Metal detector Tesoro EuroSabre II six-month test

Detector description

It is probably best to start with a description of the detector. EuroSabre II is a single frequency VLF metal detector. The detector is analog-digital, which means that the detector response is not digitally processed. However, the correct operation of all its functions is monitored by the processor, which brings a number of advantages, especially for detectorists who like subtle nuances in the response. The instrument operates with three discriminating modes and an All Metal mode. This gives the detector great variability in settings and very fast target checking. The very low weight of the detector is a chapter in itself. I don't think there is really any detector on the market with the performance of the EuroSabre II and weighing one kilogram. The detector comes with a number of additional probes. The unit can use all the probes for the uMax series, plus there are two 9x8" and 12x10" concentric probes, specially made for the EuroSabre II only. I will mention the 12x10" concentric probe at the end of the test. This is a completely new product, which came on the market on 18.4.2010. The instrument has very accurate ground effect tuning, can be disassembled into three parts and is powered by a single 9V battery.

First steps and polygon

When the first EuroSabre II arrived, I eagerly took apart the familiar Tesoro box and quickly assembled the detector. The instrument is all black and I think, in conjunction with the colourful description of the controls, you could say it's really attractive :) Assembling the detector is as easy as with all Tesoro instruments and will take you no more than five minutes, even if you are doing it for the very first time. I quickly set up the instrument on the polygon, debugged the ground effect and ran through each target. In general, I believed the instrument would again bring a shift in range and evaluation. But the result surprised me so much that the very next day I showed the instrument to our dealers with a lot of joy (see detailed table of ranges measured in Jílové later in the test).

Detector settings

Before I start describing the pros and cons of the detector and my own feelings when using the device, I will first describe its proper setup. I think this is very important. The functions that you will find in the video will be marked in red.

Setting up the ground effect detuning

The exact setting of this function decides almost everything. Thanks to the soil detuning, you can have a detector perfectly still in every location, just as you will be able to add an inch of range in places that will be worth it from your point of view thanks to the detuning.

The ground tuning is done in one way, the so-called"pumping". Find a clean spot with no metal present and move the probe between 2cm and 20cm. The result you should achieve is an unchanging treshold tone. When tuning the soil, I recommend setting the sensitivity low - 1 or 2. The Threshold tone should be set at an audible level when detuning. The tuning itself is then done in All Metal mode. A full and accurate description can be found in the manual, but what is missing is a description of the minor differences in settings.
Once you start to master the settings, which won't take long as it is a very simple task, you can start experimenting a bit. The detector can be set up incredibly accurately. With classic tuning, you will very quickly find a position where your tone goes up and down equally. If you then slowly start to lower the volume of the threshold you will find that you can fine tune the level again. Gradually you can achieve a perfectly fine tuned detector, giving you a very "silent" search with virtually no ringing, which many searchers really appreciate. Simply then every "sound" is really a target. If you have mastered detuning to this level, you can experiment further.

If you want to squeeze the maximum performance out of the EuroSabre II, you can start using what is called "negative ground detuning". Basically, this means that you set your detector so that your tone only goes up. If you do this too roughly, while the detector's range will literally be dreamy, the instrument will have a lot of ringing, which will make searching very unpleasant. The solution is to adjust the negative ground tuning very gently. When you have learned to detune the ground effect as I described in the previous paragraph and have achieved a very accurate level of ground detuning, turn the Ground Balance potentiometer about two millimeters more toward the minus sign. This change is only slightly noticeable in tone, but quite noticeable in range (an extra 1g silver coin by about 2 to 3cm which I consider to be a more than respectable result).
Although you probably won't set the ground this precisely at the beginning, you don't have to be sorry. The range of the detector is still excellent. However, every searcher is constantly trying to push his detector further, so after some time using this method you will definitely find it useful.

