive machine for jewelry, but may have trouble discriminating coins from junk as well as others can.

FYI, I just bought both these machines to get back into detecting in the Spring after my Eurotek crapped out over a year ago. I haven't had a chance to use either one yet. Now it looks like I just might have COVID and will likely get tested today or tomorrow. Hopefully that doesnt put a damper on my plans for too long:-/ As stubborn as I am, I may just go out hunting locally anyway even though I feel like a truck ran over me.
 
How do you like the Nokta Impact compared to all your others?

I think it's a really good detector as far as single frequency detectors go. I don't use it much anymore. You have 3 frequency choices. I only ever used 5kHz and 14kHz. It does really well in trash with the small elliptical 7.5"x4" coil. It's not a depth monster with the stock 11"x7". I have thought about getting the 11" round coil for it.
 
Metal Pig: said:
Well, I obviously only have two options right now...but I would choose my Bandido. I was just talking to a former dealer of Tesoro who told me those machines can work around iron about as well as many of the recent releases....without having to go menu diving. Simple, powerful.
I have some "modern" detectors in my outfit, such as a Nokta FORS Relic I keep a 5" DD coil mounted to for the nastiest of iron infested sites. A Minelab Vanquish 540 I keep the 5X8 DD on. My Nokta / makro Simplex + for beach hunting or drippy weather days. And my Garrett Apex units for day-to-day hunting.

But two model that are always along with me are my trusted Tesoro Bandido II microMAX and Silver Sabre microMAX, each with a 6" Concentric coil mounted. They are very capable detectors, and when I get ANY new detector or coil in-hand I compare them against my Tesoro's in a few tests to see if they can come close to handling iron nail challenges.



Metal Pig: said:
My Gold Kruzer is a highly sensitive machine for jewelry, but may have trouble discriminating coins from junk as well as others can.
I liked the Gold Racer for nugget hunting type use, but the Kruzer I tried just didn't have as good an audio, and I wasn't impressed with it on higher-conductive coins-type targets. I'm sure the Gold Kruzer will do fine on lower-conductive gold nuggets or gold jewelry.


Metal Pig: said:
FYI, I just bought both these machines to get back into detecting in the Spring after my Eurotek crapped out over a year ago. I haven't had a chance to use either one yet.
Put in some time and enjoy them.
But I have a question for you:

Is that a Tesoro Bandido microMAX or a Bandido II microMAX? There is a notable diffrence.

Tesoro made 4 Bandido series models. The original Bandido in the under-slung housing powered by two-9V batteries, then the Bandido II that looked similar but had the Normal (Manual) and Auto retune toggle function. Next was their attempt to make it in the smaller "micro-Max" housing (µMAX in their descriptive lingo), and finally the Bandido II µMAX.

The original Bandido and the Bandido II were very good detectors with reasonable detection them for that circuitry design. The µMAX Bandido suffered from the lack of an external Threshold control and poor detection depth in comparison. Not having the Threshold adjustment did impact the performance / versatility, too.

The final offering, the Bandido II µMAX, did have the front-panel Threshold control, and it also had newer circuitry design called the Low-Noise / High-Gin circuitry that enhanced the detection depth, extended the strength of the modulated audio, and resulted in a very good general-purpose detector.

If this is the model you have, then that's very good. All of those Tesoro models have the ED-120 Disc. circuity so I always keep them t their very minimum Disc. setting to just knock out most annoying ferrous debris.



Metal Pig: said:
Now it looks like I just might have COVID and will likely get tested today or tomorrow. Hopefully that doesnt put a damper on my plans for too long:-/ As stubborn as I am, I may just go out hunting locally anyway even though I feel like a truck ran over me.
I hope you don't have Covid 19, or if you do it is very mild, and that you are younger and/or in more fit health to better handle it.

I'm older, turning 72 in two months, and my health is terrible. I am a really bad diabetic and need to increase my insulin dosages. I am struggling with high blood pressure, and issues causing low diastolic readings. I've been getting around with a cane since March of '93. My balance and mobility has been a struggle since back injuries in 1988 and again in 2010, loss of part of my left foot due to service-connected disability, and then came December.

By the 11th I was feeling weak but hoped it was just a seasonal cold or 'regular' flu or something. After 11 days I was so weak and out of it strength-wise, my son called the EMT's who escorted me to the hospital via ambulance.
Covid 19. I was there and their newer hospital from the 21st to the 28th when I came home.

