Vortex Razor HD binos now made in Philippines

[gostovp]

I know Vortex doesn’t get a lot of love on here and there are numerous threads on the quality of the Razor HD binos after they moved production to China, but I saw a thread on here from last year where someone posted that Razor HD production was moved from China to the Philippines….

So I got my hands on a set of new Razor HD in 10x42 and I was actually really impressed with them, both build and optical quality. The box they were in said “made in China” on the bottom, but I looked on the bottom of the binos and sure enough it said “Assy in Phillipines”… (granted I’m sure there are Chinese sourced parts in it, but I’ve read, and don’t know how true it is, that many binos in this price point do…)

Anyway, I wonder if these might be worth a look now ( pun intended) ….

 

[35WhelenAI]

Thinking out loud on this.

What are requirements for what the box says with respect to parts content origin (parts made in China) versus what the product itself is labeled with respect to the same thing?

Example: if the "parts content" is Chinese does the box need to say that, but the product only need show where it was final assembled.

Or did Vortex keep printing boxes, and on oversight, not change the "made in China" wording? Maybe shipped the boxes that were already in China to Philippines to use them up?

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

I applaud Vortex for this. I wish more companies would shift manufacturing away from China.

 

[35WhelenAI]

I agree with you, that should do a lot for the perception of quality and probably the overall quality. Not to mention, I feel companies don't need to be doing business there, period, given the opportunity to do otherwise.

 

[AnkleRoller]

I think it is a bit of a personal flaw, but the content (and more particularly the exigence) of the thread is why I can't bring myself to sell my Japanese 8x Razors. I'm sitting here running practical and emotional calculus against the interests and motivations of companies that play the global market game, and though it matters little to anybody, manufacturer included, I can't help but wish reading "Razor" had parity to "Made in Japan."

 

[35WhelenAI]

A bit off theme, but the pair of 12x50 Vipers I got in 2015 say "Made in Japan". The Bass Pro 10x42 Vipers ($299 promo) say "Made in China". The 10x50 Vipers I picked up used off this forum say "Assy in Philippines".

I use the 12x50's predominantly however, the others seem to be on par, I can't tell a difference in the optics to my eyes.

 

[amateurhourhunter]

I applaud Vortex for this. I wish more companies would shift manufacturing away from China.

Razor should have stayed in Japan and never been moved in the first place.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

So folks are upset that Gen 1 Razors (HD) production has been move to China yet the Gen 2 Razors (UHD) production is in Japan.

But no one has expressed an issue with the associated several hundred price reduction on the HDs over the relatively recent past (NIB 10x HD can be easily found for $749).

Despite Americans' claim to actually care about where things are made, the reality is we tend to want an average quality product at the lowest price.

So which world-class business leading WKR is going to buy the Razor HD binocular line from Vortex and show the world how and where they should be produced while being profitable in a competitive market?

 

[buckdandy]

I certainly would prefer to not purchase MIC goods, but good luck getting the quality you want for a reasonable price, as mentioned above. This is especially so for electronics, where moving production can increase costs 2x or more

 

[has530]

A bit off theme, but the pair of 12x50 Vipers I got in 2015 say "Made in Japan". The Bass Pro 10x42 Vipers ($299 promo) say "Made in China". The 10x50 Vipers I picked up used off this forum say "Assy in Philippines".

I use the 12x50's predominantly however, the others seem to be on par, I can't tell a difference in the optics to my eyes.

Interesting my bass pro 10x42 vipers I got on the same deal last year say "Assy in Phillipines" not "Made in China".

 

[35WhelenAI]

Interesting my bass pro 10x42 vipers I got on the same deal last year say "Assy in Phillipines" not "Made in China".

A bit of revision to what I shared...

First pair of 10x42's I got from Bass Pro was in the fall of 2020. That's the first time I recall seeing this sale. Those were "Made in China".

Fall of 2021 I picked up a second pair when the sale happened again. I just checked those as I haven't taken them out of the box. They were "Assy in Philippines".

It would seem in that year's span much of the assembly was shipped over to the Philippines from Japan and China.

 

[rodney482]

Always loved my jap built Razors.