TJay
Senior Member
I have the Vortex Viper HD bino in 10x42 and a 1000 yd rangefinder and I like both very much. I don't have one of their scopes but I don't believe I'd get below the Viper product line.
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Has Vortex become the “go-to” glass for America now?
- Thread starter Jim Boyd
- Start date
I am trying a Vortex scope for the first time this year. I have always used Leupold and Nikon's. When I purchased my Browing single shot early this year, the Leupold I was intending to purchase wasn't in stock. So far, the Vortex has been great when I sighted the rifle in. We will see how it performs during the 2022 hunting season.
Gadestroyer74
Banned
I have those binos aswell
From what experience I have with their products, seem to be good stuff for the money.
Gut_Pile
Senior Member
Leupold fell behind for a little while, but the glass in their VX5 and VX6 line is as good as you can get for the $
Got a Vortex Venom red dot on one of my AR's. Never had a problem with it and I plink at 100 yds with accuracy.
My rifle scopes are all Leupold with the exception of one Nikon Poorstaff on a cheapo Savage Model 11.
My rifle scopes are all Leupold with the exception of one Nikon Poorstaff on a cheapo Savage Model 11.
catch22
Senior Member
as someone mentioned above.....I think they are the Rage broadheads of the glass world. Their marketing has been great and they have "risen" to the top of alot of searches when it comes to glass.
I'll keep my gold ringed glass
I'll keep my gold ringed glass
ryanh487
Senior Member
I love my vortex products. Are there optics with better glass out there? Yes. Do they come even close to the price point or warranty Vortex offers? NO. Is vortex any less durable or reliable than those products? Also no. When matched with the same class optics from Leupold, Vortex wins hands down in a side by side comparison. They can be beat, but unless you're taking your rifle into combat or extremely long range precision shooting you don't need to beat them.
1eyefishing
...just joking, seriously.
As with most products, I think you get what you pay for.
I would guess the upper tier vortex s are better and more expensive than the lower. Just like the Leupolds.
I WOULD like to see apples to apples comparison through my own eyes, But barring that, I tend to go with what I know.
I would guess the upper tier vortex s are better and more expensive than the lower. Just like the Leupolds.
I WOULD like to see apples to apples comparison through my own eyes, But barring that, I tend to go with what I know.
ryanh487
Senior Member
Before Covid, Cabelas and Bass Pro had several optics on display that you could pick up and look through for comparison. in the feature class and price range point, vortex beat everything they had to look through. They do tend to be an ounce or two heavier than some of the other scopes, but once again not a huge deciding factor for the vast majority of users.
Jim Boyd
Senior Member
I can’t really speak from recent experience but when you move into the $1500 to $2000 range, the glass SHOULD be good.
In fact, it should be beyond good.
10-12 years ago I was into good / big glass and the best I ever saw were the 3-12x56’s: Meopta, Swarovski and Zeiss. In no particular order. In fact, I dumped the S and Z and stuck with the Meopta because it cost less… and I could not find any difference in performance.
When you move into that sort of rarified air ($1500-2000 today) you have now opened the door for excellent offerings from Zeiss, Meopta, Swarovski, Kahles, etc.
There is zero doubt, even on the lower end, that Leupold makes great glass but I would not bet on a $2000 Leupold up against a $2000 scope from some of the other aforementioned companies.
Thankfully, I don’t have a dog in this fight (my next high dollar purchase is likely a Ravin xbow) but every time in the last 4-5 scope purchases for me, Leupold has not made the cut. I tried to make it so, it just did not happen.
I gotta say this also, I am not feature driven. Even the scope market has gone crazy with gadgetry. Parallax, turrets, illumination, reticles - you name it.
I just want good glass, durability and performance at a reasonable value.
Not cost… value.
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Jim Boyd
Senior Member
I am pretty the military has transitioned to Vortex on the M4 replacement- and maybe the SAW replacement also.
deers2ward
Senior Member
When companies spend that much on marketing instead of putting that money into a quality product that sells itself, you get an inferior product.
I have a couple....for plinking or close range whitetail hunts from a stand, they are OK, but I would not take one on a high stakes hunt where travel and backpacking are involved.
