What's the deal on the Outlaw??

[D&P-OR]

It doesn't even seem like it is talked about anymore (just look back over several pages).-----Also, it wasn't even once mentioned in that list as "your favorite Tesoro" that junior started.----It seemed to work the iron pretty well---also seemed to do good in Montes nail board test.----Don't nobody come "unglued" on me---I'm just asking /wondering!---What do some of you guys think of that detector by now?----------Del

 

[dan b]

I tried one and wasn't very impressed. Don't get me wrong, it did what it was designed to do. It's just that I didn't find that it did it better than the other machines I already had. In other words, it was nothing special. I ended up selling it and haven't regretted that decision at all.

Just my opinion.

Dan

 

[Sven]

I never bought one or even gave it a second glance because there is nothing earth shattering about its performance. Just a Bandido in a different costume with an offering of a 3 coil combo. Not everyone wanted three coils........ I would have rather bought a Vaquaro, Tejon instead....you hear a lot about them. Others have purchased a Compadre, better bang for the buck. The name Outlaw doesn't conjure up visions of treasure, nor does the silly looking decals make it look like a serious machine. My guess not many of them were purchased by members any forums outside Findmall either, so nothing to report. If it weren't for 53 Silvers youtube videos doubt as many would have been sold. I think the Outlaw is going to leaving the line-up, once the stock dries up (speculation in my mind). Maybe this is what Tesoro is doing before the release of the Caz? Rename the Caz to Tesoro CZa, probably sell like hotcakes, oops can't do that, it's a Fisher thing.

 

[Gso125]

I had one for a little bit it was ok I really didn't get out with it but it air tested good depth. I like the tejon better so I traded it in for a Deleon

 

[reddirtfisher]

My dealer told me it was just a "re-packaged" Bandito uMax. He said the machines didn't even move and he was overstocked on them.

 

[Mega]

I have never heard or seen one being used over here in the UK,in theory on paper they look very good they come with 3 coils and all that,but in the real world they are just basically a Bandido re-vamped,you can only revamp older models a certain amount of times then the buying public start looking at other brands that offer exactly what the current trends are in detecting.

They of course have hinted at bringing out a game changer but if you dont have the best of the best electronic engineers then it aint going too happen.i hope Tesoro can and do bring out a 'game changer' but i cannot see it happening,i dont think they have the budget,engineers,or marketing skills of what other manufactures do.I am not knocking Tesoro my assumptions are based from observations of what is currently being used and when you compare say a basic switch on and go although they work well to a high tec machines from Minelab or XP then they really start too look out dated,you cannot sit on your laurels for long in the detecting game.

Of course i could be wrong and time will tell.

 

[ToneTime]

I like the outlaw. I had a bandito ll Umax and found that it was a great detector except the tone pitch was a little high for my ears. This outlaw has the same performance and features but in my opinion a much better tone. That being said, I like my other tesoro machines but will always have a place for the outlaw and the no motion all metal comes in handy from time to time.

 

[D&P-OR]

Thanks for the honest opinion guys, appreciate it.-----Keep 'em coming!----------Del

 

[kaolinwasher]

I had one , and its not deep , but that is what is nice about it its not super hot , and in all metal threshold it is great at ignoring small junk , and hitting good targets its disc is good for parks but not deep like the Vaq I would buy another but money is tite so I to have left it by the wayside, for now I do like the ground balance and all metal modes, the compadre can keep up with it in disc mode very well . I can get all my 6" dimes with the compadre the outlaw did not fair as well ,

 

[Johnp3]

In an interview I read with Robert Martensen, the Tesoro Marketing Director, he said "It

 

[jld66]

In an interview I read with Robert Martensen, the Tesoro Marketing Director, he said "It

 

[Hombre]

I think that Tesoro wanted a remake of the Bandido series with the Outlaw. Nothing wrong with that idea, as they make great detectors for iron nail infested sites where you can use a shovel as your discriminator. I use minimum discrimination that just knocks out a small iron nail. I like to use the Bandidos in my relic type sites such as old torn down churches, old abandoned/ torn down homesteads, picknick groves etc. These kinds of hunting places you can use a relic shovel without criticism from onlookers.

I have used the Bandido series since 2001 and now have in my small collection 3 of the 4 different Bandidos that they produced. The original Bandido is my first Bandido that I added to my collection, followed by the Bandido ll and finally my Bandido ll

 

[D&P-OR]

Thank you Randy from south central Kansas.----Looks like you survived the winter back there.----We still got the sign on the carport post.------Oh yeah----the Outlaw is the subject matter!

 

[Johnp3]

Randy, that was a nice test report. Can you share the entire report, or share some of the things that needed improvement? I'd like to get a balanced picture since no detector is perfect!

