Vortex Ranger HD 3000 Rangfinding Binos

Joined
Aug 16, 2019
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81
Location
Gothenburg, NE
Saw that Vortex has came out with a new Ranger 300 HD rangefinging bino. I do not see many reviews out there yet. Wondering if anyone has had any experience with these and would care to share a review. I have been looking into a rangefinding bino for a while but have not pulled the trigger. I have Viper HD binos and the Ranger range finder. Thinking an all in one unit might be the way to go. Thanks in advance for any reviews on this product.

 
These are already half price and just came out...haven't even seen a review on them yet. Any idea what the glass is like as it is usually worse with rangefinder added? Would it be similar to the Vipers priced below this?
 
I decided to take a stab at them. Optically they are not bad at all. I compared them to my Meopta Mepro HD Plus also in 10x42. They are fairly comparable looking into dark areas in the woods behind my house. The Meopta are very slightly better for definition of leaves and other things in the darkness. I could not see anything with the naked eye. The Rangers are heavier but still lighter than carrying both binoculars and a range finder. At one time I used top-tier Swarovski binoculars but after losing a set on a Colorado elk hunt, I only use mid-tier Meopta and Leupold binoculars and these seem to fit in with those. I think at $599 on BPS plus a military discount they were a good buy.
 
Got a chance to take a look at these at my local Cabelas today.

They didnt have any Fury's to compare them too, but I thought I read somewhere that they were "Viper glass."

So I compared them vipers.

I have to say they were brighter than the Vipers and collected more light.

I used a buddys Fury's this past June on S. Dakota prairie dog hunting.

The one thing I didnt like about the Rangers however was the Scan feature was a bit glitchy. On the Fury's, you just hold it down and it will scan automatically. While this happens with the Ranger, I had to hold it for a couple seconds to make it work. But it only worked for 5-10 seconds before having to release and do it again.

There was no rhyme or reason because sometimes it would scan right away depressing the button. Other times it took 5-10 seconds to engage. So i kept hitting the button to range things as I scanned.

Now, tapping the ranges came back instantly and incredibly fast. Surprisingly fast actually.

I just know when I was in S. Dakota. Ranging things can be difficult to get the laser exactly in the right object. So getting a few readings around a location allows you to do a quick average, and the scan helps that because its immediate feedback as your hands cant be completely still.

Now, all that being said--i wouldnt hesistate to buy one.

Ill be interested to see what they go on sale for at Thanksgiving or Xmas, and the used market would be even less.

Cabelas had them listed for $800. With reg (Non-AB) the Fury's going for $1,000 new and mid-$700s used.

I could see eventually the Rangers on sale for mid-$600s.

To me, a $200 differense ($800 vs. $1000) isnt much of a difference, wish thered be more variance between the two prices. Similar to other companies offering several models in the $100-$500 range, the $800-$1000 range and then $2k+

$800 vs. $1k is kind of in the same range price point wise.

But what do I know, I'm just a guy on an internet forum called RokSlide. 🤷😂
 
The one thing I didnt like about the Rangers however was the Scan feature was a bit glitchy. On the Fury's, you just hold it down and it will scan automatically. While this happens with the Ranger, I had to hold it for a couple seconds to make it work. But it only worked for 5-10 seconds before having to release and do it again.

There was no rhyme or reason because sometimes it would scan right away depressing the button. Other times it took 5-10 seconds to engage. So i kept hitting the button to range things as I scanned.

Now, tapping the ranges came back instantly and incredibly fast. Surprisingly fast actually.
Sounds like something a firmware update may be able to fix. Did you report it to Vortex?
 
Sounds like something a firmware update may be able to fix. Did you report it to Vortex?

I didnt buy them, I was juat looking at them in the store. It was the only pair they had, so I didnt have another pair to compare it too. But you could be right.

I'm specifically looking at Vortex because they're the only company I know that warranties their bino AND electronics for the life of the optic. I like their no fault warranty. So definitely could be sent back to the factory if needed. But because they're new, there's not many real world reviews.

Many others are only like a 5 yr warranty on electronics.

Just my $0.02
 
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