If you dont want to pay for european glass, I would recommend Leupold instead.
I have a couple....for plinking or close range whitetail hunts from a stand, they are OK, but I would not take one on a high stakes hunt where travel and backpacking are involved.
If you dont want to pay for european glass, I would recommend Leupold instead.
ryanh487
Senior Member
I didn't know that, but our military is not the best gauge of "best" so much as "cheapest bidder that gets the job done". Don't get me wrong, i trust my vortex optics and their durability. But if I was a designated marksmen or sniper with my buddies lives in my hands every time I looked through the scope i'd want the absolute clearest possible glass available that was also tough as nails and vortex isn't quite that level.
spencer12
Senior Member
Have a pair of their viper Binos and diamondbacks, both great optics but the vipers are a step above.
Robert28
Senior Member
I’m looking for a new scope for my 308 now and there’s NOTHING out there hardly. What I mean is you used to find a deal on a scope anytime of the year but now EVERYTHING is msrp, from Amazon to opticsplanet to Midway, you name it. Not even $1 off. Combine that with the fact that it seems like no one caters to the hunting crowd anymore, what’s up with these busy reticles? I’m not trying to solve a math equation, I’m trying to shoot a deer or a hog, give me simple crosshairs, not all this other stupid stuff distracting me. I’ve always owned Leupold but wow have the cut out all the scopes I would be interested in and replaced them with stuff I have absolute no interest in! VX3i got replaced by some stupid HD model that ALL have CDS. I don’t want CDS. The Freedom isn’t near the deal it used to be. I’m not paying $299 for a basic entry level 3x9x40 scope. I have one and I paid $180 and that’s about all it’s worth. Great scope for $180, it ain’t no $300 scope though. So Leupold is out for me.
Meopta doesn’t seem to have near the selection they used to have. Their new meopro sport only comes in ONE configuration? Why?!
Only ones even TRYING to cater to the hunting man is Vortex, Burris, Bushnell and Sig. That’s it. Everything else is tacticol and long rage shooting from a bench (why there’s so many stupid looking reticles). I’ll stick with my old Leupold but I think I’m gonna have to go somewhere else for a hunting scope.
Meopta doesn’t seem to have near the selection they used to have. Their new meopro sport only comes in ONE configuration? Why?!
Only ones even TRYING to cater to the hunting man is Vortex, Burris, Bushnell and Sig. That’s it. Everything else is tacticol and long rage shooting from a bench (why there’s so many stupid looking reticles). I’ll stick with my old Leupold but I think I’m gonna have to go somewhere else for a hunting scope.
Comparing scopes inside a bass pro store is meaningless, they all look good in well lighted areas. Compare them late afternoon, poor light looking into shadows and you will see night and day difference between lower priced scopes or binoculars and the upper priced. I used cheap scopes & binoculars for years thinking they were as good as any until I actually got to test them under real field low light conditions. Up until then I was happy as a pig in mud because I did not know what I didn't know. Same rule applies to almost everything in our lives. Like the song says "Love the one you're with if you can't be with the one you love".
I have a Vortex 1-6X Strike Eagle on my AR. I'm not saying it's the best out there, I'm not saying it's the worst. Given what I paid for it (less than $200) vs. the performance that has been it holds zero and I can put the shot within about 2 MOA or better with it in the scenarios under which I shoot, it has worked out just fine.
I'm not gonna say what's better or worse, I just know my Vortex experience has been just fine so far with my one purchase.
I'm not gonna say what's better or worse, I just know my Vortex experience has been just fine so far with my one purchase.
Jack Flynn
Senior Member
Vortex has not figured out how to make good glass yet period. Nuff said lol
I'm a firm believer in YOU using whatever makes YOU happy. But to say that Vortex doesn't make good glass simply isn't true. Actually, I don't know that Vortex makes their own glass or contracts it out.
I once sat on the front porch late in the evening with my father in law comparing his Swarovskis to the new Vortex Razors I had. We passed them back and forth looking at different objects at different distances. The only noticeable advantage (and you really had to look to see it) was the Swaros were crystal clear all the way to the edge of the lense, whereas the Vortex lost clarity right at the edge. Neither one of us could see where the Swarovskis were $2000 better than the Vortex.
