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A Tesoro or an E-trac?
- Thread starter USArmyParatrooper
- Start date
HaroldILL.
Active member
I don't know maybe I'm not qualified to answer this question,I didn't own my tejon or vaquero very long. But I have had my e-trac since one month after they came out. I have had my share of detector's through the year's. When it comer's to deep silver coins nothing I have owned comes close to the E-trac! Not just pure raw depth ,But being able to properly I.D. a silver dime at 10-11'' is amazing to me. If your an old coin hunter get the E-trac you will not regret it!
HaroldILL.
Active member
Well get an E-trac my friend and you will soon be a believer! And if you don't believe me check out the E-trac forum sometime. You will be amazed what guy's are pulling out of hunted out site's. All the site's I hunt have been pounded to death for twenty year's.Last year I pulled 128 silver coin's out of them! And for these spot's that a good year! Some were deep and some were masked by iron. A lot of the coin's I found had nail's in the hole with them. Like I said if your into hunting old silver coin's get an E-trac you won't be disappointed!
Just starting out ? ....Get yourself a Tesoro , and learn the "Beep and Dig " routine .....It's a fun machine , and very light weight ......It's a very simple machine to use .....
When you get tired of digging everything that beeps, and you find that you can't go anywhere near wet sand at the beach , and you would like some idea of what's in the ground that you are getting a reading from , then go out and buy an E Trac .... It's deep , it's accurate , it will disciminate better , you can notch out what targets you don't want to hear , and it does it all GREAT .......Note : ....You will pay dearly for this machine , but once you spend enough time to know the machine, you'll wonder why you didn't get one to begin with .....Nothing wrong with strartng out with a Tesoro ....As I said, it's a FUN machine and very light weight ....but also very limited with the information it gives you ..... Everyone talks about the tough learning curve on the E Trac ....Next to a Tesoro , everything has a tougher learning curve ..... The Tesoro is a simple , yet effective , detector ......Buy the best shovel you can ....You will be digging way more than you willl with an E Trac .....Jim
When you get tired of digging everything that beeps, and you find that you can't go anywhere near wet sand at the beach , and you would like some idea of what's in the ground that you are getting a reading from , then go out and buy an E Trac .... It's deep , it's accurate , it will disciminate better , you can notch out what targets you don't want to hear , and it does it all GREAT .......Note : ....You will pay dearly for this machine , but once you spend enough time to know the machine, you'll wonder why you didn't get one to begin with .....Nothing wrong with strartng out with a Tesoro ....As I said, it's a FUN machine and very light weight ....but also very limited with the information it gives you ..... Everyone talks about the tough learning curve on the E Trac ....Next to a Tesoro , everything has a tougher learning curve ..... The Tesoro is a simple , yet effective , detector ......Buy the best shovel you can ....You will be digging way more than you willl with an E Trac .....Jim
The truth is that the good stuff like jewelry is all sorts of materials and purity. You gotta dig some trash with ALL detectors. I've read that most experienced detectorists put more faith in sound than target ID screens. You look at a screen, I thumb my discriminator and listen carefully.
Target ID screens can give you the runaround, the sound of a target is more important to learn than how to look at a screen. Patrick
Target ID screens can give you the runaround, the sound of a target is more important to learn than how to look at a screen. Patrick
fenian13,
I am in total agreement with you that the sound of a target is by far the BEST indicator ....Would you rather have one tone that you MIGHT be able to hear a little difference in tone character on different targets , or would you rather have multiple tones that will BETTER give you an indication of what is under the ground ? .....I am speaking strictly audio now , no visuals ......
The BEEP of any machine is what gets your attention .....The pitch on a machine with mulitiple tones is what gives you somewhat of an idea of what the target might be .... If you have a machine with a read out , you can triple check by looking at the numbers as another indicator to tell you if you want to dig the target or not ....
Single tone ....Beep and dig ...EVERYTHING !!
