New-ish.... which detector for small gold, jewelry, but coins also

Still doing a bunch of research and review reading but think I have it narrowed down to 3 choices.

#1. Tesoro compadre with 8" coil. Inexpensive and a decent machine for finding jewelry at parks and tot lots. Simple and was ready to pull the trigger on one but read you loose quite a bit of depth when thumbing the disc knob on targets so really I would have to set disc around iron and dig everything. The depth loss when thumbing disc issue gave rise to my second choice.....

#2 Tesoro Mojave... A mid ground between my first and third choice. Not a huge amount of info I can find on this one since its so new. Anyone know if this is running the same electronics as the compadre? If its a more powerful compadre and just as sensitive to small gold etc but without the thumbing disc depth loss issue then maybe this one will serve me well. Im in central Illinois so Im guessing the ground is decent but would have the high ground mineralization switch just incase I ever travel to areas with exposed bedrock or bad soil conditions. Just have to figure out if these extra features are worth the price difference over the compadre.

#3 Garrett AT Pro. 2x the price of the mojave and over 3x of the compadre although I know it wont find me 3x the amount of targets it appeals to me because of the multiple tones and could reference the display info to help me while im learning. Might be better suited for fields than small tot lots though so maybe I will just stick with one of the above and if I stay in the hobby can pick this up later as a second machine for deeper coins or relics in large fields with not alot of trash.


Any recommendations between the compadre and mojave?
Sorry for being so indecisive but will be ordering this upcoming fri so still have a week to narrow it down. My boy is ready to go. Got him a tracker 4 , headphones, digging knife, and a couple pro pointers ordered. Hes waiting on me now to get my machine.


I used the older 7" coil Compadre for several years and hundreds of hours.
Turned up the sense internally to just about max, never had a problem with instability or noise.
My jaw dropped on my first hunt and it never came up.
I loved it so much I started The Church of the Compadre.
http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=87892

I used it in great soil out west and here in the SE. with pretty rough mineralized iron infested devil dirt...found a ton in both states.
Paid $110 for mine used...it paid me back over ten times that in coins, silver and gold.
Out west it could get to the 6-7" depth range on coins, here it lived mostly at 3-4"...got to maybe 5" in moist soil when the conditions were right.

This year I traded a detector away that I had great history with but didn't work as well in this bad dirt as another I own so I got a new coil for my prime detector and on a whim a new Mojave.
I didn't expect much, I would have been happy with just one more inch in depth over that Compadre but I got much more.
Handles this bad ground extremely well, easily getting at least 2-4" more on coins over my Compadre without even having to max out the gain.
On bigger relics I am getting closer to 10" and might go even further on both kinds of targets.
Just as sensitive to small targets and chains as my Compadre.
Target separation in iron and trash is just as good if not better.
Still double beeps on targets near, next to or even leaning on big metal.
Have not even had to use the high mineralization setting yet.
Very little noise on higher gain but if I get some I just turn it down and it becomes silent but still deep and deadly.
The Mojave is not just a souped up Compadre according to the factory, different electronics give it all the great Compadre DNA plus more.
A lot more from what I am seeing.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=247443

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=247563

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=248998

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=249307

I have not picked up my Compadre to hunt in the dirt since I got the Mojave and don't plan to again.
The Compadre is still too good to get rid of and we have too much history together so I will convert it to a waterproof hunter and it will live on.

If price is an issue pound for pound not much better value than the Compadre out there still, if you got the extra money go for the Mojave.
You won't be sorry.


BTW...I also have a higher end unit as my prime, an F70.
Still love to switch back to my Tesoros a lot for a change of pace, fun and profit.
Many start out low end and eventually upgrade.
Many start with the mid to high end...they all find metal, it is just about what you are comfortable with.
I have always said for the price no matter what you hunt with you are crazy not to have a Compadre in the arsenal also even if you only use it sparingly.
It just does a few things effortlessly that much higher end detectors can struggle with.
I have amended that and added the Mojave along with the Compadre to that recommendation now.
For many that started with a Compadre they still kept them if they advanced to higher end tools so like a great specialty coil you can't go wrong with a quality lower end starter unit.
Like me many still go back to them more often than you might think because what works, works.
 
Last edited:
Awesome.... Im sold on the mojave!

