Vortex has no value.

[CorbLand]

Completely agree with this statement, the standard Razor HD's pale in comparison with anything that's remotely "alpha." For a grand, the Razor HD's are still a good buy (especially on sale or during Vortex month or used), and I'm not in the camp who calls them worthless or tells people they're junk. But they're nowhere near the performance of any of the Alpha glass or Alpha-Minus glass. Good for what they are, but let's call a spade a spade, they're a solid option for a working-class stiff or a guy who is building a kit and is slowly upgrading gear. My now 20 year old brother got a pair working at Sportsman's with me between high school and college, and they've been great for him in the interim. But he is fast to admit they're not the "end all be all" of the binocular world.

A family member has the Razors and we spent about 15 or so days together on a couple sheep hunts. It was night and day different on what I can find in my NLs. I was glassing them up at a mile plus and even when I walked him into them, he couldn’t really see them that well.

I am color blind to, so finding animals that have evolved to blend in is hard to begin with.

 

[nobody]

A family member has the Razors and we spent about 15 or so days together on a couple sheep hunts. It was night and day different on what I can find in my NLs. I was glassing them up at a mile plus and even when I walked him into them, he couldn’t really see them that well.

I am color blind to, so finding animals that have evolved to blend in is hard to begin with.

I'd be interested to hear your assessment on the UHD's coming from somebody who is color blind, because the color fidelity and contrast was one of the big selling points for my dad and myself. So if you're color blind you might not see the same "upsides" that we have observed, but it'll be interesting to hear your thoughts.

 

[CorbLand]

I'd be interested to hear your assessment on the UHD's coming from somebody who is color blind, because the color fidelity and contrast was one of the big selling points for my dad and myself. So if you're color blind you might not see the same "upsides" that we have observed, but it'll be interesting to hear your thoughts.

I need to get my EDGs back and I want to sit down one day to really compare those to the NLs.

One of my buddies has the UHDs. I will have to see if we can link up and compare them.

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

A buddy of mine has some 12x UHD's that I enjoy looking through. Doing a side by side with 10x EL's, I was pretty surprised at the UHD glass quality. One thing I noticed right away was that I was able to hand hold the UHD's alot more steady than my El's, which made me wonder if its the extra weight of the UHD's that helped, or if it's just the ergonomics of the EL's that prevent me from holding them that steady. I also really liked the added magnification. I'm on the fence about ditching the EL's for the 12x UHD's.

 

[centershot]

I like most of my Vortex optics (Viper & Razor). Have never paid retail for any of it. More like 60% of suggested retail.

 

[JGTWI]

I live not too far from the Vortex headquarters here in WI and have had a few chances to stop in to their showroom (which is awesome btw, regardless of what you think of vortex optics) and play with their binocular lineup.

I was kind of blown away the first time I looked through the UHD’s, they are in no way comparable to the standard Razors. To my eyes, I don’t know that the Razors are that much better than the Vipers; the UHD’s are significantly different. The one downside is their size and weight, but even with that I’ve come close to acquiring a pair, I just don’t have another bino that I’m willing to offload/replace…

 

[Ishisube]

I like most of my Vortex optics (Viper & Razor). Have never paid retail for any of it. More like 60% of suggested retail.

I never liked Vortex based on having never liked the Diamondback series, but it's almost as if the Vipers are a different binocular altogether.
Maybe for me, Vortex Diamondback has no value, but Vortex Viper and higher are a different thing altogether.

 

[CorbLand]

I never liked Vortex based on having never liked the Diamondback series, but it's almost as if the Vipers are a different binocular altogether.
Maybe for me, Vortex Diamondback has no value, but Vortex Viper and higher are a different thing altogether.

Optics is a very price pointed market. It’s hard to get married to one brand as there are different ones that stand out in different price points.

