Home > Reviews > Tesoro

Tesoro Silver uMax

Price: $250

Avg. Score: 5 stars!

4.95
Based on 60 reviews

Avg. Durability: 5 stars!

5.00
Avg. Ease of use: 5 stars!

5.00

More features added

November 24, 2011

The silver umax is a super metal detector. I would love to see this wonderful machine with some added features, a frequency shift switch, l c d meter, pinpoint button, coin check option. I love the fact that you cad interchange coils too. Would like to see one waterproofed so you would't worry about getting it wet. Different color control box, black and gold, green, maybe blue. Choice of options for this wonderful machine for the user. Call it silver I, II, or III. That is what I would love to see. I have enjoyed this metal detector very much. Thank you.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Tim from Tennessee

2636

Silver uMax -- Can't Beat It

November 21, 2011

I have been detecting for several years and have used several different detectors. My main interests are parks and swimming holes. However, I am rarely out in the open without a detector attached to my arm. The Tesoro Silver uMax gives crisp clear signals and responds to items that are quite deep in the ground.

The discrimination circuit is rock solid and can be used to ID targets. One of my favorite finds with the Silver uMax was a Canadian silver five cent piece dug from about 10 inches. It had holes drilled in the sides, so must have been part of a jewelry piece. To be honest, almost all my great finds have come from the Silver uMax. It has found gold and silver 'a plenty. It is easy to use.

When I am ready to detect, I turn one knob and start working. The detector performs very well in most conditions. The only place it gives me a little trouble is in highly mineralized areas. I tried using it at a swimming beach on the banks of the Columbia River, and it was erratic due to the black sand. If you need something that will give the same admirable performance as the Silver uMax, but can handle a wider variety of ground, you might try the Vaquero. I have used a Lobo a lot too, but am addicted to the lightweight ergonomic design of the uMax models. They are really a pleasure to use.

Other detectors I have owned or own:
Minelab Sovereign Elite (great, but heavy)
Minelab Excaliber (waterproof Sovereign)
Minelab xTerra 705 (love it, very versatile)
Minelab Musketeer (great, but heavy)
Minelab Explorer (FBS good, but not that good)
Tesoro Lobo Super Traq (a favorite)
Tesoro Diablo (no discrimination)
Tesoro Bandido (o.k.)
Tesoro Compadre (good for wife and kids)
White's MXT (good machine, but bulky)
White's Classic 5 (good machine, but bulky)
Fisher 1212X (wonderful detector)
Fisher Gold Bug (no discrimination)
Garret Ace 250 (not so great)
Garret GTA 350 (not so great)

Overall, Tesoro and Minelab are my favorite.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Tom from Idaho Falls, ID

1011

UMax with W I D E scan coil

August 29, 2011

My 8 1/2 " wide scan coil covers more area than the stock coil. If its down there the umax will "smack' it, More of a wedge than cone.
May loose a little depth but adds a lot more scan area. Even finding nickels !! Just keep it a tad above foil...and thumb it to tab...The disc will drop the nickel right before / at the tab.
I love my w I d e scan. Caution: a near-by E Trac
will make it go nuts !! 10 feet or so...STAY AWAY from other M D ers

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Mel from SW Pa

127

The silver is a fine machine.

August 17, 2011

I use the 5.75 coil on my silver a lot, more than the stock coil. Separates the trash from the good targets very well. The silver umax is light and easy to swing too. Set the disc. just below foil and sens. Around 6 to 8 and it will find small gold rings. Deep on silver rings and coins too.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

B g from Southwest tennessee.

482

Best in its class for sure.

June 29, 2011

I recommend to get the 12x10 SEF coil to put on your Silver. Or get the SE edition with the 8x9 coil. I prefer the large DD anyway. The good machine becomes a great machine. I have used this combo in the wood, pastures and ocean beaches.

If the ground is not too unfriendly, it performs really great, it has pulled many coins, two silver rings, one silver bracelet and some other stuff out of the dry sand within 15 hours in three days on a beach. It could find some tiny stuff as well (buttons, foil and Al can pieces).

Not mentioning hundreds of pulltabs and bottlecaps:) I set the discrimination well below iron. That is enough to get rid of rusty small pieces of iron. I choose to dig anything else, as digging in the sand is really easy.

