The Tesoro Site lists some of the Cortes' key features with a lengthy review of each then sums the Cortes up nicely by saying "No touch pads or scroll through menus. Set the detector how you like it by adjusting the knobs on the front of the machine. The Cortes features an On/Off Sensitivity knob; a Discriminate Level knob; a Manual Ground Balance knob; a Mode Switch with All Metal, Discriminate and Sum mode settings; a Notch Width switch with Off, Narrow and Wide settings and a Light switch to control the LCD backlight with a High, Low, and Off positions."

To get to the Joan Allen field test of the Tesoro Cortes click this field test link then go to tesoro and click on Cortes. It's worth it. They field test has some AMAZING pictures of finds made with the Tesoro Cortes, my favorite being the bronze roman figurine (oh to live in Europe!). They also have a nice review of the Cortes with some pointers on the meter and responsiveness and even provide tips on how to use the Tesoro Cortes right down to the last sentence. Well worth the visit if you interested in the Cortes.

Here's a field test of the Tesoro Cortes at the Tesoro website. The review starts off with the reviewer giving his credentials then goes on to discuss the Cortes' first impressions, specifications, display, controls, air test, field test, and a ton more. This is a long enjoyable read that concludes with "The single biggest impression I have of the Cortes is of how easy it was to learn and use (the word 'JOY' keeps springing to mind). There are no menus to scroll through and no need to learn programming skills just to change your settings. Every adjustment is achieved manually with controls right on the faceplate. You turn it on, set your discrimination level, and go."

Here's another field test on the Tesoro Cortes, this time from Lost Treasure Magazine. The review has a couple concerns about the Cortes such as the smaller LCD display for people with seeing problems, the signal in all metal mode isn't strong enough, and the armcup isn't deep enough to accommodate some user's arms, particularly when wearing heavy clothing while metal detecting. They do however list quite a few positives on the Cortes and simplicity is way up there concluding with "It's easy to see that the Cortes is going to be extremely popular with detectorists and a very big seller for Tesoro!"