I had to buy a walker to get aroud in my house, and that was a struggle. Today is March 10th about 3 months after i was first feeling weaker and more immobile. I am still relying on my walker a lot of the time, but trying to get back to short distances with my cane. I am going to try and put in some detecting time this coming Saturday and hope to last 15 minutes to, who knows, maybe close to an hour on level ground. But the struggle will be getting up after I kneel down to recover a target. I was weak to begin with, but due to my health, this Covid 19 stuff, and the amount of down-time before, during and after the hospital stay, also took a lot out of me and I am struggling to regain the health and what strength I had beforehand.

Hopefully you,. and others, do not get it or get it too severely. I know people who had it and you never would have guessed .... and a couple of them kept on detecting, too.

Anyway, stay well, and be patient as you put in some time to learn your new-to-you detectors. If I can be of any help, shoot me an e-mail or give me a call.

Monte
 
I'm with BeachHunter and Goodmore on this one. I haven't found any situation where I can't make the XP Deus work perfectly. I love having all that complexity at my fingertips and it makes hunting fun because you really can learn so much about how to use the detector. When you become a Deus master by putting the time and research into using (especially if you have the HF Elliptical coil), I'd be willing to wager to it can't be beat. This is just my opinion and I don't own any other detectors, but I can't find anything to not like about the Deus. It just works great, can be thrown in a backpack, wireless is awesome, and so forth. For me, nothing can come close, because I always walk or take a train to my detecting sites (Tokyo, Japan). Objectively, no other detector can meet my particular hunting demands, so I'm very, very satisfied with my purchases of the Deus and accessories.
 
Today, it would be my Bandido II µMAX w/6" Concentric coil if I wanted to not use a Tone ID or Target ID model. And if I wanted those features, it would be my Garrett Apex w/5X8 'Ripper' DD coil.

Monte

Monte, the more I learn about detecting, the more I realize how great Tesoro detectors really are. ALL of my best finds were made with Tesoro detectors. Look at my banner finds on T-Net under 'tabman'.

beephead
 
9 times out of 10 the E-trac, i know it well.. but I have been thinking about buying a back-up detector, probably a AT pro and mount a specific coil for private yards... that way i can just open the truck and grab one or the other depending on conditions...
 
beephead: said:
Monte, the more I learn about detecting, the more I realize how great Tesoro detectors really are. ALL of my best finds were made with Tesoro detectors. Look at my banner finds on T-Net under 'tabman'.

beephead
I made a lot of terrific finds with my Garrett models, and some White's models, during the hey-day era, mainly from 1968 and on through the '70s and into the early '80s. Those early period Coin Hunting days in larger urban areas with ample old parks, schools, vacant lots and what-ever, rewarded me with 60,000 to 70,000 coins per year .... unless I wasn't working over-time or extra-time which gave me more detecting time. Anyone who got out often, had a lot of good places to search that had seen activity going back to the mid-to-late 1800's, and had a quality detector or two and learned their devices and how-to-search, could also bring in an ample supply of coinage.

I was still doing quite well in '81 to '84, but so many of the commonly-hunted sites, especially in cities and towns that had a lot of 'local' active hobbyists, were starting to show early signs of wearing out. From when I started in March of '65 until July of '83, the bulk of my better finds were made using a BFO, then a TR, then a TR-Disc. and by '77 I was working good VLF/TR-Disc models.

The fast-sweep (4-filter type) motion-based Discriminators came out in '78, but they required a rocket-sweep speed, were heavier and awkward, and I had better performance from my TR-Disc and VLF-TR-Disc. detectors. But things changed, abruptly, in July of '83 when Tesoro introduced their Inca. Slow-Motion search with a Quick-Response / Fast-Recovery that handled Iron Nails and most ferrous debris much better than the Fisher 1260-X that brought us our first good slow-motion VLF-Discrimination in '82.

That July I not only started using the Inca full-time, but also became a Tesoro Dealer. And the day after I started using the Inca with the standard 8" coil, I swapped for the 7" Concentric off my Tesoro Mayan (a Tesoro TR-Disc. model that resembled the Inca) and I never hunted w/o a 7" on the Inca.

I used a 7" Concentric at least 98% of the time on all of the Tesoro models I favored since then, until they brought out the 6" Concentric which is all I use today. The reason? Because the Tesoro's primary benefit is a great audio response coupled with some of the best quick-response and fast-recovery time of almost any make or model, whether made back then or right up to today.

