banshee89 said:
Is there some truth to comments that some Tesoros are better than others even within the same model? Im beginning to think that is the case.
Yes, there is truth to this, and having been very involved in using Tesoro's, and a Dealer from '83 thru '04, I often compared several new models out-of-the-box and, from time-to-time, you could handle one that was a little 'wimpy' or one that was just a bit 'hotter.'
Possible causes?
• Control settings used.
• Ground Balance setting, especially if internally preset.
• Search coil, because there can be some variance in the coil's 'spec' to be working at an optimum or not.
• Mainly a choice of components use and/or the particular unit's circuitry assembly.
Even now I have had a bit of a struggle finding former models, the past two or three years, that could match or exceed the performance I get from my 'original' Bandido. I have come across some Silver Sabre II's that were a little on the weaker side, and have had some Bandido and Bandido II models that were also a little 'sleepy' with a softer or weaker audio response. I have owned and parted with several Bandido II µMAX models in recent years, some of which worked just fine, and some just didn't impress me more than my old standard Bandido.
In this past seven or eight weeks I have been extremely fortunate as I happened upon an exceptionally clean, mar-free Bandido II µMAX and Silver Sabre µMAX, a really nice looking Bandido II and a Silver Sabre II that only has a blemish scuff on a side decal. All work quite well!
Yesterday I made a sale/trade deal and nabbed the most pristine condition Eldorado [size=small](µMAX size)[/size] model I have seen since I opened a brand new one in the box. It didn't work properly, which might be why someone parted with it in the first place. It took me about 20-30 minutes to fix the problem once I found the little wire inside and moved it to re-route the position so it eliminated the contact that shorted it out.
Then I checked it out against my other 5 Tesoro models and all is well as they all work great in a dense iron nail comparison. As for your Vaquero issue, I have had 3 or 4 Vaqueros, the first two coming from the same batch as their serial numbers with only a few digits off on the last number. I got two because a fellow wanted one, and I kept the more responsive/hottest of the two. It wasn't a lot of difference, and most people wouldn't notice it, but I could tell.
banshee89 said:
So I have a Vaquero that is a turd and a super hot Silver Umaxx µMAX or [size=small]micro[/size]MAX .... I guess. ... and I do find coins .... so I do kind of understand how to dirt fish. Or at least pretend to.
It is possible that your Silver µMAX is a little more sensitive, or it has a better search coil that's more 'in tune,' or that you have a wimpy Vaquero and/or search coil.
Nice clear photos, by the way, and I'm glad to see you're doing well and,
most likely, finding some unhunted older sites to search.
banshee89 said:
Notice anything missing? That would be a picture of my Vaquero actually finding anything.
I'm sure it works, and it could be that it just isn't quite what you want to hear. Oh, that could also be a problem for you, depending upon your hearing ability. One reason I didn't like the Vaquero's I had was that they had a lower-tone audio that is more difficult for me to discern with my impaired hearing. I prefer a higher-tone audio frequency.
Try hunting more with your Vaquero or try different headphones. Those can also make a difference based upon your hearing abilities or limitations.
Monte
