Garrett Vortex VX7 Multi-Frequency Waterproof Metal Detector

The wet sand is where the rings are, and it is where a single-frequency detector falls apart. The Garrett Vortex VX7 is the Vortex that crosses that line: it adds the Multi-Salt frequency blend and a Beach mode to the waterproof MD-MF platform, a second Target ID scale that gives iron its own row, a 5 kHz option for big silver, and Recovery Speed control. Fully submersible to 16 ft (5 m), Z-Lynk wireless built in, and transformable to a VX9 later with an upgrade code.

At a glance

The Garrett Vortex VX7 (part 1142960) is the middle model of the Vortex line: a waterproof MD-MF multi-frequency metal detector, fully submersible to 16 ft (5 m). 5 kHz and 13 kHz single frequencies plus Multi-Frequency and Multi-Salt; five search modes (Zero, Standard, USA Coins, Beach and Custom); two-tier Target ID scales (non-ferrous plus an iron scale); 3-tone or 5-tone; Recovery Speed two settings; High-Resolution Iron Discrimination, Notch, Iron Audio and Iron Volume; automatic ground balance; Z-Lynk wireless built in; 8.5 x 11 in (22 x 28 cm) DD Raider search coil; internal rechargeable battery with USB-C charging, about 15 hours; 3 lb (1.38 kg); backlit LCD; firmware updates and paid model upgrades. 3-year Garrett warranty. Sold by History Seekers Metal Detectors, an authorized Garrett dealer.

Why the Vortex VX7, and who it is for

Garrett calls the VX7 "the sweet spot" and the reason is the salt. The VX5 has no Multi-Salt setting; the VX7 does, and its Beach mode runs in Multi-Salt by default with the iron discrimination preset for wet beaches. That is the single biggest capability step in the line. The VX7 also moves from one Target ID scale to two, so a flat ferrous bottle cap that fools a single-scale display shows up on the iron row; it adds a 5 kHz single frequency for large, highly conductive targets such as big silver coins; it gives you two Recovery Speed settings, 3-tone or 5-tone audio, and adjustable Bottlecap Reject and Iron Boundary. Against the VX9 it lacks the 9, 18 and 25 kHz single frequencies, the third Target ID scale, the 2-tone option, the third Recovery Speed, and the Thin Coins and Fast modes.

It is for the hunter who splits time between parks, fields and the beach, the Florida and Gulf coast wet-sand hunter who does not need the VX9's small-gold and competition modes, and the buyer who wants real step-up control without the top price. Pure dry-land hunters can save with the VX5; relic hunters who want 2-tone audio and the fastest recovery should go to the VX9.

Vortex VX5, VX7 or VX9: which one do you need?

Garrett prints one comparison chart for the three models in the Vortex manual; this is it, with the shared hardware left out because it is identical: 16 ft (5 m) waterproof, 8.5 x 11 in (22 x 28 cm) DD Raider coil, 8 sensitivity levels, Notch and High-Resolution Iron Discrimination, Z-Lynk, Channel shift, auto ground balance, Iron Audio, Iron Volume, Button Lock, Pinpoint, backlight, 24.75 to 56.75 in (62.9 to 144.1 cm) length, 3 lb and the 3-year warranty. Garrett also lists "increased sensitivity/depth" for the VX7 and VX9.

The short version: VX5 for dry land and fresh water at the lowest price; VX7 the moment salt water enters the plan; VX9 for everything, now. The VX7: You hunt salt beaches or wet sand, or you want two Target ID scales and Recovery Speed control at the middle price. The matching pinpointer for any Vortex is the Garrett PRO-Pointer AT Z-Lynk, which puts the pinpointer alarm in the same Z-Lynk headphones as the detector.

The controls, straight from the manual

Quick start is two steps: tap Mode to pick a preset, hold GND BAL and pump the coil 1 to 8 in (2 to 20 cm) above clean ground until the ground response fades, and hunt with the coil about 1 in (2.5 cm) off the ground at roughly 3 ft (1 m) per second. The rest is what the menu gives you:

• Search modes. Zero detects every metal with nothing notched out, the mode for unknown targets and for working out a broken signal that may be trash next to a keeper. Standard sets Iron Discrimination to 27 and suits most coins, jewelry and non-ferrous relics. USA Coins eliminates iron, foil and pull-tabs, and the manual warns it may miss medium jewelry and non-US coins. Custom starts as Standard and saves whatever you change. Beach runs in Multi-Salt by default with the iron discrimination preset for wet salt beaches and Recovery Speed 1.
• Frequencies and Channel. Multi-Frequency is the default in every mode except Beach and gives the best all-round detection with the least ground noise. Multi-Salt is the blend for wet salt sand and shallow salt water. Single frequencies focus the transmitter's power: 13 kHz is the versatile choice, 5 kHz favors large high-conductivity targets such as big silver coins. Single frequency can also run quieter in heavy electrical interference. Eight Channel shifts per frequency move you off other detectors at a field event.
• Iron tools. High-Resolution Iron Discrimination runs 0 to 39 across the 20 notches of the display. Iron Audio turns the silenced iron back on as a distinctive low tone, with the manual's signature Low-High-Low response for flat iron such as bottle caps and washers, so a "ghost signal" that reads good announces itself. Iron Volume turns ferrous targets down to one of eight levels without silencing them. Bottlecap Reject (Multi-Frequency only) is four settings (0 to 3) for flat tricky iron, and Iron Boundary four settings for chunky iron; the manual says use only as much as needed, because higher settings can misidentify some coins as iron.
• Recovery Speed and tones. Recovery Speed is two settings; higher separates close targets in trashy ground at some cost in chatter and interference. Audio is 3-tone or 5-tone. The five-tone breaks follow the Target ID: ferrous below about 35, low conductors such as nickels and small jewelry next, non-ferrous coins and larger jewelry, then high conductors such as big silver above about 75.
• Wireless and water. Z-Lynk pairs from the Wireless menu item: switch the headphones on, hold them within 3.5 ft (1.1 m), power on the Vortex, highlight the wireless icon and press Plus. Under water, radio stops and wired headphones take over on the 1/8 in (3 mm) waterproof jack. Button Lock, three quick presses of Plus and Minus together, stops water pressure below 6 ft (2 m) from pressing buttons for you.
• Battery and backlight. The internal lithium-ion battery is rated about 15 hours depending on settings; USB-C charging from a 10 W (2 A) source with the detector off is fastest, and a power bank works in the field. The backlight has four levels and comes on by itself while you scroll the menu.

Technical specs and what they mean in the field

Know before you buy

Three honest limits. First, no headphones ship in the box; Garrett includes the USB-C cable but no wall charger, and the speaker is built in. Second, wireless audio does not work under water, which is physics rather than a flaw: plan on wired headphones for submerged hunting and on Button Lock below 6 ft (2 m). Third, Target ID varies with target size and depth on every detector, and the manual says so: a thin hammered silver coin can read in the 50s while a thick silver coin reads in the 90s, and mineralized soil pushes small or deep targets around. There is no gold-prospecting mode on any Vortex; Garrett's nugget machines are listed in the FAQ. Firmware updates need a Windows 10 or newer PC or a Mac on 10.13 or higher with an internet connection; the Garrett Updater app handles both the free updates and the paid model upgrades. One printed inconsistency we would rather tell you about: the manual's factory-default list marks the Wireless menu item for the VX7 and VX9, while the same manual's specification chart and Garrett's product pages list Z-Lynk on all three models, the VX5 included; call us if a VX5 you own does not show the wireless menu and we will sort it with Garrett. Garrett detectors are eligible for a military discount program; contact us directly before you order, and note that it cannot be combined with other promotions. We price match: call with a competitor's current listing for a new unit and we will verify it.

What comes in the box

• Vortex VX7 straight stem assembly with the mounted control box, upper and lower stem, and arm cuff with strap
• 8.5 x 11 in (22 x 28 cm) DD Raider search coil with the coil cover installed; nut, bolt and mounting washers
• USB-C charging cable
• Quick-start guide; 3-year Garrett warranty

Garrett hosts the full Vortex manual and the April 2026 update procedure in the Vortex Owner Center at garrett.com/sport/vortex-owner-center; the mode, frequency and iron-tool details above are from manual 1559800 revision B.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the Garrett Vortex VX7 find gold?

Gold jewelry, yes: rings, chains and earrings in parks and on beaches are squarely what a waterproof MD-MF detector with a 0-99 Target ID is built to find, and small jewelry reads on the low-conductivity end of the non-ferrous scale. Gold nuggets in mineralized goldfields are a different job: the VX7 has no prospecting mode. Garrett's nugget machines are the Goldmaster 24K and AT Gold, and the Axiom for the worst ground.

Which Garrett Vortex should I buy: VX5, VX7 or VX9?