It was back in that July of '83 that I made an immediate change from 85% Coin Hunting and 15% Relic Hunting to just the opposite. I started concentrating on ghost towns, homesteads, pioneer and military encampments, old picnic groves, dance hall sites, and former church and school locations out in the rural areas and long out-of-use.

In-town the Tesoro's were perfect for tot-lots, and they were what I grabbed first to hunt any sidewalk tear-outs, other construction / renovation work, and to hit vacant lots that had stood that way for a long time.

For decades I have renamed many places I like to hunt so that the average hobbyist isn't going to know where my favorite spots are, and that includes 'Twin Flats' my all-time favorite ghost town, or almost my favorite site, period! Why? Because that one town-site surrendered hundreds of old coins to me, dating back to an 1836 Capped Bust Half-Dime, my oldest Cent was an 1851 Largie, and all of the finds filled 4 binders of 2X2 carded coins with a good-size pile left to clean and card. A good 95% to 98% of them were mine thanks to a good Tesoro with a 7" Concentric coil or a 6" near the end of my hunts there.

I really enjoy all the detectors I own and use now, especially my two favorite Tesoro models.


Max houser: said:
9 times out of 10 the E-trac, i know it well.. but I have been thinking about buying a back-up detector, probably a AT pro and mount a specific coil for private yards... that way i can just open the truck and grab one or the other depending on conditions...
It's always good to have a back-up or two, and depending upon the types of sites you hunt, including two or three good coils makes things even more flexible.

I've maintained at least 2-to-4 detectors in my outfit ever since '71-'72, and most of the time I'd have 6 or more since about 1988. That's because there were makes / models that I liked a lot, and some I favored with two or three different search coils to handle different tasks.

I've been down the Minelab SMF road since the '90s using Sovereigns, and up until the end of 2014 when I still had an Explorer II or two around, even though by then their use was very minimal due to my bad health and their bad weight & balance. More recently I have owned their Vanquish 540 and Equinox 800, also.

But for me and my needs, and to make a better 'fit' for me and my health limitations to take on the tasks I am able to now, I have my Regular-Use Team at-the-ready so I just grab-and-go when I get to a site. It is comprised of:

A Nokta FORS Relic w/5" round DD that is an absolute killer in the very dense ferrous debris of the ghost towns I can only now hunt periodically due to impaired mobility.

Three Garrett Apex devices that provide SMF or Selectable Single-Frequency operation. My primary-use unit keeps their 'Ripper' 5X8 DD mounted; the 2nd Apex sports their 'Raider' 8½X11 DD for more open and sparse-target conditions, such as a beach, plowed field, etc.; and my 3rd Apex has the NEL 'Sharp' 5" DD for dense brush or severe trash conditions.

A Tesoro Bandido II µMAX w/6" Concentric for times when I want or need to have manual GB for the existing conditions, and a Silver Sabre µMAX w/6" Concentric coil for quick-hit places like tot-lots or some renovation work I chance across.

By keeping the same detector with different coils, it eliminates the down-time to swap coils around as I simply grab the detector & coil combo I feel best fits the site conditions I am about to take on. Also, all my settings are the same, unit-to-unit. For me, my outfit works as I need them to for where I go, and as you can see, I have "back-ups.".

Monte
 
I have some "modern" detectors in my outfit, such as a Nokta FORS Relic I keep a 5" DD coil mounted to for the nastiest of iron infested sites. A Minelab Vanquish 540 I keep the 5X8 DD on. My Nokta / makro Simplex + for beach hunting or drippy weather days. And my Garrett Apex units for day-to-day hunting.

But two model that are always along with me are my trusted Tesoro Bandido II microMAX and Silver Sabre microMAX, each with a 6" Concentric coil mounted. They are very capable detectors, and when I get ANY new detector or coil in-hand I compare them against my Tesoro's in a few tests to see if they can come close to handling iron nail challenges.



I liked the Gold Racer for nugget hunting type use, but the Kruzer I tried just didn't have as good an audio, and I wasn't impressed with it on higher-conductive coins-type targets. I'm sure the Gold Kruzer will do fine on lower-conductive gold nuggets or gold jewelry.


Put in some time and enjoy them.
But I have a question for you:

Is that a Tesoro Bandido microMAX or a Bandido II microMAX? There is a notable diffrence.

Tesoro made 4 Bandido series models. The original Bandido in the under-slung housing powered by two-9V batteries, then the Bandido II that looked similar but had the Normal (Manual) and Auto retune toggle function. Next was their attempt to make it in the smaller "micro-Max" housing (µMAX in their descriptive lingo), and finally the Bandido II µMAX.