Multi Tone .....Make a easier decision ...
YES , I do agree that you have to dig trash with ANY machine to find treasure ...... I can set my E Trac up and walk down the beach , and I have my machine set up to descriminate everything above nickels in a PINPOINT range up to just under dimes ....I find only dimes , quarters , Silver , and on the lower end I am finding nickels , pull tabls ( they too are in the Gold range ) and foil ..... The majority of the coins on the beach are PENNIES !!.....I don't want them ....If we were hunting together , you would be stopping to dig , because you would hear a BEEP !!.... I would pass right over it and move on for bigger and better targets .....It's not that the Tesoro can't find the better targets , it's just that you are spending so much time on digging EVERYTHING , that you don't move along to cover more ground that can hold better targets .... Then too , if we were hunting together and i said , "Let's go down by the water and see what's there " ....Your machine would make so much noise that you wouldn't even be able to hunt the wet sand .....Enter E Trac ......Not a problem ...... The Tesoro is not a bad machine, but you are limited by it's features more than it's capabilities ..... Being a single frequency machine , you are NOW limited by it's capabilites ......The Tesoro's are great little light weight machines that you can take anywhere ....They are a TON OF FUN !!!....set it and forget it ..... Great machines for tot lots when you know there is a bunch of clad laying around ...
Great machine for the person who doesn't mind digging EVERYTHING !!!.... PEFECT machine with a big coil for dry sand at the beach .....You can FLY down the beach with one and you are digging pretty much everything at the beach anyway, and it's so light weight that you can hunt all day ..... Jim
I am in total agreement with you that the sound of a target is by far the BEST indicator ....Would you rather have one tone that you MIGHT be able to hear a little difference in tone character on different targets , or would you rather have multiple tones that will BETTER give you an indication of what is under the ground ? .....I am speaking strictly audio now , no visuals ......
The BEEP of any machine is what gets your attention .....The pitch on a machine with mulitiple tones is what gives you somewhat of an idea of what the target might be .... If you have a machine with a read out , you can triple check by looking at the numbers as another indicator to tell you if you want to dig the target or not ....
Single tone ....Beep and dig ...EVERYTHING !!
Multi Tone .....Make a easier decision ...
YES , I do agree that you have to dig trash with ANY machine to find treasure ...... I can set my E Trac up and walk down the beach , and I have my machine set up to descriminate everything above nickels in a PINPOINT range up to just under dimes ....I find only dimes , quarters , Silver , and on the lower end I am finding nickels , pull tabls ( they too are in the Gold range ) and foil ..... The majority of the coins on the beach are PENNIES !!.....I don't want them ....If we were hunting together , you would be stopping to dig , because you would hear a BEEP !!.... I would pass right over it and move on for bigger and better targets .....It's not that the Tesoro can't find the better targets , it's just that you are spending so much time on digging EVERYTHING , that you don't move along to cover more ground that can hold better targets .... Then too , if we were hunting together and i said , "Let's go down by the water and see what's there " ....Your machine would make so much noise that you wouldn't even be able to hunt the wet sand .....Enter E Trac ......Not a problem ...... The Tesoro is not a bad machine, but you are limited by it's features more than it's capabilities ..... Being a single frequency machine , you are NOW limited by it's capabilites ......The Tesoro's are great little light weight machines that you can take anywhere ....They are a TON OF FUN !!!....set it and forget it ..... Great machines for tot lots when you know there is a bunch of clad laying around ...
Great machine for the person who doesn't mind digging EVERYTHING !!!.... PEFECT machine with a big coil for dry sand at the beach .....You can FLY down the beach with one and you are digging pretty much everything at the beach anyway, and it's so light weight that you can hunt all day ..... Jim
Jim, As I once said, the Etrac can be one heck of a weapon in skilled hands. I am not disputing that. The Tejon has it's limitations, salt and highly mineralized ground render the unit useless.
