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I don't care for the look of the prongs. I know people say that the Halti is only a training tool but if that is the case then what is a prong?
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IMHO, the look of a device shouldn't be what influences whether or not you use it, the effect should be. I think perhaps you misunderstood what some of us have said about the Halti, I think that it's NOT a training tool, but a control device. I don't believe it's effective for training (not least because there's no true correction and release possible with it), but it's certainly effective for control, the dog is forced, by virtue of the incredible degree of leverage a Halti provides, not to pull. I've seen too many dogs depressed or claustrophobic in a Halti to ever consider using it on a dog of mine (this is not to condemn it, I know some dogs do well in them, I'm just explaining because I think you misunderstood :) ). I also think that the fact that many professional trainers are moving sharply away from the halter devices says something about how effective they are as training tools. A prong is effective for training, because you have control over how much correction the dog gets AND it provides an effective release, it's very mild in action compared to how it looks, and it's a natural transition between a regular collar and a prong, because the method of action is comparable.
In answer to BigNewbie's question, there isn't an age at which a prong is required, whether or not you need one depends on the individual dog and the issues you may be having with it. I've known people with Pugs who went to a prong because the dog would not stop pulling and was hurting itself (the prong's a wonder for that kind of problem). If it's a safety issue (you can't walk the dog without fear of getting pulled over, for example), then it may be time. Oh and Judi is, of course, right that not every dog needs one and not every dog needs one permanently, they're often effective while working on a specific problem, with the goal of going back to a regular collar.