Vortex spotter upgrade

[Sled]

I'm looking to upgrade a vortex viper hd 20-60x85 and not sure where to go. with the sale on the razor hd 20-60x85 at $750 (good price) is it much of an upgrade? other options might be the maven cs1 15-45x65 which is a drop down in objective size but possibly a step up in clarity? i'd appreciate the lower power for close spotting and i really don't use the 60x very often on my current spotter.

fwiw, i'm not judging racks but rather picking out pieces of bedded animals during the day and first/last light feeding elk/deer. typically i'm 3/4 mile to 5 miles max.


i know swaro is always the answer and it may be in my future but it's a distant one. at least one kid needs to leave the nest before i can entertain the thought.

 

[rclouse79]

Following. I was looking at adding a spotter and was thinking about the Athlon ares, but am interested to hear what the experts have to say.

 

[archp625]

I will let you know what I think about the Maven Cs.1 spotter on Thursday or Friday. I have a Vortex Viper HD 15-45x65 I just sold and picked up a used Maven. My one main reason was to get a lighter spotter so I will actually take it with me.

 

[CougarBlue]

It's a good question and one I fought with for WAY too long. In AZ, glass is life when it comes to coues, sheep and some of the big country we glass for elk and mule deer.

I started with the Vortex Razor HD and was somewhat satisfied with it but found that it just wasn't what I expected for shelling out close to a grand to get it.

I looked through everything I could get my hands on/beg and borrow. And tried out everything from Swaro, Kowa, Zeiss, Celestron, Athlon, Maven, Sig, Leupold, you name it.

From my experience spotters aren't like binos where there's a spectrum of quality and some subjectivity around Bravo level glass. You absolutely get what you pay for and the difference between the top end Vortex glass and the Swaro's and Kowa spotters is literally night and day. Kowa doesn't get as much love on here as the Swaros but if you do some research on birding forums (those guys and gals are glass snobs!), you'll find they're very comparable.

Maven makes decent spotters but it's not going to be all that different from the Razor HD line. Some areas it will shine over the Razor, others it wont. Someone mentioned Athlon and I'd save my money personally but some people like it.

Long/short of it, if it were me, I'd hold onto the Viper and safe up for the Kowa which is a hair cheaper than the Swaro's but every bit as good. Not the answer I'm sure you're looking for but the advantage over spending a 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of an alpha level spotter on "upgrading", just isn't going to give you the additional performance you're looking for.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

If you're looking for a full size what about the Athlon Cronus 20-60x86?

• Aprochromatic Lens System: Apochromatic lense system gives you the result of images which have greater contrast, sharpness and color definition
• ED Glass: ED glass gives you an image with little or no chromatic fringe so the final result brings a clearer and sharper image to your eyes
• ESP Dielectric Coating: ESP Dielectric Coating is a multi layer prism coating that reflects over 99% of the light to your eyes bringing you a clear, bright image that displays accurate color reproduction.
• Magnesium Chassis: Magnesium chassis give you the strength of a metal chassis while reducing the weight as much as 30%
• XPL Coating: XPL Coating gives you an extra protection on the exterior lenses from dirt, oil and scratches
• Bak4 Prism: Bak-4 glass prisms reflect more light to your eyes which will give you brighter and sharper image.
• Advanced Fully Multi-Coated: Advanced Fully Multi-Coated lenses gives you better light transmission to bring optimum brightness and true color across the entire light spectrum.
• Argon Purged: Argon Purging uses the inertia gas with bigger size molecules to purge any moisture out of the tube giving you better waterproofing and thermal stability .
• Waterproof: Waterproof to protects the binocular in the harshest weather conditions or if accidently submerged underwater
• Dual Focus: Dual focus has dual speed focus knobs that offer both faster and finer focus adjustment
• Rotating Ring: Rotating Ring allows you to rotate the scope around tripod supporting ring into the most comfortable and convenient angle for observation

 

[snakelk]

Meopta Meostar S2 82. The Cabelas Euro Instinct is the same spotter minus the removable eyepiece. Keep an eye out in the classifieds and one of these can usually be found for around $1600 or less.

Conduct a search on here and you'll see there's a lot of people besides me who own and love this spotting scope. IMO, the best spotter you can get in that price range.

Personally I haven't tried all of the spotters mentioned above (Maven, Kowa, Athlon) but I was involved in a side-by-side comparison of several scopes a few years ago. Specifically I remember a Vortex Razor 85mm, a Swaro 65 mm, a Leupold 12-40x HD, and another I can't recall. The Meopta S2 was the best among them in our opinion. (Obviously comparing a 65mm to an 82mm isn't exactly fair, but that's what we had available).