To be perfectly honest depending on the depth I can tell the difference 50% of the time between a copper penny and clad dime. When all you have is sound and manual discrimination you pick up subtle clues that the "beep" reveals. Some will say you can't tell the difference but I beg to differ.
We are really comparing an apple to a watermellon. The Etrac is a highly advanced machine with 3x the cost of a Tejon.
We all strayed a bit off the main point which is really just what machine is best for a guy to start out with.
Now that I have spent many many hours learning my tejon I can honestly say that I have my eye on a Minelab. I will still keep my Tejon, but I am ready to try a water machine that can handle salt and mineralized ground. What holds me back is all the bad reviews on Minelab service and the units dependability factor. Seems like some guys have great luck and others have constant problems with their unit. If Minelab had a lifetime warranty the price would not be such an issue. After all, who wouldn't like to find a barber dime at 10-11"
Seems a Minelab is for the guy who already knows how to detect. We are talking about a detector for a newbian, it might be best to learn the basics first, with a basic machine.
For a beginner the Etrac might be frustrating without direct mentoring. But the same was true for me learning my tejon. As you say it only beeps, but learning what they mean takes time. My advice would be to start with a basic unit, then grow into the machine that best suits your interests. Patrick
To be perfectly honest depending on the depth I can tell the difference 50% of the time between a copper penny and clad dime. When all you have is sound and manual discrimination you pick up subtle clues that the "beep" reveals. Some will say you can't tell the difference but I beg to differ.
We are really comparing an apple to a watermellon. The Etrac is a highly advanced machine with 3x the cost of a Tejon.
We all strayed a bit off the main point which is really just what machine is best for a guy to start out with.
Now that I have spent many many hours learning my tejon I can honestly say that I have my eye on a Minelab. I will still keep my Tejon, but I am ready to try a water machine that can handle salt and mineralized ground. What holds me back is all the bad reviews on Minelab service and the units dependability factor. Seems like some guys have great luck and others have constant problems with their unit. If Minelab had a lifetime warranty the price would not be such an issue. After all, who wouldn't like to find a barber dime at 10-11"
Seems a Minelab is for the guy who already knows how to detect. We are talking about a detector for a newbian, it might be best to learn the basics first, with a basic machine.
For a beginner the Etrac might be frustrating without direct mentoring. But the same was true for me learning my tejon. As you say it only beeps, but learning what they mean takes time. My advice would be to start with a basic unit, then grow into the machine that best suits your interests. Patrick
I have to agree with most members. Its not about having the best unit in the market. Are you really going to enjoy the hobby if you have to worry about graphs, numbers, and settings? Some people dont like to concern themselves with the additional layers many of the new detectors have introduced to the hobby. Other detectorists dont like the weight of the other brands. For instance, does it matter if you have the fanciest toy if you can only use it for only 20-30 minutes before you start getting tired? Probably not. In fact, its probably going to frustrate you seeing some kid hunting along side, get just as much booty with a tesoro that costed him a fraction of your etrac. In fact, dare i say it, most likely that same kid will likely out hunt you. While you are resting your arm, he may have dugged a coin or two. My advice to you, get the etrac. Then after you have realized what matters to you, if the etrac is not for you, get a tesoro. I love the tejon. I love the silver uMax. Stay away from the cortez.
NVmar,
I have NEVER worried about graphs, numbers , or settings ...... I have them at my disposal should I choose to use them ....I can not even look at my E Trac and tell just by the tone what I will be digging ....Everything else is there to help my decision making ...... As far as weight goes , I have my own version of a Swingy Thingy that holds the metal detector at whatever level you set it , and you can swing all day without any strain at all ..... I don't get frustrated when someone digs as much or more than I do .....I'm not competeing with anyone .....I enjoy my time out , and I enjoy the finds that come along .....