That is... if I dont get this used tesoro lobo.
Can get it at a good price and if I ever travel west could do some prospecting.
I just wonder how the lobo does on coins and jewelry in tot lots compared to the mojave
 
Awesome.... Im sold on the mojave!

That is... if I dont get this used tesoro lobo.
Can get it at a good price and if I ever travel west could do some prospecting.
I just wonder how the lobo does on coins and jewelry in tot lots compared to the mojave

180 ED throwback electronics in the Lobo.
Some that had both and have tested them say it is just as sensitive to tiny jewelry, coins and everything else as the Compadre...but more power so deeper.
 
My boy is ready to go. Got him a tracker 4 , headphones, digging knife, and a couple pro pointers ordered. Hes waiting on me now to get my machine.

I say ATP, but I'm partial to Garrett because they've served us very well, but I think there are tons of great machines out there. Just wanted to encourage you to pick what works best for you and your boy and go for it. I see that you ordered two pinpointers already. Smart man! My son is 9 and we're constantly "fighting" over the Pro Pointer and it can be a big PITA when each of us gets a good target. :D

Looking forward to seeing what you guys end up with. Be sure to post the results from your good hunts!
 
I started out with a $65 bounty hunter tracker iv about 5 years ago.
I used it and a pinpointer a few times back then and found a few coins (just newer clad) and a fake gold earring. I really wanted to get into the hobby but didnt have much free time and felt stupid out there by myself and didnt have anyone to go with.

Fast forward several years and my son is now 10 and been bugging me for days for a detector.
Unfortunately I sold the tracker iv to a buddy for $20 last year so had to go buy another one for him yesterday from hobby lobby for $65 (40% off coupon)
He seen me watching aussie gold hunters and that gave him the bug to get one.
I explained to him he would not find gold and that he might have to dig 1000 trash items before finding something really nice like older 90% silver coins.

I would love to do some prospecting and would shell out the money for some nice gear but sadly live in Illinois. What surprised me was I read from several online sources that the river I live by is one of only 3 places in Illinois where gold was recorded being found (dropped glacier gold)

Now I know it sounds crazy but the river that gold has been found at - I am pretty familiar with as Ive done a bunch of canoing and fishing there and thinking about getting a machine again since I have a hunting partner now (my son)
I know it will be next to impossible to find any gold and that if found it would probably be flake sub gram stuff but the river has a really old turn of the century bottle plant off the river where ive found cool stuff before and know people used to work there in late 1800s early 1900s so might get lucky and find some 90% silver.

Long story short....
I was thinking about a tesoro compadre....solid machine,no screen to distract me and can learn to listen but dont know if it would hit small gold if It was there. Then thought about the tesoro lobo but read that the gold bug 2 might be better. Ive been doing alot of reading and listened to a 3 hour podcast today with Nathan on it from tesoro and am really leaning torwards a tesoro but open to other options.

I dont want to spend too much incase I dont stick with the hobby but would like a gold capable machine that could also do well on jewelry and coins.

Any thoughts?
Thanks


I do some gold prospecting here in Ohio , for the same glacial gold you would see there. While there have been a few small " picker " sized nuggets found in our areas they are very , very rare. They gold we find is just tiny specks , literally pulverized by the immense weight and friction involved in the glaciers that brought it here. Unfortunately there is no detector that will be of any help to us in our areas for this gold. Only gold pans or small sluices are able to isolate enough of it to even see in some cases , but I have a glass vial with some small specks and flakes doing it this way. Its not profitable but its fun and educational. There is no detector made that will pick up this tiny gold.

But if you still wanted to try it anyway , you are looking at atleast the cost of a mid level detector ( $500-$800 ) for something that is a realistic gold prospecting machine , and that pretty much automatically puts you into the range where jewelry and coins should be no problem for it. A Tesoro compadre " could " probably find some large gold nuggets , but natural gold is harder for detectors to find than jewelry gold so they would have to be pretty large.
 
I passed on a used lobo that went for $400. Kind of bummed I didnt jump on it.
Ive watched some vids and read some articles where It really killed it deep on coins.

Oh well.
Probably just go with a mojave unless i find a used tejon for a good price.

Realistically.... I just need a grab and go simple detector for tot lots. I wont have alot of time since my job requires me there slaving away 50-60 hours a week. So for this the mojave should fit the bill nicely, But for the times I head out with more time to check fields and some old homestead sites ive ran across before Im just hoping Im not wishing I had a machine that went deeper
 
I passed on a used lobo that went for $400. Kind of bummed I didnt jump on it.
Ive watched some vids and read some articles where It really killed it deep on coins.

