Vortex quality control?

[koger]

First off let me say I have 9 of them from cheapy 4x12's to Vipers and never had a issue with any of them, nada, zip. This fall in about a weeks time, I had 5 buddies that have them, go south, 3 of them were Diamondbacks, the other 2 were package scopes that came on combos, cheaper ones. I also had a buddy buy 2 and neither one of them would zero. I put a Sig Sauer Buckmaster on the rifle and in 4 shots were zeroed at 100 yds. The 3 diamondbacks took over 1 and 1/2 months to get replaced,all had the same statement that the ring had been overtightened, crushing the internals. I call BS on 2 of them, due to being in Burris rings with the inserts. Anyone else having issues with Vortex?

 

[alf]

The 3 diamondbacks took over 1 and 1/2 months to get replaced,all had the same statement that the ring had been overtightened, crushing the internals. I call BS on 2 of them, due to being in Burris rings with the inserts. Anyone else having issues with Vortex?

This happened to me this past year with a Viper HD that I couldn't get the parallax out of, which they also blamed on too much torque on the rings. We had a friendly disagreement, but I gave up & agreed.

Luckily I live a half hour away, & they replaced it on the spot.

 

[drop_point]

The Diamondback is a much cheaper scope and made in a Chinese factory compare to the Vipers made in the Philippines.

 

[Mark W]

Overtightened rings is pretty much their standard excuse. The first time they pulled it on me we argued and I got mad and told them to keep their POS scope. A few days later a new and nicer model showed up on my doorstep. That was over ten years ago and that scope is still working good.

 

[PiXman]

Wasn't overly impressed with a pair of Viper 6.5-20s. Tried the 44 mm first, elevation control went south during a match last spring, confirmed by the match director. Sent it back, came back repaired and had same issue. Purchased the 50 mm version and it wouldn't track straight out of the box. Both Vipers were manufactured in the Philippines.I sold both and bought a Nightforce. No issues since; regularly going back and forth between 600 and 1000 yards.

I'm going to assume the QC on their more expensive - American and Japanese - scopes is still excellent but based on my experience, I'm not so sure about the lower tier lines.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Over torque is a real issue. If your serious about your shooting an inch pound torque wrench is a great investment. I have had several GE scopes. For the price I paid 10 years ago with the Veteran program they were s good deal and acceptable optics.They tracked well and I never had any issues.. At the current prices at least for the GE I find them lack in in optical quality by a good bit compared to Nightforce and Sightron in a similar price range.

 

[STOMP442]

I have had nothing but trouble with Vortex scopes. I have owned several over the years, and all of them went bad in a short time with issues as mundane as not holding zero all the way to having the entire windage turret fall off the scope while shooting. I bet I have sent off at least 12 Vortex scopes over the years between myself and clients of mine. I won't even mount one anymore because I don't want to have the hassle. I know all scopes can have their issues but Vortex is the best in the business at warranty work because they get lots of practice.

 

[ELR LVR]

I have had nothing but trouble with Vortex scopes. I have owned several over the years, and all of them went bad in a short time with issues as mundane as not holding zero all the way to having the entire windage turret fall off the scope while shooting. I bet I have sent off at least 12 Vortex scopes over the years between myself and clients of mine. I won't even mount one anymore because I don't want to have the hassle. I know all scopes can have their issues but Vortex is the best in the business at warranty work because they get lots of practice.

I only owned a Vortex Viper
My Simmons and Tasco's were more clear and useable past 300 yds
---
that being the case, I never felt a need to waste money on Vortex trying to see which model would be better and actually clear at 600 yds and beyond.
And I aint giving them $2000 just to do it. When there are better options

 

[SecondsCount]

6-24x Viper PST -- Had it on a couple mildly recoiling rifles and one day it stopped dialing correctly. Sent it back and they said they could not find an issue, that my rings were probably too tight. Ended up trading for something else when I got it back.

5-20 Gen1 Razor - This came with a used rifle in 338 Edge that I purchased. The parallax adjustment didn't seem to adjust correctly when nearing infinity. They told me to send it in. After receiving it, they said the rings were put on too tight, and sent me a new replacement. It is still in the box as I may use it for something else.

1-4x Gen1 Razor LPVO - I liked the size and weight, glass was very clear, and used for many years on an AR. The elevation knob became very difficult to rotate and the illumination stopped working. I sent it in and they repaired it.

Today, I probably wouldn't buy another Vortex, when there are better optics for the money.

 

[Chilly807]

I've got two 4-16x44 Diamondback HP scopes that have seen use on several different rifles, no problems with either one.

Glass is better IMO than many of the Vipers, at a lower price point. I'd like to know where they get the glass for these, it's a definite big step up from the regular Diamondback line.

