The Forgotten DeLeon

[zeb]

I just purchased my first Tesoro metal detector a couple weeks ago. Checking online for tips I find little information on it newer than say 2 years old. And most of that is just factory ad stuff.

Is anyone out there still using the DeLeon? I know about the ground balance thing but so far my machine has proved to be the best I've owned in nearly 40 years (off & on) of THing. The depth and target ID just blows me away!

What's happened with this model? Has everyone pretty much pushed it aside? Even on the Tesoro site you find almost no current postings.

I'm just curious.

Thanks

 

[Wirechief]

I'm like you Zeb you don't hear much about the DeLeon or Cortes. de John the Wirechief, CET.

 

[zeb]

I'm sure glad to see I'm not alone in this. I was beginning to wonder.

When I buy a detector I usually spend $1,000 plus. The DeLeon's mere $500 street price had me wondering if it were a toy.

However, after having throughly tested this machine, I believe I've figured out the silence in regard to it. Those who really know this model don't want to spread the truth. They've got a good thing going and they'd rather not encourage the competition.

I guess it's sort of like truly rich folks rarely boast about having money. It's usually those who want to think they're rich that do most of the talking.

I've communicated with someone who owns both the Cortes and the DeLeon. He told me both are equal in most hunting situations but he prefers the Cortes due to it's adjustable ground balance and notch features.

All I can say is if I couldn't get another Deleon I wouldn't take $5,000 for the one I now own.

 

[Wirechief]

Tesoro is a really great company that has a service dept. you can't beat! But I don't often hear of anyone needing that service. That's why I chose Tesoro as my mainline for my detector business. They are so nice to just grab up and go. CU later Zeb. de the Wirechief, CET.

 

[zeb]

If anyone out there is also new to the Tesoro DeLeon, may I offer a suggestion?

If while checking a solid target the readout bounces back and forth from iron to silver (with several readings in between),dig it! This is especially so if the target is small and reads 4 to 8 inches deep.

If you get a repeat on 95 (silver)always dig it even if it bounces off to some other numbers with other swings. The chances are very good you have a coin (or good object) next to a larger piece of iron. It may even be the iron is partially covering the item.

Watch for 95 and when it shows slow down and check the target very carefully.

I should also add that Indian cents register as zinc (sometimes with a slight Tabs bar)and are in the 70's. When you get a tight zinc repeater at 3 inches or more, smile and dig! Also, many tokens, etc., are found this way.

 

[Les in the UK]

The Deleon is responsible for finding some nice coins in the UK Zeb and you are quite right about the screen showing some good deep targets up as iron, it's only after you listen to the sound of iron and a deep target that is next to iron that you tell that you have a good signal they both show up on the screen as iron but the sound that you get tells you that it's not iron.
happy hunting to you from Les in the UK

 

[zeb]

Thanks for the tip!

Hope we get many more here.

Please comment one and all if you use the Deleon.

This info is very hard to find anywhere else online.

Do you have something to share?

 

[Monte]

First, let's face it. Tesoro has never really been known for their great strides in the Target ID circuitry designs, or really their physical packaging. I feel the luke-warm acceptace their metered detectors gets is only due to some of the already Tesoro-loyal following they have, and perhaps the warranty they provide.

Second, from the outard appearance, the only really appealing featue you can see that might make a person investigat the Cort

 

[rentasquid]

Whenever I had a target that bounced between silver and iron, it was ALWAYS a little chunk of rusty metal. I know, because I dug up my share of bottle caps, washers, etc.

J.

 

[rentasquid]

and true. You said what many others may have been thinking, but were afraid to post. Your name certainly carries more weight and respect than a Rentasquid. So, I am glad you said what you did regarding the DeLeon and Cortes. I hope that Tesoro takes your criticizims well and puts out an ID detector worthy of their name.

J.

 

[Monte]

if we take a serious look at what's being offered.

Heck, my Titan 3000 XD, which is essentially the same First Texas/Bounty Hunter model as the RS-3300 made for Radio Shack, has a manual GB control that affects BOTH the all metal Pinpoint mode and the motion Discriminate mode! Not the Tesoro's.

