Mr.Bill Classic ID vs. Vaquero - -

[dahut]

I've wondered about this detector match-up for awhile now. Just how badly would the high strung Vaquero beat up on the Mr. Bill Classic ID. I mean, it is bound to make the old Classic eat dirt, right?

So I tried the Vaquero w/ 5.75" coil against the Classic ID w/BM6000 tonight, same test as before. Two detectors with similar sized "trash coils," working a dime and 14K ring at 6" - and greater.

Surprise - the much vaunted Vaquero was a wimp on the dime at any setting. Really pitiful, if I'm to be honest.
Where the Classic was clean and smooth at the test depth and a bit beyond, it took max SENS AND THRESH from the Vaquero to get even a kinda signal from the dime. Had I heard this response in the field, I would have probably gone right on by.
I've always been a Tesoro fan and held the Vaquero in high regard. I still do, but this was an eye opener.

So what about the ring? The 14K wedding band was a better deal for the "V." Both detectors ran about neck and neck, until the Vaquero hit an extra inch, at around 8." It was still clear at that point, where the Classic ID fell off. The audio on the White's was just barely there, while the TID was unreliable.

However, to give a nod to the Classic, most practical gold jewelry hunting doesn't involve extreme depth. The one place the Tesoro may have the advantage is in a cleared relic field or woods, where deep, low conductive items like buttons or Minie's are to be found. Outside of that, I was left scratching my head yet again over this Classic.

I suspect the Vaqueros frequency was the reason for the disparity between the good response to the low conductance ring.

Overall, I was impressed yet again with this Classic detector. I dont feel so bad about selling my Vaquero, now.

 

[Old Katz]

>Surprise - the much vaunted Vaquero was a wimp on the dime at any setting<

I have to agree with you on that.

I am STILL amazed though on how many people have given good reports
on the Vaquero as a gold nugget machine.
Katz

 

[dahut]

>Surprise - the much vaunted Vaquero was a wimp on the dime at any setting<

I have to agree with you on that.

I am STILL amazed though on how many people have given good reports on the Vaquero as a gold nugget machine.
Katz

I cannot speak to its nugget huntin' abilities, as Ive never tried it. It does have some useful features, though, that would help it in the gold fields, at least according to the theories.

First, is it's excellent all metal mode. Once tuned and ground balanced, the AM mode should hit most small items pretty well. Most nugget hunters talk about the "zip-zip" sound they look for when hunting nuggets. With the thin, reedy all metal audio on the Vaquero, you can go a long way towards that sort of response.

Some have complained about the 3 3/4 turn ground balance on the Vaquero, saying it isn't fine enough for the gold fields. I've heard of some replacing it with a 10 turn control to get finer resolution, which actually sounds like a simple solution.
In the past you have wondered about ground balancing, if you recall. You were told by someone that you had to constantly check it on the Vaquero, as often as every 10-15 minutes. In the gold field, that is so.

Mineralization is more prominent there, generally, than in the more populated areas, with their overlay of topsoil. It is all about an areas geology, really, and the potential for finding gold nuggets. Again, site selection is key and when nugget hunting, the sites are sometimes extreme. This is especially so out West.
So, part of a gold detectors job is to either be agile enough to track the changing ground conditions - or to alert the user to changes in ground minerals which signal a potential gold bearing spot. With a detector like the Vaquero, running in all-metal, you can keep up with ground mineral changes and maintain the proper balance. The downside is that you have to manually track these changes yourself. This sounds tedious to me, but it could also keep you focused and help to avoid complacency.

But I tend to be one of those who believe in having the right tool for the job. If I'm gonna hunt for gold jewelry, then I need a detector that can differentiate between the alloy gold in jewelry and the many various trash targets that mimic it. if I'm gonna hunt for nuggets in "gold country," then I reckon a detector made for that specific purpose is a must. However, for the casual or occasional 'nugget head,' the Vaquero might just be a fair - if not ideal - compromise.