Contributors to this thread:
I have a Vortex scope on a 300 WinMag rifle, equal to scopes twice or more the cost. I have a few friends that have vortex binos, also equal to binos twice or more the cost. None of us have had one problem with our optics. One of my friends is quite abusive with his gear also. So who uses or has used Vortex and what are your experiences? I ask because I have believed them to be a great company with a great product, but there is a lot of hate for Vortex on another thread.
Great value for the cost. Some have to have Swarovski but could not tell you the difference between the two.
I have a pair of 10x42 Vipers that I use for hunting, and a pair of 12x50 Diamondbacks that I use for 3D. Used them for turkey as well this year.
Zero complaints. They work great for me.
Have the Diamond back 10x42 bino's, love them. Putting a razor rifle scope on my 300 mag as well.
I use 4 different products by vortex they are good for the money but the Diamondback series pre the new lens coating are garbage in low light. The viper and razor line is much better in low light. Durability wise I am still skeptical. The lense inside of my 20-60x80 razor hd eyepiece came loose during a moose hunt last fall. Luckily I had a 33x moa eye piece as a back up. They replaced it but I'd rather not need a warranty. When I get back from the sand box I'm going to beat the he** out of the viper on my 338 to see if it holds up like my old leupold.
I've had a pair of Razors for 9 years and have no desire or need to upgrade.
Love my Vortex scope and magnifier
Been looking to get a pair of Vortex bino's. I have the Ziess HD now and love them. I have heard great things about the Vortex products. Especially in recent years.
Two sets of binos zero complaints. Have used the warenty I busted a pair in half my fault. Have a vortex rangefinder not sure I like it yet.
I noticed a lot of the same on another thread. Personally, I have some binocs and a rangefinder from Vortex. I'm pleased with both and that is all that matters!
I own 9 vortex products, can't find a fault with any. I don't think I've ever heard any hate against vortex, aside from guys with very expensive glass talking down on vortex, most (not all)of the time without even trying them.
I went back to the other thread, it was the same guy talking trash on Vortex. Good to hear all the success on this thread though!
If the optics are good, why do so many posts say "for the money"? If they're as good as Swarovski optics, there is no need for a qualifier. They're not. That's why there is a qualifier.
Being "satisfied" and thinking something is awesome are also not the same. I used a bushnell spotter for years. It was adequate and worked for my purposes. It isn't even close to my swaro. If you can wait a while and save up the cash, buy the best.
I've been a Dealer for 9 years now & rarely hear of an issue with the Vortex Optics. We've used for Razors for many years & they do just great! No doubt a guy can have issues with any brand but for some reason guys like trashing various brands if it differs from theirs. I see this all the time.
ElkNut1
I have a wide range of glass on SEVERAL rifles. The thing I see with Vortex is that it is great when new, but compare it to Swaro after 10 years of use and you WILL see the difference. A buddy of mine is a guide and uses Vortex. His complaint: After time the Vortex loses its sharpness and crispness. Exactly my experience.
Optics are no different from anything else: You get what you pay for. I'm not a Vortex hater. I've used plenty of their products the past few years and think it is great glass for the money, top of its class, but to say it is as good as Leica or Swaro is ludicrous.
For the money they are a very good optic. Compare price points with other brands & you'll see they hold their own. Why you would want to compare a 1000.00 Razor to a 2500.00 Swaro really doesn't make sense or is it fair. Most hunters are blue collar guys, not everyone can afford the swaro's so the Razors or other comparable brands can fit the bill for some without being under glassed.
Not sure how anyone could tell if their optics diminished in 10 years? What would you compare it to? Vortex does not have optics out where they are the same for 10 years? Every couple of years their glass has been improved upon so you cannot take a 10 year old set & compare it to a present day optic even if the Name is the same. This holds true with all optic brands, New & Improved!
I also have a Swaro 10X42 HD Swarovision bino & I can say that those & my razors are optically very close right down to no light. I give the Swaro's the edge but by the very narrowest of margins. Price point wise the Razors are a great optic for the budget minded hunter.
ElkNut1
First of all I wonder how some of you guys made it to adulthood being so thin skinned.the tread that has your panties waded in your crack is a gag with a bit a satire for good measure.
Now let's talk Vortex, which for the most part are unrealable junk. When you add the qualifiers like " good for money" what I means is they suck but you can handle it because they were cheap. Comparing them to optics that cost 3x as much and saying they are just as good is out right foolish and generally shows that you have no experience with what your making a comparison too. Optics more then many other things have a very liner cost to performance ratio. As cost goes up so does performance. If a pair of Vortex binoculars was built to perform equally to other items at 3 times the cost then they would be selling for a price that reflective the performce. The only redeeming quality in Vortex has been the warrnety experience which alas I am sad to say I have used way to often. I will admit that my pool of experience with vortex is limited to a pair a Razors HDs binoculars, a Viper rifle scope and range finder for a very short period of time. None of which compared well to their optics from Swarovski or Zeiss that I have owned regardless of the cost comparison.
Comparing value, as in getting your money's worth, is quite different from comparing quality.
And there is always the law of diminishing return.
Probably ninety percent of bowhunters would not get the value out of premium optics. The needs of the coues deer hunter would be quite different than the deep woods whitetail hunter.
Value can only be assigned by the user and so is a pretty pointless arguement.
Quality of equipment is a different matter.
Man I have a ranger, binos, rifle scopes and a razor spotter and like them alot. I can't justify spending over $1500 for optics when most hunting is in the whitetail woods or looking through the spotter at the rifle range. For someone to say that good for the money when spending $1500 for a spotter is cheap...I guess good for you. I like them a lot and think the glass is ""good" not excellent but it is enough for me. I think they are a good cmpany with a good product.
I think its always interesting to see how many people are on the swaro band wagon automatically because of the name alone. Have any of you swaro lovers actually taken any time to compare swaro to Leica? You might be surprised on who actually has the best glass.
As far as Vortex they are pretty comparable glass to top end stuff. Not quite as good but for half the price there is not half the quality difference either.
When I compare my Leupold bino's to my friends Zeiss, I don't see the Zeiss as being better. The Zeiss cost a lot more. When I compare my Vortex rifle scope to my Nikon Buckmaster scope, and my friends top of the line Leupold scope, I also don't see a difference. Maybe it is my eyes that suck. My panties are in a wad because it is foolish to spend 10x the money on a product when I can't see a difference. I am talking real field use, at first, high noon, and last light, not at the counter in the sporting goods store under artificial light.
My Razors are twice the bino my Diamondbacks are, but I went to Zeiss this year, and I'm a lot happier now then I've ever been with my binos. I can't say anything wrong about Vortex, but after spending hours and hours behind my Zeiss looking for cous in December and January, I gave my Vortex binos away...
Vortex has several different levels of product. When you get to the HD binos, they are darn good, and darn good values. Likewise, the long range competitors use a lot of the higher end Vortex scopes.
For the guy who can't afford a $2000 pair of binos, to belittle their choice is crap. I've never been disappointed by Vortex optics, particularly my Razor HD 8x30 binos, and several rifle scopes. And my primary binos are 10x42 Kahles, best rifle scopes are Kahles, and Zeiss Diavari, so I'm not just using inexpensive optics.
I don't like the narrow field of view that vortex scopes have. It makes target acquisition more difficult and absolutely could cost success. The scope I looked through COST MORE than the leupold on my rifle that day. It certainly didn't seem to be one I'd pay for. In fact, I wouldn't put it on my hunting rifle if it were free. I encouraged my friend to get rid of it.
My Vortex bino's are good glass. No pentax but, for the $400 I paid, they work real well. And, they are about 5 years old. Are they comparible to Zeiss? I don't know. But, they are plenty good for me. God Bless men
There's issues with everything, I try not to see it through rose colored glasses.
I use hd 10x42 diamondbacks, and definitely notice eye relief issues after a long time of glassing compared to higher priced binos. And probably will pick up some 15x from them. But don't get me wrong if I could afford 15x Swarovski I wouldn't hesitate to buy them instead.
I feel like these threads are a way of trying to justify purchase choice. If I know they work, and like the product why care what everyone else thinks about it.
Why buy so many pairs on binoculars? I bought one pair of 10x42 and one pair of 15x56 Swarovski. They will last my entire lifetime. The 10s were spendy at $2500 since they have a rangefinder. The 15s cost $1500 brand new and were bought on sale when a new model was coming out.
The "high end" vortex 15s are $1500 msrp. Admittedly, it seems you can find them for $1000. I know I bought at a good price, but it was openly advertised and available to everyone. I'd rather wait, save, and own the best. That's Swarovski. They earn their price tag at extreme distance and during low light.
Lets not compare apples to oranges. I know about Vortex but through work but personally do not own any Vortex product but for many middle income guys for the $2500.00 they can buy vortex binoculars, raingear, and a backpack. For guys who make a living hunting or spend many hours behind the glass can better justify the cost. For those that $$$$ is not a problem then it is all an easy answer. Oh by the way Vortex has great program called "Heroes" for military ID card holders and LEOs where you can get 40% off of retail.
I guess my attempt at "apples to apples" or 15's to 15's was lost on you? Buy whatever you want and justify it however you want.
You mean guys justify paying $2500 for a pair of binos when the $500 bino does almost as well? Plenty of heat waves distorting vision with any glass on most days of archery season. I don't care how much you spend, your binos won't clear up those heat waves.
I just don't subscribe to the whole "good for the money" excuse, would you shoot an arrow or a broadhead that is "good for the money"? I really like the glass from Steiner, they Really work well for me for short term incidental glassing. I'm looking forward to setting up the new 15s on a tripod next to my Swaros to see how they compare. I did it with Votex and well... looking forward to the new Steiners.
-- Bill
Halibut it is not lost but many guys cannot justify the expense. If I lived out west then I would not rest until I had top $$$$ glass.
Heck, I live out west and still can't justify it. Then again, 99.9% of my glassing is 100yds and in. ;-)
"Almost as well" is worth a whole lot to me. I kill most of my critters late and early. I'd argue that over the life of my "nockers" they will net an "extra" 50 animals (or more). That's $50 an animal. I'll pay that, every single time.
I have a vortex scope on a rifle and it has worked reasonably well. It is not as clear as a Leupold in similar magnification and objective diameter. I have had a few issues with it not returning to zero when turning the turrets as well, but it is definitely worth what I paid for it and less than 1/2 the price of a comparable Leupold. Have been considering sending it back for a tune up.
I have used Zeiss, Leupold, Leica, Vortex, Pentax, Doctor, Nikon, Steiner, Cabelas and Swarovski binoculars and spotting scopes over the years. I use my Swarovski 10x EL's all the time and have never had a problem with them. I use my 15x56's and 65mm HD spotting scope on a tripod a lot as well - particularly glassing for sheep, mule deer, and Coues deer. They are my go-to glass and, at least for me, work better across the line than anything else. I would like a small pair of 8x30 CL's some day. Probably going to be a while for those though...
Thumbs up for Vortex. I have some of their lower end optics (made in Thailand) and the higher end stuff like the Razors (made in Japan). I have a digi scope setup for my Swaro and my Razor HD spotter and have used both quite a bit over the last 5 years. I like both! but I usually take my Vortex because I wouldn't be afraid to break it because you can't beat the Warranty! which is why I don't go easy on my spotting scope and she hasn't had any issues!
So if I buy the most expensive glass, I will kill more animals?
I can't speculate at your hunting abilities, although I would bet that you would enjoy glassing more and see more animals. Good optics are amazing on your eyes, and you can honestly appreciate looking at animals not looking for them. I guess it's all about what you will settle for.
