The vertex is not good at all. The SH will spank it any day (GoldenLion makes way better engines than vertex will ever make).

Keep in mind that the VX is only an RTR engine, and to keep these RCs cheap, the VX itself is very very cheaply made with that in mind.

For you, since you are brand new to the hobby, stick with the VX and learn how to break-in, tune, deassemble & reassemble, and so forth. Dont get an upgrade engine until that VX dies. You should get about 5-8 gallons worth of running before you need to replace it, that is assuming you take good care of it and break- it in properly.

Once you are adept eough to tune and maintain the VX, you will know what to do to properly get the better SH engine going.