Hi all, and greetings from Australia.
On Friday last (2 days ago, here) I picked up a parcel from the local post office...it was an Outlaw, sent to me for me to try, by our importer and distributor of Tesoros, Paul Knee. I must state at this point that the Outlaw is not a gift, it is with me on loan. I do not work for Tesoro, or Paul, and I am not being paid for my "testing" of the Outlaw.
Tesoro is aware that I have been loaned the Outlaw to do my own "testing", but this is in no way an "official" field test report.
I am not qualified or able to talk about the technical make-up of the Outlaw, as I have no qualifications in electronics. What I can pass on are my experiences as an ordinary detectorist, with my impressions of how the Outlaw works for me.
I bought my first Tesoro in 2001, which was a pre-loved Silver Sabre II. I have used 9 different Tesoro detectors, and currently own (and use) the DeLeon, Eldorado uMax, Golden uMax and Cibola. I also own and use several other brands and models of detectors.
I decided to write of my experiences with the Outlaw in segments, rather than in one long-winded post...this way I hope to include my impressions while they are still fresh in my memory bank.
I made the decision not to post any pictures of finds, as I dont see any real benefit to anyone in doing so.
When I first opened the box with the Outlaw inside, one of the first things I noticed was that the lower shafts (there are three) have two spring-laden prongs, instead of one. This gives the user a greater variety of options when setting the length of the shaft...I like this option, and have been able to adjust the length of the shaft to suit me just that little bit better than my other detectors.
I took the Outlaw outside, with some of our coinage, just to see how it responded to our (Australian) coins. I wasn't disappointed, as the signals were sharp and clear. The frequency of the audio tone I also found quite pleasant, as it is lower than the Cibola and DeLeon, and seems slightly higher than the Eldorado.
I ground balanced the machine, which had me bamboozled for a minute, but then I worked out which all metal setting to put the machine. I found the ground balancing process very simple, and I am sure it is not my imagination that balancing the Outlaw requires greater use of the knob than with the Eldorado. i.e. you have to turn the knob a bit more with the Outlaw....this, to me, is a good thing as it gives better control over the ground balancing process.
I then performed a comparative air test with the Outlaw and Eldorado, but with the coins on the ground. In the first part of the test, the Outlaw seemed to out-perform the Eldorado, which I was not expecting. I then switched batteries, putting the battery from my Eldorado into the Outlaw, and in this test the Outlaw and Eldorado performed equally. At this stage I was using the 8" round coil on the Outlaw and the 9"x8" coil on the Eldorado.
I then decided to do a comparative weight test on some of the coils. What prompted this was that the 12x10 DD coil seemed nice and light. I have the 12x10 concentric coil, which I use on my other machines, but mainly on the beach with the Eldorado. I used my kitchen scales to weigh the coils, and while they might no be 100% accurate, they should be consistent for the purpose of this test. The 12x10 concentric weighed 1 lb 8 oz. My 8" round DD coil weighed 1 lb 8 oz. The 12x10 DD coil (with the Outlaw) weighed 1 lb 5 oz. This also pleased me, as one of the things I like about Tesoro machines is their lack of weight.
Yesterday, Saturday, I took the Outlaw to 2 different spots which are within about 500 yards of each other. Both spots are hunted regularly by me and about 3 or 4 other detectorists. The first spot is an old netball area, where I had been successful in finding silver rings many years ago, but hardly any in the last 4 to 5 years. I know this area has been pounded, not only by local guys, but by "blow-ins" as well. I decided I would first try the Outlaw with the 12x10 DD coil.
The first couple of signals I got were pulltabs, which did not surprise me, as the signals were slightly different to coin signals (I have very ordinary headphones, so anyone with "good" phones will notice more of a difference in signals). The next signal was fainter, but slighly different to the others..I dug a plug and recovered one of out 1c coins..depth 3 to 4 inches. (Our 1c and 2c coins have been out of circulation since about 1992. They are 97% copper. The 1c weighs 2.59 gm and is 17.53mm in diameter...the 2c weighs 5.18 gm and is 21.59mm in diameter). I continued on and found more pulltabs, plus one more 1c and two 2c coins. They were all down about 3 to 4 inches. I found that the DD coil also hit well on the serrated bottle caps, and I dug a few of those as well....the "loudness" of some of the signals from the bottle caps alerted me to what they probably were, but I dug them anyway, "just to see".
After about an hour, and with only 4 coins, I decided to leave this spot, and move to the other one. I also decided I would change coils and put on the 8" round coil. But before I did that, I wanted to give the Outlaw and DD coil a try over a very small area, where the last silver I found was a small "sleeper" earring. I went carefully over this area, and received a signal which sounded deep...it was faint but definite. I dug a plug of about 4", and the signal was still coming from the hole. I dug out about another 2" of soil and the signal was out...I was a small silver wire ring,a bit out of shape, but all in one piece. It was over 4" down but less than 6" down. It weighs 0.84 gm.