I never thought I'd spend $1600 on a spotting scope, but I did, and I have zero regrets with the Meopta. It's worth looking in to if you don't want to spend "Swaro" money but want something that rivals more expensive optics.

 

[HuntNTag]

I think it comes to your value proposition. If you want to downsize to a 65mm and have a backpacking scope, you can’t go wrong with the athlon ares 65mm.

If you want to stay in the 80mm+ category, the razor HD at sportsman’s deal is a great value price point. The Maven is as well but my issue there is the weight. It’s my truck spotter where I can drive to places and use it.

The Cronus is another good option that Doug mentioned.

If you are getting into the details, tine counting and perfection expectations which I don’t believe you are, but I do have to mention that the mavens are a notch above if you get into their 80mm+ line. The 65mm maven C option is very similar to the athlon ares. I’d just get the athlon. If you get into the Kowa and Swaro line, you are in the top of the lines. I like the swaro myself for its modularity on the ATX line but there are some big bucks spent there and it’s something you need to feel great about using. I have a pair of EL’s and damn they are amazing so you can never go wrong with a swaro.


Here is my view.

The ares does everything I want in the 65mm line but I had a gen 1 razor in the 85mm and sold it for an S1A maven. Total optics nerd here but just know the more you spend the more you get with a spotter. There are some great values out there and the athlons are dollar for dollar a great one and that 85mm razor for the price point right now is a great deal.

I’d order the razor if you want a truck spotter or get the ares in the 65mm for backpacking and you will be a happy camper.

If you do order the Razor from sportsman’s, go get an active junky account and order it via there so you get an extra 2% kickback and then also sign up for the sportsman’s newsletter or find a coupon code online to get another 10% off. You can get that thing for less than $700.

My 2 cents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deadfall]

Vortex is junk in comparison to other brands in price range. Theres a reason they on such a big sale.

I say this as I own a set of 10x50 razor hd and the razor spotter in 85mm. Changed out binos last year, changing that junk spotter this year

 

[WayoftheBow]

Vortex is junk in comparison to other brands in price range. Theres a reason they on such a big sale.

I say this as I own a set of 10x50 razor hd and the razor spotter in 85mm. Changed out binos last year, changing that junk spotter this year

I'm looking at getting a spotter soon. What makes the Vortex Razor HDs junk? They are one of the brands I'm considering and would appreciate your insight. Thanks.

 

[golfbum]

I'm looking at getting a spotter soon. What makes the Vortex Razor HDs junk? They are one of the brands I'm considering and would appreciate your insight. Thanks.

they are far from junk.....

Vortex receives a ton of hate on here. They are extremely hard to beat for the price and IMO punch way above their price. This coming from someone who has owned a Leica (was dynamite), multiple razors (still own), and a swaro ats (which was below the Leica for sure and on par with the razors I have owned).

 

[WayoftheBow]

Thanks for the response and feedback on your experience with them and other brands. Much appreciated.

 

[Deadfall]

I'm looking at getting a spotter soon. What makes the Vortex Razor HDs junk? They are one of the brands I'm considering and would appreciate your insight. Thanks.

Mine are already fading. Don't focus as they did a couple years ago. The eye cup don't hold up, as in falling apart. The 85mm helps hide the fading, but also makes it more cumbersome. I dont particularly care about the size and weight, I do care about lost performance after just 3 years.
I've always been a leupold guy. They've always been a dirty tough optic for me.
I let salesman influence my decision after babbling about the great warranty they have..which, im sure they do. Same as the rest.

I bought leupold binos last year and spent ALOT of hours behind both binos and not one time did I think vortex were better. Its crazy how much better my eyes felt.

Then looking at the exact same thing within minutes of each other was another determining factor.

The best was my wife, who is novice. Took about 2 minutes for her to ask why leupold were brighter

 

[ILPete]

I'm looking at getting a spotter soon. What makes the Vortex Razor HDs junk? They are one of the brands I'm considering and would appreciate your insight. Thanks.

Vortex products are known for having issues. They have great warranty service, but as many have said, you are going to need it. It's one thing for a product to fail in day to day use, quite another for it to fail on a sheep or elk hunt. Swarovski, Meopta, Leica and Kowa make Vortex look like junk. Swarovski has great and consistent warranty service. There's not many reports on Meopta, but the ones I've seen have been good. Leica is hit and miss. Kowa can be hit and miss also, but their 77X/88X scopes are great.