Sensitivity setting

The sensitivity level setting is the second most important task. After you have tuned out the ground effect, you should set the sensitivity correctly. This affects the range of the detector and also the sensitivity to small objects. Too high a sensitivity setting, however, can cause unstable detector behavior and false targets. A very simple way to adjust the sensitivity is to find a clean place with no metal targets and set the sensitivity to maximum. In 90% of the cases you will get a "chipped" detector. If it does not, the soil at that location is very slightly mineralized. Slowly, millimeter by millimeter, lower the sensitivity setting until you find the point where the "chatter" stops. This is the point of the highest possible sensitivity setting for the site. If you do the same, you will always have the detector set to the maximum the detector can tolerate at the location you are looking for. But at the same time, you will have the detector completely quiet!

Discrimination settings - Audio disc, iron disc and blank mode

The detector uses three discrimination modes, which brings a number of advantages when evaluating a target. Also, it can often happen that a setting that is good in one location may prove to be weaker in another. It's also all very much up to the feel of each individual searcher, so how and where I set the discrimination is always at least partially subjective. At this point I should also write that I always try to save discrimination, and my own approach is to "hear as many targets as possible".

Audio-disc: For all intents and purposes, a very interesting mode that you will be walking around in very often. Targets are differentiated tonally, irons grumble, colours squeak. The third, middle tone is "croaky" and indicates harder to identify targets. Very often the tones are mixed, which means that, for example, you will hear a high tone and a mid tone at the same time. Or a low tone and a mid tone with it. From my own experience, I can tell you that targets that have a high and a mid tone should always be kicked. Objects that are marked with a low-mid tone are a bit about the practice of the seeker. If an object echoes primarily with a deep tone and the mid tone only occasionally echoes, it will be a hammered nail, for example. If a more predominantly medium tone, it will be an object where iron is mixed with some non-ferrous metal. A good example of this is zinc buttons with an iron bottom. In general, however, tonal evaluation works very reliably, and its big plus is that even very minor objects, such as the smallest silver coins weighing up to 1g, are always and only reported as colour targets! This is an excellent testimonial for the detector and significantly differentiates the device from the vast majority of detectors in this class.

Note: do not use the discriminator in this mode, I think the best use of the detector in audio-discrimination is when the discriminator is set to the absolute minimum.

Iron ID: The classic Tesoro discriminator mode that all users of Tesoro detectors are used to. Since this is a rellic detector, the discriminator is set very finely. Its settings remind me a bit of Tesoro Tejon, although I think Tejon is one level more sensitive. For complete discrimination of most ferrous objects, you need to set the discriminator up to almost the Foil marking. I don't recommend setting up the detector that way though. If you want to discriminate iron, it is more interesting to set the discriminator only just above the Iron marking. This will have several advantages for you. First of all, you won't lose any of the detector's range on the smallest objects. I also find it much more satisfying to hear a "sizzling" tone on larger pieces of iron, which is absolutely characteristic. The detector then also has even better separation properties, which are very good with this device, so there is no reason to make them worse.

Blank: special mode for discrimination of deep irons. Tesoro In this mode, it attempts to solve the problem of many European prospectors moving to sites contaminated withsmall but deeply buried iron targets that have a very confusing effect for many detectors. The mode is processor-driven and has a different behavior from the classic discriminative modes Tesoro. Basically, the way it works is that when an iron target is received by a detector, the "blank" evaluates it and then either tries to hide it or not. In practice, this may sound like you get a very short audio signal at first, which is then hidden. In really iron infested places this is very usable and will shorten your search of the site. "Blank" works very accurately, but it also has its weak point. For example, small iron cartridges, which are usually reported as coloured targets, are reliably hidden by the detector in this mode. I have tested a number of objects in this mode that I would certainly not want to lose in a search. Even small silver and gold objects were not discriminated by the detector. Still, I would use this mode mainly in places where it makes sense. Thus, if you are digging from great depths one head of forged nail after another in a particular location, "Blank" is certainly a very good and fast solution.

Note: In Blank mode, I recommend not setting the dissiminator, leave it set to the minimum.

Threshold setting

Setting the Threshold Tone is important on three counts. When tuning the detector, the threshold tone should always be set somewhere at the audible level. The same setting, or even slightly lower, is appropriate for searching in All Metal mode. In discriminating modes, the threshold can be set to the maximum. If you do this, you get a hair better sensitivity to small objects and a louder response from all other targets.