I then moved to the next spot, put on the 8" round concentric coil and raised the disc to cut out foil and some pulltabs. It was getting late in the afternoon, and cold. I had only gone about 3 yards when I got a clear and definite signal, and thought to myself "$2". Yep, a nice $2 coin at about 2" down. I moved on and was pleased and gratified by the lack of signals, as I know this area is carpeted with bottle caps and pulltabs. I dug a couple of signals, one an eyelet from the tent fly, and the other an aluminium bottle top. The bottle top was 6" to 7" down, and theeyelet only about 1" down. Both gave strong signals.
I had moved only a few yards from the last target when I got a strong (and loud) signal, and thought " $1 ".(Our $1 coin is larger than our $2 coin, and so gives a stronger signal). I probed gently (ground nice and soft for a change) and felt the probe contacting something about 2" to 3" down. Out popped a large silver looking ring. I was stoked about this, and even more stoked when I got home and discovered it was a 9 Karat white gold band, weighing 7.22 gm. As daylight was going, and the air getting frosty, I called it a day.
My impressions on the Outlaw at this stage are quite positive. Nothing much seems to be world shattering new technology. The retune button is one feature which I have to use more before I comment on it. I also found that checking the ground balance regularly allowed me to make adjustments as needed, and some of these adjustments may not have been obvious on some of my other machines, and I see this as a positive feature of the Outlaw. I guess what I am saying is that the ground balance feature on the Outlaw is more acute than on some other machines, and so the user can be more aware that adjustment may be required.
The two rings that I found could have been found by myself or others well, before yesterday. The silver ring may have been missed because of its depth, size and location. It was near the edge of a concrete slab, but the Outlaw with the DD coil picked it up. The gold ring was located near a wire netting fence, about 10 to 12 inches out from the fence, and could have been previously missed for that reason. The Outlaw with the 8" coil had no problem picking it up.
I know this report is not earth-shattering. However, anyone who knows Tesoros, and has not been able to get a Bandido II or an Eldorado uMax, now has an opportunity to get a new machine, which seems to rival both those machines. It is early days yet, as far as my using the Outlaw goes, but I think that with the coils that come with the machine, it will provide any detectorist with a machine that is light, versatile and which can find the kind of stuff we want to find. I hope to try it out in some varied conditions, including some of our harsher soils...I'll keep you posted. Pete
On Friday last (2 days ago, here) I picked up a parcel from the local post office...it was an Outlaw, sent to me for me to try, by our importer and distributor of Tesoros, Paul Knee. I must state at this point that the Outlaw is not a gift, it is with me on loan. I do not work for Tesoro, or Paul, and I am not being paid for my "testing" of the Outlaw.
Tesoro is aware that I have been loaned the Outlaw to do my own "testing", but this is in no way an "official" field test report.
I am not qualified or able to talk about the technical make-up of the Outlaw, as I have no qualifications in electronics. What I can pass on are my experiences as an ordinary detectorist, with my impressions of how the Outlaw works for me.
I bought my first Tesoro in 2001, which was a pre-loved Silver Sabre II. I have used 9 different Tesoro detectors, and currently own (and use) the DeLeon, Eldorado uMax, Golden uMax and Cibola. I also own and use several other brands and models of detectors.
I decided to write of my experiences with the Outlaw in segments, rather than in one long-winded post...this way I hope to include my impressions while they are still fresh in my memory bank.
I made the decision not to post any pictures of finds, as I dont see any real benefit to anyone in doing so.When I first opened the box with the Outlaw inside, one of the first things I noticed was that the lower shafts (there are three) have two spring-laden prongs, instead of one. This gives the user a greater variety of options when setting the length of the shaft...I like this option, and have been able to adjust the length of the shaft to suit me just that little bit better than my other detectors.
I took the Outlaw outside, with some of our coinage, just to see how it responded to our (Australian) coins. I wasn't disappointed, as the signals were sharp and clear. The frequency of the audio tone I also found quite pleasant, as it is lower than the Cibola and DeLeon, and seems slightly higher than the Eldorado.
I ground balanced the machine, which had me bamboozled for a minute, but then I worked out which all metal setting to put the machine. I found the ground balancing process very simple, and I am sure it is not my imagination that balancing the Outlaw requires greater use of the knob than with the Eldorado. i.e. you have to turn the knob a bit more with the Outlaw....this, to me, is a good thing as it gives better control over the ground balancing process.
I then performed a comparative air test with the Outlaw and Eldorado, but with the coins on the ground. In the first part of the test, the Outlaw seemed to out-perform the Eldorado, which I was not expecting. I then switched batteries, putting the battery from my Eldorado into the Outlaw, and in this test the Outlaw and Eldorado performed equally. At this stage I was using the 8" round coil on the Outlaw and the 9"x8" coil on the Eldorado.
