Why are the Cortes and DeLeon so unpopular?!

[Mick in Dubbo]

As far As I can see, these 2 detectors seemed to be about as close as you can get to a perfect high end detector. Light weight,High quality discrimination and a good coil selection, yet nobody seems to post about either of these machines.
As far as I can tell' there isn't much difference in these machines, as the ground balance on the Cortes doesn't like mineralised ground that much, from what I've read.
I contacted the Australian agent for Tesoro, and he doesn't know much about them either.
Is it just that most Tesoro users are beep diggers, or is there a problem with these machines that people just don't like them?
If they are a good machine, why haven't they been pitted against the like of the Explorer's? They sure would be a lot easier to learn and lighter to swing.
Any comments are welcome.
Mick Evans.

 

[Architex]

Good question. I've been wondering the same thing. Hope we get some answers.

 

[rentasquid]

its just that they arent as popular as some of the other tesoros. To me, the GB was a big thing though. I need it. And I dont really care for hunting in All-Metal. And, there are many other TID detectors to be had for the same price or cheaper that are GB-able. So thats why when I decided to get another TID, I got something else than Tesoro. Do I still like Tesoros? You Bet!!!! But, they just didnt meet my particular needs, and thats ok.

J.

 

[tab-nabit]

Interesting - When I went to a local dealer last week, he carries a couple different brands, one line was the Tesoro. I noticed out of the Tesoro's, he didn't have the Cortes & DeLeon. I'll have to ask the next time I visit.
I did handle the Vaquero and few others, and found the label characters for knob settings were a bit too small for my eyes. If I could see them without straining eye-balls, I probably would have came home with one. So I don't know the character size for the units with TID displays, or why he didn't have the Cortes and/or DeLeon. Maybe they're not as popular or maybe they're hot units and he was sold out. I read loads of good about Tesoro, like some of the features, and the circuit recovery time on the unit I handled was fast. Just wish the character was a bit larger in size. Nice warranty too.

 

[Architex]

Cortez has both pre-set and manual GB.

 

[Pap]

n/t

 

[Mike Hillis]

First, at a $700 street price, the Cortes has some trouble competing with others in its price point. Who wants to spend 700 bucks for depth limiting preset ground balanced Discrimination mode? 700 dollars should be offering auto ground and tracking.

Second, some of its features don't operate the way you'd expect them to if you have had experience with other machines. For instance the Non-Motion All Metal mode doesn't function the same as a standard non-motion all metal mode. This can be a turn off for some users.

Don't get me wrong. I personally like the Cortes. I have owned two of them in the past and am currently saving money to get another (used) one this spring. I think they make a great ultra-slow-motion hunter.

HH

Mike

 

[Kidd]

I don't think they are unpoular. If you ever see a used one on ebay, it is snapped up quickly for top dollar. I have been using one now for some time, and my only wish's are that it had tone id in the disc mode. A larger lcd readout on the vdi numbers is very needed. Especially without tone id. I can live without the manual gb in disc mode. Otherwise it is a fine machine with very good depth. Its differant from other machines, and that puts alot of people off. Its really a blend of high tech and simplicity. Get use to it, and you will love it. Highly recommended. Kidd

Sorry, Tesoro refers to there id numbers as t.i.d. numbers, not vdi like other models. I just didn't want to get abused for that one.

 

[rentasquid]

I was aware of that. What did I say different?

J.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks for the info guys. Sounds like most don't like the ground balance set up.
Mick Evans.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

But I think folks must be crazy to turn their backs on these machines. Perhaps Teroro's could set them up a little differently to resolve where they have set up the fix ground balance which has it's place, But from what I can gather, these machines would serve most peoples needs. I noticed a couple of other issues that folk have with them. They sound like they don't handle hot ground very well and the non motion pinpoint doesn't hold for long enough for some.
But on a whole, this little camper is keen to save for one.
These machines seem to have a massive amount of ability that seemed to be unrealised. Maybe the selling agents could be shown how to promote them. here are no other machines on the market, that have that much refined discrimination pinpoint ability, all packaged into such a light package. All other high end machines need a body builders biceps to swing.
Just my thoughts on it .
Mick Evans.

 

[froggy38383]

DeLeon vs Cibola

I own both the Cibola and DeLeon.

I like them both, however the Cibola is my favored unit. I am likely a bit biased in my opinion as I have been using audio only detectors for several years and I have become accustomed to them.

Here are some of the reasons why:

Deeper than the DeLeon.
More stable operation. Less chattering and falsing.
Takes one battery vs 8 for the DeLeon.
It is quicker - only one source of info is given - audio.
I find the display on the DeLeon slows me down even though it does provide useful information.
I do not like the cheap battery doors on the DeLeon.
Battery life on the DeLeon seems low.
Slightly more compact. Smaller control housing, battery in control housing.