 

[ToneTime]

I at first had trouble with the Outlaws depth until I learned that it was detuned some how. I now lift the coil to the air and hit the retune button or flip the toggle to auto when I fist set it up for ground balance. This has worked well and seems to be just as deep as my vaquero running normal mode. This in comparing the 5.75" concentric coils on in the ground target's and air tested within a quarter inch of each other. I don't know maybe I have a week vaquero and a strong outlaw but this is what I found in my case. I think I will be keeping this machine as a partner to share coils with the Deleon because the D is not going anywhere, I like it a lot.

 

[Hombre]

Randy, that was a nice test report. Can you share the entire report, or share some of the things that needed improvement? I'd like to get a balanced picture since no detector is perfect!

Thanks John..
.... there one feature that could trip up somebody new to an analog, manually controlled machine like the Outlaw. This is what ToneTime mentioned in his post above about the Retune Button. I had read several reports by people that were having trouble with this red button. I talked to Rusty Henry about this and he said that his standard advice to the folks having trouble...When in Disc. mode, use the Mode toggle switch instead of the Red Button to access the all-metal mode for pinpointing. They evidently had heard from many people having this issue with the RETUNE button. Upon initially starting up the Outlaw, my advice is to have the 3 position Mode toggle switch set up in Auto, which is the far left position, that way you are in auto-tuned all-metal and can set your ground balance.

In my testing of the Retune button, I tried to duplicate the problems that were described by people having this trouble. I used this Retune button every time I used the Outlaw. When using the Outlaw in the Disc. mode..and you want to pinpoint with the RED BUTTON, you must realize that it is a two stage switch, a light press of the button to the first stage (light resistance) is at about the halfway point of travel and puts the machine in no-motion all-metal mode.Then a full press of the button would put you in threshold based auto-tuned all-metal mode (motion all-metal).

It would be easier to show a video than try to explain about all the functions of this red button... instead of writing about it, I'll press on, lets say we are using the Disc. mode of operation and use the 3 position mode switch to put the Outlaw in (middle position) of ALL-Metal,now, you are in no-motion all-metal. At this point a person without full understanding of this button could lead to problems. A person that is well versed with de-tuning in all-metal mode could use the red button to reduce the size of the signal or shrink it down to a very small area of audio. Then when done, raise the coil into the air and fully mash the RETUNE button down and return to the normal sensitivity of the coil. If you don't fully press the RETUNE button and switch to the Disc. mode, the signal is still desensitized, and that is the problem. Most novices would never need or use this feature anyway, and I would suggest using the 3 position Mode toggle to access the different modes of operation. I liked playing with the RED BUTTON, but that is just the way I like to experiment with different features on a machine.

 

[tabman]

Hombre knows what he's talking about. The Outlaw is one of the best detectors for working in and around nails and iron.

There's nothing wrong with the Outlaw, it's just needs someone with some experience swinging it.

tabman

 

[Johnp3]

Hombre,
Thanks for this insight. At first I didn't understand what you meant. So, I downloaded and read the owners manual for the Outlaw and now I see exactly what you are saying and I could easily see it happening to someone new to analog (me). I've done lots of searches for Outlaw reviews and there are folks on forums who have posted this very issue after fidgeting with the Retune button but blamed it on the Outlaw not being very deep. It's funny but when someone like me, who doesn't own a Tesoro but wants to add one to the stable, reads the various reviews of Tesoros out there, one learns to read them with a lot of caution. There are a lot of "Ford vs. Chevy" type of arguments out there! I had written off the Outlaw but not completely since I'd like something in the "middle": I have an Xterra 705 with a 3khz and an 18.75 kHz coil and the Outlaw just fit too well. Tabman, now the Outlaw is neck and neck with the Vaq... it's not that I can't make up my mind, I just really like the researching part of picking out just the right unit!

 

[Monte]

I have never heard or seen one being used over here in the UK, in theory on paper they look very good they come with 3 coils and all that, but in the real world they are just basically a Bandido re-vamped, you can only revamp older models a certain amount of times then the buying public start looking at other brands that offer exactly what the current trends are in detecting.

I'm here in the USA, out in the western-half where I hunt a lot of ghost towns, renovation sites, and all kinds of places where I used to use Tesoro models a lot. Was a Tesoro Dealer from '83, when the Inca was released, until Nov. 2004, when there had been a very long stretch of nothing really new and exciting and interest in their products dropped to zip.

It was pretty easy to demonstrate how well they worked [size=small](the models I favored)[/size] for some tough iron challenged sites. There had been quite a few Tesoro models over the more recent years that had 'glitches' in their design, but the models that didn't and worked okay, well, they worked OK! The problems even back then was that they just were not competitive with features and other performance offerings other detector makers kept providing us. Not only did we see new and creative detector models, but the retail prices were dropping to where they competed with most Tesoro's.

The only Tesoro models I have seen in use in-the-field over the past decade have been a Silver