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Vortex Warranty

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cdb1

cdb1

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No question it’s a great one, and Vortex stands behind it, and how often does someone post they buy Vortex because of the great warranty. In my experience with owning Vortex scopes and selling them, people have to use the warranty too often. Caveat: I’m excluding the Razor line from this discussion. If I’m on that once in a lifetime elk hunt or hunting trip to Africa it would be little solace to know my scope will be fixed or replaced if it breaks. If I were law enforcement or military and my life could depend on my optic working the warranty wouldn’t help much if I were dead.

That’s why I like Nightforce’s warranty better, the last sentence which is: “We believe the best warranty is the one you won't have to use.”

What say you? Would you rather own product with an outstanding warranty that gets used frequently or, product that is incredibly tough and will be replaced if defective?
 
I would go with the warranty that was least likely to be needed. If I could afford it. Certainly you can not put a monetary value on your life, but many people just can not afford items in the price range of Night force.

Vortex products are really some of the "best value" and performance lines in their price ranges. The outstanding warranty is attractive in that you know you are not likely to have to argue to get a fix or replacement.
 
I like to try different things and scopes seem to be the one spot where that shows. I purchased a Crossfire 2 just to check it out. IMHO, it's just like a Prostaff. Inexpensive, decent glass and seems to work. I know it's not there most expensive scope or even their middle of the road scope, but I just wanted to check one out.
Now the warranty maybe great, but a scopes true value is whether you have to use it. So with that being said, here is what I have noticed. My "local" Cabela's (about 2hrs drive) has alot of them in the bargain cave. I posted about this some time back and was told by some that these were just demo models. I am a little suspicious of this because, there were 3x the amount of Vortex scopes, as compared to, other scope brands in the bargain cave case. Seems like alot of demos to me. So to answer your question, yes I believe people use the warranty way more than they should have to, when compared to other scope brands.
I would like to add that this why I believe Leupold is the one of the best scope manufacturers. I have used their warranty once on a VX-II. The rifle and scope were bought used and that scope is well over 10yrs old. That is the only time I have had to use it out of the 5-6 that I have owned.
 
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I've sent 7? EDIT: SCOPES, ment to say scopes......(Perhaps a couple more) now back for warranty service, 2 Leupold, a Nikon, a Millet, and 2 Bushnells, and one of my new Athlons.
Not all we're mine, but I'm the "tech" for my group of friends, and it usually falls to me to get stuff like that taken care of.
I've found every company to have nearly the same process, and outlook on warranty work. Leupold, Athlon, and Nikon, we're faster, and return shipping cost me nothing.
Bushnell return ships their trophy xlts and higher for free, the other brands and variants cost 10bucks.

Now I'm quite comfortable using scopes from most of those brands, none of them just "failed" except the Millet, which after some research, I find they appear to just do (I'm beginning to think the Athlon was my own stupidity, and the scope was fine).

No we're I going on a "Once in a Lifetime" DUN DUN DUN! hunt, where I was expecting rough conditions, I would consider buying new equipment specifically targeting reliability.

So the short answer is; for everyday use I'm happy with the gear I've got being reliable enough, and having a great warranty is nice. If Im going to be in a situation where I KNOW I'm going to have to rely on my gear, and or possibly treat it roughly, then no, a good Warranty isn't even worth the paper it's written on.


I remember an add for nightforce where one if their scopes took a bullet thru the erector assembly, but held zero and worked well enough to be used....that's the reliability (and I bet if you tried to duplicate the occurrence it would be hard to keep one working), I'd like.
Personally I haven't found a brand that will survive our nasty lava rocks, fat dudes falling out of trucks, or being used as a pig be good stick.....
 
