Tesoro Vaquero
Price: $550
Avg. Score: 
4.39
Based on 77 reviews
4.39Based on 77 reviews
Avg. Durability:
3.84
Avg. Ease of use:
4.28
The tesoro vaquero is my go to
March 10, 2019
I have had my Vaq going on 5 years now. It is a great machine with the
stock coil. Depth and target separation is fantastic. Sensitivity and
recovery time is awesome. It works so well three of my relatives have
bought Tesoro machines after using mine. If you want VDI guesses to look at
this is not the machine for you. If you want a simple, reliable, and
repeatable machine the Vaq is for you.
Max Depth: 10 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Pine from
Northern Michigan
30
Relic monster
October 27, 2018
If your into relic hunting, this boy here gets it done. People are
frustrated with this machine because they want instant results.
I have had the Tesaro V. ror two years now, and still have a lot to learn. But in the process, I have accumulated more Civil War relics than I have ever dug up before. Just as I am about to say "screw this machine", the old hoss finds more stuff.
People complaining about depth are more than likely treasure hunters/gold seekers. The Tesaro will find things at certain depths and may be limited, but you go right ahead and dig hundreds of 12-in. Holes. No thank you.
Max Depth: 8 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Jay R. from
Miss.
32
The "black" tesoro vaquero
August 09, 2017
I haven't seen any reviews on the "Black" Vaquero so I decided to write
one. Before purchasing this machine, I watched a tons of videos and read
many articles about the Vaquero. 90 percent of the reviews are positive and
buyers say they really made a good decision in their purchase.
So for me, after watching all the videos and reading the articles, I decided on visiting a metal detector dealer and check one out for myself. When I arrived at the metal detector dealer, I asked about the Vaquero. He said that it was a good machine. Problem was that he didn't have one to show me. He was out of stock. So he showed me a Tesoro Cibola instead. We ran through the features of it, as it is very similar to the Vaquero, and performed a discrimination test using a pair of pliers and a dime (I have to tell you, I was so impressed with the results). At first, he fanned over the pliers and then discriminated them out (You couldn't hear a thing). He then put the dime under the pliers and fanned over it. The detector sounded off picking that dime up under the pliers. I couldn't believe it. I thought he was tricking me in some way.
I watched to make sure that he wasn't doing something with the machine as he fanned over both items...But he wasn't. The discrimination is just that good.
I left his shop thinking that I might really be on to something here. So why did I buy the Black Vaquero? Here's my quick story. I had been relic hunting with the Garrett Ace 400 (which I really like) for about a year but had a hunt coming up in an area with "hot" ground. Because the soil was so bad, I was really starting to have doubts about using my Ace 400. Would it perform? It doesn't have a manual ground balance feature and I keep getting a lot of falsing in heavy iron infested areas...I just don't know.
My list of possible problems just kept getting longer by the minute. I knew that in hot ground I would need a machine that had manual ground balance, good iron discrimination, a widescan double-D search coil, was light weight, could go deep and wouldn't cost a fortune (Looking good wouldn't hurt either). I had done the research on the Black Vaquero and knew that if I purchased it that I would be making a good, well informed, sound decision and have a detector that would do well on this hunt. So I bought it and it fit-the-bill!
In all fairness to the Ace 400, when the hunt started, I notice that one of the hunters was using the Ace but he wasn't using the stock coil. It had a 14" NEL coil. I asked him how it was doing and he said that the iron was messing with it a little bit but other than that it was doing fine.
As for me. I started out with having a problem with getting the ground balance set on my machine. I hadn't had the Black Vaquero but for a couple of weeks, prior to the hunt, and had only used it two times (4 hours total). It took a good ten minutes for me to get it set in the hot ground. But I want to say this about it and make it perfectly clear, the problem wasn't with the machine. The problem was with the operator of the machine. I hadn't gone anywhere near as far as I needed to go with positive ground balancing. Once I got it set, I was good-to-go from that point on. After a couple of hours of hunting, I got a good solid signal on something surrounded by iron. I dug down a good seven inches and still didn't have the target. I tried using the pin pointer but it wouldn't detect in the hot ground. I continued to dig and two and half inches later, I flipped over a beautiful US plate. Man was I excited. A plate at nine and half inches, in hot ground, surrounded by iron. If that isn't a testimony for my Black Vaquero then what is?
