Tesoro Cortes - a Metal Detector I Had as a Back-Up for 14 Years
A Tesoro Cortes Never Fails To Find a Keeper - My Short Review and Useful Tips
by Sergei UpstateNY, proficiency level: Beginner, last time modified:
I kept the Tesoro Cortes for a long time because it was my best 'back-up' metal detector for Relic Hunting around cellar holes and Coin Shooting at picnic groves.
When I won a Tesoro Cortes detector de metal at the C.A.S.H. Bash Competition Hunt in 2001, I had already been using the Minelab Explorer XS metal detector for a year and become a fan of it. Nevertheless, when I took the Cortes to some of my 'tough' hunt sites, places where iron junk was in abundance and 99% of shallow good targets had been dug out, I was surprised by the Cortes' performance: it picked up a few valuable tokens and coins. In fact, the Cortes never failed to find a "keeper".
Because this machine was easy to operate, and a couple of knob-controls allowed a user to change settings fast "on the fly", the Cortes many times was used by my relatives or friends who did not possess a metal detector but wanted to try their luck in treasure hunting every now and then. I sold the Cortes for a symbolic price to my friend when I began using the XP Deus. Because the Deus' design allowed me to make two Deuses from one, keeping another detector as a back-up became unnecessary. And my Cortes began bringing lots of metal detecting fun to my friend's wife!
The Tesoro's light weight made it possible to metal detect without acquiring any physical fatigue in my arms and back for hours. With this metal detector, I could hunt for 12 hours straight without getting exhausted or "loosing" my arm. For the same reasons, the Cortes was also an optimal machine for competition hunts.
I did not have to reinforce the detector's shaft assembly or do any modifications as I did with the Minelab detectors. The Tesoro company stands proud for its long-lasting metal detectors - this is reflected by a life-time warranty. And my Cortes proved to be durable and unbreakable in various extreme detecting situations. The only addition I made to it was only winding a rubber strap around the handle for a better grip.
Because the Tesoro Cortes represents a classic all-purpose, land VLF metal detector of an intermediate level, it requires a traditional procedure of Manual Ground Balancing before starting actual metal detecting in an All-Metal mode (the detector uses a factory preset ground balance in the Discriminate mode). One must learn how to manually adjust the Cortes to any current ground mineralization as proper ground balancing is a key to the Cortes' optimal performance. All steps of this procedure are described in details in my article - How To Manually Ground Balance Your Detector
Was Found with Tesoro Cortes
During Relic Hunting in Upstate NY
I used the Tesoro mostly as a relic hunting detector because of its affinity for iron targets. The Cortes audio allowed me to hear difference between audio responses even to small and large nails! In other words, the Cortes' audio somehow reflected the shapes of rusty iron targets! At some 'hunted out' sites which were littered with iron junk, I managed to "squeeze out" a variety of nice iron relics.
However, it was easy to find many coins with the Cortes as well because the detector always responded to them with a high-tone, solid 'bang' which could not be confused with responses to misshaped non-ferrous targets and coin-like signals produced by rusty iron targets. Upon receiving an audio response with such a distinctive 'bang', one's decision to dig up the target is quickly made without even checking the target's VDI read-out shown on a display. And this greatly increases the time efficiency in the fields.
The following are the Cortes' characteristics that I liked a lot: 1) distinctive sound of audio responses to the disc-shaped or high-conductive targets, 2) ability of the detector's audio to produce a sound characteristic of a response to an iron target, 3) unsofisticated and easy-to-read digital display, 4) an instant switch to All Metal Mode, and 5) the Manual Ground Balance control for dealing with highly mineralized soils.
The only drawback I could think of in the Cortes' design was a location of a Sensitivity knob on a control panel: it was too close to the right, and I accidentally hit and turn it with my hand many times while putting the detector down on the ground or picking it up during target recoveries. The Sensitivity knob should be placed at different location or covered with a special cap.
As a regular VLF land metal detector, the Cortes definitely was not designed for metal detecting on saline wet sands of the sea or ocean beaches. I tried to use it on the Atlantic ocean beach once but was "overwhelmed" by numerous false signals produced by the high-conductive 'salt pockets', and had to switch to my Minelab FBS metal detector to continue "combing" the beach. It seemed to me that the 'salt pockets' in wet sand were knocking the Cortes' ground balance completely out.
Overall, the Cortes is a reliable land machine that "likes" iron and incorporates the manual ground balance, therefore, is efficient for Relic Hunting. The Cortes was definitely a great metal detector of its time! And finally, the Tesoro's LIFETIME WARRANTY still remains unmatched!
If you would like to see Features and Specifications of Tesoro Cortes and read other users' reviews, please visit the Tesoro Cortes Review page