 

[Sled]

Well, I went ahead and ordered the razor. The price was too good not to when you add in the $50 off plus free shipping. I will compare it to the viper hd and sell whichever I don't want to keep. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[keller]

Please do a review when you get a chance to compare them.i don't use a spotter often but so I'm looking at the razor. Can't justify $2-3 k not using it often

 

[ILPete]

Please do a review when you get a chance to compare them.i don't use a spotter often but so I'm looking at the razor. Can't justify $2-3 k not using it often

Well, I went ahead and ordered the razor. The price was too good not to when you add in the $50 off plus free shipping. I will compare it to the viper hd and sell whichever I don't want to keep. Thanks for all the replies.

Didn't realize these Gen 1s were still around and going for $750, less than half their original price. Can't fault anyone for taking that bargain. The Swarovski ATS/ATM zoom eyepieces fit that Vortex Gen 1 scope body. If you know anyone with an ATS/ATM, you may want to ask them if you can try the Swaro eyepiece on your Vortex to see if there is much improvement. Those eyepieces can sometimes be had for as little as $250 used.

 

[Sled]

Please do a review when you get a chance to compare them.i don't use a spotter often but so I'm looking at the razor. Can't justify $2-3 k not using it often

I'm not quite ready to do a review yet but i have spent a couple evenings and one bright day trying to compare the two. what i've come up with so far is that if there is an advantage to the razor it is extremely small. it's possible that at greater distances or lower light environments that i can focus better with the razor but honestly i find mixed results here. the viper has a warmer color range that my eyes respond better to when identifying game. the razor seems washed out a bit more than i'd like. it is however lighter, shorter and the fine focus responds quicker than the viper. of note, the razor comes with a padded bag and solid rubber lens covers. the viper has the nice neoprene cover with both the option of running lens caps or the neoprene lense covers that come with the body cover. oh, and you'll need a larger phone scope for the razor if you like digi scoping.

i plan to take some time over the next month or two to make a decision on which one to keep. i feel that if the razor wins out it'll be from the more difficult times like mid day mirage and possibly last light. first i need to see if my eyes can get used to the colors it puts off.

 

[Muleys32]

I'm looking to upgrade a vortex viper hd 20-60x85 and not sure where to go. with the sale on the razor hd 20-60x85 at $750 (good price) is it much of an upgrade? other options might be the maven cs1 15-45x65 which is a drop down in objective size but possibly a step up in clarity? i'd appreciate the lower power for close spotting and i really don't use the 60x very often on my current spotter.

fwiw, i'm not judging racks but rather picking out pieces of bedded animals during the day and first/last light feeding elk/deer. typically i'm 3/4 mile to 5 miles max.


i know swaro is always the answer and it may be in my future but it's a distant one. at least one kid needs to leave the nest before i can entertain the thought.

Where was the gen 1 razor sale again? I know I found it but can’t find it now. Thank you.

 

[Sled]

Where was the gen 1 razor sale again? I know I found it but can’t find it now. Thank you.

sportsmans warehouse

 

[gcronin]

It's a bit tongue in cheek, but this scene from Tommy Boy paints everything accurately. I once talked with a guy who works for Vortex in Wisconsin when he visited a local gun shop in Idaho. He was there to showcase some of their new stuff, but there were also a bunch of guys there who were asking questions about longevity and toughness issues they had with their Vortex stuff. The rep from Vortex said, and I quote, "That's why we have such a great warranty. We fully expect to replace everything we send out our door at least once, usually twice, with several repair trips in between. It's built into our sale price, so it's paid for up front." That really bothered me. Now, whether it's true or not and whether he still works for Vortex or not, there were about 10 of us who left that shop that day and swore we would never buy another one of their products again. I wanna buy a PRODUCT, not a warranty. As far as I'm concerned, a company should have enough faith that their product will never fail or break, thus making enough money from sales of successful items that they can afford to eat the cost to repair a broken item every once in a blue moon. Swaro sells a product. Maven sells a product. Leica sells a product. Leupold sells a product. Zeiss sells a product. Vortex sells a warranty. All of these companies will repair and replace your stuff, no questions asked. But why don't the other companies push their warranty? Just makes you wonder...

Do you have the information on who that was? I would really like to speak with them as that is a completely false narrative.

The VIP Warranty comes with all of our products because we appreciate our customers and want to make sure they are taken care of no matter what happens after the point of sale. We hope that you never have to use it - most people don't. Majority of the optics that come in actually don't need to come in or are caused by user error, but they are still covered fully.

If you have any questions on our warranties or our products, please don't hesitate to come straight to the source as I am always more than happy to chat with you.