Whites Prizm II
Price: $250
Avg. Score: 
4.5
Based on 24 reviews
4.5Based on 24 reviews
Avg. Durability:
5.00
Avg. Ease of use:
5.00
Whites Prizm II
April 10, 2006
I have 5 Whites detectors, the earliest a 75 Coinmaster IV TR that I bought
new in 75. Needing a lighter detector for everyday use I bought the Prizm
II. It has performed well and I have found many coins. The pinpoint is dead
center the coil. If you want to find rings, you will be digging poptops and
pull tabs. It has good separation between zink and copper pennies and
dimes. When you detect a coin,the target ID is steady and does not jump
around like it does on trash. It gives a low grunt type tone when it is a
big piece of iron or aluminum(at least mine does) as I have not read
anything reference to this type of tone on this detector.All in all,it is a fun, easy to use, turn on and go machine. It will hold me until I can justify an M6 or XLT.
Overall Rating
Poptop from
Eastern North Carolina
1439
Newbie gives 5 star Review to Prizm II
December 08, 2005
As a newbie, I wanted an inexpensive, light (under 3 lbs with batteries),
but well-made metal detector. I did not want to invest a lot of money, in
case I did not like metal detecting. After receiving a $50 off coupon from
Whites, I decided to go to the local hardware store, which had a store-wide
sale, and take a look at the Whites Detectors. With sale and coupon I
ended up purchasing the Prism II for under $150.00, though I could have
purchased a Prizm IV for around $300.00, I feel I didn't want to spend that
kind of money at this time.Here is my review:
The assembly of the unit is easy. Directions were clear and easy to follow. One thing I noticed in the directions is that is doesnt show where the Headphone jack is. It is located on the side of the box, there is a black pullout snap cover protecting the opening. The unit is well balanced also, which is very important at the end of a long day. It is not "top" or bottom" heavy and the arm cup is comfortable.
This unit is truly an ON and GO machine. Simply turn it on and you can go hunting, using factory settings for discrimination (factory presets eliminate iron and foil and standard sensivity is set) I found .56 in change including 2 clad quarters at 5 inches in my first 30 minutes at a local park. While the Prizm II lacks a depth indicator ,I still dont feel that for a beginner, a depth indicator (Prizm III) is necessary and I would rather save the $100 and spend it on books or gasoline, or use to buy a better dectector if I get hooked on the hobby, so that is why I didn't buy a Prizm III or IV. 2nd day out at a local man-made beach I found 13 coins (no quarters), 2 hot wheels, fishing sinkers, an old key and over 30 pull tabs. I dug all tab indications. The unit detect via motion sweeping, unless in pinpoint mode. When a target it indicated you get a distinct BEEP. To verify it is a true target, White suggests repeated BEEPS in both the forward and reverse swing to indicate repeatability of the signal. I found this works well.
I feel this unit will go 6-8 inches deep no problem, though i didnt go that deep for my finds as they were all shallower. The Pinpointing mode is very good, in the center of the coil, making it easy use.
Once a person understands what discrimation is and does and how it works (read as many books as you can on the subject), one can adjust it to suit his/her tastes. The control is easy to use. The sensitivity control is easy to use also, if you need to adjust it.
The digital display shows the type of treasure that is most likely to be dug up. At the time , as a newbie, I didnt realize that rings could and will likely show up in the tab range, but never the matter, i didnt miss any jewelry, because I dug all signals. Unfortunatly, I had only 2 days to use the Prizm II before winter snow storm that totalled 17 inches of snow over a 3 day period, sub zero temperatures, so I am afraid my hunting days are over until spring. I am very well satisfied with this unit, and I am hooked on the hobby. I will always keep this unit as a spare, if I decide to go with an update next year. I highly recommend this unit, especially if you can purchase it for between 150-$200.00.
Overall Rating
Cary from
South dakota
2752
Prizm two is hot
November 11, 2005
The Prizm two is more of a Pro detector then it looks.I know the 3 and 4
hve more bells and whistles then the the Prizm two.But the 2 to 4 prizms have the same depth.
I use my unit in the all metal mode and can clock a dime at 7+ inchies not bad.
I get the XL PRO if I find old coins etc.
I also use the my prizm for the kiddie sandbox.
My XL PRO is for the very old and deeeeep stuff.
Go to www.firstontop.com click on the metal detector to see some of my finds.
The Prizm is light and eazy to use.
Learn to control how fast you sweep the coil.
I also get over 30 hours out of a 9v battry.