Working in All Metal mode

Working in this mode has its own specifics and laws. Most searchers use the fast-tuned All Metal mode, which Tesoro detectors primarily use to pinpoint objects. However, the mode has a much broader application and when using headphones in it you will be able to track a number of targets that may be hidden to most detectors. However, working in this mode can be tedious for some searchers, especially in areas that are target rich, this is a search mode primarily for experienced searchers. However, it is definitely true that when working in this mode, the detector should have the threshold set to the audible level. If you are using headphones, you can set this level even lower - you just need to threshold to perceive even the slightest signal change.
Many times I have encountered that even more experienced searchers do not use this mode at all. They often argue its fatigue and the range of targets. Usually, however, the problem is rather in the sloppy tuning of the ground effect (this is generally true for all detectors with manual ground tuning with active threshold). The more accurately you adjust the ground balance, the more enjoyable and rewarding you will find working in All Metal. The well-placed controls make it easy to switch between All Metal and discriminating mode with the thumb of the hand holding the detector. Everything works very easily and you can practically check immediately whether the target is iron or non-ferrous metal. If the signal is very weak or completely indistinct, then it's definitely worth kicking the ground a bit. It makes sense to do this, but only in locations that are worthwhile or in places where there are very few targets.

Detector evaluation - practice and a few types

My own detector evaluations will of course be subjective and should be viewed as such. Nevertheless, I will try to describe the practice with this detector as detailed as possible, because I am convinced that this instrument really deserves it.

I have used the detector both in the winter months and all spring, plus of course in November and December before the snow fell. I can thus declare that the detector does not care what time it is on the thermometer. My first search this year was in temperatures of about -13°C. We walked one known retreat, there was nothing else to walk, because everywhere else there was still too thick layer of snow. So I can only say that if you try to tune the ground balance on a thicker snow layer you will not succeed. The tone is basically the same all the time and the detector has nothing to detune. In this case it is best to set some sort of medium value like the Air test. For smaller snow layers (up to 5cm) it is worth ploughing the snow off and tuning directly to the ground when detuning. The detector proved itself in freezing weather without losing a flower, unlike my guaranteed waterproof trekking boots. My frozen feet continued to thaw for hours after I got home :).

What I admire most about the detector is its variability of search modes. There are no extra features, the detector is, as all Tesoro users are used to, always equipped with only and only what the searcher will actually use in the field. Under the slogan "Simplicity is Strength" one can agree with this approach and certainly the view of the two Gifford brothers, who are themselves searchers and thus look at detectors primarily from the practical side of field use.
Ground balance tuning is very easy to use with the EuroSabre II. In my opinion, and that of my friends, the ground balance setting on this detector is the easiest of all detectors Tesoro. The tone of the threshold and its change is distinctive which makes everything easier especially for beginners.

Personally, I liked using the Audio-disk mode the most. Only if the site was really iron-infested and I, already tired, switched to the classic discrimination mode. Thanks to the mixing of tones in Audio-disk, you have the opportunity to grow with the detector for a long time and to tighten the use of the instrument to absolute virtuosity. A good example of this is the iron ring. Its centre whistles and the edges growl. It's a good thing when a first-time detectorist digs up such a target to understand what the detector is telling him. The resolution works impressively, though.

Classic Tesoro discrimination works like Tejon's. While I find it a bit coarser, it is still very versatile and if the searcher is used to discriminating large iron from smaller ones using the discriminator, and generally when looking for iron targets, very usable. I have used this mode mainly when I was getting a bit tired of the tone response. In doing so, I also used the method of switching to Audio and checking the target. Comparing the two modes avoids unnecessary digging. In the beginning, though, I dug every suspicious target. The EuroSabre II doesn't get confused very often, though, so you can rely on the answer.

