Rating The Tesoro Umax Models

[D&P-OR]

On 7/16/2023 at 11:41 AM, phrunt said:

I'm surprised the Chinese Cloners never made them, they've duplicated many Whites models before and especially after their demise and the Tesoro's would be such an easy clone for them even with schematics floating around for models to make it even easier yet they never bothered.  I guess they just figured they're too outdated to make it worthwhile.    I expected when they went bust the cloners would go nuts making them but it never took place.  I guess they'll only clone what they think will sell well enough to make it viable and if they can't sell lots of them with their very cheap prices Tesoro had little hope in todays market. 

Part of that problem being the lifetime warranty, why buy new when a decade old second hand one is still under warranty forever so just as good as new.  Great for the customer, terrible for the business unless they're a very innovative business and new models obsolete old models so people want to upgrade, in their case little changed with models so they killed their own business.

FYI-----Tesoros lifetime warranty wasn't transferable to subsequent buyers.

[Magic12]

Why do the old detectors have long cables meters long

 

and any info big box bandido 2 vs bandido 2 umax

[Bill (S. CA)]

On 7/16/2023 at 9:32 AM, Steve Herschbach said:

Other way around. The business failed, then the building and contents were put up for sale.

Tesoro and White’s failed for basically the same reasons. The founding owners died and the kids took over. Nepotism is not a good formula for business successions, and businesses left to the kids fail more often than not. Rather than innovate to keep up with changing customer tastes, both doubled down on old designs, figuring they knew better than the customer what was needed. With Tesoro they resisted target id and more than basic tones. With White’s it was the big box design. The cell phone generation wanted cell phones on a stick, and the companies that delivered prospered. White’s was at least trying near the end, but Tesoro never did even that. As far as I know they did not even sell the name. The company just died and was left for bone pickers.

It really is a shame about Tesoro.  I did try to contact Jack Gifford's sons for an article that I wanted to write for the GPAA Magazine but neither responded to me.   Guess once the business died so did their interest.

I know it sounds dumb, but I've always wondered why no one ever considered releasing a vintage detector line.  For example, a company could buy several of the classic Tesoro designs and contract with a current company to make a run of them.  Probably too costly.  I was just thinking of how Troy pulled this off with his Shadows, designing the detectors and then having a company build them for him. 

[Rick N. MI]

The older Tesoro's could be hip mounted and needed the longer cable.

Bandido 2 umax is a highly desired detector for many and hard to get one. 

I have a Tesoro Tejon and a Lobo ST with internal ground balance adjusted. I will be hip mounting my Lobo ST.

[Jeff McClendon]

If I needed a Tesoro addiction fix (thankfully I don't), Deeptech sure makes some really nice detectors.

[Magic12]

The bandido 2 umax is better than the big box bandido 2?

am trying to find what is better option of the 2 something about the old circuit being better on the iron i read

[Joe D.]

  I just always preferred the umax units for ease of use and weight! I compare the lightness to the now very popular D2! Tesoro was ahead of their time for many things, but obviously, nothing is static in electronics, as life! 🍀👍👍

[kac]

Not a very big market for a single tone analog machine so to build even just one model and try to recover the costs involved makes it a losing venture. Deeptech does have that niche covered and have some innovative models for those looking for analog machines.

Hard to outsell all the bells and whistles out there even when those single tone beepers are still so effective.

[Muddydogz]

I've had the pleasure to own just about every tesoro that came down the pike. One in particular that didn't get much love that was a favorite of mine was the DeLeon. I had the 12in factory concentric coil on it and it was a beast. If i could hit the undo button, that one would still be here.

[Rick N. MI]

The Lobo ST is my favorite Tesoro. It comes with the ground balance set extremely positive. On the circuit board I turned the ground balance 3/4 of a turn negative and it was as far as it could go. Testing in all metal, the ground balance is now slightly negative after the adjustment.

My # 2  Tesoro is the Tejon.