In a Dilemma :confused:

[Craig]

I have been using my "Tejon" now for 3 weeks straight now. Today I got my XL Pro back from White's after sending it in for repair. Came back looking almost brand new. My dilemma is when I put my XL pro together and tested it out, my shoulder started to hurt me almost instantly. It felt like it weighed a ton after using the Tejon. Now I'm thinking about selling it for a Cortes.
My question is How many of you are using the Cortes and are you happy with the depth. Also Using it in trashy areas with what size coil?

 

[Jay Evans]

I've used a Deleon a couple times & liiked it ... but I don't own either one (Cortes/Deleon) I'm just not a screen type of person. To me I think people tend to depend too much on the screen and what it says and lose connection with the sounds of the targets in that process. But, I think I've read more good stuff about the Deleon myself than the Cortes. I'll be willing to bet either one is gonna be a good unit. The Cortes should be just as good as any other Tesoro Unit with Manual Ground Balance. as far as coils go the 5.75 or the 7 inch concentric should be good coils for either unit in a park (Moderately trashy) area. and the stock 9x8 coil should be fine everywhere else.

 

[BarberBill]

I know where you're coming from as along with several Tesoros, I have an MXT. I find it rather cumbersome after swinging it for an hour or two which takes some of the fun out of detecting for me. I do have a DeLeon which is more pleasant to swing and gives good depth, at least in the soil where I generally hunt, but it does lack the auto ground tracking of the MXT. As far as the DeLeon versus the Cortes, the Cortes does have manual GB in the all metal mode and a backlight if you hunt into the evening along with several other bells and whistles. I had originally wanted one, but ended up making a trade for the DeLeon which fit my budget at the time and have to say for my purposes it's been a good machine. Hope this is helpful.
HH
BB

 

[Hwy 395]

The Cortes has ground balancing, but it only affects the all metal mode. In disc, it uses a preset ground balance.

If you primarily hunt in all metal mode, go with the Cortes because it can help you out in areas where there is bad ground. If not, go with the Deleon. People seem to like that one quite a bit.

 

[joe dirt_1]

I had a Deleon for a while and it was ok but no depth demon. Never owned a Cortes, but i think the performance is similar to the Deleon with a few more bells and whistles on the meter. I'll probably catch alot of flack for saying this on the Tesoro forum, but find yourself a nice Fisher cz 5 and hipmount the detector and it will be as light as the Tesoro's and
much deeper than either of the Tesoros. I still own a Silver

 

[digitaltim]

I'm a die hard Tesoro fan, but I do like the CZs over the Cortes. I do not agree the CZ is as easy to swing though. Even when hip mounted.... It's a clumsy setup compared to any Tesoro.

Try the Cortes or deleon, personally the Cortes sent me running back to the beep N digs. Maybe you'll like it, but I'd keep the Tejon

 

[Jay Evans]

I have a new straight rod setup that makes the small umax units even lighter and will bring life back to that old umax unit that's been on the closet gathering dust.... I liked it so much I bought a second one for my little silver sabre unit. I have elbow joint problems that plague me from time to time but since I got this setup it's been fine. You can swing them all day with no fatigue in your arm whatsoever....

 

[Jay Evans]

I have a new straight rod setup that makes the small umax units even lighter and will bring life back to that old umax unit that's been on the closet gathering dust.... I liked it so much I bought a second one for my little silver sabre unit. I have elbow joint problems that plague me from time to time but since I got this setup it's been fine. You can swing them all day with no fatigue in your arm whatsoever....

These won't fit the Tejon or deleon / cortes..... they could be modded to fit but would void the warranty I believe.... unless you sent the rod to Tesoro and had it done.... even then I don't know if they'd be willing to do it .

 

[ohp800max]

I have the DeLeon and am pleased with the unit, but not "head over heels" for it. It is by no means a depth monster, but for general purpose coin hunting, etc, it is very good. When the numbers and corresponding bar max on confidence, it is almost always a coin and very accurate!