I then decided to do a comparative weight test on some of the coils. What prompted this was that the 12x10 DD coil seemed nice and light. I have the 12x10 concentric coil, which I use on my other machines, but mainly on the beach with the Eldorado. I used my kitchen scales to weigh the coils, and while they might no be 100% accurate, they should be consistent for the purpose of this test. The 12x10 concentric weighed 1 lb 8 oz. My 8" round DD coil weighed 1 lb 8 oz. The 12x10 DD coil (with the Outlaw) weighed 1 lb 5 oz. This also pleased me, as one of the things I like about Tesoro machines is their lack of weight.
Yesterday, Saturday, I took the Outlaw to 2 different spots which are within about 500 yards of each other. Both spots are hunted regularly by me and about 3 or 4 other detectorists. The first spot is an old netball area, where I had been successful in finding silver rings many years ago, but hardly any in the last 4 to 5 years. I know this area has been pounded, not only by local guys, but by "blow-ins" as well. I decided I would first try the Outlaw with the 12x10 DD coil.
The first couple of signals I got were pulltabs, which did not surprise me, as the signals were slightly different to coin signals (I have very ordinary headphones, so anyone with "good" phones will notice more of a difference in signals). The next signal was fainter, but slighly different to the others..I dug a plug and recovered one of out 1c coins..depth 3 to 4 inches. (Our 1c and 2c coins have been out of circulation since about 1992. They are 97% copper. The 1c weighs 2.59 gm and is 17.53mm in diameter...the 2c weighs 5.18 gm and is 21.59mm in diameter). I continued on and found more pulltabs, plus one more 1c and two 2c coins. They were all down about 3 to 4 inches. I found that the DD coil also hit well on the serrated bottle caps, and I dug a few of those as well....the "loudness" of some of the signals from the bottle caps alerted me to what they probably were, but I dug them anyway, "just to see".
After about an hour, and with only 4 coins, I decided to leave this spot, and move to the other one. I also decided I would change coils and put on the 8" round coil. But before I did that, I wanted to give the Outlaw and DD coil a try over a very small area, where the last silver I found was a small "sleeper" earring. I went carefully over this area, and received a signal which sounded deep...it was faint but definite. I dug a plug of about 4", and the signal was still coming from the hole. I dug out about another 2" of soil and the signal was out...I was a small silver wire ring,a bit out of shape, but all in one piece. It was over 4" down but less than 6" down. It weighs 0.84 gm.
I then moved to the next spot, put on the 8" round concentric coil and raised the disc to cut out foil and some pulltabs. It was getting late in the afternoon, and cold. I had only gone about 3 yards when I got a clear and definite signal, and thought to myself "$2". Yep, a nice $2 coin at about 2" down. I moved on and was pleased and gratified by the lack of signals, as I know this area is carpeted with bottle caps and pulltabs. I dug a couple of signals, one an eyelet from the tent fly, and the other an aluminium bottle top. The bottle top was 6" to 7" down, and theeyelet only about 1" down. Both gave strong signals.
I had moved only a few yards from the last target when I got a strong (and loud) signal, and thought " $1 ".(Our $1 coin is larger than our $2 coin, and so gives a stronger signal). I probed gently (ground nice and soft for a change) and felt the probe contacting something about 2" to 3" down. Out popped a large silver looking ring. I was stoked about this, and even more stoked when I got home and discovered it was a 9 Karat white gold band, weighing 7.22 gm. As daylight was going, and the air getting frosty, I called it a day.
My impressions on the Outlaw at this stage are quite positive. Nothing much seems to be world shattering new technology. The retune button is one feature which I have to use more before I comment on it. I also found that checking the ground balance regularly allowed me to make adjustments as needed, and some of these adjustments may not have been obvious on some of my other machines, and I see this as a positive feature of the Outlaw. I guess what I am saying is that the ground balance feature on the Outlaw is more acute than on some other machines, and so the user can be more aware that adjustment may be required.
The two rings that I found could have been found by myself or others well, before yesterday. The silver ring may have been missed because of its depth, size and location. It was near the edge of a concrete slab, but the Outlaw with the DD coil picked it up. The gold ring was located near a wire netting fence, about 10 to 12 inches out from the fence, and could have been previously missed for that reason. The Outlaw with the 8" coil had no problem picking it up.
I know this report is not earth-shattering. However, anyone who knows Tesoros, and has not been able to get a Bandido II or an Eldorado uMax, now has an opportunity to get a new machine, which seems to rival both those machines. It is early days yet, as far as my using the Outlaw goes, but I think that with the coils that come with the machine, it will provide any detectorist with a machine that is light, versatile and which can find the kind of stuff we want to find. I hope to try it out in some varied conditions, including some of our harsher soils...I'll keep you posted. Pete
) I had some reservations about the 8x9 coil that came with the Cibola (I used werewolf's one a couple of years ago) but talking to Paul, he took a Cibola outside while we were on the phone to test my concern. Fortunately, only the toe of the coil has a dead spot, so I can live with that. What surprised me about the tesoros; was when I used Elroys Silver Umax with the clean sweep coil last year. I was surprised at how distinct coins sounded. It made the decision to go with a non metered Tesoro a lot easier. Hopefully I'll start digging up some pre decimals. Got into the habit of mostly chasing goldies.