The original Bandido and the Bandido II were very good detectors with reasonable detection them for that circuitry design. The µMAX Bandido suffered from the lack of an external Threshold control and poor detection depth in comparison. Not having the Threshold adjustment did impact the performance / versatility, too.

The final offering, the Bandido II µMAX, did have the front-panel Threshold control, and it also had newer circuitry design called the Low-Noise / High-Gin circuitry that enhanced the detection depth, extended the strength of the modulated audio, and resulted in a very good general-purpose detector.

If this is the model you have, then that's very good. All of those Tesoro models have the ED-120 Disc. circuity so I always keep them t their very minimum Disc. setting to just knock out most annoying ferrous debris.



I hope you don't have Covid 19, or if you do it is very mild, and that you are younger and/or in more fit health to better handle it.

I'm older, turning 72 in two months, and my health is terrible. I am a really bad diabetic and need to increase my insulin dosages. I am struggling with high blood pressure, and issues causing low diastolic readings. I've been getting around with a cane since March of '93. My balance and mobility has been a struggle since back injuries in 1988 and again in 2010, loss of part of my left foot due to service-connected disability, and then came December.

By the 11th I was feeling weak but hoped it was just a seasonal cold or 'regular' flu or something. After 11 days I was so weak and out of it strength-wise, my son called the EMT's who escorted me to the hospital via ambulance.
Covid 19. I was there and their newer hospital from the 21st to the 28th when I came home.

I had to buy a walker to get aroud in my house, and that was a struggle. Today is March 10th about 3 months after i was first feeling weaker and more immobile. I am still relying on my walker a lot of the time, but trying to get back to short distances with my cane. I am going to try and put in some detecting time this coming Saturday and hope to last 15 minutes to, who knows, maybe close to an hour on level ground. But the struggle will be getting up after I kneel down to recover a target. I was weak to begin with, but due to my health, this Covid 19 stuff, and the amount of down-time before, during and after the hospital stay, also took a lot out of me and I am struggling to regain the health and what strength I had beforehand.

Hopefully you,. and others, do not get it or get it too severely. I know people who had it and you never would have guessed .... and a couple of them kept on detecting, too.

Anyway, stay well, and be patient as you put in some time to learn your new-to-you detectors. If I can be of any help, shoot me an e-mail or give me a call.

Monte

Monte! I never saw this post until now. I'm so sorry I missed it, especially with you relating being sick and all that. I had to take a break myself from everything, so maybe that's why I missed it. I really hope you're on the upswing and back in the loop. Looking forward to hearing about your latest finds and advice and reflections on these Tesoros. My Peruvian father in law, 82 had COVID and was hospitalized for 10 days. My wife's whole family had it really. One of her aunts, 73, died and several people in one branch of my wife's huge family got very sick or died. Her immediate family had it mild. Succeptability is VERY genetic.

I tested negative for COVID, but doctors still couldn't me what was really wrong. After a week of being sick I was better on my own. (I'm 49, by the way. Just starting to roll down the "other side of the hill" now!) I did some research and concluded that I had the result of "yeast die-off toxicity". I had been taking high doses of turmeric for joint pain and tendonitis. It helped, but what turmeric is also very good for is killing yeast/candida and getting it under control in your gut. Yeast releases toxins as it dies, and if that happens too quickly it can build up in your gut. Some strains of COVID also start in the gut, and I did also feel very fatigued and headachey and all that. It all started when I had a severe burning in my right flank, front & back. It stretched around to my right kidney and I also started getting dark concentrated pee. The docs could never explain that. In the end they did NOTHING for me but test me for COVID, which was negative. Anyway, since I got better (not to be too graphic)...but let's just say my guts are doing the best job they've done in many years and it's staying that way. Viva turmeric! Just be careful with it.

I think what happened is: I killed off my intestinal yeast too fast, had toxin build-up, absorbed through intestinal wall into kidney causing pain and disfunction. And I had all kinds of other symptoms of toxicity too, many of which mimicked flu-like symptoms. Some COVID strains start in the gut, so it all had me confused and worried. The symptoms I had were very consistent in every way with yeast die-off. I'm very convinced now that's what it was. Three doctors have not been able to offer a better explanation. They concurred it was my IBS acting up. (Yeah, right...)