Oh well.
Probably just go with a mojave unless i find a used tejon for a good price.

Realistically.... I just need a grab and go simple detector for tot lots. I wont have alot of time since my job requires me there slaving away 50-60 hours a week. So for this the mojave should fit the bill nicely, But for the times I head out with more time to check fields and some old homestead sites ive ran across before Im just hoping Im not wishing I had a machine that went deeper

I have no idea how deep a Mojave will go in your dirt but in mine I am hitting the prime area for older coins easily which is 4-6" and up to about 7"...so far.
There are some a bit deeper but that is rare, I might be able to go past that but I will let you know if and when that happens.
Here the big problem is masking and this thing is finding some severely masked targets easily in some extremely hunted out sites...sites where most believe there is absolutely nothing left.
On bigger iron pieces even deeper.
In a land where 5" is usually the cutoff point for most detectors in the bad stuff that is remarkable.

For tot lots this should be quite the killer, it double beeps on all targets next to that big iron stuff easily, in non mineralized chips or pebbles I have no idea how deep it can go but it might surprise you.
Think of this as a specialty unit, a very decent all around but especially good in some sites like tot lots.
If and when you upgrade to a more powerful deeper unit one day, I have the F70 as my prime, you will not want to get rid of this thing, it will have its place in your arsenal forever once you understand exactly how and where it shines plus it is always a blast to use like all Tesoros.
Money spent on a Compadre or Mojave is never wasted as far as I am concerned.
These are units that perform and produce whether you use them full time or part time in tandem with others like I do.

Many started with a Compadre and graduated to others but still kept that Compadre and used it.
Others had mid to higher end units and bought the Compadre after because they read about what they can do.
A few top notch relic hunters that used top end detectors and hunted iron infested sites like old farm fields bought one and brought it into those same fields when targets stopped showing up...and found more.
Some had a Compadre and got rid of it but bought another up the road after reading about how some owners learned to get the best out of it...something they didn't actually do the first time around.
The Mojave is that one but at even a bit higher level, even a better more capable all around in my opinion.
Maybe not the deepest detector on the planet but deep enough for general use in most all but the oldest sites where major depth is a must have.

Like a putter in a golfer's bag a must have if you want the best shot at success, everywhere, and a valued edition to any and all arsenals.
 
Garrett AT-Gold

I started out with a $65 bounty hunter tracker iv about 5 years ago.
I used it and a pinpointer a few times back then and found a few coins (just newer clad) and a fake gold earring. I really wanted to get into the hobby but didnt have much free time and felt stupid out there by myself and didnt have anyone to go with.

Fast forward several years and my son is now 10 and been bugging me for days for a detector.
Unfortunately I sold the tracker iv to a buddy for $20 last year so had to go buy another one for him yesterday from hobby lobby for $65 (40% off coupon)
He seen me watching aussie gold hunters and that gave him the bug to get one.
I explained to him he would not find gold and that he might have to dig 1000 trash items before finding something really nice like older 90% silver coins.

I would love to do some prospecting and would shell out the money for some nice gear but sadly live in Illinois. What surprised me was I read from several online sources that the river I live by is one of only 3 places in Illinois where gold was recorded being found (dropped glacier gold)

Now I know it sounds crazy but the river that gold has been found at - I am pretty familiar with as Ive done a bunch of canoing and fishing there and thinking about getting a machine again since I have a hunting partner now (my son)
I know it will be next to impossible to find any gold and that if found it would probably be flake sub gram stuff but the river has a really old turn of the century bottle plant off the river where ive found cool stuff before and know people used to work there in late 1800s early 1900s so might get lucky and find some 90% silver.

Long story short....
I was thinking about a tesoro compadre....solid machine,no screen to distract me and can learn to listen but dont know if it would hit small gold if It was there. Then thought about the tesoro lobo but read that the gold bug 2 might be better. Ive been doing alot of reading and listened to a 3 hour podcast today with Nathan on it from tesoro and am really leaning torwards a tesoro but open to other options.