I have 2 criticisms.. one is that clicks aren't as well defined as I'd like, at least in cold weather. They're there, but a bit faint.
Second is that I get a bit more movement in point of impact than what I dial. Dial 20 minutes, I get 20.75, for example. Once you know that, you can work with it.

The BDC reticle is a bit chunky for target work, but it's fine for hunting or casual use.

I don't hunt hard with my gear, so I can't speak to how well they absorb rough handling.

If I needed another scope in that magnification range, I'd get another one of these. Made in the Philippines from what I can see.

 

[Syncrowave]

Anyone else having issues with Vortex?

Love my Vortex Razor HD spotting scope, and the mrad ranging reticle in the eyepiece works great ... although both are close to 15 years old...

 

[alintx]

They have a great warranty, and your gonna need it. I been using Leupold since the 70s, and the first I ever bought is still working perfectly. Also have several nightforce,, and they are the berries! Worth every penny

 

[moondog]

I get a kick out of some of these comments. Like buying the cheapest Chevy and saying it doesn't handle nearly as well as my Corvette. Or, my Tacoma doesn't pull my Motor home as well as my Ram Diesel. I have owned most, and still have 4 Razors along with some ATCARs. I did wear the turrets out on a Gen2 after about 12000 rounds of dialing on a 22

 

[jelenko]

As far as I can tell, all scope brands fail - some more than others.

Because I compete, that simply means I need to have at least one backup.
I've had 5 Leupolds and two have failed at some point.

 

[Texas Solo]

I've shot Vortex for 15 years. But I think their quality is slipping. In a recent 600 match at CMP, we had a harsh sun and lots of mirage with 15mph winds. I couldn't see squat out of my Golden Eagle. My squadded partner said to look through his March Majesta.
It was 100% clear. Even at 80x.

I now have a March on order.

 

[spudgun]

I've shot Vortex for 15 years. But I think their quality is slipping. In a recent 600 match at CMP, we had a harsh sun and lots of mirage with 15mph winds. I couldn't see squat out of my Golden Eagle. My squadded partner said to look through his March Majesta.
It was 100% clear. Even at 80x.

I now have a March on order.

I know what you mean. I got 2, GE's and anything over 40X is useless. Darkens up and hard to see clear.y.

I do love the reticle, very fine and easy to use.

Now haven't had any tracking issues. I shoot 600 and 1,000 yds weekly.

 

[SeabeeKen]

Over torque is a real issue. If your serious about your shooting an inch pound torque wrench is a great investment. I have had several GE scopes. For the price I paid 10 years ago with the Veteran program they were s good deal and acceptable optics.They tracked well and I never had any issues.. At the current prices at least for the GE I find them lack in in optical quality by a good bit compared to Nightforce and Sightron in a similar price range.

This is very true. I over torqued a new scope 4 in/lb and windage turret locked up. Called maker and was told to retorque at 18 in/lb. I did and worked fine after that. Another thing that can cause tube torque is not checking ring alignment. Ive had several ring sets that required heavy lapping.

 

[TGP]

As far as I can tell, all scope brands fail - some more than others.

That's what I've seen over the years, I've sent at least one scope of several manufacturers back due to some kind of failure, what separates them is how they handle the issue and Vortex is at the top of that list. I can say that I've never had a problem with anybody's warranty service.

 

[Rob01]

Been using Vortex scopes, spotters, LRF and binos since 2011 and had to send one of probably close to three dozen back as it was one of the new 6-24 AMG when they came out and they needed a different grease on the elevation and windage knobs. Other than that everything has worked great. That’s from the Venom line up.

Anyone saying that they have a great warranty that you will need is so full of it. They do have a great warranty that covers the products not just from actual failures but from accidental damage which is huge for people who actually use their gear hard. It’s nice to have that coverage when you spend hard earned money on a product.

Also as mentioned you will get people who buy their cheapest scopes and have an issue and then say all Vortex sucks. Take that with a grain of salt.

 

[284winner]

As far as I can tell, all scope brands fail - some more than others.

Because I compete, that simply means I need to have at least one backup.
I've had 5 Leupolds and two have failed at some point.

This^^^^^. Luckily I haven't had many issues with the scopes I prefer to own. Probably why I prefer to own them. One issue with a NF, one with an early 90s/late 80s Leupold. Both older scopes and both turret issues. I used those two scopes the most so stands to reason they'd be the ones with any issues. I own Vortex, Sightron, Springfield Armory, Nikon, Tract and some cheapies. Tract and Leupold may be the last man standing optics for me for future usage. Nothing against the others but those two seem to be in my personal sweet spot for optics. All scope manufacturers have issues with their optics. Find the ones that best fit your needs and that your eye likes best and stick with it. I'm done jumping from scope to scope. My older eyes like a couple and I'll stick with those today.