The Tesoro Compadre is Tesoro's model geared towards the entry level detectorist, with a nice low price tag of under two hundred dollars. Tesoro Says "The Compadre has it all. One knob simplicity for the beginner and high gain circuitry and the famous Tesoro ED-180 discrimination for the advanced user. If one detector can do all of this, maybe less is more."

Here's a field test of the Compadre found on the Tesoro site, and dubbing the metal detector a "Family Fun Detector". They do an excellent job of breaking down and describing the features of the Compadre then move onto a field test. In conclusion they say "A family can take the Compadre on their outings and everyone can use it with high expectations of finding treasure. It is well made (must be with a lifetime warranty) and will fit the budget of any family."

Garys UK has a nice overall review of the Tesoro Compadre with a subtitle of "how can a metal detector this simple be so good?". The review is a good read and takes place over a couple outings with the Compadre detailing some of the great finds made with the metal detector and also some of the techniques they used. They like that the compadre is easy to use and that it is "thorough" and can be used as a backup metal detector or a primary one just as well.