--Bill
I didn't buy my binos based on any "brand loyalty" I went to Cabelas and took a variety of top end pairs into the low light mule deer exhibition. The Swarovskis were far and away the brightest. Waited for some 10x42 SLC's to show up in the Bargain Cave and bought them. Have never regretted that purchase. In my opinion the Swaro's are in a class of their own.
--Mitch
PECO, you'll see more animals with better glass FOR SURE. As for the killing part, well, that's another endeavor....
How exactly is anyone "hard on optics"? Sure I've used my binoculars as a rifle rest more times than I can count, but I've never been in a situation where I needed to use my spotting scope to beat something to death or where it was advantageous to throw it off a cliff. Seriously. I use the hell out of my stuff. Is that "being hard on it"?
Good grief...
What bow are you guys shooting?
I have swaros and have glassed with some Vipers. Thought they were pretty good glass. far better than average. I don't think you are going to miss ANY animals with them you would have picked up with something costing 2 or 3 times as much. You might be able to score something better at the edges of distance and light, but you aren't going to miss them if you have any glassing skills. "For the money" yeah, in all honesty they are pretty good. Some seem to think if you don't spend the most money you are blind. Not true.
Begrudging good glass, and a great value at that.... to those who can't slap their budget up on the table like some..... wow....
Swaros, Ziess, great quality glass. But not necessary. I'd go as far as to say likely some Vortex users out there that have arrowed more and bigger animals than a good many swaros owners. Amazing I know.... but true..... likely did it on their own too.... =D
Mostly, I shoot my homemade longbow. Sometimes I shoot my Black Widow.
Got good deals on all the Swarovski glass I own. I feel it is worth it. Having top end glass has helped my find animals that I am pretty sure I would not have found otherwise - particularly mule deer, Coues deer and sheep. Up to me or the guy I am helping to kill them or not after that, but you can't kill what you can't find.
When I was guiding down in NM and AZ years ago, I got to use Zeiss and Leica glass and fell in love with the Zeiss. Bought a pair of 10x and 8x Zeiss on sale through Cabela's and both had seal problems. I sent them back to Cabela's and they refunded my money. Have not owned Zeiss since.
I tried out the 15x Vortex binos next to a pair of 15x60 Zeiss and my 15x56 Swaro's on a Coues deer hunt and there was a noticeable difference in clarity, crispness, light gathering and the focal adjustment was coarse on the Vortex compared to the other two. It was hard to sit behind the Vortex binos for very long and glass hard into the brush. Most of the animals found on that hunt were with the upper end glass. The guy that owned the Vortex binos traded up to Swaro's shortly after that hunt. My buddy that has been using his 15x60 Zeiss for over 30 years for Coues and Desert Sheep also bought a pair of 15x56 HD's and kept the Zeiss for backup.
Not saying the Vortex optics were bad, they were just a significant step down for that application and it was much easier to find deer with the top-end glass. For 15's, there is not that much difference in price (especially if you can find a used pair!) but there is a noticeable difference in quality.
I have not used a Vortex spotting scope. For most hunts, you don't need top end optics for a spotting scope and a Vortex, Nikon or Leupold is probably more than adequate. Hell, most guys elk hunting just want to know if there is a legal bull (4 point) in a group of elk - not if that bull is 360" or 375". If you are guiding for trophy hunters that are paying big dollars for an antelope or Coues deer above a certain score or on a sheep hunt where a legal sheep has an age or curl requirement, then you absolutely want the best optics that you can get. My Swaro 65mm scope and tripod is always in my pack when I am hunting mule deer, sheep or Couse deer.
The most critical glass you have is the pair of binos you have around your neck - usually 10's or 8's. That is where you should focus on highest quality. A spotting scope is secondary and you will rarely need top-end glass - save your money on the spotting scope and use it for a good tripod and the 10's around your neck. Using 15's on a tripod is a very specialized type of hunting and most guys will never seriously do that kind of spotting/hunting.
I have never regretted buying any of my Swarovski optics.
Buy the best you can afford and you will not regret it.
