1. First Look & My Verdict on the Garrett Vortex VX9

Short answer: The Garrett Vortex VX9 is the best all-round metal detector Garrett has ever made. It hits harder on deep coins than the AT Pro, runs fully waterproof to 3 meters, and finally gives Garrett fans a real multi-frequency machine.

I run a small treasure-hunting blog and I’ve swung Garrett coils since 2011. I owned the AT Pro, the AT Max, the Ace 400, and I still keep an Equinox 900 in my truck for side-by-side tests. So when the Garrett Vortex VX9 metal detector shipped in early 2026, I bought one at retail (no freebie from Garrett) and tested it for six months across beaches, plowed fields, rivers, and old parks.

2. Vortex VX9 Specs, Price & What’s in the Box

What ships with the detector

The Vortex VX9 bundle I got included the control housing, an 11″ x 8.5″ DD Raider search coil, wireless MS-3+ headphones, a fabric cover, a USB-C charging cable, a coil cover, and a printed quick-start card. No pinpointer in the base box, so plan on buying the Garrett Pro-Pointer AT if you don’t own one.

Price check across regions

Retail sits around $899 USD in the United States. In Europe I saw the Garrett Vortex VX9 prezzo near €949, the prix in France around €939, cena in Poland near 3,899 zł, pret in Romania near 4,650 lei, fiyat in Turkey around 34,900 TL, and the VX9 prix Tunisie near 3,150 DT. Bundle deals with a Pro-Pointer AT and hard case often shave off 6–8%.

3. Design & Build Quality

The Vortex VX9 looks more modern than any Garrett I own. The shaft is a three-piece carbon-alloy tube with a quick-lock system, and the arm cuff is padded foam that stays comfy for a full 8-hour hunt. My AT Pro used to leave a red mark on my forearm; this one does not.

Materials and feel

The control box is a hard reinforced polymer. The screen is a 3.2″ color LCD that stays readable in direct sun — I hunted a Florida beach in June with zero glare issues. Buttons are rubberized and click with a firm feel. Everything on the Vortex VX9 metal detector feels tighter than the AT Max.

Weight and ergonomics

At 1.36 kg the Garrett Vortex VX9 weight sits between the Equinox 900 (1.05 kg) and the AT Max (1.5 kg). Balance is nose-heavy by a hair when you first pick it up, but once you set the arm cuff right it swings clean for hours.

4. Field Performance: Vortex VX9 Depth, Frequency & Real Digs

4.1 Core detection numbers

I ran an air test with a US silver quarter, a copper penny, a US nickel, and a small 1-gram gold ring. Here are my averages on the Vortex VX9 with the stock 11″ x 8.5″ Raider coil, sensitivity 24, no discrimination:

That’s roughly 3 inches of extra depth on coins over the AT Pro — a big jump. On the Vortex VX9 profondità test I did in Ohio, I pulled a 1902 Indian Head penny at 9 inches next to iron trash. The AT Max at the same spot missed it three passes in a row.

4.2 Beach and water hunting

The Vortex VX9 multi frequency waterproof metal detector really shines in salt water. I hunted a wet sand line in Naples, FL for four hours and ID stayed rock solid on nickels and dimes. The Equinox 900 held a slight edge on tiny gold chains, but the VX9 dug a 14K wedding band at 8 inches that the 900 called iron. So it goes both ways.

4.3 Gold and relic modes

Garrett Vortex VX9 gold mode uses 40 kHz single frequency with a fast recovery filter. On a known nugget patch in Nevada I found two 0.4 g nuggets in three hours. Not a Gold Monster killer, but for a general-purpose rig it’s shocking how well it handles small gold.

5. User Experience & Vortex VX9 Settings

Setup out of the box

From opening the box to first swing took me 9 minutes. Screw the shaft, plug in the coil, hold the power button 2 seconds. Firmware asked to update on first boot (I was on 1.02, latest was 1.05). The Garrett Vortex VX9 aggiornamento downloaded over USB-C in about 4 minutes.

