New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

I recently bought a detector of sycotoad. He was a pleasure to deal with throughout the process and the detector was in fantastic order.
Numerous rings have already fallen prey to its coil.

Would also consider trade for Tesoro Vaquero - must be in good condition

Hello Mr floatinggold -

I wont muck about & dive straight in sir - This is based on my opinion only and if I were to do what you wanted to do with the metal detector & did not want to spend a lot of money then the following would be my choice as I have found both cheap units to respond well to very small pieces of gold, however the Tesoro was clearly more responsive -

Tesoro Compadre = I was actually blown away at how sensitive this unit is to very small gold - It has a huge reputation in the USA as being the go to machine for micro gold jewellry & has a cult like following in the USA, where many detectorist's who own top of the line machines will also have one of these in their stable so they can find those very fine gold link chains -

http://metaldetectingfor...m/showthread.php?t=87892

Another interesting fact about this machine is that many people have also modified this unit in many ways & there are many 'how to's' on the forums if you needed to make any changes in the future -

Price = $160USD approx plus shipping $60USD - if total is under $400NZD including shipping then you pay nothing to the NZ govt - Also Tesoro's come with a lifetime warranty, which no other metal detector manufacturer offers.......

This would be MY best choice unit for your needs, but it does have a couple of possible drawbacks and this is being picky - As you would expect for a unit of this price range, it has no ground balance and the coil is hardwired to the control box (both can be alleviated with those mods if needed at a later date) -

However the Compadre breaks down quite small and can be easily added to your pack etc

http://metaldetectorrevi...31-1-tesorocompadre.html

Now my second choice for the criteria would be a Garrett ACE150

Again I was not only surprised at the size of the small leadshot this unit was finding but how deep it was finding them at -

Again the US price is around $160 for this unit as well but I know the Compadre will be better suited for what you are wanting to use a metal detector for -

Now Pinpointers - I know nothing of how well the Minelab Pro-Find 25 pinpointer ($169USD) is on fine gold, however I have tested the Garrett Pro Pointer (127.50USD) and it struggled to find the smaller pickers - Asides from that, if you were to waterproof them, they then become a invaluable tool for your type of hunting -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BSVxhjE3vs

There is also a NEW pinpointer that seems to be blowing the previous two out of the water -
X-Pointer by Deteknix = ($90USD)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHZbxzYSwJ4

Now the X-Pointer is made in China & that in itself appears to be a bad thing according to the Chinese bashers around here, however as you will see in the vid - its fantastic value for a good stable pin-pointer

Finally there is one more tool I would like you to consider for the type of work you are doing and that is the -
Falcon MD20 ($250USD) approx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFNbPbAdvGE

Now sir if I were to go bush and do what you are doing then I would do this -

Tesoro Compadre + X-Pointer ($250USD + $60-$70USD shipping) which still brings you under that Govt donation threshold $400NZD

I hope this helps & if you require any help obtaining the gear, please leave me a message

I have based this on my own experiences - others may have differing opinions

Thank you for your questions

No worries floatinggold ;)

One other point - I believe France?? sells a Tesoro Compadre Pro which I believe has a separate sensitivity control & I think from memory you can change the coils -

Good luck with whatever you decide on -

There is one more thing you may find handy is opening something like a youshop account just in case the supplier you wish to purchase from (USA) does not ship internationally or sell outside the US - This then gives you a US shipping address -

Also use Paypal for your purchases as it safeguards you more than most people think -

Also there are these Bounty Hunters at very cheap prices, however I am unsure if they would be suitable however they are a great starter unit at giveaway prices -

Go to -
http://shop.hobbylobby.c...v-metal-detector-847012/

Type in Promo Code 6819 at checkout & get 40% off the retail price

So for a new Tracker IV (including shipping to your US address (or you could see if they ship internationally direct) for as little as - $76.94USD

http://metaldetectorrevi...ctors/65-1-tracker4.html

Anyways - Happy Hunting

Edited by user Saturday, 26 July 2014 1:02:18 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified