The Garrett Vortex Announcement Will Help Grow The Hobby

[maxxkatt]

I know a lot of members on the metal detecting forums were looking for the Vortex series to compete head to head with the XP Deus 2, Manticore, 700 & 900 and Legend SMF detectors. But Garrett at this time chose not to do that and probably wisely so. Garrett has been super strong in it's AT and Series for a long time. It knows that market segment probably better than any other detector company in the world. Being the last and major American metal detector company, it holds a lot a clout with new people coming into this hobby. 

Newbies to the hobby don't need all the advanced features that most of the above mentioned SMF detectors have. Let the newbies have a very good intro detectors that the Vortex brings to the market. I personally think the best feature is the 3 level display of the VX9 which shows multiple targets under the coil classifying them into complex ferrous, non-ferrous and simple ferrous (old iron). It is a simple presentation that any newbie can understand. The lack of advanced features is a plus for a newbie. Newbie #1 gets a 900 for Christmas and Newbie #2 gets a Garrett VX9. In one month the newbie #1 will still be struggling with the 900 and newbie #2 will finding good targets and yes missing some good targets that an experienced 900 user would not miss. But just how long does it take for a newbie to become an experienced detectorist and 900 user? 3 months? - doubtful. 6 months? - maybe, Never? - likely.

Give a newbie and 800, 900 or Manticore and watch a lot of them get  frustrated and give up. Give them a VX5, VX7 OR VX9 watch them start finding good targets because they don't have to waste time (at this stage) leaning complex SMF detectors. 

I started metal detecting with the Fisher gold bug in the late 1980 and it was simple to use and we used it to find likely places in small streams and branches in North Georgia where we would find corroded bird shot and buck shot which was a good indicator of where gold fines and small nuggets could be found by digging up the gravel for our sluice. It was a very good method of easily locating the good stuff. Got back into the hobby when the AT Pro was the hot detector in this country. Within a week or two I was finding civil war relics and jewelry at local parks. When the 800 came out I just had to have one. I expected it would be easy to learn. Hey, it is just a metal detector and I was pretty good with my AP Pro. Wrong. Got so fed up with it, I sold after 1 1/2 years and bought my CTX3030. The CTX was much easier to  learn than the 800 and I started finding relics and silver coins again. 

Garrett is probably the best known metal detector to the average American. They see them in the big box sports stores and  hundreds of thousands of concert goers, convention goers see the Garrett name on the very important personal security scanning devices that are ever present on our landscape since 911.

So with this huge name recognition factor, they are in a position with the Vortex series to greatly expand our hobby. But of course this will bring on the competition to our many over hunted and slowly disappearing metal detecting hunting sites due to rapid development in our urban, suburban and yes rural areas. But better Garrett gets the sales to help Garrett employees and Garrett dealers than mfgs in other countries.

[Jeff McClendon]

Or, newbies can buy a Garrett Ace Apex.

[Steve Herschbach]

To your last paragraph - do we need to grow the hobby? I'd be content if everyone but me quit right now. 

[maxxkatt]

1 hour ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Or, newbies can buy a Garrett Ace Apex.

That is true. They would not go wrong with the Ace Apex or the VX5, VX7 or VX9. 

[phrunt]

As a newbie I'd rather go to the Vortex line, as then I could upgrade my detector when the time comes if feel the need to using the paid upgrade feature, beats buying a new detector.  This to me is a really exciting development as somebody that has too many detectors, I not only would have saved a lot of money, but also a lot of cupboard space if this was the standard some years ago 🙂

Garrett is really onto something good there, especially for their customers benefit, and as they say, a happy wife is a happy life, less detectors do enable a happy wife.

[maxxkatt]

A lot of wives look at the sizable investment we have in the advanced SMF detectors and think, hmmm we could have had the whole downstairs repainted for same amount or have the cracked concrete driveway replaced. Don't doubt me on this.

[TampaBayBrad]

On 6/25/2024 at 10:05 AM, maxxkatt said:

A lot of wives look at the sizable investment we have in the advanced SMF detectors and think, hmmm we could have had the whole downstairs repainted for same amount or have the cracked concrete driveway replaced. Don't doubt me on this.

You just need to find her some gold jewelry she likes! That will solve the value of the detector problem, but not the driveway/repaint projects. She won't forget those until they're completed. 😄