Anyway, back to metal detecting!:mder:

To answer your question, my Bandido is the first version (no threshold) but is also micromax. Also, guess what...I just scored a Silver Sabre (not the II)
, also micromax. That one does have a threshold. I don't have the Sabre yet. When I do I'm going to compare these models and see which one ultimately seems better. I'm temporarily running out of spending money for this sort of thing. I have one synthesizer I'd sell to buy a metal detector. I might also sell ONE of the Tesoros I have eventually, and throw in some credit plus some cash. I'm thinking I might have a budget of around $700-$800 for my next MD investment. What falls in that category seems to be Anfibio, Kruzer, Nox 600, Deus, Orx....and what is your opinion on the Bulgarian DeepTech detectors? They look attractive as hell and someone said they are what Tesoro should have been if it had not gone under!

I had an idea for you, btw. Maybe you should get some dedicated kid to dig holes for you in return for a serious education in metal detecting. I'd be willing to bet there'd be a few takers. Maybe get some cheap detectors and offer them to kids for putting in "X" amount of time digging for you? Just an idea.
 
I have some "modern" detectors in my outfit, such as a Nokta FORS Relic I keep a 5" DD coil mounted to for the nastiest of iron infested sites. A Minelab Vanquish 540 I keep the 5X8 DD on. My Nokta / makro Simplex + for beach hunting or drippy weather days. And my Garrett Apex units for day-to-day hunting.

But two model that are always along with me are my trusted Tesoro Bandido II microMAX and Silver Sabre microMAX, each with a 6" Concentric coil mounted. They are very capable detectors, and when I get ANY new detector or coil in-hand I compare them against my Tesoro's in a few tests to see if they can come close to handling iron nail challenges.



I liked the Gold Racer for nugget hunting type use, but the Kruzer I tried just didn't have as good an audio, and I wasn't impressed with it on higher-conductive coins-type targets. I'm sure the Gold Kruzer will do fine on lower-conductive gold nuggets or gold jewelry.


Put in some time and enjoy them.
But I have a question for you:

Is that a Tesoro Bandido microMAX or a Bandido II microMAX? There is a notable diffrence.

Tesoro made 4 Bandido series models. The original Bandido in the under-slung housing powered by two-9V batteries, then the Bandido II that looked similar but had the Normal (Manual) and Auto retune toggle function. Next was their attempt to make it in the smaller "micro-Max" housing (µMAX in their descriptive lingo), and finally the Bandido II µMAX.

The original Bandido and the Bandido II were very good detectors with reasonable detection them for that circuitry design. The µMAX Bandido suffered from the lack of an external Threshold control and poor detection depth in comparison. Not having the Threshold adjustment did impact the performance / versatility, too.

The final offering, the Bandido II µMAX, did have the front-panel Threshold control, and it also had newer circuitry design called the Low-Noise / High-Gin circuitry that enhanced the detection depth, extended the strength of the modulated audio, and resulted in a very good general-purpose detector.

If this is the model you have, then that's very good. All of those Tesoro models have the ED-120 Disc. circuity so I always keep them t their very minimum Disc. setting to just knock out most annoying ferrous debris.



I hope you don't have Covid 19, or if you do it is very mild, and that you are younger and/or in more fit health to better handle it.

I'm older, turning 72 in two months, and my health is terrible. I am a really bad diabetic and need to increase my insulin dosages. I am struggling with high blood pressure, and issues causing low diastolic readings. I've been getting around with a cane since March of '93. My balance and mobility has been a struggle since back injuries in 1988 and again in 2010, loss of part of my left foot due to service-connected disability, and then came December.

By the 11th I was feeling weak but hoped it was just a seasonal cold or 'regular' flu or something. After 11 days I was so weak and out of it strength-wise, my son called the EMT's who escorted me to the hospital via ambulance.
Covid 19. I was there and their newer hospital from the 21st to the 28th when I came home.

I had to buy a walker to get aroud in my house, and that was a struggle. Today is March 10th about 3 months after i was first feeling weaker and more immobile. I am still relying on my walker a lot of the time, but trying to get back to short distances with my cane. I am going to try and put in some detecting time this coming Saturday and hope to last 15 minutes to, who knows, maybe close to an hour on level ground. But the struggle will be getting up after I kneel down to recover a target. I was weak to begin with, but due to my health, this Covid 19 stuff, and the amount of down-time before, during and after the hospital stay, also took a lot out of me and I am struggling to regain the health and what strength I had beforehand.

Hopefully you,. and others, do not get it or get it too severely. I know people who had it and you never would have guessed .... and a couple of them kept on detecting, too.

Anyway, stay well, and be patient as you put in some time to learn your new-to-you detectors. If I can be of any help, shoot me an e-mail or give me a call.

