Vectronix Vector X 10x42mm Evaluation

[Formidilosus]

This will be a field evaluation of the Vector X 10x42mm SMR rangefinding Binoculars. The binos came from Tim @Procision Arms who asked if I would do a review on them.


This eval will be similar to the one conducted for the- Revic BLR10b RF Bino Eval



Vector X 10x42mm

Specs: can be found here-

VECTOR X | VECTRONIX SHOOTING SOLUTIONS

The pinnacle of rangefinding binoculars, offering superior range performance and unrivaled usability for the most demanding shooters.

www.vectronix-shooting-solutions.com

The Vector X’s are a RF bino with ballistic data using Applied Ballistics, with two different etched reticles in the FOV.

The X’s are a bit larger than the Revic’s, and about the same as the Sig 10k’s.

(Leica Geovid 10x42/Vector X/Revic)






Reticles:

The SMR model has a cross in the center of the FOV with dots on each leg, as well as an L-shape reticle in the lower left.








RF Readouts:

There are three user selectable screens-


This is the “standard” screen. Displays yardage, elevation data, wind 1, wind 2, and the compass below all that.



This is the “profile” screen. It displays yardage, the selected gun profile, remaining velocity and remaining Ft-Lbs of energy.



This is the third screen- it displays yardage, wind 1, wind 2, Time of Flight (TOF), and the inclination (angle)




Yes, there is a lot going on in the FOV.




Controls:

The fire button for the RF is on the right barrel, the menu buttons are on the left barrel. They are small/unobtrusive and sometimes hard to feel.


Immediately it was obvious the focus wheel had significant play.

The focus wheel has not moved at all- that is just slop/backlash from left to right.







“Glass”:

Initial thoughts are the glass is fine. They are very similar to the Revics- maybe (?) a touch more resolution/definition. Maybe not. Side by side they certainly didn’t show the colors that Swarovski EL Range do, nor are they are as pleasing as newer Leica Geovid’s. More time will tell as this is just from 20’ish minutes on an overcast day.




Intial thoughts:

With only a bit of use in them, so far the X’s range well to at least 2,000 yards, and the ballistic data is populated quickly. The “eyebox is finicky to get right, the controls could be better, the reticle in the center of the FOV is distracting, the HUD is extremely busy, and the glass is fine.

 

[Formidilosus]

Compared the Vector X to the Leica Geovid and Revics in very dark woods.

This was the ambient light-



All were functional well past legal light. However, the Geovids were brighter and showed better detail overall than either of the other two, regardless of background or item. The Vector X’s interestingly showed a touch more detail than the Revics on dark items such as tree bark, however in yellow/brown grass the Revics were as good- maybe just a touch better than the X’s.

The center “cross” reticle in the Vectors is visually distracting and annoying- don’t put reticles right in the center of where you look in observation devices.

The Vector HUD has a lot going on- especially in lower light. Even with the brightness turned down, the amount of “red” in the FOV makes it hard to see what is behind it, and the HUD stays illuminated for quite a while.

 

[Formidilosus]

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[Formidilosus]

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[atmat]

It’s funny you mention the slop in the focus wheel. The focus wheel on my Revics are so stiff that it’s my least favorite part of the binos.

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to seeing what comes out of it.

 

[ljalberta]

I’ll be following along, but it sounds like theres still room for a product that delivers both excellent glass for long extended observation periods, as well as top of the line ballistic and range finding performance.

 

[Formidilosus]

It’s funny you mention the slop in the focus wheel. The focus wheel on my Revics are so stiff that it’s my least favorite part of the binos.

The 4x pair of Revic’s I’ve used, had “appropriately” stiff focus wheels- not much different than any butter foot binos. The Vectors, I cannot imagine you would be happy with. “Feeling” generally doesn’t bother me, but it is the cheapest, crapiest feeling focus wheel I have used- and there are lots of reports from others of it.

 

[Wyo_hntr]

Sorry to drag this off topic, but is there any scuttlebutt on a Maven rangefinder bino for 2025?

