705 to a Tesoro? What was your experience

[BillF]

Spent 30 years using only Tesoro. Still have 2. Bought the Vaquero and hated it. Have a 705 and love it.
To each his own....

 

[wyobuck]

I had a couple of 705's that worked great in FL and up in GA, but when I took one to the Rockies for some tailings exploring, I got skunked and John at Minelab could not help me over the phone. It just continued to sound off over the entire pile of tailings. I took out a Diablo Gold Demon and found lots of 22lr's in the pile, no gold though. The 705 worked fine away from the tailings and in stream beds. So the little Gold Demon beat the Xterra that day.

 

[atomicscott]

Tabman, it just so happens I bought that book yesterday! It's pretty interesting so far. I tend not to use any discrimination at all on my 705, searching in all metal and multi tones. It's quite noisy in high trash areas, sounding a little like a sugared-up pre-schooler on a piano, but it works well if I do my part and slow down and listen carefully. I imagined the Tejon is the same way, but different (if that makes any sense); I like the idea of using some discrimination that cuts out some of the noise, but also can be used to actually determine what you're over rather than having the unit completely blank for too long. I might be all wet, but the Tesoro is intriguing to me for this very reason. Honestly, it would be nice to not have to stare at a screen and lift my head up a little. Having said that though, I really love my 705 and it would be difficult to sell it, but who knows... Thanks for your good comments!

I went the opposite way. I like that the fact that you can hear every type of metal with the 705 (I have the 505) and not disc anything, thereby reducing chances of masking. In trashy sites this is a huge advantage. I felt I just did not get enough info from a single tone. I only used my Vaquero for a year, so maybe if I put another year or so on it to learn the language, I would have liked it more. I would rather spend time digging than learning a new language though.

 

[Rainyday101]

I haven't used a 705 but I think the transition from that to a Vaquero might be a tough one. If you are use to the 99 tones, the single tone might be quite a shocker for you. I think it would be easier to go from single tone to multi tone, I might be wrong, but that is just my thinking. Both of these detectors lend themselves to different hunting styles. It will be a matter of what hunting style you like better. AtomicScott went from single tone to multi tone with display. He is happier with the transition. Some have gone the other direction and are happier. It just depends on you and how you want to hunt. One thing for sure though is you will never know unless you try it. You could buy a used Vaq and if it didn't work out for you it could be sold with little or no money loss.

 

[machineman]

I started out with a Compadre. I still have it and really like it. I saved a long time to get the 705. I was really excited and gave it a good go. This was early in my detecting career and if I had a 705 again the story may be different. My problems were, way too noise, I tried it in 3 tone and that was better. It felt cheap, I dont know why but I just didnt like the build quality. My Tesoros are built like tanks. I do a bit of prospecting and found the 705 to be poor at it. Not nearly as sensitive as my GBP. I had the 10.5 and 6" hf coils for prospecting. I couldn't get the iron mask to work. The target id was all over the map unless the target was shallow. I spent so much time trying to figure out what it was saying that I didnt dig much. My trash to treasure ratio was higher with my Compadre, but I dug a lot more total and therefore more treasure. I am mostly a park hunter and in the trash the 705 suffered. Just too slow for my taste. It was deeper than my Compadre, it was also nice when I didnt want to dig everything. I sold it and got an Outlaw, I have also had a Conquistador (probably my favorite tesoro so far) I have sold both of those also so maybe I am just indecisive.
My current detectors are Sovereign elite for beach hunting, 2 compadres, and a GBP. I am fairly happy with these but have been looking at the Vaq for some time and may try that next. I would like to have one with a CSC coil for open fields. I really think its a matter of taste when it comes to tones and vid vs single tone and no vid. If I had the 705 now I would be a better judge than I was then due to more experience. However I have no interest in getting one again and even though I sold most of my Tesoros I plan on getting a Vaq or a Tejon, or a Lobo st. If the price was right. Tiger shark looks cool and I am thinking of selling the Sov to get a Sand shark. That should show you my preference, I am just drawn to Tesoro. I would also like to try a DFX, MXT and a few other Whites models. I just like trying new detectors, but of all the detectors I have used or plan on using Tesoro is top of the list. After you learn what its telling you its better than VID for my purposes.