There is nothing wrong with a Tesoro machine ...I said this earlier in my replies , and also said that it would be a good macine to start out with .....I am glad that your Silver Umax makes you happy ....That's what it's all about .....At 60j yrs young, I don't relish the fact of digging down in the dirt to recover a Penny ..... or a gum wrapper, or anything else that don't want to find ...... You will be happy in the fact that your light weight Tesoro is easy to swing, however you will be going thru a lo\t of knee pads from digging EVERYTHING that beeps !!!.... I on the other hand will have my Swingy THingy hooked up to my E Trac , and not even feeling it , and will be digging only the targets that I choose ..... My E Trac is only about 3 mos old, and it has been hunted probably twice to three times a week ...... Between the deep Silver that I can find in the parks nearby, and the clad and the jewelry that I find at the nearby beaches , my machine is almost paid for ...... You want better, and deeper , finds in a shorter amount of time , you pay the price for a machine that can deliver the goods .....If you want to swing a light machine, that is inexpensive , that will have you digging everything , and will take you much longer to accomplish the same goal , then that is another way to go , and your perogative .... Sure there's more to learn about the E Trac , but there is also more to gain in the end ..... It's like anything else that one is serious about ....You buy the best tool that you can afford for the job that you are doing .... If you are a carpenter that does nothing but frame houses , would you go to work with a hammer and a hand saw ? .....It's lighter , and cheaper , and you don't need power to run it ....It will accoomplish the same thing as a power saw ....The power saw will cost you a lot more ....Which one would YOU buy ? .......Jim
I have NEVER worried about graphs, numbers , or settings ...... I have them at my disposal should I choose to use them ....I can not even look at my E Trac and tell just by the tone what I will be digging ....Everything else is there to help my decision making ...... As far as weight goes , I have my own version of a Swingy Thingy that holds the metal detector at whatever level you set it , and you can swing all day without any strain at all ..... I don't get frustrated when someone digs as much or more than I do .....I'm not competeing with anyone .....I enjoy my time out , and I enjoy the finds that come along .....
There is nothing wrong with a Tesoro machine ...I said this earlier in my replies , and also said that it would be a good macine to start out with .....I am glad that your Silver Umax makes you happy ....That's what it's all about .....At 60j yrs young, I don't relish the fact of digging down in the dirt to recover a Penny ..... or a gum wrapper, or anything else that don't want to find ...... You will be happy in the fact that your light weight Tesoro is easy to swing, however you will be going thru a lo\t of knee pads from digging EVERYTHING that beeps !!!.... I on the other hand will have my Swingy THingy hooked up to my E Trac , and not even feeling it , and will be digging only the targets that I choose ..... My E Trac is only about 3 mos old, and it has been hunted probably twice to three times a week ...... Between the deep Silver that I can find in the parks nearby, and the clad and the jewelry that I find at the nearby beaches , my machine is almost paid for ...... You want better, and deeper , finds in a shorter amount of time , you pay the price for a machine that can deliver the goods .....If you want to swing a light machine, that is inexpensive , that will have you digging everything , and will take you much longer to accomplish the same goal , then that is another way to go , and your perogative .... Sure there's more to learn about the E Trac , but there is also more to gain in the end ..... It's like anything else that one is serious about ....You buy the best tool that you can afford for the job that you are doing .... If you are a carpenter that does nothing but frame houses , would you go to work with a hammer and a hand saw ? .....It's lighter , and cheaper , and you don't need power to run it ....It will accoomplish the same thing as a power saw ....The power saw will cost you a lot more ....Which one would YOU buy ? .......Jim
digitaltim
New member
I question when you say gum wrapper or penny you're also saying class rings and many relics etc. Obviously what you're describing is area specific hunting, but that style of chosen discrimination doesn't apply to all metal detecting.
You don't have to dig every thing just because it's a single tone. The pinpointing is so accurate on the Tesoros that you can size the target. Litterally determine the shape and size. Aluminum sounds louder and has a specific smoothness. Iron sounds rougher. Etc. Etc.