Monte

Monte! I never saw this post until now. I'm so sorry I missed it, especially with you relating being sick and all that. I had to take a break myself from everything, so maybe that's why I missed it. I really hope you're on the upswing and back in the loop. Looking forward to hearing about your latest finds and advice and reflections on these Tesoros. My Peruvian father in law, 82 had COVID and was hospitalized for 10 days. My wife's whole family had it really. One of her aunts, 73, died and several people in one branch of my wife's huge family got very sick or died. Her immediate family had it mild. Succeptability is VERY genetic.

I tested negative for COVID, but doctors still couldn't me what was really wrong. After a week of being sick I was better on my own. (I'm 49, by the way. Just starting to roll down the "other side of the hill" now!) I did some research and concluded that I had the result of "yeast die-off toxicity". I had been taking high doses of turmeric for joint pain and tendonitis. It helped, but what turmeric is also very good for is killing yeast/candida and getting it under control in your gut. Yeast releases toxins as it dies, and if that happens too quickly it can build up in your gut. Some strains of COVID also start in the gut, and I did also feel very fatigued and headachey and all that. It all started when I had a severe burning in my right flank, front & back. It stretched around to my right kidney and I also started getting dark concentrated pee. The docs could never explain that. In the end they did NOTHING for me but test me for COVID, which was negative. Anyway, since I got better (not to be too graphic)...but let's just say my guts are doing the best job they've done in many years and it's staying that way. Viva turmeric! Just be careful with it.

I think what happened is: I killed off my intestinal yeast too fast, had toxin build-up, absorbed through intestinal wall into kidney causing pain and disfunction. And I had all kinds of other symptoms of toxicity too, many of which mimicked flu-like symptoms. Some COVID strains start in the gut, so it all had me confused and worried. The symptoms I had were very consistent in every way with yeast die-off. I'm very convinced now that's what it was. Three doctors have not been able to offer a better explanation. They concurred it was my IBS acting up. (Yeah, right...)

Anyway, back to metal detecting!:mder:

To answer your question, my Bandido is the first version (no threshold) but is also micromax. Also, guess what...I just scored a Silver Sabre (not the II), and also micromax. That one does have a threshold. I don't have the Sabre yet. When I do I'm going to compare these models and see which one ultimately seems better. I'm temporarily running out of spending money for this sort of thing. I have one synthesizer I'd sell to buy a metal detector. I might also sell ONE of the Tesoros I have eventually, and throw in some credit plus some cash. I'm thinking I might have a budget of around $700-$800 for my next MD investment. What falls in that category seems to be Anfibio, Kruzer, Nox 600, Deus, Orx...I saw a FORS CoRe for $800 on Ebay recently...and what is your opinion on the Bulgarian DeepTech detectors? They look attractive as hell and someone said they are what Tesoro should have been if it had not gone under! Thanks for you honest assessment of the Kruzer (I assume you mean the Multi?) The real benefit of a Multi Kruzer for me right now would be the ability to share components with my Gold Kruzer. I like the unusualness of the GK and it is quite a machine. Since we travel to Peru once a year (not last year though)....I would LOVE to try to find some Peruvian gold with it. I also can't ignore the resale value of the machine. I got it for a lousy $420, almost new...and I'm sure I could sell it for more than that. I totally agree with your advice in the meantime: Have patience and learn my current detectors, but I am always planning my next move even if I don't do it immediately.

I had an idea for you, btw. Maybe you should get some dedicated kid to dig holes for you in return for a serious education in metal detecting. I'd be willing to bet there'd be a few takers. Maybe get some cheap detectors and offer them to kids for putting in "X" amount of time digging for you? Just an idea.
 
Metal Pig: said:
Monte! I never saw this post until now. I'm so sorry I missed it, especially with you relating being sick and all that. I had to take a break myself from everything, so maybe that's why I missed it. I really hope you're on the upswing and back in the loop. .... I tested negative for COVID, but doctors still couldn't me what was really wrong. After a week of being sick I was better on my own. (I'm 49, by the way. Just starting to roll down the "other side of the hill" now!) .... I had all kinds of other symptoms of toxicity too, many of which mimicked flu-like symptoms. Some COVID strains start in the gut, so it all had me confused and worried. The symptoms I had were very consistent in every way with yeast die-off. I'm very convinced now that's what it was. Three doctors have not been able to offer a better explanation. They concurred it was my IBS acting up. (Yeah, right...)
Sorry to hear about the family Covid 19 stuff, and that you've been dealing with health issues different from Covid.