As for the Cortes, I often wonder why they didn't make the GB for the Discrim mode also? If Tesoro would have done that, I really think the C would be a much better seller! Some folk also complain of the very small number display, etc on the C. It just seems the DeLeon is a little better bang for your buck.

I do have a question for Cortes owners; Do the numbers and confidence bars still work in the All Metal mode and how deep will the Depth meter read? If the depth and numbers are accurate in All Metal, it could make for an excellent machine. I'm still waiting for Tesoro to come out with a nice display unit with MGB, or auto tracking. If they do, I'll be the first in line to buy!!!

Also, I'm with you on the shoulder deal. I've got a terrible shoulder from years and years of baseball. I sold my MXT due to the weight and have gone "almost" exclusively with Tesoro now. I am currently trying a Fisher F70 for it's light weight and Ground Grab feature. It's lite weight and easy to swing, but is sure is sensitive. In fact, I still usually grab a Tesoro. By the Way, I have the F70 with 11DD coil for trade on a Tejon, Omega 8000 w/extra coils, or heck, I would even try a Cortes just to try it in All Metal MGB and see how it does!

In all, you can't go wrong with a Tesoro! Ever!


ohp800max

 

[Craig]

Thanks for all your replies! The more I think about selling my XL Pro the more undecided I become. Maybe I'll Just look for a hip mount kit. I know one thing for sure I''ll use the XL Pro for a back up for now and just keep looking. Maybe I can find a Troy X-5 out there somewhere

 

[Hombre]

Hey Craig

If you took off the XL-1 Probe, and installed a 5.3 BullsEye 6" coil on it. The stock 950 coil is OK, just a little heavy and suited more for more open areas. With the 5.3 BullsEye you can increase the signal balance adjustment and not lose very much depth and it works better in the trash with awsome seperation between targets. Just my two zincs.

Randy

 

[Craig]

Thanks for your two zincs I been having that thought after posting. I'll give it a try today at a park I have been detecting with my Tejon, It is killing me thinking about losing my XL Pro to someone else

 

[Craig]

Yesterday I took Hombre's advice. I took off the XL-1 and used my Bigfoot coil. This lightened up my detector a lot. Went out for two hours to a park that I don't think anyone has detected, due to it being only a couple of years old. As you can see in the picture I think I'll keep my XL Pro I guess I'll put the probe for sale. I just got it at Christmas.

 

[oldcoon]

I do not know depths nor do I swing a Cortes, but yesterday I was visiting a buddy who handed me his freshly cooked Garrett 1350. After swinging that baby for an hour I was only too happy to hand it back. That critter weighs twice what either my Vaquero or Silver uMax weighs.

 

[Sven]

Save your money you can buy two good Tesoros for the price of one used Troy X-5.
The new rage is the Omega......everytime a new detector comes out so does the hype
and so do the Lemmings. Keeps the manufacturers in business.........Over the years there
are certain models that consistently stand out among the pack. One is the XL Pro, people have
a hard time parting with them. So your better off keeping it and storing it away. If your ever
disenchanted with any of the detectors you buy, you can always go back to the XL. There's one thing about
......Tesoro's, they work, they get the job done. They are lightweight and a joy to use. that's why folks keep
coming back to Tesoro. So go for broke and be done, get a Tejon along with a 5.75" coil and you'll be good
to go for most conditions. If you need a metered detector, the Cortes is not a bad unit. I put my previous MXT up against it
schoolyard hunting. Everything the MXT found the Cortes found, even went back over area I cleaned with the MXT, Cortes found nothing.
Did the same with the Cortes, the MXT found nothing. The MXT can handle more difficult ground better with the extra adjustments,
but, the Cortes is really a nice unit if found "used". If I had to buy it at new price, there are better detectors for the money.
So what did I keep at the time the MXT or the Cortes, it was a tough decision. The MXT stayed but, eventually got rid
of it, too heavy, poorly balanced and to noisy and hated the tones, after a few hours, you wanted to wrap it around a tree.
Should have kept the Cortes. The Deleon is a good second choice. Now if you are patient, you can wait for a deal on
a Tesoro as the Lemmings leap to the hype, of the latest detectors. You'll laugh all the way to the schoolyard. The Tesoro's
are some of the best tot lot and schoolyard detectors you can buy. By the way I pitted the Cortes against the Garrett Gti1500
and the performance was equal.

