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What's the point ?
- Thread starter upnorth
- Start date
Some just have to have the latest and greatest no matter the cost....... I myself think the price of detectors have reached the limit , and surpassed in some cases of what I am willing to spend.
I'm not saying do not spend the amount. I'm just saying "For ME " it's at the max level I'm willing to spend for any brand detector.
I'm not saying do not spend the amount. I'm just saying "For ME " it's at the max level I'm willing to spend for any brand detector.
I like these kind of debates! I will say I look at these metal detectors as tools..just as a fellow would look at a rifle or shotgun...some are more expensive for specific functions...sure they all shoot and hit, but certain designs and accessories are needed for specific situations...lets say a fellow can only pick one rifle or shotgun, what caliber or gauge would you prefer? Its the same debate, with no right or wrong answers depending upon the sitaution...Now Tesoros have a fine reputation , loyal following, and tremendous customer service and warrantee..those are mighty fine reasons to stay with this product and become so proficient within their technical capabilities that you can out hunt most others with the "high tech" units...Everyone should be aware of the limitations of their own gear whether it be a detector or gun and hunt within the limits and for the game it was intended. That way, a fellow can outhunt somebody else with "better" gear just because you know your limitations and can outrun their tech with brains and effort. I hunt against a few outstanding guys with top of the line gear, and just try to outwork them with what I have, its made me a better, faster and smarter hunter...not every great target is a foot deep and masked by iron, and if it was, I already know I'd miss it with my gear..so I have to think and read the signs of an area where I might have a modicum of success and hunt those spots.
Mud
Mud
Ditto for me, Southwind,
I still dust off my old Metrotech BFO detector, with an 11" coil and 2 knobs, to find the really deep stuff.
I found a 5 oz.platinum nugget at 2', a canvas bag of railrod date nails at 3' and a 3" pipe at 4' and I'm still digging deeeep holes with it.
8 various machines later, I have yet to match it's performance on depth, and it does great on the smaller and shallow stuff.
But, there is no teacher like experience.
I still dust off my old Metrotech BFO detector, with an 11" coil and 2 knobs, to find the really deep stuff.
I found a 5 oz.platinum nugget at 2', a canvas bag of railrod date nails at 3' and a 3" pipe at 4' and I'm still digging deeeep holes with it.
8 various machines later, I have yet to match it's performance on depth, and it does great on the smaller and shallow stuff.
But, there is no teacher like experience.
wheatymike
Member
I think that's the beauty of this hobby. You can get in on the ground level and still have just as much fun. I will guarantee you can hand anyone that is intrigued by metal detectors a $160 Compy and they will have a ball.
I'll say it again, the Compadre is pound for pound and dollar for dollar the best detector ever manufactured. PeriodI don't have a Compadre but I hunt with a buddy that does. Yesterday I got a decent signal with my Vaquero and out of curiosity I asked him if he could check the spot and would he dig that target. He scanned the area and wasn't getting a great signal. He said he would pass on that target. I gave it a listen and it was pretty iffy. I let him try the Vaquero and he was surprised that the Vaq was giving a good signal. It was only a penny but I was a bit surprised after all I hear about the Compadre. The coin was about 5" down and appeared to be on it's edge. Just a reality check for the Compadre fans. I was thinking about getting one for the kids but I might give them the Vaq and get myself another Tejon. 
Dan
Dan
Yea, we all drank some bad cool-aid.
Mass hysteria ..... what were we thinking?
Of course the Vaquero costs almost 3 times what the Compadre did...and the Compadre seems close to the V's performance in your example.....a penny on it's edge........ you said it did get a weak signal. So which model looks weak now value wise?
Pound for pound....
How much are you willing to pay for the kids to get that extra inch....?
Mass hysteria ..... what were we thinking? Of course the Vaquero costs almost 3 times what the Compadre did...and the Compadre seems close to the V's performance in your example.....a penny on it's edge........ you said it did get a weak signal. So which model looks weak now value wise?
Pound for pound....
How much are you willing to pay for the kids to get that extra inch....?
I don't disagree that for the price the Compadre is the best bang for the buck. But I sure wouldn't throw away my Vaquero and make that my only detector. I just came back from a hunt where I found a dime at a measured 8". Would I have found that with the Compadre?
To each their own.
Dan
To each their own.
Dan
upfishcreek
Member
n/t
plidn1
Member
dan b said:
Maybe.