Currently, not countiung White's beach or nugget hunting units ... ALL models feature visual Target ID. The same is true of all of Garrett's current non-specialty models from the Ace 150 on up. Those are the two major forces in the industry so far as brand name and volume are concerned, but we have to add a bigger percentage of Fisher models have Target ID, as do Minelab and Bounty Hunter, yet Tesoro only has two models with TID that are factory preset to work fair in low-to-moderate mineralization.

Let's hope they surprise us all in the near future with something of interest that's competitive in the market.

Monte

 

[zeb]

When you say the sound are you refering to using all-metal mode?

 

[willy]

Hi Monte. Just one issue with your post. I had a GTI 1500 and, in the manual (and on thier website) they claim that it has ground tracking ability. It has no all-metal mode save for the momentary PP & zero disc, so it should be tracking in disc. and always be ground tracking during normal operation. ...Willy. BTW. Here's a link to some relevant info on thier website: http://www.garrett.com/hobby/products/gti1500data.htm

 

[Les in the UK]

No mate when it sounds off on a target and it's deep the detector will some times get it wrong and say that it's iron on the display when infact it is a good target. it's normally an iffy target but when you have dug a few you soon learn what to dig and what to leave.

 

[Les in the UK]

is when you get a signal and you are not sure if you should dig it or not because it sounds a little bit of an iffy signal is to just dig the top 3 inches of soil off it and then swing the search head over the target again, many a time i have done this and found that the bad signal has changed and now gives me a good sounding signal.

 

[Tx Gold Digger]

I own a White DFX and a Garrett GTI 2500 and recently purchased a Jejon and a De Leon. The DeLeon is much more accurate in judging what you are looking at than either the DFX or the GTI 2500. The discrimination is simply amazing and very accurate.

 

[digitaltim]

n/t

 

[digitaltim]

n/t

 

[Wirechief]

n/t

 

[saika]

I bought a Deleon this winter and am using it for the first time this spring. I really, really like it. It does sound off a bit like a cow trying to sit down but, but , but.

The soil I have here is very tame, using a Vaquero last summer showed me that in spades. As some of the comments suggest it should be adequate in mild soil, and it is.

The target ID could use a little more separation like the PIV has in the pulltab range, but the numbers do help out a lot. I haven't found a free range ring yet, the year is young, but, it nails the lid shut on pull tabs for me. I have not yet dug a single bottle cap or foam/foil sport drink lid. This makes me wonder if I am missing jewellry, but I do not think that I am as my test rings give a more solid thump than a pulltab does.

My US coin count is just unreal. I am pulling out nickles like no tomorrow (Can and US) and I am getting a pretty good bead on our Canadian coins because they read very consistantly, except many of our new dimes which read like pure iron!

One of the biggest issues seem to be the same as any other machine that I have used in the past, too much sensitivity will make it misbehave. If I keep it low 1 or 2 maybe 3, I am pulling out coins from the 6" mark and have very little garbage to show for my efforts. The other thing that I have noticed is how deeply pinpointing is negatively affected by a coin not lying flat, especially zinc pennies.

Now, all of this being said. If you want to go out and hunt coins in a park or kiddie pit and don't want to fuss with adjustments this may be the machine for you.

I haven't seen any evidence of it being a depth demon yet and would seriously consider buying something else if I was going to focus on beach or relic hunting, a Vaquero or Tejon maybe.

I have a bum shoulder and the super light weight of this unit makes it a joy to swing.

I can call the company with a question, and have, and am able to speak directly to the owners....I kind of like that. I like their warranty.

I agree that they need to come up with something that allows me to work the GB in the disc setting, or at least return to a mixed audio mode machine like the Bandido and BII are and include some TID of some kind with the depth reading. The new hot technology seems to be a winner as the 5.75 coil is a depth monster. The xlt I ran for part of last year could not ferret out masked coins like the Vaquero could. If the Vaquero chassis came with a good VDI/TID along with the GB in disc mode, I would be in line ASAP.

I like the Deleon, it doesn't replace the big boy machines, that is for sure. BUT, for pure, recreational hunting pleasure it is hard to beat.

No offence to anyone here and I hope none is taken, as always YMMV!