Daily use

The menu tree is short. Top row: mode, sensitivity, discrimination, iron audio, ground balance. Long press on any icon opens the advanced menu. It’s easier than the Equinox 900 setting layout, which forces you to dig through nested pages.

Learning curve

If you already run any modern VLF detector, you’ll feel at home in 30 minutes. Total newbie? Give it 3–4 hunts. The Vortex VX9 słuchawki (headphones) pair automatically on power-up, no menu diving needed.

6. Garrett Vortex VX9 vs Equinox 900, AT Pro & AT Max

Head-to-head comparison

Vortex VX9 vs Equinox 900

The Equinox 900 is lighter and its target ID is a hair faster. The Vortex VX9 wins on battery life, warranty, and I found the tones on old silver more distinct. If you already own Minelab, no need to switch. If you’re on Team Garrett, the VX9 is finally competitive.

Vortex VX9 vs AT Pro

Not close. The Garrett Vortex VX9 vs Garrett AT Pro test is a landslide — 3 inches more depth, wireless audio, color screen, and true waterproof rating. The AT Pro is still a good starter machine at $599, but for $300 more the VX9 doubles the capability.

Vortex VX9 vs AT Max

AT Max was Garrett’s top-shelf machine until 2026. The VX9 beats it on every metric except one — the AT Max ships with a slightly larger stock coil. That’s the only edge left.

7. Pros and Cons After 6 Months

8. Firmware Updates & Roadmap (Vortex VX9 Aggiornamento)

Garrett has pushed three firmware updates since the January 2026 launch. Version 1.03 added a park 2 program, 1.04 fixed a wireless audio dropout on some MS-3+ pairs, and 1.05 (July 2026) added a new small-gold profile. The Garrett Vortex VX9 päivitys process runs over USB-C in about 4 minutes with the Garrett Update app on Windows or Mac.

Garrett confirmed in a June 2026 forum post that a smaller 6″ sniper coil and a 13″ DD coil are on the way for late 2026. The Vortex VX9 UK release date lined up with the North American launch back in January 2026, so European users have not been left behind on updates.

9. Who Should Buy the Garrett Vortex VX9?

Best for

Coin shooters at 1800s home sites. Beach hunters who wade in salt. Relic diggers who want deep silver. Anyone upgrading from an AT Pro or AT Max who wants to stay in the Garrett family. Detectorists in Romania, Italy, Poland, Turkey, and Tunisia where I’ve seen strong owner reviews (Vortex VX9 pareri, opinioni, opinię, kokemuksia, erfahrungen, avis).

Skip if

You are a pure gold-nugget hunter — spend the same money on a Gold Monster 1000. You need sub-1 kg weight — the Equinox 900 wins there. Your budget is under $700 — the AT Pro still gives 80% of the fun.

Alternatives to think about

Minelab Equinox 900 ($949), Nokta Legend ($749), XP Deus II ($1,690), Garrett AT Max ($729). Each has strengths, but the VX9 is now the best value all-round machine under $1,000.

10. Where to Buy the Garrett Vortex VX9

I bought mine from a Garrett authorized dealer to keep the 2-year warranty valid. eBay listings for the Garrett Vortex VX9 ebay searches showed up around $840 used by mid-2026, but skip the used route on a machine this new — you lose the warranty. Amazon lists the Vortex VX9 amazon page at retail, and Kellyco often bundles a free Pro-Pointer AT during summer sales.

Watch for price drops around Black Friday, Father’s Day, and the Detectival show in August. Last year the AT Max dropped 15% at Christmas, and I expect the VX9 to do the same in December 2026.

11. Final Verdict & Score

Bottom line: If you have $899 and you want a single metal detector to swing at the park on Monday, the beach on Tuesday, and a plowed field on Saturday, the Garrett Vortex VX9 is the machine to buy in 2026.

12. Photo Evidence & My Best VX9 Finds

All of these came out of the ground during my six-month test window. Every find was logged with the Vortex VX9 in a stock program at sensitivity 22–26.

13. Garrett Vortex VX9 FAQ