It had no problem with discrimination, separation, mineralizaton or depth in some of the worst ground that you could imagine and gave me the ability to make a great find. Since that particular hunt, the Black Vaquero has become my go-to machine. I recommend it to anyone who wants a good machine at a good price.
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
David from
Richmond, VA
240
Its true about the v!
October 06, 2016
Bought one. Don't believe the bad reports on here! Believe the good
ones...They are right. This little V is everything the good comments say
and then some! Just learn the different ways too set it up...Try them in
your soil and find the right set-up and boom...Your off. I live in red soil
Oklahoma and the mineralization here minimally affects this vaquero!
Comfortable hunting, deep, light weight, accurate discrimination, fantastic
tone that tells a lot... I understand what that means now! Finding great
stuff.
Don't worry about which machine to get... Tesoro fans are right: you won't be disappointed! My nephew has a MXT PRO and this little V blows it away! Now he wants a Cibola or Vaquero. I don't know why some people on the web are so negative but just don't listen to it. Quit searching and buy a Vaquero or some Tesoro and have fun. I guess you can tell I'm a fan now too! Don't buy some expensive, fancy machine that will make you mad...Get this little wonder and go find some cool stuff.
Max Depth: 12 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Treasure Hounds from
Oklahoma
309
Not as deep as they say
June 01, 2016
I bought a new vaquero. I am not to happy its just a cibola with a ground
balance. But it don't air test as deep as my cibola did. I get 9 inches on
a quarter and 8 on a dime. I got 10 on a quarter and 9 on a dime with the
cibola but I have been told since the vaquero is mostly for mineral soil so
you can ground balance live and learn.
Max Depth: 9 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
No, not really.
Jake from
Ohio
1542
What bull
May 23, 2016
14 inches on a quarter and dug quarters over a foot deep is that with the
turbo boost mod? I own a Tesoro vaquero have owned several and been metal
detecting for over 30 years and your finding quarters over 12 inches deep?
What did someone burry them? Its funny how many lies people want to tell
only a retread would fall for that. Vaquero is a OK machine will air test
on a quarter about 10 inches but quarters don't get 12 inches deep and
deeper unless there in quick sand or been burried.
Max Depth: 10 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
No, it's too complic
Jason from
California
2335
I like mine!
March 13, 2016
I had an old cheap radio shack detector that I've had for years and enjoyed
it until I started reading about real detectors, I was happy picking up
pennies here and there around picnic tables never realizing there were
better detectors out there that weren't over $1000. Mine never did go more
than 1-2 inches deep.
I decided on the Vaquero because it was simple and lightweight. I have found so much stuff with this thing in the last week just goofing off, it's crazy. Sterling pendant at 9 inches, silver war nickel at 8 and 5 dimes in the park yesterday, one was at least a foot deep. I am digging pretty much everything trying to learn the tones and what they mean. Don't let anyone tell you that this thing only goes to 4-6 inches, I have found 7 bucks in quarters and many were beyond a foot deep. I've found At least a hundred pennies too. Maybe the soil I'm in? I don't know but it works for me.
There is a little learning curve but if you want to go by the settings in the manual, l right out of the box it's great. I love how it only uses 1 9V battery too, I just changed mine after using it for a week and have no idea how long that was but pretty much after work for a few hours every day until dark and one full saturday and that was using the cheap battery that came with it. I don't think you can lose with the Vaquero. I don't think a readout is really necessary on a metal detector for me, seems to be just another thing to try and figure out.
