Vortex Scopes

[WAYNO]

When I google scopes of any brand or quality level, the search engines switch me off to pages of hits on Vortex scopes. And the online pushers are offering me deals, seems daily, on Vortex scopes. I've never seen one in person, and I know of nobody that owns one.

And I am getting mixed messages...One review said they are 100% American made by a Veteran owned company, and the next article says their products are imported from the far East.

Seems they are the rage, but do they measure up to the hype?

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I know dealers who carried them years ago and they were a tough sell. Not any more, these days. They have become very popular and probably just behind Leupold. I have not used one, as I'm a Leupold guy but on the 24hourcampfire, they are highly praised by users. Sorry I can't bring any personal experience to the subject but the Campfire is a HUGE forum. One day last week they reached, over 5 million posts. Not in one day but in general. I can't even imagine that. At 11:00am on Tuesday they have almost 2300 viewers. Just to give you an idea. There has been a complete turn around in the Vortex scopes. Would I buy one, no, I'm set in my ways, and use what I use. If I bought a used rifle and there was one on it, would I take it off and throw it away? NO. One of their big dealers is an outfit called Cameraland in NY. 212-753-5128 Talk to Doug, he will give you straight answers. I've bought different optics and such from him many times. Hopefully you will get more experienced answers than I can offer.

 

[pisgah]

I have no confirmed info on where they are made. All references I can find as to origin say their headquarters are in Wisconsin, scopes made in China, Philippines or Japan depending on the model, so who knows...

 

[WAYNO]

I know dealers who carried them years ago and they were a tough sell. Not any more, these days. They have become very popular and probably just behind Leupold. I have not used one, as I'm a Leupold guy but on the 24hourcampfire, they are highly praised by users. Sorry I can't bring any personal experience to the subject but the Campfire is a HUGE forum. One day last week they reached, over 5 million posts. Not in one day but in general. I can't even imagine that. At 11:00am on Tuesday they have almost 2300 viewers. Just to give you an idea. There has been a complete turn around in the Vortex scopes. Would I buy one, no, I'm set in my ways, and use what I use. If I bought a used rifle and there was one on it, would I take it off and throw it away? NO. One of their big dealers is an outfit called Cameraland in NY. 212-753-5128 Talk to Doug, he will give you straight answers. I've bought different optics and such from him many times. Hopefully you will get more experienced answers than I can offer.

I have no confirmed info on where they are made. All references I can find as to origin say their headquarters are in Wisconsin, scopes made in China, Philippines or Japan depending on the model, so who knows...

I have spent a good part of my morning researching these scopes. It does seem that all of their scopes are imported from the far East. The online reviews are all very favorable.

But at the expense of just a few dollars more, I will stick with Leupold. 8)

Thanks.

 

[BearBio]

Only have a pair of binos. Good=comparable to my Leupolds.

 

[GRAMPS 51]

Hi I purchased a pair of there binoculars and I love them crystal clear and a lifetime warranty I have been very tempted to try one of there scopes

Gramps

 

[whichwatch]

Only have a pair of binos. Good=comparable to my Leupolds.

Yes!! I just got a pair of the Diamondback 10x compacts, excellent quality and clarity without spending close to $1,000. Pretty damn impressed.

 

[Big Old Boy]

I have 4 scopes and a red dot all of them are top notch, and all but one scope is there entry class can’t beat them for cost and clarity. Great products .

 

[wolfsong]

I love them.

 

[rimmer]

I have heard that they are having some problems with their scopes as of lately. You might want to check and see if there is something to it.
I have their monocular and a pair of 8.5x50 binoculars and they are real nice.

 

[Mike J]

I bought a Vortex Diamondback scope & put it on my deer rifle in 2012. I like it a lot. It is a big upgrade from the old Tasco World Class that was on there before. Sadly I haven't hunted much since I put it on. Work has been going wide open & between it & the kids I just haven't had the time to spend on it I used to.

