Whites Prizm IV

Composition Correction

Seasoned_Pro in Washington State USA -
I would love to see a metal detector employ the ability to determine metalurgical property and display that information accurately. However, to the best of my knowledge, that feature only exists on paper. Today's metal detectors, just like their original ancestors, depend on the laws of electromagnetic induction. That means that they measure conductivity or how "excited" the object in the ground becomes when subjected to eddy currents. There is a big difference between composition and conductivity. I scratch my head and wonder how a person can give an objective review when the basic fundemental operating parameters of ANY metal detector is grossly misinterpreted.

Jul 31, 2006

16 Yes
44 No

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New to detecting but learning

Bill S. in Arkansas USA -
I purchased a Whites Prizm 4 on Ebay used. I have had it about 3 weeks now. I have searched in my back yard, a little bit at the local park and at the beach. Sense I have never detected before I can not compare it to others but I can say this works great. I find everything. Once I learn to tell the different tones and get the pinpoint down so I dig less I will be deadly with this. I have found about two dozen coins and a gold wedding band already at the beach. This detector finds coins in the sand and dirt 8 plus inches deep. I say it?s better than some of the other brands because there are others that search the same beach I am and I am finding coins over places I am sure they have covered. Two nights ago I found a nickel buried 9 inches deep in the sand and clay. I do find a lot of soda can pull tabs but once I figure the toning out hopefully I will be able to skip them. It even hit on a copper line In my back yard I did not know was there that was buried a foot deep.

Jul 13, 2006

48 Yes
4 No

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GREAT PRIZM IV !

Ted Brown, rtb3@sbcglobal.net in Greenwood, In -
I have been metal detecting since 1970 when I entered my first Treasure Hunt. I was using a Gardiner discriminator detector at that time. Little did I know about the advanced technology that goes into todays detectors. The Prizm IV is the greatest. I purchased it new on ebay for a mere $300.00 what a deal, I then purchased the 9.5" coil for it and WOW, what a difference from the standard 8" coil. I have been in Panama City now for three days and have hunted the beach every morning. So far have found a gold ear ring, silver necklace pendent, umteen amount of coins, lots of nickels, I might add, and my favorite, old style pull tabs. Ya got to take the bad with the good, the three tones really make it nice as well as the easy pinpoint mode and the super easy to use controls. Best investment I ever made for a detector. I purchased a White's Classic 5 and immediately sold it to purchase this one. A very wise decision on my part. You don't have to learn hardly anything to use this one. Has similar features of the XLT and other high priced machines. Surely the last one I will ever buy. Can't speek highly enough of this one. email me and I will tell you more about this fine machine.

Jun 05, 2006

49 Yes
2 No

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Prizm IV...excellent detector

Kev J in Suffolk,England -
I have used my Prizm IV on heavy farmland,and I am really pleased with its performance.I have found Roman and Medieval coins and artefacts, with depth and signal being clear and accurate.I do sometimes get a ghost signal....but no more than with any other machine.
The LCD is clear and understandable and the lightness of the detector is a major plus.

May 25, 2006

22 Yes
2 No

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First metal detector

Detector enthusiast in New England USA -
The first metal detector I bought was a Prizm IV. I purchased it with the supplied 8 inch coil and I purchased the 950 coil as well. The Prizm is very accurate on target ID, pinpointing, and depth. If it tells you that a quarter is 5 inches underground, and you then use the pinpointing option you will find the quarter 5 inches under the ground in the center of the coil. I also love the three tone target ID option, I always use it. The smart notch funtion is ok, but I never use it. I have some other detectors that seem to be more sensitive to small metal objects at greater depths than the Prizm IV, but they are not always accurate. I have had good depth results with the Prizm IV, I found a button at nine inches. I have had some "ghost signals" and that is bothersome. By that I mean you get a good target signal and you start to dig. You cut your plug start to look for the item; you can't find the item, and you run the detector over the area again and it reads nothing. It runs very silent and sometimes you may want to check to make sure it is still on. It is very light and you can detect all day. The LCD screen is very easy to see in the bright sunlight and with sunglasses on! There is a lack of accesories for the detector though. IT would be nice to have a smaller coil for the trashy areas rather than a 950 or eight inch coil. Earlier I said that if it says a coin it is, for you new people to metal detecting don't let that fool you. It is accurate 95% of the time, but what it is doing is reading metal composition. I have had toy cars read in as a nickel. I would not hesitate to recommend this detector to anyone new. It does not have a big learing curve, and I found coins out my first time not knowing anything about detecting other than watching the video and reading the manual.

Apr 14, 2006

56 Yes
1 No

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Nice detector

Bill in Tampa Florida -
I purchased the Prizm IV as a back up to my XLT. I carry the Prizm in the trunk while working in case I spot a target of opportunity. I really like this detector. Also fine on the beach with the 950 coil. I have found pennies at 6 inches in wet salt sand. Standard coil don't really work in the wet sand.

Feb 11, 2005

58 Yes
2 No

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Prizm IV

Jeff in USA -
I bought this strictly for coin hunting. I don't plan on using it on the beach. I didn't want anything I would have to program, and take away/distract from my hunting time. I also didn't want to dig foil/tabs. I watched the video tape, and set the discrimination to reject everything except Dimes, Quarters, 50 Cent pieces and dollars.

Within 6 hours I found a bunch of coins , and a gold ring, 2-8 inches deep. When the better coil becomes available (deeper) I will purchase it. Other than that, I bought the carry bag and a pinpointer.

Sep 22, 2004

149 Yes
8 No

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