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I'm positive coil manufacturers are already designing coils for the Vortex. The AT Pro is a "relic." SMF will rule sales from here on in. You can get a Vanquish 340 for $199.00 - What did we pay for a Minelab Sovereign, or Explorer a few years ago? Kind of like calculators in high school (Texas Instruments $340.00), now the bank just gives you one. The market has changed, the hobby is evolving. God Bless Garrett, God Bless America!

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I think the ideal situation is the brands that were left behind catch up, so there isn't one dominating force, VLF's have likely reached their peak or near enough to it, with only minor changes happening, so if the major brands all have a reasonable player and then we can choose between them which brand we would prefer to use knowing our choice is very competitive with the other brands that's a good thing in my mind.  It helps keep pricing reasonable and keeps all brands in business.

The Vortex jumps Garrett back into being a modern player with VLF's, catches them up with the times as lets face it, the AT was from 2010!!!!  Maybe just maybe they'll come out with another model of it like the VX11 to compete with the top end and then that's all we can really ask of them, as I doubt the top end can do much more either from the existing leaders.  It's all baby steps these days in that area.
 

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Apparently the game has not changed with the Vortex, straight from a tester @GoneDiggin, this machine is “definitely not aimed [to] replace your D2 or Manticore.” We could’ve guessed that based on the features and some common sense, but it’s still a letdown to hear it from someone who would be more likely to talk it up than down. I was really hoping for a flagship. I know most of us were. So it will be a while yet before Garrett is into flagship territory. Still, there’s a part of me that wants to support their efforts and find a place for it in my arsenal. 

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57 minutes ago, ☠ Cipher said:

Apparently the game has not changed with the Vortex, straight from a tester @GoneDiggin, this machine is “definitely not aimed [to] replace your D2 or Manticore.” We could’ve guessed that based on the features and some common sense, but it’s still a letdown to hear it from someone who would be more likely to talk it up than down. I was really hoping for a flagship. I know most of us were. So it will be a while yet before Garrett is into flagship territory. Still, there’s a part of me that wants to support their efforts and find a place for it in my arsenal. 

Well since it eclipses their previous "Flagship" line, the AT series, this is a Flagship as far as Garrett is concerned. Just happens that their flagship is (at least on paper) not at the Manticore, D2, or perhaps even Legend level (which competes with the Nox but not with the Manticore or D2).  But it IS going to be their Flagship as Garrett has no VLF machine that is better or more versatile now.  And who knows where the upgrade path future is going to lead in terms of Vortex capability a la the VX11 or beyond.

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On 6/19/2024 at 9:16 AM, IBMe said:

No one saw this coming. Look at the market. Everybody throwing models at every nook and granny.

Garrett came out of the blue, in blue, and covered the range at a competitive price, without playing the coil lockout game.

Even if you don’t like it, they changed the game, and you will benefit from it.

What are they going to do? They just put out countless different models, but now there’s a “jump” model the covers the range. Even knocks on the door of the Mighty Manticore without requiring a PhD.

If you take the coil lockout game expense into consideration, it’s probably the best overall value. Do you want to keep buying different models, and maybe coils, or just jump.

Got to give Garrett their props, this is a game changer.

I don’t expect it to be the best at anything, but if it’s good at a lot of things, it ate the heart out of the watermelon.

I've been surprised by how many people have expressed this sentiment over the past few days. It's like they're looking at a different machine from the one I see.

The Vortex does not compete with the Deus 2 or Manticore. Full stop. It's a mid-range detector. Even then, it lacks some potentially useful features (tone settings and iron bias, for instance) that you can get for the price or less on the Nokta Score and the new Minelab X-Terra machines.

It also appears that at least some of the modes (like "thin coin") are just different notch patterns and/or volume adjustments for certain conductivity ranges. Most other detectors that run multiple frequencies at once use different frequencies in different modes to improve detection on specific targets. 

The approach to upgrades could become a game-changer, but we're not there yet. If Garrett adds a true beginner model to this lineup (call it a VX3) and a top-of-the-line model (call it a VX13), all of which use the same hardware, that could be a really interesting model.

Imagine buying one machine for $250 but being able to upgrade to a $1k machine without buying a new unit. Frankly, that's the kind of creativity I was hoping to see with this release. 

The Vortex machines will be capable detectors. But will they stand out in a crowded industry? Or offer you the best value for your money? 

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13 minutes ago, Steve Herschbach said:

What seems to go overlooked is a huge market segment does not need or want a zillion settings. People who may or may not crack a manual. This is the market Garrett has long served and done well with.

That's fair. I remember how popular the Ace 250 was for years. 

But how does the Nokta Score not serve the same market segment at almost $200 less than the VX5?

13 minutes ago, abcoin said:

That's fair. I remember how popular the Ace 250 was for years. 

But how does the Nokta Score not serve the same market segment at almost $200 less than the VX5?

Then buy one if that’s what you prefer. Nobody has ever ran one against the other, but if there are features that the Score offers that you feel the Vortex lacks that you must have, get one. Why is it a big deal one way or the other to anyone? I get what I like for the reasons that suit me, you do the same. Seems simple to me.

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