I have owned a V3i and I own a 2017 VX3 with the newer model D2 coil. I regularly check that D2 coil for resistance and overload. It is working properly. I also have access to our club's Vortex VX9 running the latest software.
As far as which one I like the most. Hands down the Whites V series are incredible detectors for a person that likes to mess with settings and tweak. They are also simply beautiful detectors, well made, gorgeous color screens, proprietary wireless headphones and enough settings versatility to handle many situations.
What the V series is average to poor to simply can't do are: EMI mitigation, moderate to high iron mineralization handling and water hunting.
There are ways to get around EMI using three frequencies like frequency offsets, changing recovery speed, lowering RX, all metal and disc gain and just switching to a single frequency if EMI is really bad.
There is very little that can be done to help the Whites V series with moderate to high iron mineralization using three frequencies. I know what the manual says.......change the band pass frequency. Trust me, that has little to no affect on the loss of 1/3 to 1/2 of normal depth and more importantly, the loss of target ID/tone accuracy and the drastic up averaging of low and mid conductor target IDs. For someone who is free to dig it all, not a problem. For someone like me that needs to do very selective digging at most of the places I hunt where the best targets are 6" deep or deeper that also has dirt with incredible amounts of magnetite it in, honestly, it's hopeless. A US nickel that is 3" deep using the most optimum settings for my area will give target IDs that are in the high 80s to low 90s. Okay, some would say, at least the V series is giving you a non ferrous response on that nickel. Yep, but it is also giving me a high conductor non ferrous response on nickel sized can slaw and all manner of pull tabs that normally would have target IDs between 15 and 40. In modern trash where selective digging is the only option, that is a nightmare situation.
The V series is absolutely not capable of submerged water hunting.
So, the Garrett Vortex VX9. Frankly, on the surface it looks like a toy next to the V3i or the VX3 except for the stock coil. I am not really into blue first of all and to me, the shaft system is not very pleasing to look at and feels cheap. Balance, weight and general ergonomics are good and are way better than the V series for longer hunts. Longterm build quality....the Vortex appears to be really flimsy.
The actual detecting abilities of the VX9 have evolved after several software updates. The first couple of software iterations were horrendous and that is being generous. The latest software version is pretty good and the Vortex VX9 can now do the three things above that the V series cannot do well if at all where I detect.
It handles EMI very well and has similar but more effective options for EMI mitigation if it gets bad.
The VX9 currently blows the V series away as far as its originally maligned simultaneous multi frequency land program is concerned. The multi salt and selectable single frequency options worked pretty well at the rollout and have been improved. MD-MF multi using the latest software will easily detect 3" deep low conductors with accurate target IDs unlike the Whites V series here. In fact it will detect 6 to 8" deep US nickels very accurately even with its stock 11.5 x 7" coil. It does not drastically up average target IDs on low and mid conductors and most of the weird high conductor target ID behavior using the land based multi program experienced at the roll out has been fixed pretty well. Selective digging capability with the VX9 has been greatly improved. So the VX9 will handle a much larger variety of ground mineralization conditions than the Whites V series. It's not even close from my experience.
The Vortex VX9 is fully capable of being submerged in fresh and saltwater with no major issues that I have heard about.
The Vortex VX9 three tiered target trace is for ferrous/non ferrous target identification and for displaying multiple targets under the coil virtually simultaneously. It is not meant to be a replacement for or emulation of the beautiful Whites V series Spectrograph display
I don't know how many frequencies the VX9 is transmitting in MD-MF multi or multi salt.
I do know that the Vortex VX9 doesn't look , feel or detect like a Whites V series detector. I certainly wish the VX9 looked more top of the line and less like a beginner detector on a tight budget. I also wish it felt more sturdy. However, I am delighted that it detects way better in general than the Whites V series detectors on a wider range of targets and in a wider range of ground conditions.
I still use my VX3 but not very often. I like it for potential recent drop jewelry and coin hunting where I am not going deeper than 3". Sorry, but that is all I use it for. When I want or need to do much more complicated detecting with a VLF where I need excellent target accuracy down to 12" depth on a wide range of target conductivity, type and size, I am using a different detector. If I am in heavy modern trash or at an older iron infested site where outstanding target separation is a must, I am using a different detector. If I am water hunting or gold prospecting where ground and or water conditions are not mild, I am using a different detector.
Maybe Garrett will make a detector that utilizes a version of the V3,V3i,VX3 Spectrograph screen someday. However, I don't want Garrett to also use the simultaneous multi frequency tech that was in the V series. It is too inadequate to compete with the newer Minelab Multi IQ, XP FMF, Nokta SMF and even the Garrett MD-MF technology.