There's things to like about nearly all the brands.... If you look you'll see they're all for sale used all the time.
Go ahead and use the one you like, but let's not say one is better than the other..
I agree it'll be faster / more productive for beach and park hunting, but not the woods etc. There are some places you want to dig every thing ... I think you mentioned this earlier.
You can do both with the etrac, but for a fraction of the cost and weight the Tesoro is great too.
Reguardless, I honestly think the OP will prefer the etrac and hopefully will try a good tesoro when he has the chance to compare.
You don't have to dig every thing just because it's a single tone. The pinpointing is so accurate on the Tesoros that you can size the target. Litterally determine the shape and size. Aluminum sounds louder and has a specific smoothness. Iron sounds rougher. Etc. Etc.
There's things to like about nearly all the brands.... If you look you'll see they're all for sale used all the time.
Go ahead and use the one you like, but let's not say one is better than the other..
I agree it'll be faster / more productive for beach and park hunting, but not the woods etc. There are some places you want to dig every thing ... I think you mentioned this earlier.
You can do both with the etrac, but for a fraction of the cost and weight the Tesoro is great too.
Reguardless, I honestly think the OP will prefer the etrac and hopefully will try a good tesoro when he has the chance to compare.
First off " Thanks for your Service to our country" 
There isn't a detector that will keep you from digging trash..... it's going to happen, due to gld being in the foil/nickel/pulltab range...... I'd say get either a Vaquero or Tejon spend the time learning the tones and how the machine responds with all the different targets then you'll have a better idea of what your preferences are because it's how we've all started. Tesoro is the best choice in my opinion..... not to say the other brands aren't good too though..... the Teknetics line are proving to be good detectors , especially among the relic hunters..... Do some good research on the models that appeal to you and buy it and spend the time to get to know it and ask any questions on the forums....... plenty of people here more than happy to help out someone in need for sure...... Good Luck.
There isn't a detector that will keep you from digging trash..... it's going to happen, due to gld being in the foil/nickel/pulltab range...... I'd say get either a Vaquero or Tejon spend the time learning the tones and how the machine responds with all the different targets then you'll have a better idea of what your preferences are because it's how we've all started. Tesoro is the best choice in my opinion..... not to say the other brands aren't good too though..... the Teknetics line are proving to be good detectors , especially among the relic hunters..... Do some good research on the models that appeal to you and buy it and spend the time to get to know it and ask any questions on the forums....... plenty of people here more than happy to help out someone in need for sure...... Good Luck.
I agree that the Tesoro is a fun machine, and very light weight .....I also go into the parks with my E Trac and will put a 5" coil on it to hit the woods .... And on the flip side , I can put a 12 x 15 SEF coil on it and hit the beach ..... Speaking of the beach, how many of you take your Tesoro to the beach ? ..... How is your Tejon in highly mineralized soil ? ...... I think we can all agree too that every model Tesoro has something left out that you want in a detector , so I see a lot of Tesoro users chasing the perfect Tesoro ....They own 4 or 5 Tesoro's ..... Nothing wrong with that , just not my cup of tea ..... My goal when buying a detector is to find a machine that will help me in my hunt for whatever it is that I am hunting for .....I want a machine that can hunt on the beach, go on wet and dry sand , and I also want this machine to go into the woods, or into a park like setting ...... I'd like ti to be able to adapt the various sized coils for the various searches that I do ..... This is what I paid more money to purchase ...... I"m not saying it's the right machine to start out on ....Is a matter of fact , I think that the Tesoro is the PERFECT machine to start out on ..... Someone might go out and find that they don't like detecting .....They can always sell their Tesoro because they are cheap to begin with ..... The Tesoro will also be a great tool for a beginner to learn the basics of detecting without getting overwhelmed with the controls and the features of the E Trac .... If someone tires easily, and needs to have a light weight detector , the Tesoro fits that bill also ..... I am mroe the type of person who wants a machine that I can grow into , and one that I know will do what I want it to do , when, and where I want to do it ...... Would I have been happy starting out on a Tesoro ....SURE ENOUGH WOULD ......but I would have owned an E Trac not long after ...Everybody's goal is different , and everyones expectations of a detctor are also different ...... To each their own ....Jim
digitaltim
New member
Yes, if someone "tires easily" that 1/2 the weight detector will be nice.