Blank mode is then best used especially in places with a lot of ferrous waste. Processor-driven discrimination will hide anything really, but will admit a large iron object as a color (horseshoe, etc).I was a bit nervous about the "blank" hiding, for example, small iron cartridges (I'm not a hunter so I have no idea what they are called, but they are only a few millimeters in diameter).
The behavior of "blank" is different from the classic discriminative modes Tesoro. These may sputter once or twice when receiving an unwanted target of smaller size. For a larger piece of iron, they sizzle. Blank will, in the vast majority of cases, "sizzle" only once and then hide the object. However, with large pieces of iron, there is a clear response in the paint and the detector in no way warns you that it's probably not the right thing to do. So I see the mode as best used in exactly the cases for which it was designed, i.e. for eliminating large numbers of smaller iron targets at depths at the limit of range. These are an intractable problem for a large number of detectors!

Conclusion

The EuroSabre II metal detector is a device that has succeeded in every respect, as evidenced by the number of searchers who use it in the Czech Republic today.I must apologize to many of them for the delay in this test, but this winter has been a really long one and I didn't want to rush anything. Two autumn months were really not enough.

The operation of the detector is simple and pleasant, as is the scale. Even a complete beginner does not have to worry about not mastering the device in a relatively short time. The alpha and omega of the range and the calm course of the search is the detuning of the soil influence. In the video at the end of the test, I have given it maximum time and hope that this will help anyone who might be groping in this function of the instrument. From my point of view, it is a very simple task and it takes a few seconds at most to debug the instrument. However, it is understandable that if someone hasn't done it, they may not know how to do it right away.

I don't think there is any need to overdrive the detector, the range is still very decent. I used to walk around with the detector on headphones, so I also kept the threshold tone level set to the audibility threshold. This gives you a better chance when switching to All Metal to detect how big the object is and how deep it is buried.

But in the end, each searcher will find his or her own style with the detector, so I can only wish everyone the best of luck with this unique device and don't forget to push the coil :)

Elmara

Last day of EuroSabre II tests, it's just a pity I didn't add at least one Ag :)

Table of ranges measured in Jílové u Prahy for EuroSabre II

Subject	Description	Sensitivity 9	Max Boost	Slightly negative ground tuning - see video
	First war military badge 45mm diameter	30 cm	34 cm	plus 3cm
	Two-Halers Austria-Hungary Diameter 19mm	19 cm	23 cm	plus 1cm
	One crown of the Czechoslovakia Diameter 23mm	23 cm	25 cm	plus 2cm
	1 krejcar Ag Silesia Diameter 14 mm	19 cm	20 cm	plus 2cm

	1 penny Vratislav Jagiellonian Diameter 9 mm busted	11 cm	13 cm	plus 1cm
	Half belt buckle. Length approx. 46 mm	28 cm	32 cm	plus 2cm
	Deformed cartridge case. Length approx. 50 mm	26 cm	31 cm	plus 2cm

Hot news from Tesoro EuroSabre II limited edition

On Friday 16.4 the first detectors from the EuroSabre II limited series arrived. These detectors feature a brand new 12x10" concentric probe in black.

All Tesoro detectors have precision manually adjustable probes. However, the limited series probes are set to the electronics of the specific detector and so there is a maximum reduced tolerance. The probes have the same number as the detector number and so will always be the best coil you buy for the detector.

Like other Tesoro EuroSabre II detectors, the instruments in this special edition are capable of using all probes designed for the uMax series.

At the very least, we took measurements on the polygon over the weekend and spent several hours in the field with the detector. The results can be found in the table below.

Table of ranges measured in Jílové u Prahy with EuroSabre II limited series (new probe 12x10")

Subject	Description	Sensitivity 9	Max Boost	Slightly negative ground detuning - see video
	First war military badge 45mm diameter	33 cm	35 cm	plus 2cm
	Two-Halers Austria-Hungary Diameter 19mm	22 cm	24 cm	plus 1cm
	One crown of the Czechoslovakia Diameter 23mm	25 cm	27 cm	plus 2cm
	1 krejcar Ag Silesia Diameter 14 mm	19 cm	21 cm	plus 1cm

	1 penny Vratislav Jagiellonian Diameter 9 mm busted	12 cm	14 cm	plus 1 cm
	Half belt buckle. Length approx. 46 mm	32 cm	34 cm	plus 2cm
	Deformed cartridge case. Length approx. 50 mm	29 cm	31 cm	plus 2cm

Video

The video shows a demonstration of the detector, its functions and settings.