A lot has to do with your hunting and what you expect to do with a detector. Neither machine you mentioned is a do everything machine, but they are both capable, given their limits and your willingness to become expert with them. I own both (well a 250 and Vaquero - same practical difference) and I like any detector made in Prescott, AZ by the Gifford Clan. But, what I'm about to say may offend some, so if your sensitive, please dont read further.
As a newbie, I was about to order an Ace 250 as an entry level machine but then I read all kinds of good things about Tesoros.
Does Tesoro actually repair machines that may be 5 years old and may have had several owners? If so, that sounds like the best warranty in the business!
Its true and it is a VERY big plus for Tesoro's. I have invoked the warrant twice and Tesoro made good as promised. I also did it with a used Garrett and there was no charge, even though I was not the original owner. I wouldnt hesitate to buy either detector, new or used, but Tesoro gets the nod, if you wanna base it on the warranty alone...
The Ace 250 new is $200 shipped. A new Cibola is about $340. It would seem that perhaps a used Cibola with a "lifetime Warranty" would be a better quality product for all around use, excluding water detecting.
We're talking about value here. For the price difference and for the features and abilities embodied, the Ace is nearly untouchable. Is the Cib a good product? Yes. Absolutely. No one could be faulted for owning a Tesoro OF ANY MAKE. But, is it for a newb, for all "around use", as the term is generally employed? I'd say No.
The 250 will offer the features that are absent on the Cibola, features that often apply directly to WHERE and HOW a newb searches and while meeting the EXPECTATIONS that a newb brings to the game. Can the Cib be a general purpose unit? Of course, it's a detector - whose sole function is to detect the presence of metal.
But, would you as a new user find much to like in the Ace, perhaps more so than the Cib? Quite possible. Some astounding things are happening with the Ace and it has set the business on it's ear. I get impressed more with it each time I use it.
Yesterday I found a soda can with it at the limit of my trowels ability to dig - it was so deep I couldnt get any more leverage in the hole unles I got a shovel to widen it! I had to go down through the woodchips and the sand AND the first several inches of under-soil. Big Deal right? "A soda can... phooey! I'll bet the Cibola could do that...", you might say.
Well, I'd agree, except that I had the SENS at only half strength, AND I detected the can while I was whipping the coil, since I was speed hunting and the Ace allows for that sort of rapid hunting speed. Im not saying a Cibola wouldnt do it, too. But, I can tell you that the Ace surely can.
My very first detector was a Silver Sabre II, a fine little unit if ever there was one. In hindsight, I'd favor the Ace over it.
What would a good used Cibola be worth and is there a site where this machine could be found?
Keep on the Classifieds here and elsewhere, like over at the Treasure Depot. These things pop up all the time and it wouldnt hurt to make your wishes known publicly. You can get either detector used and will do well financially by doing so, but keep your wallet handy, they go FAST. Id say get em both and make the comparison yourself! I have, and Im keeping both...
