PRM-9000 Geiger Counter and Nuclear Radiation Contamination Detector and Monitor, 0.001 to 125 mR/hr Range, +/-10 Percent Accuracy

Excellent product. PRM-9000Knowing my intended use and minimum requirements, my choices came down to 3 similar products. The PRM-9000 won over the other 2 options because of its additional features.Cost was not an influence. I did have a limit, but if what I wanted cost too much, I will refuse to settle for less. Fortunately, I could afford this unit. And it's price seemed reasonable compared to the other 2 devices.Aside from requiring a quality accurate sensitive Geiger counter, I needed a way to know of peaks and when too, without having to sit and watch it all day.With the PRM-9000, I can set it to alarm over a specified reading, and it keeps the last max detected reading along with a time stamp. It also logs data which you can download and analyze. And you can send decay pulses to an external device for .. well, whatever I suppose, i.e. for additional analysis, processing, recording.I've only played with this for a day now. I was a little disappointed I found nothing of surprise that was hot around my home, lol. The few known things that I have that are a little hot were packed away in moving boxes (rocks, old glass, etc.). I had to dig something out of a box.I found a used 1" round dielectric mirror from a laser. I performed a 10 minute reading right over it and got a 7.540 μSv/h reading. Highest thing I've been able to find so far. But, I've not checked everything yet.My background reading (Twin Cities, MN, south suburbs) averages 0.09 μSv/h during the day. In the night that average drops to 0.07 μSv/h.I ordered the required data cable to connect it to a PC. I've not done that yet, but I assume it works as others have reported it does.The only nuisance is battery accessibility. Sure, it says it last a long time, years. But is that still the case if I'm playing with it a lot and using the backlite often, with the LED and sound on? And what about data transfer? I guess time will tell. If I have to remove 4 screws every few months to replace batteries, I'll be a little annoyed.Otherwise .. I am glad I did my research. No regrets after I've played with this so far. It seems to give really consistent results. And I don't have to babysit it all day to know what happened and when.5 stars .. but I'll drop that to 4 if I have to change the battery often, lol.

Prior to purchasing something expensive, people usually look for the negatives first. With the Mazur PRM-9000 geiger counter, the only flaw I can possibly think of is replacing the batteries. No worries, the 9-V battery itself lasts a long time with this geiger counter. However, it's also quite easy to damage the areas around the battery compartment, if you're not careful. The manual does not come with concise pictures to walk you through it step-by-step. The manual does give you 11 steps to follow on page 9, though. So, the first thing one would do is to remove all four screws on its backside. The Mazur should always display the startup message and the serial number each time a new battery is placed in after the device is turned on. In the settings, the user can alternate between setting the battery to the "Sets battery Power Setting" and "Sets external Power Setting." Powering on and off the geiger counter is very easy. Needless to say, the Mazur 9000 detects alpha, beta, gamma, and x-ray particles. Although I would never recommend testing food or liquids with a geiger counter for accuracy, the ones with the pancake probes are the best for doing this. Additionally, I love knowing that this is not a geiger counter that was made in China. For nationality rankings for these devices in terms of quality, I personally believe it's American, German, and Russian in that order. People have a tendency to forget that after World War II, a lot of the most intelligent astrophysicists and nuclear physicists moved to the USA to work for the government. Anyways, for timed measurements, you can choose between 1 min, 5 min, 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, 60 min, and 90 min with the Mazur. To block alpha particles, put a piece of paper over the pancake probe.Then, it should read mostly beta particles. It cannot list for the user WHICH radioactive chemical element(s) is in the object, but it will most certainly show people how much radioactivity is currently present. Try not to confuse the device's detection of potassium in bananas with Cesium-137. Bananas and brazil nuts are naturally radioactive. The top 3 geiger counters you can purchase is either this one, the Inspector EXP, or the LCD-90 + RM-80 geiger counter from Aware Electronics Incorporated. They all detect the big four. In my own personal opinion, the LCD-90 + RM-80 appears a bit outdated, but these products supposedly offer a little bit more than the Mazur. The user can choose between even more set units with the LCD-90 + RM-80. There's only one video on Youtube showing off AE's product. So, only nuclear physicists, university professors, and the company's employees have probably heard of this geiger counter. Nevertheless, the Mazur 9000 is state-of-the-art. We're still comparing a Lamborghini to a McLaren F-1, in that regard. They're both expensive, terrific geiger counters. I personally like how the Mazur 9000 looks more modern than the LCD-90. It doesn't look like it was pulled right out of 1988. The users can even adjust the audio sound on the Mazur 9000 in three different ways. One loud beep, one softer beep, and the usual crackling noise one would hear from any other geiger counter. It's really neat. So, do I recommend this product? Yes, absolutely. Unfortunately, some of the best items on the market are never cheap.

This unit bridges a nice gap between the low end units on Amazon with questionable reliability and high end units by companies like Thermo Scientific and Mirion which cost thousands of dollars (particularly if alpha and beta detection in needed in addition to gamma). This unit is well built, designed and easy to use - I would highly recommend it.While I don't have access to any laboratory grade instruments with which to validate the results, the background level readings its provided are within my expectations. I researched the accuracy of this unit and it was highly rated in tests where it measured against a known source or compared against other calibrated instruments. It also included a certificate of calibration from a known and reputable laboratory. Not only is the unit constructed in the USA, but the pancake sensor it uses is also made by a reputable, US based manufacturer. If this instrument fits your budget and your needs, I don't think you can go wrong. I wouldn't waste my money on the low end units that sell for $100 or so and are of dubious origin - this is a much better investment.

This geiger counter is phenomenal. I was getting ready to drop $2500 for a similar detector until I found this one. It's great for detecting alpha particles. I personally use it to find radioactive antiques, since they are mostly an alpha emitter. If you're looking for a detector to give you a dose rate I would look elsewhere since this detector is sensitive to alpha particles and alpha particles can't penetrate skin. But if you're wanting to find items that are radioactive this is the best at this price range. I love this detector, I would buy it again. Highly recommend.