Max Depth: 14 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Jeff from
California
2913
Packs a punch
February 21, 2016
I've been using the vaquero for about a month now after purchasing it used
on ebay. The first thing I really like is the light weight of course,
compared to my 1266 and cz70 this thing is a pleasure to swing, as for the
depth complaints I'm hearing I consistently recover coins in the 8/9"range
in my dirt. This is the first tesoro I've owned and I'm honestly
impressed.
After using the 1266x I can run the vaquero hot in most sites no problem, after I ground balance I turn the ground balance 1/8 turn negative and threshold slightly positive and sensitivity half in the red. It will get the deepies trust me.
Max Depth: 11 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Mike from
East Coast
303
Not deep
December 27, 2015
Bought a new vaquero fell for all the reviews machine is not deep as
everyone says I call it the 6 inch wonder don't believe me? Buy one you'll
see.
Max Depth: 6 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
No, not really.
John from
West coast
2172
Tesoro vaquero
November 03, 2015
The tesoro vaquero is a solid unit, I use this unit very often and my finds
speak for themselves. No, it doesn't look that impressive.. no, it isn't
the most vocal one... But I tell you this, all my nice finds, like gold,
silver, and all of my Older coins, I have found with my vaquero, even
lately..
So I am not Talking about once upon a time.. Yes people will now start saying sure when you dig anything that beeps your chances rise to find something special and that is off course a fact. But sometimes there are more facts, like digging very little bits off junk targets when I am going out for gathering coins. The discrimination on any tesoro is good, like real good. You can fine tweak tesoro's like the way you want it to be. One tone is not perse wrong, actually it is very comfortable hunting. Although one tone, I have no problems identify a coin ( or a coin shaped object ) from a larger piece of metal. Also I have found out that aluminium soda cans are very easy to identify. Even strange shaped objects are coming trough differently. I am only talking about sound now, because when I combine my ears with thumbing the disc knob, I am digging stuff which I know in advance for 75 percent of the time. And that to me is very nice.
The whisper on deeper targets is great, I have no interest in looking at my screen for the half of a daily hunt for finding out the target is 5, 6, 7 or maybe 10" deep. I know when the target is less or more then 5" in an instant. And I am talking about coins now.. Adapt my disc to a certain setting for coins, go in a normal swing speed, listen to a coin type off sound.. And thumb my disc for identifying the coin.
Until now I have not looked one time to my unit, the coil is all I look for because I don't want him to slam clay, rocks, or what ever.
When in a go for jewelry , which I have found pretty often, put him to a certain setting, like a tad above iron, normal sweep speed, maybe a little slower to be real honest and dig those ticking sounds, although they come in from every angle by sound. They are for sure not your regular coin sound.
Luckily I had the chance to try some other detectors, like other brands and I think they all work but I think that you must Pick a detector who fits your hunting style best. Like on a beach, the wet sand, forget tesoro.. Pick a minelab with fbs system or try to pick a pi unit. But if you like to be on the dry sand where all the tourists are, believe me, the vaquero is a solid unit.
Also for park hunts, he is solid, light weight, and a tight unit. I have no problems on the wet sand, put him in all metal, sense to 6, no groundbalance, coil about 3" above the wet sand and go for it. But remember you loose depth with this unit on the wet sand. It is a vlf machine and vlf machines are having a hard time on the wet sand. Some will false a lot, some less but always they loose their depth.
Next to my vaquero I have searched with a 6 other units, also pretty expensive ones. But in my opinion, my vaquero is the only solid performer, at least for my way of hunting, which is, go wherever the wind may take me, how long my legs will carry me and when my detector is out of fuel. I buy myself one 9 volt battery and he will sing that monotone song again for hours and hours. This is my honest review of the tesoro vaquero I am sorry for my English, it is not my mother language.
Max Depth: 7 inches on US quarter
Overall Rating
Durability
Ease of Use
Would you recommend this to a new user?
Yes, absolutely!
Patrick from
Europe
554