I has loss my range finder while hunting! I went to the local store yo buy another, there was a Vortex 1000! I bought it because I have two scopes which are EXCELLENT! That evening when I got into my blind, I wanted to ranged a couple of spots and my new range finder and it wouldn't work! Tried it on several items and still wouldn't work. Next morning I called Vortex and they advised me the Model 1000 wasn't made to shoot through the netting in blinds! They advised me to return it and get my money back which I did! They were GREAT on the return and refunded me my money! Vortex is a Great Company and I will still buy there products!
Ok, Halibut I will bite! I have hunted sheep, elk, mule deer, Coues, whitetail, brown bear, moose, caribou, and black bear and I have lived without the absolute top quality glass and have killed all of the above.
Conjecture and giving a probability of success with zero empirical evidence does not hold water. This argument is like I will freeze to death without Sitka gear.
I agreed with you that the best glass is the best but many cannot, do not, and will not spring $25 Benjamins for the Swaros. I know a guide who would love to have a pair of Swaros but he still out spots everyone hence his moniker "EagleEye".
Get off the banter that you are less if you do not spring for your choice. Tom Miranda, Fred Bear, and many other vaunted hunters have slayed tons of record book animals without the vaunted SWAROs.
The problem all these threads are they move away from the original question. The question was "So who uses or has used Vortex and what are your experiences?"
At some point, 99% of people here draw the line on price, thus calling it "good enough for the money". Unless you shoot 30 dollar silver flames, 300 dollar a dozen arrows, 2000 dollar carbon bow, a 10k dollar custom rifle, then like the rest of us, you've made that determination that your equipment gives you the right balance of cost and performance.
I own a lot of Vortex items-spotting scope, 3 rifle scopes, 2 binocs, and a rangefinder. I love every one of them. I've never had to use the warranty, but it's reassuring knowing it's there if needed.
I'll answer the question directly: I once owned a new Vortex Razor 50mm spotting scope. I used it for one year. I also owned a used older model Leica 77mm APO spotting scope for the same year. My plan was to use the smaller/lighter Vortex 50 for my backpack hunts and use the bigger/heavier Leica 77 for spotting from the truck. The plan was logical and made sense. That is, until I used them both. I ended up carrying the bigger scope in my backpack. For my use the extra clarity, color definition, and range made up for the additional 3 pounds. This was my Vortex experience.
Vortex is like Rage. They both aggressively market by advertising on nearly every hunting show and in nearly every hunting magazine out there. Name recognition is everything in sales!
I have Diamondback 10x42 binos, Talon HD 10x42 binos, and Diamondback riflescope, I have had no issues with any of them...
I'm Vortex fan. I've looked plenty through friends' Swaro binos & spotting scopes and personally can't justify the price jump.
Besides we'll all be switching to engineered plastic polymer in the next couple of years...
Pigsticker,
Is killing lots of different species the method through which one wins an argument with you? If so, please investigate my bona fides before launching such an assault.
It's possible to hunt and kill anything anywhere without the aid of optics of any kind whatsoever. A hunter could go afield with only his eyesight and a self-bow and be successful. That's anecdotal. What is empirical is that better glass leads to greater definition which leads to better identification which produces more sightings of quarry in the field. That's it.
Use whatever you want. I don't care. Just don't try to declare Vortex optics to be the same as Swarovskis. That's not true at all, and we all know it.
I have to sets of Vortex binos and have used their scopes. I get a pretty hefty discount on their stuff through work, but IMO if I was going to pay retail or even near retail I think there are better optics for around the same price point. I personally think Leupold has better glass and their warranty is about as good as Vortex. Nikon has better glass as well, but in my experience is not as well made. If I didn't get such a steep discount I would go with Leupold hands down.
I have a couple vortex scopes and really like them. Having a good scope is important but the person behind the scope is far more important in my opinion. a $1000 scope isn't going to help someone who jerks the trigger.
I love reading these threads, they usually consist of a bunch of people who don't know how evaluate glass or research products beyond which bubba is using what on TV.