This happened to me.
I bought a new compadre with 5.75" coil to hunt tot lots with. This detector is, in a tot, the most impressive detector I have ever used. I can pull coins and jewelry right up against the metal structures and out of other peoples holes.
I was so impressed after 2 months, I bought a Vaquero, with the standard coil and a 5.75" coil as that is the size I prefer. My thinking was, I could retire my TID and use the much less weighted Vaq longer in the field. On paper it looked as if it would do all I needed.
I started testing and learning the Vaq in the tots as it is much easier to learn a machine there.
I wasn't finding much with it and chalked it up to the luck of the draw.
One day I hit a tot no body had found. I had the vaq with the 8 X 9 coil on it. I found about 20 cents in change but it was hard coming.
I worked the lot and swing area hard and after about 45 minuets I switched to the compadre to work under the structures. It was going off like pop corn. A long story short, I reworked the lot with the compadre. I found a silver ring and a gold 14K diamond ring under the swing at 4" that the vaq missed plus $8.50 more in change. 100 of the coins were pennies.
Then I started going behind the Vaq with the TID in the park and was finding coins the Vaq missed in my own holes the same day.
Needless to say my trust in that detector was done and it went away.
BarberBill
New member
Plidn1 - just for clarification or out of curiosity it would have been nice to put a second or different Vaquero through the paces you describe. Compared to the many threads that praise the Vaq yours is certainly non-typical. Have to wonder if that particular machine had a problem.
BB
BB
Southwind
Well-known member
I think, for the money, the Compadre is hard to beat but I wasn't that impressed with it as a tot lot detector. It did fine up about 5" on small gold but most my tot lots have 6" of wood chips. 5" inches just doesn't cut it. The AT Pro seems to hit the same small gold but at almost twice the depth. Then again, the AT Pro costs twice as much. I did love how light the Compadre was but that was about it.
I did have one guy try and tell me I had it adjusted wrong. LOL, one knob and I ran it right at the Iron setting.
I did have one guy try and tell me I had it adjusted wrong. LOL, one knob and I ran it right at the Iron setting.
plidn1
Member
BarberBill said:
In all fairness, you are right. It probably needed some factory attention.
I just did not like it enough to fool with it. It had some quirks designed into it I did not like.
I am not bashing the detector. The person I sold it too is a friend. He is a beginner in the hobby and knows nothing else. He is learning with it and it is good for him.
Too much attention to depth equaling a detectors worth is being put on a detector. I have found, as yourself, IN MY AREA, that most "real value targets" are very seldom over 5" deep. I pass on targets much over 6" deep. I would much rather find a $165 gold ring at 5" then a $4 dime at 10".
But I do like a detector that provides me a quick recovery, with a fairly accurate depth reading, one that is able to size a target, and an educated guess as to what the target may be, with the capability to accurately pin point the target.
I hit coin size targets in some parks that I work, in the 10 to 12" range and beyond. I pass on them as it is too hard to dig that deep in my area and not ruin the grass. What few good targets I miss is minimal compared to the effort.
Not everyone has the same criteria for what they need and expect out of a tool to perform a given job. There is no one best detector. The best detector is that one that satisfies you and your needs.
The knowledge of the ground you are working is just as important as the detector. Most of the parks in my area have been landscaped with dirt from other areas. A lot of it came from river areas which was layed over hard pan. It can contain gravel, sand and many other challenges to the hunter. It could have from clay to pure sand in it. Two very different factors that can change the way you hunt that ground. Not all detectors perform the same way in a given turf. That's why we all have 10 detectors in the closet and why you can't say one is better then the other.
plidn1
Member
Southwind said:
Most the tots in my area are wood chips. They are systematically being changed over to ground up rubber.
Before I bought the compadre I worked most of the lots with my MXT and got any of the really deep gold. When I get lucky and find one that appears to have not been worked, I grab the MXT.
But for the most part, I am now looking for fresh dropped treasures, so the depth is not a real issue. Although I do get 7" + with the compadre.
I am very fortunate in that most my ground that I hunt is very mild and I get frightening depth with all my detectors. I once hit a silver ring at 11" with the MXT in a tot. But that is very unusual.
I have to laugh at the new guys that go into a tot thinking they are going to find captain kid's buried treasure chest of chucky cheese tokens under the slide.
The craters they leave make the lot look like Normandy Beach on D Day.