 

[HighUintas]

Sorry to drag this off topic, but is there any scuttlebutt on a Maven rangefinder bino for 2025?

They told me through email that they are targeting fall 2025 for release

 

[Dobermann]

They told me through email that they are targeting fall 2025 for release

Well ... as long as it's not 100 units in 2025 and hen another 100 in 2026 ... we'll be right.

 

[HighUintas]

Well ... as long as it's not 100 units in 2025 and hen another 100 in 2026 ... we'll be right.

I bet it will be. They have so many skus.... I bet they carry a very low inventory on most products, especially new ones.

 

[Formidilosus]

Using the Vector X’s the last few days.

RF performance is very good. The beam and reticle alignment is near perfect in the vertical axis, but is about .5 mils to the left on the horizontal axis.

The center cross in the middle of the FOV is very sub par for glassing. It is thick and distracting, and it gets most noticeable in low light.

The HUD. The wind 1 and wind 2 is handy for the broken and windy terrain that I am in (I set it for the current low and high winds), and the ability to change it on the bino versus the app is really solid. But it’s too much, I’ll get a pic this afternoon in low light, but even on the lowest setting there is so much RED that it blows the image out and actually makes it hard to know exactly what you are ranging.




I had to range this deer 3-4 times to be sure I was actually getting the deer and not the ground behind it or in front of it due the reticle covering up so much and the HUD.

400’ish yards.

 

[Formidilosus]

Maybe 50 yards-

 

[Formidilosus]

Today the Vector would not give me a range at all on this deer or the ground around it-



It would range the hill in front at 860’ish yards, and the small ridge behind at 1400’ish-




After 20+ tries it finally gave me a range on the deer of 916y. Then another 10-20 tries to get it again. And it would not range at all that field left and right of the deer between 860’ish and 1,400y.
As a comparison, not once with the 2x Revic BLR 10b’s have I not gotten a range to an animal or ground at its feet immediately- including deer in this exact field. Not sure what caused it, but will see if it can be replicated.

 

[ChrisAU]

Today the Vector would not give me a range at all on this deer or the ground around it-
View attachment 796723


It would range the hill in front at 860’ish yards, and the small ridge behind at 1400’ish-

View attachment 796724


After 20+ tries it finally gave me a range on the deer of 916y. Then another 10-20 tries to get it again. And it would not range at all that field left and right of the deer between 860’ish and 1,400y.
As a comparison, not once with the 2x Revic BLR 10b’s have I not gotten a range to an animal or ground at its feet immediately- including deer in this exact field. Not sure what caused it, but will see if it can be replicated.

I forget the term, but have you checked to see where the laser is in relation to the reticle? Most on SH are finding it to be a little left or right of the aiming point. Flat land with tall grass could be difficult for it especially if the beam isn’t where you think it is. Just a thought. I actually have a pair of these and some Revics on the way to me to compare next week.

 

[Formidilosus]

I forget the term, but have you checked to see where the laser is in relation to the reticle? Most on SH are finding it to be a little left or right of the aiming point.

Yes sir, see post #12. This one is .5 mils left of center.

Flat land with tall grass could be difficult for it especially if the beam isn’t where you think it is.

Yes it can be, but this is relatively short grass and the deer come out there enough that we range them quite a bit. The Revic’s range it every button push.

I also forgot to write in the last post, that right after that the Vector also wouldn’t range a grass field (think lawn grass) and a black cow at 1,000’ish yards. No problem at 850’ish, and no problem with a small grass rise at 1,200.

Just a thought. I actually have a pair of these and some Revics on the way to me to compare next week.

I’ll be interested in what you think.

 

[ID_Matt]

Ok, moving on. Now test the sigs!

 

[Formidilosus]

Ok, moving on. Now test the sigs!

Oh that’s not even a comparison.

 

[ID_Matt]

Oh that’s not even a comparison.

Go on….

 

[Formidilosus]

Go on….

I’ve only used a couple of the early Gen 2’s. While not as horrible as the Gen 1’s with the blue tint, the color/contrast/clarity was still not as good as the 4x Revics I’ve used, nor as good as these Vectors.