I think if i had a choice between the two I would pick the Cibola. 2006 was my best year detecting thanks a great part to the Cibola.

 

[rentasquid]

n/t

 

[digitaltim]

I read about the Tesoros in the forums, but I was convinced Minelab made the best detectors.

I've only been detecting for 6 years, but during this time I attempted to try every decent detector out there. I started with Bounty hunter, then I jumped to Fisher.....tried a few CZ's (7a pro, CZ-70), I also tried the ID excel, and 1236 x2....I owned a Musky advantage, Sovereign, the Explorer XS, and 3 Explorer II's. I eventually went back to Fisher with a CZ-20, because I liked the simplicity of the 3 tones and wanted to try water hunting. I had tried a few White's machines (IDX pro, DFX), but for some reason never really cared for them. I'm sure there's a few machines I'm forgetting to mention, but I think you get the point.

What I learned while trying these detectors is......I want a light weight machine. I often hike out to wooded areas. places out of the way. I'm often digging every possible good tone. Machines with a lot of information left me spending time analyzing signals instead of digging them like I should have been.

I found all the TIDs are guessing. I found myself digging all of the possible good targets, which included junk too, just to be sure I wasn't missing anything. You have to decide what to dig based on the area you're detecting. You have to accept that if you're not digging all the beeps (this includes iron) you could be missing good targets.

I still let the discrimination do most of the deciding for me.

I was a little snobbish towards the Tesoros.........They look so simple and only use one frequency. Most of them are beep and digs.

I haven't sworn off TID's completely, but for now I'm loving the Tesoros' beep N digs. There's a lot of information in their simple beeps. They are sensitive too.

I'm using a Vaquero and Compadre now. The iron discrimination of these machines is unbelievable!! They are quiet and fast hunters.

Once in a while I'll locate a target and then turn the discrimination knob until it dissapears....that's a slightly slower, but accurate way to ID a target. It works as well as any TID I've ever tried.

I initially thought about the Deleon or Cortez, but I know from experience that I don't need the TID info.

It basically boils down to the type of hunting you'll do and what you want.

If I buy another TID, it will be a Tesoro.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

You've got some good points Tim.
I'm looking for a good TID machine for coin shooting. I like the idea of a light weight unit. The Cortes and DeLeon fit this description very well. There is a bounty hunter unit that is a bit lighter again (Titan 3300), but I don't think that it is in the same class as the Tesoro's. I started the hobby with a Tracker4, but found the coils inflexible and only able to hunt shallow targets.
The Explorer's have come to mind a few times, but with some minor nerve damage to my arm, I'm not sure I could swing one.
I may go to a beep dig machine at some point, but at the moment, I'd like high quality discrimination machine.
Mick Evans.
P.S. Welcome to the forum.

 

[digitaltim]

they are flimsy compared to the Tesoros. The Tesoros feel solid from end to end. I can't say that for any other brand. Maybe its easier to make them sturdy, because they're smaller???? The BH's are built well enough and worth their price, but you can't compare them to a Tesoro.

The Bounty hunters were fooled by Iron often. Most other brands ignore Iron better.

Except for the iron problem I thought the BHs ID'd surprisingly well, but with out the depth of higher end machines.

I thought about getting another BH recently for parks. They ID well enough to just dig for rings. They make a great second machine for friends to use. They're also wicked cheap used.

Have you tried the Lejermon harness? There's harnesses for detectors. It takes most of the weight off your arm. A big detector will still seem bulky, but not heavy.

Hip or chest mounting isn't too bad.

If you want the ultimate in ID machines you should try an Explorer. Honestly, you can't beat it for ID. You'll spend a lot of time learning the machine though.

I'm reading a lot of mixed reviews on the Minelab X-terras. Might be worth trying.

Obviously I have my opinions ........
I enjoy learning and discussing the machines almost as much as detecting.

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

Thanks for the pointers.
I've never heard of the Lejermon harness before. I just did a search and came up empty. I do currently have an EX-Army type of harness. It's used with a utility belt. I haven't used it for hunting yet.
The Explorers are a great machine, and an awful lot more common here in Oz. There is hardly a TID tesoro in this country. I have heard of one fellow on the Explorer forum say that he hunts with his detector's skid plate on the ground (taking the weight).
I own an X-Terra 30, but I find that My Ace 250 out hunts it.
I'll keep an open mind on my choice, and look forward to using a high end machine when I can raise the funds. Decisions, decisions.
Mick Evans.

 

[Robby41]

Hi Mick, you'll find the Legermon harness at "Ron's Dixie Discount
Metal Detectors". I think the price is $19.95 U.S. Kellyco has them
too, I believe.
Happy Hunting!
..Robby41

 

[Mick in Dubbo]

n/t

 

[digitaltim]

I've bought detectors from Ron....real nice guy to talk to

http://dixiemetaldetectors.com/access-index.htm