I hope to one day own a Tejon and a Cortes again. Until I find a paying job again, will have to be content using a Detectorpro Wader
and some other 80's vintage detectors picked up cheap. They may be old top of the line units but, they have no problem finding
the Modern Canadian clad coins that other detectors would discriminate out.....or give off a junk reading.

 

[Sven]

I had a Deleon for a while and it was ok but no depth demon. Never owned a Cortes, but i think the performance is similar to the Deleon with a few more bells and whistles on the meter. I'll probably catch alot of flack for saying this on the Tesoro forum, but find yourself a nice Fisher cz 5 and hipmount the detector and it will be as light as the Tesoro's and
much deeper than either of the Tesoros. I still own a Silver

 

[Craig]

Thanks for the rambling! I enjoyed reading your post's. I am one who does his research. when I buy a new detector, which is seldom. I usually wait until a detector comes out, then watch the forum classifieds. That is the best indicator for me. I have owned only a few detectors over the years.
I mostly go after targets that are 6" or less. Most of the places I detect are fairly new compaired to the rest of the country. I now own a Tejon & an Xl Pro which I think I'll have until they put me into the ground.

 

[Sven]

I have the DeLeon and am pleased with the unit, but not "head over heels" for it. It is by no means a depth monster, but for general purpose coin hunting, etc, it is very good. When the numbers and corresponding bar max on confidence, it is almost always a coin and very accurate!

As for the Cortes, I often wonder why they didn't make the GB for the Discrim mode also? If Tesoro would have done that, I really think the C would be a much better seller! Some folk also complain of the very small number display, etc on the C. It just seems the DeLeon is a little better bang for your buck.

I do have a question for Cortes owners; Do the numbers and confidence bars still work in the All Metal mode and how deep will the Depth meter read? If the depth and numbers are accurate in All Metal, it could make for an excellent machine. I'm still waiting for Tesoro to come out with a nice display unit with MGB, or auto tracking. If they do, I'll be the first in line to buy!!!

In all, you can't go wrong with a Tesoro! Ever!


ohp800max

Yes, the Cortes will ID in Disc and All metal mode. A little slower than the MXT in ID'ing, maybe to give the human brain a bit more time to process the information.
A thought, the Cortes LCD meter may be small with intent. In hopes you would not rely on the meter 100% to decide to dig or pass. A Deleon size meter with more disc ID segments like the Cortes would be awesome.
Cortes Manual

What Tesoro needs is a detector with Cortes functions, Tejon depth-sensitivity, GB tied to disc & all-metal modes and adjustable tone control.
Maybe with selectable frequency 10 and 17khz
They would have a winner.

Just an added note, there are lots of Cortes & Deleon units that have been made and sold over the years. Surprisingly, you really never see many go up for sale.
People either stuck them away in the closet for future use or they use & love them to much to part with them. And they are not telling anyone about them.........

 

[Jay Evans]

I've noticed this about the cortes/Deleon also.... I've not seen much in the way of posts on performance on the Cortes at all, but I have seen the Deleon getting good posted results mainly.
I've had the opportunity to try the Deleon and liked it.. just haven't had much more than a few mins swing time on it though so overall performance I could not give you. It seemed to be a nice unit though.

 

[BarberBill]

I ended up with a used DeLeon in a trade. Had been waiting to work the Cortes into my budget. That said, turns out that I've been quite pleased with the D. Better depth than my umax machines, no problems in the ground I usually hunt, the id is as accurate as any machine I've used and the weight factor beats my MXT. In a perfect world it would have the manual ground balance in both modes and (for me anyway) it would show the copper penny and dime separated from the ID for quarters etc. and silver. Many of the ID machines do this. On the other hand, I generally dig any coin signal anyway so not a real big thing.
HH
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