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Moparnut said:
I like to try different things and scopes seem to be the one spot where that shows. I purchased a Crossfire 2 just to check it out. IMHO, it's just like a Prostaff. Inexpensive, decent glass and seems to work. I know it's not there most expensive scope or even their middle of the road scope, but I just wanted to check one out.
Now the warranty maybe great, but a scopes true value is whether you have to use it. So with that being said, here is what I have noticed. My "local" Cabela's (about 2hrs drive) has alot of them in the bargain cave. I posted about this some time back and was told by some that these were just demo models. I am a little suspicious of this because, there were 3x the amount of Vortex scopes, as compared to, other scope brands in the bargain cave case. Seems like alot of demos to me. So to answer your question, yes I believe people use the warranty way more than they should have to, when compared to other scope brands.
I would like to add that this why I believe Leupold is the one of the best scope manufacturers. I have used their warranty once on a VX-II. The rifle and scope were bought used and that scope is well over 10yrs old. That is the only time I have had to use it out of the 5-6 that I have owned.
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I'm not sure if your Cabelas is the same as mine but the one I visit has 3/4 of the scope case filled with vortex. I was also told vortex makes some of the higher $ cabelas scopes by an employee so this maybe why you see so many in the bargain cave (larger stock of them). I have more redfields and leupolds in my bargain cave that have been there since the store opened 3yrs ago.
 
I own two Vortex crossfires and a few Nikons. I like the crossfires better for clarity, ease of use and they don't have the black shadows inside like Nikon. I have owned both scopes and dropped rifles, etc and had to use the warranty one time. I dropped the rifle (2ft) and black stuff fell down from inside the tube. I emailed them and got a response within an hour and a free shipping label. They replaced the scope and apologized because they had some powder coat issues where it was not adhering to the inside and flaking off. For some reason FedEx was told the scope needed a signature which wasn't possible and would not take my word for it and stated Vortex must redo the label. I called and was told he would print a new label and call FedEx. Vortex even called me back 15min later stating he contacted FedEx for me and they would leave it on the porch. I had a brand new scope, new box, new cover, new cleaning towel and a decal and apology letter in less than 7 days.

I cannot afford night force and Military and Police aren't footing the bill for night force so yeah, they are going to buy the best. For hunting, punching paper, etc Vortex is good enough for me. For Vortex to step up and say we will fix or replace your scope no questions asked no matter how cheap or how expensive means a lot to me. I had a Bushnell banner break from a slug guns recoil and I was told by Bushnell pound sand. I will never own a Bushnell product as long as I live. My vortex issue was my fault and they didn't even care. I would say if a company offers such a great warranty they believe in their product and stand behind it. My guess is Nightforce doesn't offer one because their scopes cost so much they would lose their rear end if they had to warranty them.

If I'm going on a once in a lifetime hunt I would pony up for maybe a Leupold vx3 but I would have no issue using something else either. I don't care who makes the thing you fall hard enough on it or drop it hard enough your going to have issues.
 
I generally go with Leupold for rifles and Trijicon for pistols. My limit is about $350 - $400 for a pistol (RMR, RX30) or up to $1200 for rifles. I use Vortex for long range which is target shooting and I have one Vortex Red Dot and 3x multiplier combo. I also have Vortex monoculars. I have never had to send any of these items back from warranty repairs. Any weapon that might be used for defense has backup sights.
 
I haven't had a need for work on my Vortex optics however on 3 occasions, I contacted customer support to purchase 3 separate small items and they insisted on sending them to me for free. Hard to beat that. Two were different size bikini type covers and the other a set of turret caps. None were expensive to them but the fact they did it was impressive. On another occasion after finding numerous torque values for a particular scope to mount, I contacted them and they gave me their recommended setting and took the time to explain to me why it was important to use the manufacturers recommendation as opposed to a one size fits all setting from the mount / rings manufacturer.
 
I had reason to exercise the Vortex warranty on one of their entry level red dot sights; the second one was no better than the first, both epic failures. We came to an agreement they would furnish me a red dot further up the line instead of replacing it again. They failed to uphold their end of that bargain, and in some convoluted manner, blamed me for it.

Bottom line: Vortex is dead to me.