One big plus it is made in the USA.
Overall Rating
Clondike Clad from
Omaha Ne.
885
Prizm II
October 23, 2005
This was my first detector i ever got, And it took me a month or two to
figure out how to read the info it was displaying to me, Once i knew how to
read it i started to dig less and less trash and ring-pulls.Ithink that this detector made a good first time machine and it led me into the world of detecting without being bombarded with menues and settings and such, It just let me get on with detecting and having fun while learning !!!
Overall Rating
Rav from
South yorkshire, UK
352
Mine's paid itself off already!
August 04, 2005
I purchased my Whites Prism II last winter. I wasted a lot of time digging
up junk before I figured out how this machine reacts to different targets,
but once I figured it out, It paid for itself! It will consistently,
accurately detect modern coins. If you get a 25 cent signal passing over a
target several times, there's a quarter in there! I've also found some gold
and siver jewelry but in order to do so, you have to dig pull-tabs and
other junk. When I have patience, I dig all signals (other than iron) but
when I don't want to look at another pull-tab, I desriminate everything and
only dig quarter signals. Last week I cashed in $50 in change I dug up from
area parks.
Overall Rating
Matt from
Chicagoland
423
Whites Prizm II
May 14, 2005
Myself and a friend of mine go out detecting almost every weekend.We mainly
work local parks and schools.My friend uses a Minelab Explorer II and I use
a Whites Prizm II. I am very proud to say that at the end of the day,I
always have more coins and rings in my pouch than he does. This is the
perfect detector for coin shooting! Enough said!
Overall Rating
Leon from
Utah
602
NEWBIE
April 21, 2005
JUST BROUGHT THE PRIZM 2 FOR MY KIDS AND THEY LOVE IT WE WENT TO THE SCHOOL
YARD AND ABOUT 15 MIN WE FOUND $1.06 IN COINS THE KIDS THOUGHT THAT WAS A
GREAT SCORE FOR 15 MIN. GREAT FOR THE PRICE....A MUST HAVE FOR ALL AGES...
Overall Rating
KEVIN from
USA
225
Prism II- best beginner's detector
April 03, 2005
I bought a Whites Prism II 2 weeks ago- out the door price with a coil
cover and Pa. sales tax was $223- let me say it was well worth it. This detector will find any coin within 8" of the surface in topsoil or sand. Coins are dead meat and you won't miss any. If you are the first into an area you will clean it out and I don't care if the next guy has a Minelab Explorer II or DFX- he won't be finding much after you went in with the Prism II.
This detector only weighs 2.5 pounds- it's unbelievably light. My legs get tired from walking and my arm is still not tired of sweeping with it.
It will also detect large items to 16" in open air tests- and I have dug cans to that depth also. So the larger the item, the deeper it will go.
It has a great display and tone signal. The areas I'm in are full of trash so I run it with all disc. settings ON and max SENS. I've found this gives the most depth while weeding out all the pulltabs and bottle caps.
Washers will trick this detector- by that I mean hardware washers, nuts, etc. fasteners- will come up as quarters and half dollars on the display. But that is a small price to pay. In the last 2 weeks hardly using it at all- I found 30 coins and 6 relics- including old horse saddle buckles and horse/wagon harness parts- these were in the ground nearly 100 years as we've lived here since 1937 and never had horses- so these are from the late 1800's or early 1900's before cars were common- unreal !
I also found (2) fired pistol bullets 38 caliber with rifling marks in them, and a 303 Savage empty brass rifle casing- the 303 Savage is a discontinued caliber no longer chambered in any modern gun- that's neat.
Possibly will step up to a more powerful detector someday- but this is a great beginner's or kid's detector as the investment is small- and the rewards can be great. It will definitely pay for itself. This detector prefers virgin topsoil and sand, and works as good as ANY in those areas.
Overall Rating
NEWBIE DETECTORIST from
USA
670
The hot detector for the money
March 03, 2005
I been using detectors for over 30 years.The PRIZM 2 IS A VERY GOOD UNIT FOR THE MONEY.
It will pick up a dime at 8inch deep.
This unit is very good for coins.
Overall Rating
Anonymous from
Nebraska
205
Nice machine for park hunting ...
December 20, 2004
Light wieght, low cost, high
quality construction make the White's Prizm II a good choice for park
hunting.It will not detect in wet salt water sand but does OK elsewhere.
Depth is about average for detectors in this price range.
Overall Rating
Willee from
CC Texas
344