All three are one hardware platform: 16 ft (5 m) waterproof, the 8.5 x 11 in (22 x 28 cm) DD Raider coil, internal rechargeable battery, Z-Lynk, 3 lb (1.38 kg) and a 3-year warranty. Buy the VX5 for dry land and fresh water at the lowest price. Buy the VX7 if you hunt salt beaches or wet sand: it adds Multi-Salt, Beach mode, a 5 kHz frequency, two Target ID scales and Recovery Speed control. Buy the VX9 for five single frequencies from 5 to 25 kHz, three Target ID scales, Thin Coins and Fast modes, three Recovery Speeds and 2-tone audio. A VX5 or VX7 can be transformed up the line later with a paid upgrade code.

How deep is the Vortex VX7 waterproof, and can I dive with it?

It is fully submersible to 16 ft (5 m). Below 6 ft (2 m) water pressure can press the buttons, so the manual has you activate Button Lock by pressing Plus and Minus together three times quickly; the same sequence unlocks it. Radio does not travel through water, so Z-Lynk wireless audio stops under the surface and you use wired headphones on the 1/8 in (3 mm) jack, such as the Vortex submersible headphones. Collapse the shaft to the dive pin for submerged use and rinse the detector in fresh water afterward.

How long does the Vortex VX7 battery last, and how do I charge it?

The internal lithium-ion battery runs about 15 hours depending on settings, and the LCD battery scale shows 25% per pixel with the last pixel flashing at 5%. It charges through the USB-C port with the included cable; a 10 W (2 A) or stronger source with the detector switched off gives the fastest charge. In the field you can run the detector from a power bank. Garrett supplies the cable only, not a wall charger.

Does the Vortex VX7 come with headphones?

No. The box holds the detector, the 8.5 x 11 in (22 x 28 cm) DD Raider coil with its cover, the USB-C cable, the arm strap and the quick-start guide; the detector has a built-in speaker. Z-Lynk wireless is built in, so Garrett MS-3 or CS-3 Z-Lynk headphones pair from the menu, and any wired headphones with a 1/8 in (3 mm) plug fit the waterproof jack, with a 1/4 in (6.35 mm) adaptor available from Garrett.

Can I upgrade the Vortex VX7 later?

A paid upgrade code from Garrett transforms a VX7 into a VX9 on the same hardware; the base firmware updates are free. Updates and upgrades run through the Garrett Updater app on a Windows 10 or newer PC or a Mac on 10.13 or higher, with the detector charged to at least three bars and connected by its USB-C cable.

What is the difference between the Vortex VX7 and the Garrett AT series?

The Vortex is the newer platform: multi-frequency MD-MF analysis, an internal rechargeable battery, Z-Lynk built in, 16 ft (5 m) depth and firmware that updates and upgrades. The AT Pro and AT Max are single-frequency 15 kHz or 13.6 kHz machines on AA batteries rated to 10 ft (3 m). If you already own AT-series accessories, note the Vortex uses its own coils and a 1/8 in headphone jack rather than the AT 2-pin connector.

What is MD-MF Target ID on the VX7?

Multi-Dimensional Multi-Frequency analyzes the target and the surrounding soil across several dimensions of conductivity and ferrous content, which is how the detector holds an accurate Target ID deeper in mineralized ground. The VX7 shows it on two scales: the center non-ferrous scale (ferrous below about 35, nickels and small jewelry in the middle, large silver above about 75) and a separate iron scale, so a flat steel bottle cap that reads like a coin on a one-scale display shows its ferrous side. The VX9 adds a third scale that splits complex (flat) ferrous from simple (nail) ferrous.

Is the Garrett Vortex VX7 discontinued, and what warranty does it carry?

No. Garrett sells the VX7 live on garrett.com, modified its page on 2026-10-28, and published its latest firmware (7.06, released 2/16/26) this year. Every Vortex from History Seekers is new, drop-shipped from our Garrett distributor, and carries the 3-year limited parts and labor warranty printed in the Vortex manual. History Seekers Metal Detectors is an authorized Garrett dealer.

Who you are buying from

History Seekers is a small American business and a working detecting channel: over 1.1 million people follow our hunts on Facebook and YouTube. Everyone here detects, from the top down: gold, relics, coins, jewelry, even float copper. We hunt with the gear we sell, and the person who answers your call has run a Vortex in the surf and updated one on a laptop at the kitchen table. Every purchase keeps everyday Americans working.

History Seekers Metal Detectors is an authorized Garrett dealer; every Vortex VX7 we sell is new and carries the full 3-year Garrett warranty. Call 256-284-2247 if you are deciding between the VX5, VX7 and VX9 for your ground and water; we will tell you straight which one fits. Because at History Seekers, the story is more important than the artifact.