 

[87TT]

Compared to the stuff we hunted with back when i started, even the cheapo glass is worlds ahead. The first time I looked through some Vortex Crossfire binos, They blew away all the other "budget" stuff. I wasn't planning on paying that much but I couldn't help it. Back then my budget was tight what with kids and all. Now retired with no kids to support and no mortgage, I can afford whatever I want. Have some Vipers and Razors. So am I happy with my Vortex? Yes. My motto is HYOH.
Hunt your own hunt.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

A buddy of mine has some 12x UHD's that I enjoy looking through. Doing a side by side with 10x EL's, I was pretty surprised at the UHD glass quality. One thing I noticed right away was that I was able to hand hold the UHD's alot more steady than my El's, which made me wonder if its the extra weight of the UHD's that helped, or if it's just the ergonomics of the EL's that prevent me from holding them that steady. I also really liked the added magnification. I'm on the fence about ditching the EL's for the 12x UHD's.

Can't speak to the UHD's, but I had EL12's in the past that I couldn't hand hold worth a shit, now I have NL12's and they're amazing offhand and they weigh less than the EL12's. So much that I don't even carry my EL8.5's anymore. The NL's are absolutely amazing all around.

 

[Beendare]

Just never had the chance to compare the NLs to the UHDs.

I have. Those NL’s are best in class….lighter, better ergos and man that image is amazing. Where you notice a difference between the two- hard to describe- but in viewing a scene with bright light and dark shadows the UHD is a little more washed out….less of a crisp contrast. The NLs are the best I’ve seen.

Now, thatis being real nitpicky, the UHD is head and shoulders better than the other Vortex lines- noticeably better.

I bought the UHDs because I wanted 18x…and I get the guide deal.

 

[CorbLand]

I have. Those NL’s are best in class….lighter, better ergos and man that image is amazing. Where you notice a difference between the two- hard to describe- but in viewing a scene with bright light and dark shadows the UHD is a little more washed out….less of a crisp contrast. The NLs are the best I’ve seen.

Now, thatis being real nitpicky, the UHD is head and shoulders better than the other Vortex lines- noticeably better.

I bought the UHDs because I wanted 18x…and I get the guide deal.

I don’t think I will be selling my NLs for a set of UHDs. Was just curious how the stacked up.

 

[Shō[t]gun]

I will have to see if I can get my hands on the UHDs and compare them to my NLs.

I will never pay for a single item from Vortex for a couple reasons but I have heard the UHDs are pretty impressive. Just never had a chance to look through them.

If you've looked through the trinovid HD's, its very similar. I looked through the two in 10x42's back and forth and had a hard time finding which was better. I was outside a bass pro and looked at license plates, trees, and brick buildings out to a mile away on a stable rest to judge the differences. Clarity/resoluton reading license plates and judging brick lines at distance was exactly the same, contrast was a little better with the Leica, and edge clarity was a tad better with the UHD. Trinovids come in cheaper but they really should be in the next price bracket if they didn't feel so plastic-y.

 

[rh1452]

I have always enjoyed all of my vortex products!

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

A buddy of mine has some 12x UHD's that I enjoy looking through. Doing a side by side with 10x EL's, I was pretty surprised at the UHD glass quality. One thing I noticed right away was that I was able to hand hold the UHD's alot more steady than my El's, which made me wonder if its the extra weight of the UHD's that helped, or if it's just the ergonomics of the EL's that prevent me from holding them that steady. I also really liked the added magnification. I'm on the fence about ditching the EL's for the 12x UHD's.

The majority of my bino use is hand holding so I made a tough decision. I now own UHD 12’s, and am pretty darn happy with them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Arcticmanak]

I have a Vortex spotter (razor), binos (viper) and rifle scope (crossfire) and am happy with the quality and performance of all of them.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I have 2 pair of Vortex Viper HD.
I tell ya, I have had a hard time selling them.

 

[CobraChicken]

It’s a good bang for you buck product if you can get it discounted.

This. I have a scope and some binos. Discounted, you can't beat them. If money is no concern than I'm sure you can pick up something better

 

[Newtosavage]

Can't stand made in China optics. When Vortex started producing their Razor line in China, I was done with them. Any company that puts profit ahead of quality and covers it up with marketing is not one I want to support.

 

[Reed104R]

The Razor UHD series is Japan made and very close to alpha grade.