Datalogic Scanning from the Counter to the Warehouse

QuickScan is the value handheld for retail counters. Gryphon sits above it with better optics and more interface options, and is the usual choice for busy tills and healthcare. PowerScan is the industrial line, built for warehouse and manufacturing.

Magellan is different again: it mounts inside the checkout rather than being held.

Browse handheld scanners, rugged scanners or in-counter models.

They are three tiers built for three environments, and the gap between them is durability and optics rather than whether they read a barcode.

QuickScan is the value line for retail counters and light commercial use. It reads well, costs least, and is specified for desk-height knocks rather than repeated drops. Choose it for a till that scans a few hundred items a day.

Gryphon sits in the middle and is the volume seller. Better optics mean faster reads on poor or damaged labels, there are more interface and range options, and the build tolerates a busier counter. Healthcare, pharmacy and high-throughput retail generally land here.

PowerScan is the industrial line. Rated for repeated drops onto concrete, sealed against dust and washdown, and available in extended-range optics that read a label several metres up a racking bay. It costs multiples of a QuickScan and earns that in a warehouse where a failed scanner stops a picking line.

The honest guidance: most retail sites need Gryphon, most warehouses need PowerScan, and QuickScan suits a low-volume counter or a tight budget. Browse handhelds or the rugged range.

The part number carries the configuration, and the model name alone is not enough to order from. Take PBT9600-ARRB as an example.

PBT is the connectivity prefix on the PowerScan range: PD is corded, PBT is Bluetooth, PM is 910 MHz narrowband with a cradle. 9600 is the model family. AR is the optics: SR standard range, HP high performance, AR auto range, XR extended range, DPM direct part mark for etched and laser-marked codes. RB and similar suffixes cover the kit contents, including whether a base or cradle is in the box.

Two things follow from this. A scanner-only part number and a kit part number look almost identical but differ by the cradle, which on 910 MHz models contains the radio and is not optional. And optics are fixed at manufacture, so an SR unit cannot later read racking at distance.

Gryphon and QuickScan follow a similar logic with GD for corded, GM for cordless and GBT for Bluetooth. Send us the part number from your existing scanner and we will match it exactly, or tell us the application and we will specify it.

They identify how the scanner connects. PD is corded. PBT is Bluetooth, pairing directly with a phone, tablet or PC. PM uses a narrowband 910 MHz radio with a base cradle.

The 910 MHz models reach considerably further than Bluetooth and hold up better in environments crowded with Wi-Fi, because they operate on a different band. The cradle is not optional on those, since it contains the radio.

Compare across vendors in rugged corded and rugged cordless scanners.

A green dot projected onto the barcode to confirm a successful read, instead of relying on an audible beep.

It matters in two opposite situations: noisy warehouses where a beep cannot be heard, and quiet environments such as libraries, hospitals and consulting rooms where a beep is unwelcome.

It is standard across most of the Gryphon and QuickScan range.

More carefully than a handheld, because almost everything is fixed at order. Platter length, whether there is a produce rail, flange or shelf mount, scale interval, display or no display, and the interface all form part of the part number.

Scale interval also has a regulatory dimension, since a scale used to price goods must be legal for trade in your jurisdiction.

Send us the checkout layout and the interface your POS expects, and we will specify it rather than guess.

A cordless scanner sends data to a host and shows nothing itself, which suits receiving and stock movement where a nearby screen already exists.

A Memor or Skorpio mobile computer runs the application in the aisle, so the operator sees the expected count and the next task without walking back. For a full stock count or a picking round, that difference usually pays for the device.

Browse Datalogic mobile computers.

Almost always. Most models default to keyboard-wedge mode, where scanned data arrives as if typed, so no driver is needed and any application with a cursor will accept it.

Multi-interface models cover USB, RS-232 and keyboard wedge in one unit, with the cable determining which is active. That matters when replacing a scanner on older equipment.

Tell us the POS platform and the interface on the existing scanner and we will confirm compatibility before you order.