 

[Ethang]

they have different quality levels. I have had plenty of their red dot optics come through at work and they have all been solid. I picked up a PST 1x4 last year for my work rifle and have put a good number of rounds through it. It is a very solid scope and I really like the versatility of it.

 

[Rei40c]

I've found them to be very high quality. This may be more than anyone ever wanted to know about Vortex glass manufacturing process but I found it interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvhL1SsNpqE

They are aren't just slapping parts together like some of the lower quality makers. Its actually extremely high tech.

 

[Valmet]

I have a Spitfire II on one of my ARs and it has been a great little scope for the money ($350).

 

[krw]

Don’t sweat where optics are made. Zeiss, S&B, Swarovski are made overseas but are outstanding optics. Some of my NF scopes have made in Japan engraved on them. Vortex makes a very broad range of scopes. From entry level to top end tactical scopes. Kinda like the Leupold lineup, You get what you pay for. Don’t buy the Rifleman series and expect Mark IV results.

 

[pleadthe2nd]

Yes, their product are hot quality , I have four of their red dots , the diamondback binoculars, and strike eagle scope on my ar15, I have no complaints with any of them

 

[VernTMG]

Great product I own a Viper PST scope, Razor scope which is really good glass and a pair of the new Fury range finder binos and man it's nice. Unconditional lifetime warranty and customer service is amazing and here is why. A co-worker went and shot his rifle Sunday before his elk hunt and was leaving Wednesday, while shooting it would not stay focused and realized the objective focus part of the scope came apart. I advised him to call Vortex customer service number now its Monday gonna leave in 2 days, the lady on the phone asked if he knew where a dealer was close by and long story short she found him a scope at Sportsmans wharehouse and arranged with them to replace the scope at no charge to him and they would handle the warranty details. Still Monday he took it after work and they replaced it and bore sighted it, he went directly from there to the range, it was almost dead nuts kudos to Sportsmans wharehouse. They offer so many different optics at different price points I would recommend this brand to everyone. I also own a Nightforce SHV scope and I think the Razor glass is better.

 

[Ruger45]

I have a pile of vortex crossfire scope and love them. I also have a few Leupold and honestly I can't say that one is better than the other. I know I paid more for the Leupolds but as far as the ease of target acquisition, field of view, clarity, and ability to hold zero I see no difference. My Simmons and the Tasco that I had well they are a different story and I wouldn't wish them on anyone. So much so that I through them in the dump versus giving them away.

 

[Rei40c]

I have a pile of vortex crossfire scope and love them. I also have a few Leupold and honestly I can't say that one is better than the other. I know I paid more for the Leupolds but as far as the ease of target acquisition, field of view, clarity, and ability to hold zero I see no difference. My Simmons and the Tasco that I had well they are a different story and I wouldn't wish them on anyone. So much so that I through them in the dump versus giving them away.

I bought a $60 scope once. Only once, never again. "Maybe it will be okay" I said..

 

[Mobuck]

"I bought a $60 scope once. Only once, never again. "Maybe it will be okay" I said.."

I on the other hand use "price point" optics on several rifles with excellent results.
I'm using a Vortex trajectory tick scope on my coyote calling carbine and a Burris e-1 similar type on my EDC carbine. Both work well but the Vortex holds it's zero slightly better than the Burris. Some of this may be due to the way each carbine is handled but neither is coddled.
Prior to adding the Burris, I used a Banner 1.5-4x32 for several years and hardly ever found it off zero even though that carbine gets banged, clunked, fallen on, dragged over fences, and bounced endlessly in the pickup seat.

 

[44Alaskan]

Vortex Scope Warranty is Excellent

Our VIP warranty is about you, not us. It's about taking care of you after the sale.

VIP stands for a Very Important Promise to you, our customer. We will repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition.

You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it. You can count on the VIP Warranty for all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, and monoculars.

Unlimited Lifetime Warranty
Fully transferable
No warranty card to fill out
No receipt needed to hang on to

If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you.

Note
The VIP Warranty does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.

 

[pisgah]

Vortex Scope Warranty is Excellent

Our VIP warranty is about you, not us. It's about taking care of you after the sale.

