32 of 66 people found this review helpful:

Review by: John Swanson

User Experience: Newbie

Submitted on: Mar 17, 2008

User Rating:

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A metal detector gives more than wealth and health, it gives one a sense of hope, a feeling that at any second, something may come up that will make your day.... and sometimes your year. Yes, metal detecting is healthy for you, gets you outdoors and can make you better off financially, but more than that, the psychological benefits outweigh any other simular for of recreation.

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36 of 145 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Richard Faber

User Experience: Newbie

Submitted on: Apr 9, 2008

User Rating:

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I have just purchased a used White's Classic 5ID metal detector. I am just getting warm enough temperatures here in Ohio to begin to even think about learning how to use this thing. I hope to begin to get out and start finding coins and other relics soon. I have practiced by having my wife hide a few coins around the house and I have gotten pretty good at finding them. I will keep you informed of how I progress.

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86 of 112 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Dennis Higgins

User Experience: Newbie

Submitted on: Apr 22, 2008

User Rating:

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While camping in a Florida RV park over this last winter, I became friends with two devoted "treasure hunters" who hit the beaches almost every morning. In that I'd recently had some knee surgery I was initially interested in the walking exercise they seemed to be getting but was soon amazed at the large collection of old and new coins and jewelry they'd discovered there.

I asked one of them, a fellow from the Northeast, had actually built his first metal detector, what he would recommend for me, a newbie. He directed me to the Kelly Co. website and recommended the White's Classic 5 ID as a unit that would help me "learn the ropes" while not breaking the bank. The order was placed that day!

My unit arrived after the weekend and the clear instructions allowed me to quickly set it up and make my way to the friend's campsite where he further explained the simple controls to my wife and I and showed us how to fine tune them for the sandy soil there. He placed and buried several small targets of coins, bottle caps and even a gold ring and coached as swept the coil over the ground. It was extremely easy to learn the differing tones that each target produced and the visual display was extremely accurate as to what the target actually was. I was happy to also note that my learned friend was very much impressed with the depth at which the Classic 5 would detect. Immediate plans were made to hit the Treasure Coast beaches the next morning.

It was the start of Spring Break and we were on the beach at Indialantic shortly after sun rise. After the coach gave a short course on how to read the beach, we were off. Though I initially sifted through sand at each target at least for practice and to confirm the visual and sound indicators, I came to rely on them when junk was indicated. I was equally impressed with the accuracy of the visual target display after several coins were hit on and retrieved as indicated.

My new Classic 5 ID really proved itself later that week having hit upon several dollars worth of US and foreign coinage, some of them fairly old. The biggest smile however appeared on my wife's face when she saw the first silver necklace I found with it that Friday. She's since trekked with me along several of the Treasure Coast beaches and has helped collect even more jewelry and coinage up and down the coast. To hear her talk, whenever I'm ready to purchase a more sophisticated metal detector, the Classic 5 ID will remain in the house as her own!

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81 of 108 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Larry Gentry

User Experience: 7+ years

Submitted on: Mar 18, 2008

User Rating:

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I coin shoot a lot. I am retired, I travel a lot, and I alway have my detector with me. My Whites Classic 5 ID detector is a simple turn on and hunt machine. I don't have to ground balance, I don't have to put in a program, I set my discrimination wherever I want to assure how much I want to dig, and BAM I am hunting. It doesn't require a degree
to operatei and it keeps me digging coins, rings, and lots of other goodies.

It works in the water, it works in the mountains, and it works in the desert. What else could I want?

Actually. I wish it told me how deep I had to dig, but thats minor. The ID meter is accurate and the loop is powerful. It is simplicity in motion, and a little enough of motion makes it work perfectly. You can buy one of these marvels for less than $400, and have ten years of more entertainment, It will eventually pay for itself, probably sooner than you think. They are easy on batteries, easy on older people in the technology department,and tough on buried items. It seeks them out and puts them in your bag. If is sounds like I may really enjoy what I do, well I like it a lot. I have a great machine, It is economical,it is
efficient, it is fun, it is profitalble.

It has little to no impact on disturbing other people who are nearby. You cannot beat this for spending time and my wife says It keeps me out
of trouble really well.. everybody needs one of these wonderful machines..

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44 of 67 people found this review helpful:

Review by: Michael Capps

User Experience: 6 months to 2 years

Submitted on: Apr 22, 2008

User Rating:

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The White's Classic 5ID I got from Kellyco is quite probably the best all around metal detector for the new user or, for the price, the more experienced enthusiast on a budget. I purchased a Classic 5ID - my first machine - on the advice of a good friend of mine who is an experienced detector. I've been completely satisfied!

In the 16 months I have had my Classic 5ID, I have used it in both urban settings and at old military sites and have been wholly satisfied with the results. My finds include old copper and silver US coins, foreign coins, Civil War bullets, World War II military insignia, and dog tags. It was an absolute pleasure for me to be able to return a few months ago one of the lost dog tags I found to the Tennessee family of the WW II US serviceman to whom it belonged. The most surprising item I located was a German NAZI party badge button in near perfect condition, apparently brought home by a serviceman returning from Europe and lost in Virginia until my Classic 5ID turned it up!

The detector makes up in ease of use what it lacks in sophistication. Controls are simple and straight forward. There are two control knobs for discrimination and sensitivity. The discrimination knob has two simple presets, one for jewelry/relics and one for coins. I use the first preset at my Civil War and WW II site. For 'trashy' sites, I set discrimination for coins. Trash rejection is impressive! Once I have adjusted the discrimination, the detector is almost silent until it gets a hit in coin range. The sensitivity preset has worked great at all my locations. I've never needed to adjust it.

An eight-block icon-based LCD display provides indication of what the object is ... ranging from iron to large silver coin. Get a solid tone and steady icon -- I dig! I have detected large objects down as far as 18", but 6" appears to be about the max depth for detecting a penny-sized object.

The only thing I have been disappointed with on this machine is the pinpointer control. Perhaps it is just me, but I generally find it much easier to simply X the spot I am getting a hit on in standard search mode than try to use the pinpointer. Only other shortcomings are this machine does not have a battery check and there is no depth detector. I get around the first limitation by using my multimeter on the batter pack before I head out for a day's searching. As for the second, the holes I dig are just a little bigger than those of my friend with a DFX. :-) Neither is a serious handicap.

For the money and ease of use, the Classic 5ID gets 5 STARS from me!!!

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