The Razors are garbage optically compared the the Meopta Meostar (Same Price) Leica Trinovids (cheaper) etc. The edge to edge clarity isn't even close to the alphas and the spotters are no better than a Zen Ray.
I guide and hunt 40-50 days a year and I believe I see more game through my Swaro's than I saw through the previous glass. From side by side comparisions in the field, the differences are pretty noticeable.
My favorite is always the "I went to Cabelas and compared them side by side and saw basically zero difference." Next time you spend 3 hours hunting behind your glass in "Cabelas-like" conditions, you let me know ;)
Bottom line though if you're happy with what you have who gives a rat's ass what another guy has? If someone is asking for advice on what to buy, the guys that have spent and upgraded, then spent again and upgraded and then spent again and upgraded generally pass on the advice that if they had it to do over again they would cut out the middle and suggest that to the next guy. Then the people who haven't gotten that high in the "upgrade cycle" say you'd have to be an idiot to spend that much, and we go round and round and at the end of the day the OP needs to put their big boy pants on and make a decision about their own hard earned $$$ that no one else can tell them :)
Love my diamondbacks, hated my vortex ranger, it was a POS, sold it and got a leopold, my really old bushnell scout was night and day better than the vortex
elksticker, comparing 50mm to 70mm scope is not a fair comparison.
What have I learned here, nothing. Vortex is great, as in line with my experiences, vortex sucks say others. I am not going to pull up my big boy pants and run out and drop $2.5K on a pair of Swarvo binos anytime soon, if ever. Maybe on a spotting scope but that is another conversation. Thanks for all the input guys.
PECO,
And that's the problem, if you did a little reading you'd realize there are better options at the same price point like meopta, mid grade leica, not to mention the used market on alpha glass.
There are plenty of pair of swarms for sale online for $1500-$1750 in all shapes and sizes. For $2500, you get the 10x42 EL Range, which is obviously more than just a "nocker".
Someone has a mind like a steel trap. And when it snaps closed, nothing will pry it open.
What's the point of asking for opinions if your's is never going to change anyway. Just looking to bolster an insecurity, if you get the answers you want?
"better options at the same price point " says you and a few others on this post, the other half say otherwise. You crack me up, you too Ambush. I wasn't looking to "change my mind" I was interested in others experiences with Vortex. This thread does not make me want to throw away all my optics and go by "the best" as per some on here, that would be weak of me.
Yes, I know you weren't looking to change your mind or to even be open minded. You were looking for support for your opinion that anybody that buys high end glass is far less intelligent and discerning than you. You just wanted to scream "Elitist!" It was very transparent.
Is Vortex successful because of their marketing hype. Did you fall for it? They sponsor more shows and hunters than Rage, which you claim is the only reason Rage sell heads.
Goose, gander, sauce?
Q: What are your experiences with Vortex? A: You are transparent and narrow minded because Vortex suck and only morons fall for the hype, then they need to start a thread for group support from the other dumb ass losers. LOL, your still cracking me up Ambush, just answer the question. What are your experiences with Vortex optics? Or just go ahead and tell my narrow minded gullible ass what to buy.
Sure. But first show me where I said Vortex was no good. As a matter of fact, I said they could be good value.
I'm not a one way street. And I don't get pissy when others opinions differ from mine. Especially if it has no real consequence in my life.
"That would be weak of me"
Suddenly, a product has cultivated that sort of brand loyalty. Holy cow! Advertising is amazing these days.
I have no brand loyalty, I have financial loyalty. I own a Vortex rifle scope, Nikon rifle scope, Leupold bino's, Nikon, Bushnell, and Simmons range finders (long story as to why I have 3), Simmons spotting scope (I do have a quality tripod from Bogen). Like I said I have compared some of my optics to others that cost more and do not see the difference to justify the cost. I can see/feel a difference in a quality tripod. Seriously if you guys read this thread and said, oh some guys say Vortex are as good as other optics that cost a lot more so I'll go buy Vortex, would that not be weak of you? Yeah, it would. Nothing to do with advertising, I don't watch those lame hunting show, I don't have cable. The only reason I even ever looked at Vortex was from word of mouth recommendations.
