Tesoro Vaquero Metal Detector

One of the best detectors for the money, arguably the best performance to price point. It shines as an all metal detector, the discrimination is pretty lame. Can discriminate out little flakes of metal but anything rusty is going to ping regardless of how far the knob is turned.

I returned this item. However,Tesoro is a trusted name in metal detectors and computer peripherals.

Tesoro is out of business

I like it alot! It does take some time to get familiar with the way it works but pretty straightforward operation. Great machine, super lightweight, fun to use and its a coin magnet. The pinpoint buttton is a time saving feature as well.

I purchased the Tesoro Vaquero Metal Detector to help me find relics from my grandfather's farm in the Midwest, now abandoned and structures fallen down over the past 60+ years. My mother said she buried a jar of pennies in the front yard, which I was hoping to find again for her. The well protected package arrived within a week. Except for one detail, it was easy to assemble. I called Tesoro to get help about that one detail. They answered the phone right away and were very nice and helpful in telling me what to do. I did what they suggested, I just needed to orientate one of the parts in a different direction, and then the rest was easy. Tesoro's service is top notch and the feeling I got was that I could call them again for help or to discuss metal detecting and their products. The manual is well-written and easy to understand, something that's becoming more uncommon with imported goods, so this was appreciated. I've used cheaper metal detectors in the past and the Tesoro is so much better than those. In the field, the Tesoro was very responsive. The build quality of the detector is excellent. It's well made, sturdy, and the controls easy to use. I used headphones and the batteries lasted throughout the 3 days I searched the homestead. I adjusted the settings as I was detecting and almost always got a signal for the type of metal I had adjusted it to. I avoided lots of tin foil this way. However, I found many metals I wanted including lots of square iron nails, a variety of pots and utensils, tools, gear for plowing with horses, end of an ornate brass bed, etc. Some were buried up to 12 inches deep. I didn't find the jar of pennies, yet. I covered about 1/4 of the area and each year I'll return until I search the whole area where the house, barn, and sheds stood. I would not hesitate ordering another Tesoro product in the future and I'm extremely happy with this purchase.

My husband loves it

I'm a novice user with limited experience. I've only used Garrett and a Bounty Hunter metal detectors before my Tesoro arrived, but I LOVE MY VAQUERO! I studied reviews on several sites and watched it in action on some YouTube videos before I finally decided to purchase the Vaquero. After brushing up on the fundamentals I took it out the next morning. I didn't really expect to find anything, but wanted to get a feel for it and enjoy the sunrise in the Nevada desert. Right off the bat, without really tuning it, I found several bullet fragments (mostly .22lr and a 9mm), spent brass from a .223 and a penny. The fragments were 2" or less from the surface, but I was happy since I'm just a hack. The .223 brass was about 7" down in sand in a wash. Later on I found an old beer can (Strohs) in a little more than a foot of sand...thought I was digging to China. The penny was on the surface. I had a hard time setting up the ground balance at first since I've never had to do this, but got the hang of it fairly quickly. It came in handy as I moved from the hard earth to the sandy wash on the first day. I haven't had a need yet to adjust the sensitivity. The discriminator is spot on and proved it's worth when I was investigating an old house that burned down. I managed to stumble onto the owner's trash pile (from many many years ago) and was able to tune out the old cans while still hitting on some change, an old pair of scissors and a pill tin; he had some nice glass that I wish hadn't been smashed when deposited. It has a pinpoint button which is said to be great, but I haven't had a need to use that either; using the "X" technique has treated me well. I've carried my Vaquero all over BLM land surrounding Las Vegas and in the mulch surrounding playgrounds. I haven't found any real jewelry, but I've dug up a bunch of modern coins, key chains and miscellaneous kid-junk. So far, the most interesting find was a metal sign in a wash claiming "the FBI investigates thefts on this property". Long story short, I love my Vaquero and can't wait to get more time to use it. I'd rather put my money into the electronics INSIDE the box than waste it on fancy screens and automatic tuning circuits.

The Vaquero has exceeded all my expectations. Being my first detector purchase I was wary of the learning curve but after a few test runs I had it figured out. An excellent detector with surprising performance for the price.