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
Light deep and sensitive
September 15, 2007
I have 2 machines,a C Scope R1 and a Laser Trident 2, a UK market Tesoro
Vaquero. The Vaquero can take a bit of getting used to compared to my R1 for the simple reason the R1 does all the thinking for you once set up whereas the Vaquero gives you the clues and leaves a bit of interpretation left to the user but once you have mastered it then it is a cracking machine. Light, easy to swing, a battery that lasts ages and very very sensitive. Where it does score over the C Scope R1 is in nail infested ground as it can seek out the good stuff from the rubbish, a feat the R1 struggles with. You may dig a bit more large Iron with the Vaquero but you soon get used to the notion that "if the signal moves around, its probably iron", this is the little bit of interpretation I was referring to earlier.
No fuss, no confusing screen,4 knobs to set and then off you go and IT WILL find you good finds at depth in every search condition.
One negative though but only a niggle, the dreaded Tesoro 'Stem Creak'. There is one stem joint close to the control box and the fit of the stem to collar is not perfect and therefore the stem moves and creaks in the socket. Cured by inserting a thin sliver of plastic in the join to close the tolerence.
15 reviews for the Vaquero to date on here and all positive,I don't think any other machine scores that highly, including Minelabs. The same goes for the Vaqueros younger sibling,the Cibola so that must say something incredibaly positive about the mighty Tesoro Vaquero.
Overall Rating
Pete D from
Monmouth - Wales - GB
372
Treasure Cowboy
September 12, 2007
We have all seen many advances in technology over the past 15 years that
have been truly amazing. I say 15 because that's how long I have been
familiar with metal detector technology. We have also seen some cheezy
machines and gadgets come along. The Treasure Cowboy (Tesoro Vaquero) rates high in amazing and gets a zero for cheezy.
The good: It's the deepest detector I own.
Perfect ergonomic design. (weight and balance)
Quick reaction and recovery time.
Ground balancing is a pleasure, not a pain.
The bad: The pinpoint function.
While I have used it and it works OK, it is not a needed feature for this particular machine.
This machine can pinpoint with ease using the standard 'X'.
What I would like to see in place of the pinpoint button is a notch switch like on the Cortez or G-Max. Only the notch toggle would be necessary. Let the excellent discrimination knob do the rest.
Set disc. to Tabs and narrow notch and look out nickels. Or set it below nickels and wide notch and look out gold jewelry. Or... oh you got it.
Did I mention this machine was deep (ow my arms)
Overall Rating
Richard from
Chico, CA
183
Tesoro Vaquero
May 24, 2007
I live in the UK and have had my Vaquero for 10 months now and am well
impressed with it, its very light and easy to use. It can have problems
seperating ring-pulls from hammered silver coins but most detectors have
this problem. It is awsome on copper coins, I dug a George III halfpenny
from 16 inches in soil and all this with a single 9 volt battery. When
compared with other detector it can look a bit like a childs toy but don't
be decieved, its performance is outstanding.
Overall Rating
Jeremy Daw from
England
262
Vaquero exceeds expectations
April 27, 2007
Well now I know why the Vaquero has rated so highly here with a 5* rating.
Using it for the first time today was so enjoyable. The depth, feel and
balance, target separation (iron close to a ring) exceeded my expectations.
All controls so easy to set up...great audio and GB too. I just can't think
of anything negative about this machine. Read the reviews here and make the
right decision and buy the Vaquero.
Overall Rating
Tony from
Perth, Western Australia
282
Easy choice here
April 18, 2007
While other manufacturers are loading up on batteries, this one does it
with one 9v job! If you are worried about the lack of time in the field,
carry an extra small 9v in your pocket. And working power is in the finds.
Enough said!
Overall Rating
Bill from
Calif
154
Very easy to use! the deepest detector i own.
February 25, 2007
I haven't used it a lot due to snow.but have found 3 coins at almost a foot
deep.the ground was very damp,but my other two machines could not get a
signal on them. I plan on using this for relic hunting,but it just maybe my
first choice on coin machine too. It ground balances very easy and runs
very quiet.its so light you can hunt all day with no problems. So want a
deep machine thats very simple to operate and only uses a 9 volt battery?
Then buy a vaquero!!
Overall Rating
W. marshall from
Central ohio
114
Great For Relics-Quiet-DEEP-Best Warranty!!
December 29, 2006
I have a Tejon, a Nautilus DMC 2B, and now a Vaquero. The Vaquero is right
up there with the Tejon and Nautilus in depth (All are very similar coil
for coil). It runs a lot quieter than the Tejon in nails. My Vaquero air
tests a nickel at 15" when supertuned. It does about the same on nickel
sized buttons. It will hit a nickel at 12" in good ground with a strong
signal.
The 5.75 coil is a must and it only looses about an inch of depth to the 8x9 coil and it will really pull targets out of trashy sites. My Vaquero digs minnie balls 14" deep in good soil. Slightly less in bad soil. If you set the GB slightly negative you will regain most of the lost depth, however you may experience a few ground signals. Overall this is one of the best detectors available today. The first time I used mine I dug two half dimes and both were over 8" deep in badly mineralized soil!!
Overall Rating
R.V. from
Georgia
382
New to metal detecting agian...
November 28, 2006
Read the reviews, bought the Vaquero... The depth of this detector is
remarkable, in trashy sites, expect to dig a lot. 1 The discrimination mode is good but takes some digging to learn the sounds.
2 Ground balance is awesome but takes some time and digging to learn.
3 At first my son-in-law was out preforming me with his Lonestar Bouty Hunter ($150 Bass Pro Shop
4 after learning Vaquero I cant be beat.. takes some time to learn and then whooo hoooo!!!!
found several coins, 1 1928 laundry token, severral square nails, lots of garbage. and upon further learning and digging, less garbage and more relic type stuff. I am sold, and would recommend, but only if you are willing to do your homework and learn the machine!
Overall Rating
Larry from
USA- South Central, OK
205
Dig deep...
September 25, 2006
Had a White Silver Eagle for 15 years and thought that it was great...got a
new Vaquero and have been rehunting the same areas over again and finding
plenty under the old area. As one man said, you better be ready to dig. I
have found Indian Head at 8-9 inches several times, found several of the
metal band around pencil erasers at 10 inches. Great tone and very light.
Only complaint..arm rest too small and no cuff strap. Easy to ground
balance and sure does make a difference..can not go wrong with this
machine.
Overall Rating
DCW001 from
Northeast mtns of Georgia
194
First time for Tesoro
August 25, 2006
I have used pretty much every other respected brand on the market. I have
never, and I mean never seen this kind of clarity on deep targets. I have a
thin, gold wire ring that I use as my benchmark target. In supertune mode
9-10" with absolute good target sound, any other machine over the last 20
years would only see it clearly at 3-4" maxx.Super light and sturdy. The only negative is I wish that the arm cuff was a little larger in all dimensions.
Overall Rating
Peter from
Ontario, Canada
312