Especially on those days of long hiking
Etrac - 4.8lbs with battery
vaquero - 2.5lbs with batterry
Especially on those days of long hiking
Etrac - 4.8lbs with battery
vaquero - 2.5lbs with batterry
And I'm not impressed a bit with their performance in the iron masked targets........Heck even my grandson's detector outruns them! It's a cheap china made GC 1023.
At the side of my house there are hundreds of roofing nails and in this nasty mix are planted coins mixed in with the nails, the E-Trac just goes into a silent null in this area.
All of my Tesoros and my grandson's detector will pick up the coins in the nails. Go figure.
At the side of my house there are hundreds of roofing nails and in this nasty mix are planted coins mixed in with the nails, the E-Trac just goes into a silent null in this area.
All of my Tesoros and my grandson's detector will pick up the coins in the nails. Go figure.
What you put into the E Trac is what you get out of it ....If it was not programmed properly, and there was too much discrimination , all it will do is exactly what you heard .....NULL !!!... There is a specific nail program that will null out nothing but nails and will let everything else come thru ..... Simple, cheap detectors will let everything thru as they are not good at much of any diescrimination ....You hear everything ......Put the E Trac in All Metal and you'll hear the same thing ....... I can also set the E Trac up to NULL EVERYTHING !!..... I will go to a site , and after digging a couple of targets , I can better judge what I'm digging in .....I can then adjust and scrim out that bad target , or better yet, I can go into 2 tone ferrous , and the nails will have a low tone , and the coins will have a high tone .....NO NULL at all !!!....Everything will now sound ...... Dig only high tones ..... Many different ways to set it up, but set up properly , the E Trac will deal with it .....On the other hand , there are other situations that I can bring you too with your Tesoro , and your grandsons GC 1023, where you wouldn't stand a chance at reading anything .... Yes , there are a lot of controls on the E Trac , and YES ,you have to know what you are doing when using it , but everything is right there if you know how to use it properly, just as everything is there to NOT set it up properly .... If you know how to use it , you can remedy most any situation other than going deep underwater with it ......I can't say that about many other detectors .....Jim
birdman
Member
Hey USArmyParatrooper , I will be stationed at Seymour J Air Force base in Nov. in Goldsboro NC. I think it is about a 1.5 hour drive give or take. If you want to try one on my machines out your more the welcome when I get there.I am in Korea till then. I have a Vaquero and a Cibola and I am looking at a Tiger Shark for the outer banks areas in the next couple of weeks. I also have a 1280x water machine I am going to get ride of due to poor salt water performance. I am not really brand loyal but tesoro are the best for the money. If you have 1000. bucks to spend on an etrac ,I hear that they are amazing machines. Good luck.
Birdman,
Let me start by thanking all of you guys and gals who serve our country .... I'm sure that there are a lot of folks like me who appreciate your efforts !!!....
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am looking to move down to N.C. to get away from the high taxes and other agenda's in NY, and as I understand it , you can NOT hunt many parts of the outer banks area ..... Are you familiar with that ? .... I'm told that you can get hit with some pretty heavy fines for hunting there ....Please advise ....THanks again, Jim
Let me start by thanking all of you guys and gals who serve our country .... I'm sure that there are a lot of folks like me who appreciate your efforts !!!....
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am looking to move down to N.C. to get away from the high taxes and other agenda's in NY, and as I understand it , you can NOT hunt many parts of the outer banks area ..... Are you familiar with that ? .... I'm told that you can get hit with some pretty heavy fines for hunting there ....Please advise ....THanks again, Jim
