Tesoro DeLeon

Wonderful Unit..Starter to Pro!

Rich in Rocky in Rocky Mountain House, AB. Canada -
I have used a DeLeon as one of my main units since it was introduced! I have found many 'Treasures' with it over the years.
I live in Canada, and coinage here reads differently than the US coinage. However, it is soon learned and the 95 is usually accurate ID.(Tabs here are as in the US. All are the same & all over the mid scale!)
I would like to add that some of the other'Brand Names' may dig deeper on silver and copper, but do not like the metal content in the Canadian coinage as well!
Pros for me are: Light weight,packs to a small size/Versitility - all round useage/ good variety of coils/ and fair price... ( even in Canadian $$$)...
Cons as mentioned... Darn Battery cases/no pinpointer/and no Tones!... and the Backlighted feature/ does not bother me as much as some, but I sure would like 3 tones!
I may not get many votes for a helpful report,as some of the problems we have with coinage do not apply in the US... The overall feeling I get from the other reports is that it is a 'Starter' unit...Far From It!... When a unit can dig 10+ inches on silver coins... take notice!
I have had this unit in Gold Fields as well... and altho I did carry 2 additional units, Gold Machines, I did come up with a small grain of gold and neat relics from the mid 1800's! The DeLeon is not noted for being a gold unit, as there is no Ground Balance feature on the unit... Running at MIN Disc and #9 SENS ( no hot rock problem)... a BB sized nugget popped out!(psst... I was using a 4" coil)
Relics are an easy task for the Deleon as well.Small iron certainly no problem around old homestead houses/or parks... The 8x9 spider coil is perfectly matched ,and a wonder for Beach hunting especially in the water, as there is no 'Rafting' as in a solid coil.
No, I do not hunt salt water beaches so I am unable to comment...altho alkali areas have been encountered with little problem.
I would give it a true 4.5 if that ranking were available... and it should be given a Mid-range to Upper ranking as a unit!(altho starters will LOVE IT!)
If you are shopping, give it a good look!... you certainly can do worse!

Oct 30, 2005

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Great starter ID detector

JimF in Atlanta, GA -
The DeLeon was the first detector I purchased and it was the best decision I could have made. The target ID is accurate, no ground balancing is required (it's automatic) and it "sees" pretty deep. I've dug good solid hits at 12 inches in very hard, dry clay soil. Mine has found plenty of coins, old and new, relics, and jewelry. Although I've upgraded to the Cortes (which is awesome), I'm keeping my DeLeon. It is just a great, quick detecting trip machine and it has never failed me. I love my DeLeon. The only reason I didn't give it a fifth star is that the ID screen does not have a backlighting feature, so once the sun starts to go down, the display is unreadable. Other than that, this is a perfect machine IMHO. And that lifetime warranty can't be beat.

Apr 20, 2005

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The more I use it, the more I like it.

David of Madison in Madison, WI -
The DeLeon is my first target ID machine, about my 6th Tesoro. If a target falls at 95, I can be sure it is a coin. If a target doesn't lock in at a repeatable number, I typically dig. I have found things like keys, small pocket knives, shell casings, gold/clad jewelry, all when the target bounces around from 6-95 and back with a half dozen partial stops in between. The target ID takes some time to get used to, but it is a great discrimination tool. The word is tool, not answer to your prayers.

I dislike the battery holder doors so much that I almost dropped the score one full point just for that. The design sucks! Otherwise, I am very happy with Tesoros overall design, weight, balance, workmanship and company service. (I can live with the dumb plastic battery door that keeps popping open. That's what duck tape is for!) Depth is very good, but target ID looses effectiveness at "depths" and I depend on my ears at all times. I think my old Fisher 1266x is a little deeper. Very good value, but I wouldn't buy another one until I looked at the new Whites Prizm if I wanted an entry level target ID machine.

Nov 30, 2004

26 Yes
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