Is it just me or is Bowsite flooded with PMSing bitches? Ambush all you do is bitch, I'm beginning to think you and woods walker are in a rocky relationship where you caught him in bed w/ a mouthful of your brother while tugging on elkboy. Every topic is twisted to fuel one person's argument then all the sheep follow especially if it originates from one of the bowsite bullies.
Had a guy at the store talk me into a vortex range finder, total piece of crap. I will not own anything vortex again.
As with almost all of my gear, I look for that point of diminishing returns (which I believe is the quality point Vortex actually aims for with their products if they were being honest). I got a razor spotter for $1k brand new. I have sheep hunted with it, I have sheep hunted with a Swaro of the same specs.
The swaro was better. No question.... but how much better? It was slightly more than double the price. I couldn't see double the difference in quality. Comparing my spotter to other $500 spotters I certainly could see double the difference in quality. It starts to level out where you pay double for a 10% increase in quality, and that is where I stop when shopping.
My opinion would change if I was a sheep guide. My opinion likely will change later in life when my eyesight starts to suck (the part overlooked by many posters here). I have great vision, and I can't justify the difference in cost for Alpha glass vs mid tier stuff like a Razor HD or Meopta.
I was in the same boat, I had the coin to buy the Leicas and when I looked at the high end Vortex, I couldn't see enough of a difference to spend twice the coin. I would like to pick up a pair of used 15x56 Swaro's at some point, but I will use my Vortex 15X56 until then. My Vortex binos, and scopes serve me well, and I kill animals almost every year. Are Swaros and Leica better??? Sure they are! Are they twice the price better??? Not in my opinion. But, everyone's eyes are different. My buddy loves Nikons and swears by them... Good for him, in my opinion my Vortex are better... Notice a common theme here??? OPINIONS! And we all know what they say about opinions:)
Go buy the best you can afford and that you feel will serve you the best.
Good Luck,
Scar.
Trevor, that is exactly what I have been trying to say. The only thing is, when your eyes get old, tired and weak like mine, you may not see that 10% and still stick with brand X for half the cost.
cattrack, I would not let Vortex's rangefinders be your only experience with them. Their rangefinders are total POS's. They are not representative of the rest of Vortex's products in my experience. Just an FYI.
I hunt antelope in SE Wyoming, which often means finding them 2-3 miles away. For that purpose, the 8x30 Vortex Razor HD does a fine job. Is edge to edge clarity as good as my Kahles binos? Probably not, but not much different. Do I have headaches or other problems after glassing most of the day? No. Can I spot things as well as others with more expensive binoculars? Often, yes. To be fair, I've got perfect vision after cataract surgery. But there's not a damn thing wrong with those binoculars.
cattrack, I would not let Vortex's rangefinders be your only experience with them. Their rangefinders are total POS's. They are not representative of the rest of Vortex's products in my experience. Just an FYI.
x2, I don't consider a RF optics, they're electronics. When those hit the market they held their ground but soon ran into QC issues and they lost their integrity with it. I've been shopping for a long range RF and have been eyeballing the sig kilos, so far they've been quite the unit for their price point.
Don't worry Ohio, you'll feel better when your yeast infection clears up lol
But we're still friends right?
Massengill has had me back in business for a week now.
I'm not sayin I wouldn't go fishin with the guy, but couple people here who are typically highly regarded have taken some posts/threads completely out of context simply to fit their bitchmode agenda. And b/c of their position the pisshead betas follow like good little sheep do, pretty sad when you think about it.
I've owned two vortex binos. 10X and 12x Razors.
Did not work for my eyes. Yes, top end glass is better. What it's worth to you, your eyes, your needs while hunting, and your possible headaches, is up to you. When I decided I was going to pick up the best glass for MY EYES, regardless of price, I didn't end up with the highest price bino, as that bino hurt my eyes/head. Why the bashing has to happen every time someone brings up glass is beyond me. Insecure folks I guess.