VIP stands for a Very Important Promise to you, our customer. We will repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition.

You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it. You can count on the VIP Warranty for all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, and monoculars.

Unlimited Lifetime Warranty
Fully transferable
No warranty card to fill out
No receipt needed to hang on to

If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you.

Note
The VIP Warranty does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.

I always wonder what a guarantee like this really means. Is it:

A. "Our scopes are so good that we have no qualms about guaranteeing them forever with no questions asked"; or,

B. "Our scopes are so cheap to manufacture that we don't even bother to fix them; it's less expensive for us to just send out a new one to whoever complains, since they've already paid for a dozen of them."

 

[Taterman]

Vortex Scope Warranty is Excellent

Our VIP warranty is about you, not us. It's about taking care of you after the sale.

VIP stands for a Very Important Promise to you, our customer. We will repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective—at no charge to you. If we cannot repair your product, we will replace it with a product in perfect working order of equal or better physical condition.

You see, it doesn't matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it. You can count on the VIP Warranty for all Vortex Optics riflescopes, prism scopes, red dots, rangefinders, binoculars, spotting scopes, tripods, and monoculars.

Unlimited Lifetime Warranty
Fully transferable
No warranty card to fill out
No receipt needed to hang on to

If you ever have a problem, no matter the cause, we promise to take care of you.

Note
The VIP Warranty does not cover loss, theft, deliberate damage or cosmetic damage that does not hinder the performance of the product.

It is a great warranty. I've had a 4-12 x 40 Vortex Diamondback for a couple years now and love it.

 

[Conservative]

They're good quality at good prices.

 

[Ruger77shooter]

I have a 2-7x Viper that I bought at CameralandNY 6 or 7 years ago when they were closing out on that model. I think that the Viper at that time was their entry level, but not sure. I read a lot of reviews before buying it. I can't say it is better glass than my Leupolds, my Nikon Monarch, or a Bushnell 3500 I have. Funny thing is, to me, the clearest glass I currently own (none are high $$ scopes) is an old Sears Ted Williams model...I believe a 1.5-4.5 variable, that I bought at a pawn shop a month or so ago!

But, I mounted the Viper on a Marlin xl7 in a 25/06 that I had just purchased. It quickly became my favorite deer rifle and in those 6 or 7 yrs. I have had the rifle/scope combination, I have never had to re-zero it. It has never failed me. I have thought about putting another scope on it, but I am afraid to since I have killed 15 or so deer with it and never missed with it. I'm not superstitious...lol; but I'm not changing anything on it until something goes wrong! Would I buy another one, possibly. However, I have read on another forum they have changed where they get their glass from. And even though they have a great warranty, it is no better IMO than other scopes on the market.

 

[Rei40c]

"I bought a $60 scope once. Only once, never again. "Maybe it will be okay" I said.."

I on the other hand use "price point" optics on several rifles with excellent results.
I'm using a Vortex trajectory tick scope on my coyote calling carbine and a Burris e-1 similar type on my EDC carbine. Both work well but the Vortex holds it's zero slightly better than the Burris. Some of this may be due to the way each carbine is handled but neither is coddled.
Prior to adding the Burris, I used a Banner 1.5-4x32 for several years and hardly ever found it off zero even though that carbine gets banged, clunked, fallen on, dragged over fences, and bounced endlessly in the pickup seat.

Sometimes you get lucky but not often in that price range. What finally killed mine was re zeroing. From a bench rest I was hitting 3 inches right at 100 yards almost exactly. As I walked the turret left I heard click,click,click, TING. After that tinging sound the windage was frozen and would no longer move either right or left.

I don't think that all low priced scopes are garbage, but it left me with the impression I'd not waste any more money testing the theory.

 

[mlazarus5388]

Vortex has, like many optics manufacturers, different levels of quality. The upper levels are fantastic and can be a very good deal. The lower levels are what you might expect in their price point. They will not disappoint you. I have been very satisfied.