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Difference in coils for Bandito

C.J.M.

Well-known member
OK Gents what coil would you prefer for a bandito?If you had the choice between a 8"brown donut con.coil or the 9x8" white open frame coil?:shrug:
 
The 8X9 Concentric.for wide-open, sparse-target areas. It wouldn't get used much because the 6" Concentric handles most Bandido needs, but it could hang around.

What applications would you have for it?

Monte
 
The 8X9 Concentric.for wide-open, sparse-target areas. It wouldn't get used much because the 6" Concentric handles most Bandido needs, but it could hang around.

What applications would you have for it?

Monte
I am just looking at one now. The owner would only sell it with one coil would not sell it with both coils:shrug:Its and 8" donut coil or the 8x9" white. What's the difference between the plain bandito and the bandito 2 ?
 
I am just looking at one now. The owner would only sell it with one coil would not sell it with both coils:shrug:Its and 8" donut coil or the 8x9" white. What's the difference between the plain bandito and the bandito 2 ?
1st the Concentric coils:
Honestly, both the round 8" and the newer 8X9 will provide very similar performance, with maybe a slight edge in depth-of-detection going to the 8X9. But it would usually be an insignificant amount for most applications. I have friends who favor one, and some who favor the other.

As I mentioned, the 8X9 would be better in a wide-open area with fewer masking targets. I can't beach hunt like I used to, but when working in shallow water the 8X9 was a little easier to maneuver, at least for me, due to the design.

2nd, the Tesoro Bandido series:
Tesoro made four (4) Bandido models. The first two were in the under-slung ABS plastic housing and powered by two (2) 9-V batteries. The last two used the smaller, top-mounted microMAX housing and were powered by one (1) 9-V battery.

Depending on the model, they operated at 10 kHz or 12 kHz and all shared the same search coils. There were some differences, and here are the main ones:

The 'original' Bandido had one control panel toggle to select Retune for All Metal and the All metal mode function, and the motion-based Disc. mode. It had a 10-turn manual Ground Balance control, and there was a small post-like 'knob' that protruded out the back on the plastic housing to adjust the All Metal mode Threshold setting. The All Metal mode had what I considered a 'comfortable' and functional auto-tune speed.

Next was the Bandido II that looked the same and had all the same knobs and configuration, with two exceptions:

* It had a 2nd toggle on the control panel to select Norm or Auto.

* The operator could choose a Normal All Metal mode and manually Retune it with the main toggle, or they could select Auto-Tune which was a much faster retune speed than the original Bandido. Both of these models worked / performed very similarly in the silent-search Disc. mode.

The 3rd model was the microMAX Bandido that was fitted in the small housing they had used for the two Sidewinder models. This is the Bandido model I encourage folks NOT to get, and here is why:

* They changed from the 10-Turn GB control to a 3-3/4 Turn contro.. Now, that control works okay, but they had that GB control on the front of the housing, but failed to have an external Threshold control! That makes it difficult to adjust and use the most efficient proper Threshold setting.

* Just about every one of those I handled were whimpier or weaker performers than the first two Bandido models.

The final Bandido, and my favorite, was the Bandido II microMAX. It and the Silver Sabre microMAX were introduced in October of 1997 and I have always had one or more in my personal detector outfit for the past 24+ years.

It has a front-panel Threshold and GB control, and the two toggles like the Bandido II. It also incorporates the newer Low-Noise / High-Gain cicuitry that enhances the depth-of-detection and has more audio saturation for a louder and better audio response.

To Conclude:
Just my personal opinions based on a lot of Tesoro use since July of '83 and being a Tesoro Dealer from then until just a few years before they closed their doors, but ... I will only acquire a clean and decent specimen of the 1st, 2nd and 4th Bandido's and never the 3rd in the series that was weak and lacked a Threshold control.

Monte
 
I think you could flip a coin or decide which one looks better to you. It might be a bit easier for some to pinpoint with the smaller center of the spoked coil. I didn't have a problem with either. Like Monte I usually use the small 6 inch coil. Unlike Monte, my most used other coil is the 8x11 DD coil but we have very mineralized soil in Colorado where I live. Oh, this is with the Outlaw, and not a Bandido. Another good coil is the 7 inch one from the Mojave which is very close to either 8 inch coil. Just roll the dice, they are all very good.
 
OK Gents what coil would you prefer for a bandito?If you had the choice between a 8"brown donut con.coil or the 9x8" white open frame coil?:shrug:
Hey C.J.M. I sent a PM, but if you just looking for either one of the coils I’ll sell you one for 70.00 plus shipping. Have a nice day. Don
 
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