I had a not-so-mild case as it turned out, and it has taken a toll on my health and mobility as it was 4 months ago today since I started feeling weak, and after 10 days of in-home care I was in the hospital for 8 days. Then home with therapy folks visiting until late March. I was told that due to my age and existing health and mobility limitations and crappy bad immune system, I might be doing well if I can get back to about 80% of the strength and mobility I had just back in October / November. I'm not there yet but making slow progress.

And I really wish I was 49 again, because I've been picking up speed rolling down this side of the hill! I'll be 72 in a month and ten days .... and I feel it, in a worn-out way.

Metal Pig: said:
Anyway, back to metal detecting! :mder:
Good idea!

Metal Pig: said:
To answer your question, my Bandido is the first version (no threshold) but is also micromax. Also, guess what...I just scored a Silver Sabre (not the II), and also micromax. That one does have a threshold. I don't have the Sabre yet. When I do I'm going to compare these models and see which one ultimately seems better.
Yes, that would be the first Bandido µMAX before the 'II' upgrade with the Low-Noise / High-Gain circuitry. The Silver Sabre µMAX was the best of that 4-model Sabre series, and it does have the newer, enhanced circuitry. Compare them both with the same search coil, Sensitivity and minimum Disc. setting and I am sure you'll note the Silver Sabre µMAX will have the better performance.

Metal Pig: said:
I'm temporarily running out of spending money for this sort of thing. I have one synthesizer I'd sell to buy a metal detector. I might also sell ONE of the Tesoros I have eventually, and throw in some credit plus some cash.
My best? The Bandido µMAX will be escorted to the door.

Metal Pig: said:
I'm thinking I might have a budget of around $700-$800 for my next MD investment. What falls in that category seems to be Anfibio, Kruzer, Nox 600, Deus, Orx...I saw a FORS CoRe for $800 on Ebay recently...
I just sold my choice-condition FORS CoRe w/extra 'OOR' DD coil for $four-hundred something. In the $700 to $800 range you do have some choices. For me and my needs, I am relying on my two favorite Tesoro's, my FORS Relic w/5" DD, and my set of Garrett Apex devices with a 5" DD NEL, and Garrett's 'Ripper' and 'Raider' coils to take care of my needs.

Metal Pig: said:
... and what is your opinion on the Bulgarian DeepTech detectors? They look attractive as hell and someone said they are what Tesoro should have been if it had not gone under!
My opinion is that I liked the Vista X, to a degree. I didn't like the twin toggles that are not too friendly and get in the way, and I wish the Discrimination worked like a Tesoro. Normal, you might say, rather than also functioning as a Tone Break. They worked OK in the field, but I preferred my Bandido II µMAX w/GB and Silver Sabre µMAX with a good preset GB.

Metal Pig: said:
Thanks for you honest assessment of the Kruzer (I assume you mean the Multi?) The real benefit of a Multi Kruzer for me right now would be the ability to share components with my Gold Kruzer.
The Kruzer and Multi-Kruzer do not share the same coils as the higher frequency Gold Kruzer. Lack of compatibility.


Metal Pig: said:
I like the unusualness of the GK and it is quite a machine. Since we travel to Peru once a year (not last year though)....I would LOVE to try to find some Peruvian gold with it. I also can't ignore the resale value of the machine. I got it for a lousy $420, almost new...and I'm sure I could sell it for more than that. I totally agree with your advice in the meantime: Have patience and learn my current detectors, but I am always planning my next move even if I don't do it immediately.
I liked the Gold Racer and I've heard good things about the slightly higher frequency Gold Kruzer.

Metal Pig: said:
I had an idea for you, btw. Maybe you should get some dedicated kid to dig holes for you in return for a serious education in metal detecting. I'd be willing to bet there'd be a few takers. Maybe get some cheap detectors and offer them to kids for putting in "X" amount of time digging for you? Just an idea.
The gitty-down is tough and the gitty-up is even more of a struggle. The eyes are bad, and my numb fingers do make it difficult to pick up a coin once I finally see it. It's tough to find kids who will do that, but it's an idea I'll try. However, it wont be for a cheap-end detector.

Monte
 
Monte, the more I learn about detecting, the more I realize how great Tesoro detectors really are. ALL of my best finds were made with Tesoro detectors. Look at my banner finds on T-Net under 'tabman'.

beephead

I've been trying to find out more about Bulgarian DeepTechs. They are all-dial, no-display machines and are known for depth and DUAL discriminator knobs. Someone recently wrote that they "are what Tesoro would have been had Tesoro not gone under".