I dont want to spend too much incase I dont stick with the hobby but would like a gold capable machine that could also do well on jewelry and coins.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

AT- Gold would be perfect/ nice 5x8 coil with great dept
any Questions
call Dennis
thanks
 
Well.... ended up buying a like new vaquero from a dealer for price of a new mojave.
Wont be as easy as a starter machine but will be able to grow into it I guess.

I should be able to get more depth with this for relic hunting in fields but how will it do on small jewelry. ...still capable?

Anyone sell aftermarket stickers? I dont like the purple lol.
 
Well.... ended up buying a like new vaquero from a dealer for price of a new mojave.
Wont be as easy as a starter machine but will be able to grow into it I guess.

I should be able to get more depth with this for relic hunting in fields but how will it do on small jewelry. ...still capable?

Anyone sell aftermarket stickers? I dont like the purple lol.

After I got the thing set up and ground balanced I pretty much just used it the same way as my Compadre.
I am a thumber....I get signals at low disc and thumb way up then back down and listen close to exactly how the targets come in to figure them out.
A game I have played since day one and how I enjoy hunting.
Do it long enough and you become way faster at this than you might believe but many just set the thing somewhere and dig everything that beeps.
Any way you like to do it is good...it all works.

Just has a few more knobs on this one, that's all, pretty capable on most targets and should be very deep set regular, supertuned or in all metal.

On most jewelry it should be fine, rings, medallions, most chains and whatever.
On the really tiny stuff like earring backs and the tiniest thinnest chains you will probably want a sniper coil for that.
I loved the 5.75" concentric sniper but many like using he DD widescan too.


The purple never bothered me, the housing is so small anyway.
I covered mine up with special accessories that seemed to help.
 

Attachments

  • photostudio_1506030547086.jpg
    photostudio_1506030547086.jpg
    34.8 KB · Views: 140
Just Run The Compadre though The Tot Lot's and sports fields

you will have it pay for it self, in a week. :gettinmoney:
 
After I got the thing set up and ground balanced I pretty much just used it the same way as my Compadre.
I am a thumber....I get signals at low disc and thumb way up then back down and listen close to exactly how the targets come in to figure them out.
A game I have played since day one and how I enjoy hunting.
Do it long enough and you become way faster at this than you might believe but many just set the thing somewhere and dig everything that beeps.
Any way you like to do it is good...it all works.

Just has a few more knobs on this one, that's all, pretty capable on most targets and should be very deep set regular, supertuned or in all metal.

On most jewelry it should be fine, rings, medallions, most chains and whatever.
On the really tiny stuff like earring backs and the tiniest thinnest chains you will probably want a sniper coil for that.
I loved the 5.75" concentric sniper but many like using he DD widescan too.


The purple never bothered me, the housing is so small anyway.
I covered mine up with special accessories that seemed to help.

But I dont have a 4 leaf clover to tape on the side, lol ..... Thinking about some black carbon fiber automotive tape. Might kill resale value though, we will see how it looks in person when it arrives.
This one has the 8x9 concentric. I know a 5 3/4" concentric would be better for tot lots and a 11x8" widescan would be better for fields, the 8x9" being right in the middle should hold me over for a while untill I decide what coil I need next.

I watched a bunch of vids and write ups on super tuning.
Ive seen it mentioned that super tuning is basically turning sensitivity up as high as it will go without chatter, but that 1/4 turn negative ground balance will give even more depth. Is this a general truth for all ground conditions?
 
You did well, there may not be a better detector made than the Vaquero. Spend a few days with it and you will begin to like it alot. Get a decent pair of headphones and you will find more. And with the 5.75 widescan, it will find small gold.

And I would say learn to use the machine, but save the super tuning for later. Just get familiar with ground balancing, the all-metal VCO, thumbing the disc, etc. Super tuning works but save that for when you want to completely clean out some old site. I think you lose too much of the tonal information, to super tune generally.

The disc on the Vaq is accurate and by listening to the tones and thumbing the disc, you will know IMO even more than a display will tell you, I trust the Vaq and my ears with the fast analog signal as much or more than I trust a digitally processed display number (although I like Fishers and do have one). It is just a really good metal detector. Read the forums for info on how to use it. Learn the difference between the round sounds of coins and jewelry vs the buzzy, square sounds of pull tabs.

One other thing, get a few decent rechargeable 9 volts and you will not need to think about batteries again for a long time. I think they pay for themselves pretty easy.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom