One thing I should have mentioned: the reason why my (relatively low time) instructor was interested in VT was because he said they'd found quicker recovery - iirc 400 feet to recover with conventional technique, versus less than 100 with VT.
So we went out and flew both. We flew them as identically as we could, and they both recovered in less than 100 feet. Obviously this was from just-barely-I VRS, as I said we waited one second from starting to feel the shaking and see the altimeter start to drop, to recovering.
So the VT works, but from IVRS it doesn't really make much difference, unless you have a cliff face directly in front of you.