Vortex Viper spotting scope

[rooster440]

Who here owns one? It seems to be a bit on the heavy side but besides that what other negatives are there with this spotter?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ram94]

Who here owns one? It seems to be a bit on the heavy side but besides that what other negatives are there with this spotter?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had one (an 80mm HD) for a few years and have since upgraded to an Athlon Ares 65mm. I sold my used Viper for more than I paid for the new Ares and there is absolutely zero questions which is a better scope. I got by with the Viper but in side by side comparisons, the smaller Ares is head and shoulders above the larger Viper. There are many better options than the Viper today IMO

 

[yeti_man]

I have a Razor 11x33-50, straight. My observation when compared to the viper was that it was that the viper was a nice piece of glass, was a little bulky but lacked the optical performance I was looking for. Not as sharp or as crisp in clarity as the razor. Its built and priced as a mid range performer. Just did a quick google search and the new viper is $700 and a razor is for sale on Amazon for $750. Might be a year or so old but still better IMO.

 

[rooster440]

I had one (an 80mm HD) for a few years and have since upgraded to an Athlon Ares 65mm. I sold my used Viper for more than I paid for the new Ares and there is absolutely zero questions which is a better scope. I got by with the Viper but in side by side comparisons, the smaller Ares is head and shoulders above the larger Viper. There are many better options than the Viper today IMO

The Ares has better glass? I know nothing about Ares.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ram94]

The Ares has better glass? I know nothing about Ares.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Way better glass. I set them both up at just under 1000 yards and could clearly read a truck license plate with the Ares and could not with the Viper. This rang true even with the Viper dialed back to 45x to match the top end zoom on the Ares.

 

[rooster440]

Way better glass. I set them both up at just under 1000 yards and could clearly read a truck license plate with the Ares and could not with the Viper. This rang true even with the Viper dialed back to 45x to match the top end zoom on the Ares.

They sure have an awesome price point too. They don’t require a fancy tripod do they?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ram94]

They sure have an awesome price point too. They don’t require a fancy tripod do they?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No, you can use whichever tripod you’ve got.

 

[Jellymon1]

Here is my viper from 1000yds yesterday At 45x. I would easily be able to read a licsense plate. My brothers looked the same. I’m happy with it for the price.

 

[Catahoula]

I have a Viper 20-60x80 angled. It works well for its build and Vortex‘s midrange price point. I have no complaints with it. It is a wonderful scope for seeing what I need to see preseason scouting. Good Luck.

 

[Ram94]

Here is my viper from 1000yds yesterday At 45x. I would easily be able to read a licsense plate. My brothers looked the same. I’m happy with it for the price.View attachment 192124

You would think so, hey? I'm not saying the Viper isn't usable...It does work. Just not as well as other scopes on the market today at the same price point or less. Give it a try for yourself. I did that comparison with an unbiased mindset and that is what I found.

But if you're happy with it, that is all that matters. There seems to be no end to gear upgrades.

 

[Mhahn2]

How does the ares compare to the razor would you say it’s somewhere in between the viper and razor?

 

[ClearCreek]

My wife has a Vortex Viper HD 15-45 X 65 that she uses for wildlife viewing.

She had no problem this spring spotting a sow grizzly and cubs that were 3000 yards away and partially in the shade.

Or mountain goats that were 2,200 yards away. Of course the color contrast helped a little.

ClearCreek

 

[22lr]

I have the viper 65mm angled, I love it. I'm not a top tier kind of guy due to budget and just not that many days in the field to justify the expense of an upgrade. I cant say I have anything negative to say about them for the $500 that I paid (if I remember right)...

 

[Milhouse58421]

I own the 80mm Viper. I'm not a spotting scope guy..... I have one for the very few times I care to use one. It's the minimum I would spend on any spotting scope to get "ok" quality. It does what I personally need it to. IF I was inclined to use a scope A LOT, I'd go with a better scope.
My .02

 

[idahohikker]

I went from the Viper to the Athlon Ares. I consider it a major upgrade.

 

[IdahoHntr]

I went from the Viper to the Athlon Ares. I consider it a major upgrade.

I agree with this. Athlon Ares is a definite upgrade over the Viper. It compares really well with the Razor in my experience.

 

[pattimusprime22]

I have an Athlon Ares and felt that it was very crisp and clear at lower power. Once it was cranked up to max power there was definitely a loss of clarity and I'd need to back it down a little. I don't have anything else to compare it to, but I'd expect that is the case with any sub $1000 spotters.

 

[Ethan-333]

Not sure how much your wanting to spend, but was seeing a bunch of the gen1 razors on eBay for 6-700

 

[2blade]

I got a Athlon Ares I'd part with. If anyone is interested send me a pm

 

[Outdoorsman12b]

Way better glass. I set them both up at just under 1000 yards and could clearly read a truck license plate with the Ares and could not with the Viper. This rang true even with the Viper dialed back to 45x to match the top end zoom on the Ares.

Ram just to qualify your comparison was the viper a gen 1 or 2? I had a gen 1 that was replaced and the gen 2 is significantly better.