X-terra 50 or Vaquero - Those who use both please respond

[Bryan Schwarz]

Hi!
Not trying to cause a controversy. I have never owned a detector and have narrowed it down to the Minelab X-terra 50 and the Tesoro Vaquero. I'm looking for info from those of you who have used both or presently use both. I believe they are both good machines just trying to get all the pros and cons before I spend the money.

I live in Indianapolis and my son and I plan to do some old coin and relic hunting as well as searching for change at local parks. Again neither of us have ever used a metal detector or gone detecting and I have not been able to find a treasure hunting group in the area.

Thanks!
Bryan

 

[BarnacleBill]

Hello Bryan,

I have not owned a Vaquero but did own a Tejon for a year, the Vaquero's big brother. For a new user, especially hunting parks, one of the more frustrating aspects of the hobby can be the amount of trash/junk you have to dig up. As seen below the Vaquero uses a progressive discrimination control knob which is very common and has been for many years on many detectors. If you are hunting a park that is filled with pull & square tabs, and many are, unless you turn the knob clockwise to reject them(TAB) you end up digging many. At this knob setting, everything to the left including nickels and many gold rings are rejected by the detector and you will never know they exist.

Some users will set the discrimination knob to reject iron(about 10 O'clock) and then rotate it to the right till the target goes quiet to try to identify the target. This is time consuming and begins to wear out the potentiometer control.
[attachment 44777 Vaq.gif]

By contrast the X-Terra's use a notching discrimination system that allows you to reject specific areas of conductivity. It would be as simple as locating the first tab, and pushing the Accept/Reject button to kill the detector response to that target. Looking at the photo, at the bottom left of the LCD display you will see the rejected regions as black squares(iron rejected). I put a simulated green rejection point for tabs in the photo. So as you can see the X-Terra will still accept the nickels and many of the gold rings to the left of the green notch, and still also accept the copper and silver coins to the right of the green notch while ignoring the tabs.

[attachment 44778 X50.gif]
I assure you since you are new to this, that you will not believe how much junk is in the ground. I have only touched on what I feel is a major difference between the two machines, but I think it is an important one. When I started this hobby +25 years ago, all we had were Disc knobs like on the Vaquero, and a machine like the X-Terra's would have been something you read about in Popular Science as a futuristic fantasy. Good luck on whatever choice you make.

HH
BarnacleBill

 

[OldeTymer]

you may be a bit conservative as to the amount of trash in the parks.

Nicely presented.

Good hunting,
OldeTymer

 

[Tinfoil]

n/t

 

[BarnacleBill]

n/t

 

[Jackpine Savage]

got a response from three of the more knowlegeable gentlemen that post here! BB, Tinfoil and Old Tymer have much more experience than I when it comes to detecting. Although put in a lighthearted tone they are right on in their response!

Bryan you have narrowed your choice down to 2 very good detectors and if you can swing it perhaps you should consider having both machines! That way you and your son can detect at the same. Target ID and notching capability aside there are enough other differences in their operating characteristics to make having both very useful for hunting in different situations. I would not be afraid to buy either detector used if that what it takes. Minelab and Tesoro have been very good at taking care of any problems that may arise even if you are not the original owner.

HH
Tom

 

[gbortnick]

I have the Eldorado and the Lobo with assorted coils. I find this new x-terra 70 I bought is like night and day. I have been working my driveway for ever and several people worked it too. This area was suppose to be clean but it wasn't. I found another $4.10 worth of coins and an old matchbox car. This 70 works like a magic wand I pass over ground to find stuff. One thing I have learned, If X-Terra says there is a quarter down there, it is there. The only thing I can't do is tell the year of the coin.