I could find some coins in the wet sand at the water line, but you need to set sensitivity lower and disc above iron to calm the machine down. That will not probably find small gold, but it is sensitive enough to find coins. By the way, I love to dig coins:) I do not hunt specifically for gold, I would need another machine for that.

If you can find one used, just get it. I sold my first one to get another one just a few months after the first one:)

There are some downsides to it. In my house there is some sort of interference which overloads the Silver and reduces the range drastically - but there is no chatter, the machine is quiet. I have never experienced this outside, but where interference could occur, check your range with an air test. The second is (and that cannot surprise anyone) - bad ground with minerals reduces the depth as well. I wish there was some way of ground balancing the Silver on site (which is not possible without opening the case).

All in all, I will keep this machine, no doubt about it. With the large DD coil, it is a great dry sand machine and all purpose coinshooter with great depth, precise discrimination and good separation.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Kremator from Czech Republic

223

Learning the language of silver uMax

May 30, 2011

I have used the Tesoro Silver Umax every day for 30 days now and am getting better and better to understand what it is telling me.
You may know, that it only has one sound 'WÆÆP', but that one sound can be pronounced in many ways and it is!

It takes time to learn, but the effort is very rewarding - I can now quite successfully distinguish between various objects and their size and to some extend how 'rusty' they are - just from the sound.
Of course I dig a lot of junk, but I never miss a coin, and I do mean never! If there is a coin there the Tesoro will find it - I have found small coins (8 mm dia) as deep as 15 cm and larger coins around 20 cm deep with loud and solid signal but I really don't want to dig any deeper until I get more experienced.

Current consumption is low and thus batteries last for many hours.
Pinpointing is relatively precise, but I have invested in a pinpointer which makes digging so much easier.
I will recommend this machine as a first class instrument and have no complaints or suggestions for improvements.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Leo Vendler from Denmark

181

Forget the Ace 250, grab yourself a Silver Umax

May 23, 2011

I chose the Silver Umax as my first detector because I wanted quality electronics, not bells and whistles.
The Silver is made better than the 250 and with Tesoro's lifetime warranty you can't beat it. Get yourself some quality headphones like the Killer B's and you will hear so much more information in the single tone of the Silver! My best finds with this machine was an 1840 large cent, and 1888 indian and a shield nickel. I sold mine recently and now I am kicking myself! You can't go wrong with Tesoro!

Overall Rating 5 stars!

DetectorOCD from Dallastown, PA

243

AT Pro Beat Down!

March 12, 2011

My friend and I decided to do some relic hunting. My friend kept bragging up his new Garrett AT PRO. He took one look at my Silver Umax and laughed his as5 off. But I just kept it in because maybe his detector was better than mine after all his was double the price.

So getting too our site we started the hunt. My friend dug the first hole. There's one he said a Enfield. About 10 minutes later there's 2 another Enfield. Whats wrong with that detector of yours laughing. I heard him yell 3 up on you man! Not long after that I got a signal with my Umax and I could tell it was a deep one. It wasn't the greatest signal but I knew this sound before from a Cibola I once used.

I called my buddy over and told him to run his pro across it. Nothing! Not even a peep. He tried all metal, sensitivity everything and not a sound! I let him hear the signal and he said it was hot rock! But I started digging and digging and at around 9-10 inches I saw something green! Reaching down in the hole I pulled it out. A button!

I poured a little pepsi on it and there she was a Louisiana button! And all the color left my buddies face! I said will that's 300 you have a long way to go on those bullets to beat this score! This silver Umax is one of the best detectors I ever owned. All accept one which will be hard too beat and that's my old fisher 1266X! But she is close.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Rodney from Maryland

352

Great little detector

December 14, 2010

If your trying to decide what detector to buy for under 250 bucks dont hesitate to buy this silver umax. I have another detector that is one of the lower end models with digital number read out, target ID and depth etc.....and I prefer the silver umax for one reason....SIMPLICITY.

I find and target and dig it but with the other model with all the features I have to scan then I get different numbers on the read out, then it says its a penny, then it skips and says its a pull tab, then it bounces back to reading something else. I spend more time trying to decide to dig or not than if I just dig it with the silver umax. Dont let the 2 knobs and simple use of this machine fool you, its the best model to get.

Overall Rating 5 stars!

Robert from Charleston SC

301