Vortex Razor HD 4000 GB Review/Discussion thread

[SouthPaw]

Thanks for the review.

You mentioned the cold soak to -22. I'm not surprised by the results. What was the lower limit cold soak temp you found for acceptable performance? Was it functional in the 10-30F temp range when cold soaked?

 

[NDGuy]

Someone tell Vortex to make the Fury AB with Razor glass next plz.

 

[Elite]

Only had time to play with mine for a few minutes today. Got quick solutions at 1300. My sig 8k might give the solution a hair quicker. Optics are better on the vortex. Selling my sig

This is good to know. Can’t decide between sig 5k or this one


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[Matt Cashell]

Thanks for the review.

You mentioned the cold soak to -22. I'm not surprised by the results. What was the lower limit cold soak temp you found for acceptable performance? Was it functional in the 10-30F temp range when cold soaked?

It handled overnight temps in the 20s without issue, except for a slightly dimmed display brightness.

 

[mojoe80]

Yes hopefully someone can tell Vortex we want the feature to download offline maps. It looks like Vortex bought GB.

If the map doesn't load, is it possible to get the coordinate of the ranged location to be inputted into another app like onX?

+1 on offline maps, but yes, this does work. The GPS coords are always available even if the map images aren't fully rendered. You can test this by putting your phone in airplane mode and dropping pins in an area where maps aren't available. You could grab these and input them in OnX. It would be cool if there was an Export to OnX function though!

I've used GB maps for a long time, (obviously new to the razor 4000), and as long as I populate the maps before going offline, I can see everything I need. There is a topo layer too, and it renders way faster than satellite imagery. It's Google's stock imagery so it's nowhere near as detailed as OnX. In a pinch, these are good if you can get a bar or 2 of cell strength.

 

[ndayton]

This is good to know. Can’t decide between sig 5k or this one


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The Sig 5K will limit you to 800 yards on shooting solutions as a standalone unit. Also, the optical quality isn't that great with a blueish tint. With my Sig when trying to find an animal to range in low light it can be a pain.

If I am buying a new range finder, I vote Vortex for the better optical clarity and unlimited distance on shooting solutions.

 

[Idaho_JB_208]

+1 on offline maps, but yes, this does work. The GPS coords are always available even if the map images aren't fully rendered. You can test this by putting your phone in airplane mode and dropping pins in an area where maps aren't available. You could grab these and input them in OnX. It would be cool if there was an Export to OnX function though!

I've used GB maps for a long time, (obviously new to the razor 4000), and as long as I populate the maps before going offline, I can see everything I need. There is a topo layer too, and it renders way faster than satellite imagery. It's Google's stock imagery so it's nowhere near as detailed as OnX. In a pinch, these are good if you can get a bar or 2 of cell strength.

Thanks @mojoe80. I would like to upgrade my RF to have ballistic solutions also. Will be getting this for sure.
I have always used Strelok but with the Russian sanctions, the apps is now removed from the app store. I will start to use GB, good to know you have been using it for a long time now.

 

[nobody]

Only had time to play with mine for a few minutes today. Got quick solutions at 1300. My sig 8k might give the solution a hair quicker. Optics are better on the vortex. Selling my sig

Add in the grossly superior CS and Lifetime Warranty (electronics included) from Vortex and it's winner-winner, cheese curd dinner.

 

[BrentH]

I guess the other difference is the Sig 8k comes with a wind reader, where the Vortex you would need to purchase a Kestrel or similar to get your wind reading, correct?

 

[nobody]

I guess the other difference is the Sig 8k comes with a wind reader, where the Vortex you would need to purchase a Kestrel or similar to get your wind reading, correct?

Correct. That said, I trust a Kestrel before I trust a Sig wind meter. Kestrel does wind for a living, Sig just dabbles for their own gain.

 

[eod.mickelson]

Used mine bear hunting Thursday, and used it side by side with my kestrel. The solutions were spot on, and I was very impressed with the speed of returning solutions and consistency.

 

[Idaho_JB_208]

Used mine bear hunting Thursday, and used it side by side with my kestrel. The solutions were spot on, and I was very impressed with the speed of returning solutions and consistency.

@eoden_usmc, I am not familiar with onboard wind meters, but are you saying that the Vortex GB actually has a wind meter that can give you the same solution as a kestrel?

 

[eod.mickelson]

@eoden_usmc, I am not familiar with onboard wind meters, but are you saying that the Vortex GB actually has a wind meter that can give you the same solution as a kestrel?

No, but with the wind vector, and with enough practice you can definitely get a very good wind solution. I'm by no means a wind expert but I do practice calling wind a lot, and 100% will still carry my kestrel and verify/use it as time allows, but I was able to get quick results within an acceptable range quickly without my kestrel, with the plan to fine tune as time allows.

 

[eod.mickelson]

Ran into my first potential concern today, has anyone else noticed an incredibly short battery life even with Bluetooth off?
I went shooting yesterday and noticed the battery that came with it was dead, but I had pushed some updates and done some programming and quite a bit of scanning on it with Bluetooth on, so I figured it was just a byproduct of that. I turned the Bluetooth off and replaced the battery, I went to shoot today and the battery was low, and just checked again and the new battery is completely dead. Just wondering if anyone else has seen this? I'm going to give vortex a call tomorrow and see if they have any ideas as well

 

[Matt Cashell]

Ran into my first potential concern today, has anyone else noticed an incredibly short battery life even with Bluetooth off?
I went shooting yesterday and noticed the battery that came with it was dead, but I had pushed some updates and done some programming and quite a bit of scanning on it with Bluetooth on, so I figured it was just a byproduct of that. I turned the Bluetooth off and replaced the battery, I went to shoot today and the battery was low, and just checked again and the new battery is completely dead. Just wondering if anyone else has seen this? I'm going to give vortex a call tomorrow and see if they have any ideas as well

Still on the first battery here, even after the cold soak.

 

[eod.mickelson]

Still on the first battery here, even after the cold soak.

I sure hope I don't have a problem with mine, I'm bear hunting Saturday - Thursday and don't want to burn up $50 of cr2s lol.

 

[eod.mickelson]

Follow up, vortex wasn't sure what was going on. However, I let them know I was bear hunting this weekend for 6 days, and they decided to overnight me a new one so I not without. Really love the customer service!

 

[ndayton]

Ran into my first potential concern today, has anyone else noticed an incredibly short battery life even with Bluetooth off?

Mine died after two days of use. I really wanted to like the range finder over my Sig but I ended up returning it.

 

[eod.mickelson]

Mine died after two days of use. I really wanted to like the range finder over my Sig but I ended up returning it.

They did say on the phone that some of the first ones had a bad batch of batteries, so the first one would die quickly, but subsequent batteries had much longer life. I'll definitely be carrying extras with me, but I'll have to see how it holds up to 6 days of use next week.

 

[Ajaxboraxo]

Price tags asside... What is a better option for rifle hunting, This, Sig 8K, or BR4

This is what I’m wondering. A comparison would be great