Edit: Monte gave his 2c on that. I'll have to consider that, but some people really seem to like them. I have owned some other Bulgarian made things and was VERY impressed with what those people do sometimes.
 
Monte, the more I learn about detecting, the more I realize how great Tesoro detectors really are. ALL of my best finds were made with Tesoro detectors. Look at my banner finds on T-Net under 'tabman'.

beephead

beep head hunts with the "Mojave" an excellent choice with the 7" precision
coil. I hunt with the Mojave. use it for curb strips. will be a "classic" in a few years. Tesoro only made around 200 or so, before they 'croaked!"

(h.h.!)
j.t.
 
Metal Pig: said:
I've been trying to find out more about Bulgarian DeepTechs. They are all-dial, no-display machines and are known for depth and DUAL discriminator knobs. Someone recently wrote that they "are what Tesoro would have been had Tesoro not gone under".

Edit: Monte gave his 2c on that. I'll have to consider that, but some people really seem to like them. I have owned some other Bulgarian made things and was VERY impressed with what those people do sometimes.
I'm referring to the Vista X here as I have owned two of them:

Yes, they are a knob-adjustable detector w/o visual Target ID.

Yes, as they advertise, they are a very quick-response / fast-recovery design.

Yes, in many site environments they can achieve slightly better depth than most comparable Tesoro models. At least somewhat, depending upon conditions.

And Yes, is some ways, they are what a different-engineered Tesoro could have been.

I'll add another 2¢ here because I did like the Vista X in some ways. I did like the opportunity to have a low-tone Iron Audio for 2-Tone operation. I did like it having a Threshold and Ground Balance control. And I did like the variable rod-length adjustment. And more important, I did like their smaller-size search coil.

Now, for what I didn't care for. The Vista X has a 1-turn GB control and I prefer either the Tesoro 3¾-Turn or 10-Turn GB offerings for a little better 'fine-tune' adjustment. I didn't like the way the Discrimination adjustment also serves as a 'Tone Break' because that means it isn't just an Iron Audio or an Iron Volume range being affected, but a lower-range Disc. adjustment which could include a 5¢ or Zinc 1¢ coin or a lot of lower-conductive gold rings, etc.. The other thing that was annoying was their twin-toggle design. They touted it as being good for left-handed or right-handed users, but I found it to be more cumbersome because the toggles are not positioned in a 'normal' center-line position straight ahead of the foam hand-grip.

Then after taking the Vista X out to a couple of good old townsites I enjoyed hunting, with a lot of iron debris, I worked it against my two favorite Tesoro models. I used the 5.7" DD coil on the Vista X and 6" Concentric coil on the Tesoro. I preferred the more centered rod-mount position of the Tesoro, and I also preferred the Concentric coils performance, coupled with the Disc. circuitry design, of my Bandido II µMAX and Silver Sabre µMAX models, and their control-face toggle switches or push-button to do any Pinpointing or to search in an All Metal mode was also preferable.

Therefore, each time I let the Vista X go and hung on to my proven two Tesoro favorites.

Back to overall design, Tesoro did try to give us a useful 2-Tone model to help classify an Iron / Ferrous target range with a Low-Tone audio and Non-Ferrous with a High-Tone audio with the Euro Sabre. I got one in when I was a Tesoro Dealer, and I have tracked down and acquired two or three other Euro Sabre's since then, just hoping I might find one specimen that made me happy. I didn't. The Tesoro concept was good, but the finished product they engineered could have been better.

Like the Vista X, the Euro Sabre worked, but it just didn't work well enough and a different design engineer could have improved on the Euro Sabre's circuitry concept, but it was a short-lived model, and obviously Vince Gifford didn't have the engineering know-how to do it, and they never afforded a more savvy engineer to fix-the-glitch and make a more consistent performer.

Still, for a few applications I wouldn't mind having another Euro Sabre, especially with a 6" Concentric coil mounted, and even today I would like it better than the Vista X for a select set of site challenges. It's too bad Tesoro went under and wasn't acquired by someone who had the engineering smarts to properly design or just rename some models and bring us a line-up of only 4 or 5 models that all worked well and kept an affordable retail price.

Monte
 
The OP mentioned cellar holes. There are a few detectors mentioned here that would be just terrible for that. A recent post of mine was deleted for bashing certain detectors so I will not name specific models. But anyone that has hunted intense iron or cellar holes has got to be laughing at some of these posts.
 
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