I have one of their higher end FFP scopes on a hunting rifle that is a lights-out rig, I'll leave that as is.
 
The warranty is fine, my problem is the optical quality. Vortex scopes lag behind Leupold dollar for dollar in clarity. A $400 Vortex is not nearly as clear as a $400 Leupold and the Leupold also weighs 5-8oz less...
 
I'd rather buy the product that rarely needs service.

And I have been unimpressed with the Viper line, of which I have two. Nice enough, but not for the money and the eyebox is tiny. Glad I bought mine on sale (40% off). Also had a Vortex HS Midway scope and was unimpressed with it. Gave it to my nephew. Got it $100 off.
 
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I bought two Vipers, it’s been quite awhile now. Glass didn’t impress me, I particularly found it lacking in low light and like Walkalong found the eye box tiny. So I sold them.
 
The only Viper ive used was on my buddies ruger precision, it seemed ok/pretty good for a 500 dollar scope....not something id buy but not bad. I wonder how often those have to be serviced.
 
cdb1 said:
No question it’s a great one, and Vortex stands behind it, and how often does someone post they buy Vortex because of the great warranty. In my experience with owning Vortex scopes and selling them, people have to use the warranty too often. Caveat: I’m excluding the Razor line from this discussion. If I’m on that once in a lifetime elk hunt or hunting trip to Africa it would be little solace to know my scope will be fixed or replaced if it breaks. If I were law enforcement or military and my life could depend on my optic working the warranty wouldn’t help much if I were dead.

That’s why I like Nightforce’s warranty better, the last sentence which is: “We believe the best warranty is the one you won't have to use.”

What say you? Would you rather own product with an outstanding warranty that gets used frequently or, product that is incredibly tough and will be replaced if defective?
Click to expand...

I own a Vortex Razor, a PST GenII and a Sparc AR.


The Razor and the Sparc have seen a lot of tough use. Tossed in dump barrels, banged around in tractor cabs, out in the rain and the snow. Both have worked and tracked like machines.

The PST GenII has worked and tracked perfectly but it has not seen any rough use.

I just mailed a different optic back to the manufacturer to have a turret replaced that came loose from the scope body. It is a 1k+ LPV. They have a similar warranty to Vortex.



Vortex makes great stuff, but you can't buy their diamondback and crossfire lines and expect it to perform like their Razor or their PST lines. That is what frustrates me about people who hate on Vortex. They went cheap, so maybe their scope wasn't perfect. Vortex will fix or replace it for free. If you expect a bombproof optic, expect to pony up the money for a Razor, which is still a significantly great value compared to a Swaro, S&B, or Kahles. There are plenty of photos floating around on the net of real deal military badasses using Vortex Razor 1-6 scopes on their rifles.

R1pTigC.jpg


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H6UILwY.jpg
 
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I've owned 6 different sub PST/Razor models. With all the praise they get, I kept thinking that maybe I just got a bad one. After trying nearly the entire lineup, I can safely say that I dont like them. Comparing the Viper 6.5-20 and the Leupold VX2 6-18 for instance. Side by side, sighting on a log pile a mile away, I could see the log pile with the Vortex, I could COUNT the logs with the Leupold. All the while, the little Leupy weighs less and has a much more forgiving eyebox. Now, I do own a PST 1-4 and I must say, its a fantastic scope. Clear and reliable. All in all, if Vortex trims the heavy porkers down a bit and can get an eyebox that doesnt go black if you arent pixel perfect on your cheek weld, I'd be willing to give them another chance. Warranties are worthless, if you never have to use them.
 
IndianaBoy said:
I own a Vortex Razor, a PST GenII and a Sparc AR.


The Razor and the Sparc have seen a lot of tough use. Tossed in dump barrels, banged around in tractor cabs, out in the rain and the snow. Both have worked and tracked like machines.

The PST GenII has worked and tracked perfectly but it has not seen any rough use.

I just mailed a different optic back to the manufacturer to have a turret replaced that came loose from the scope body. It is a 1k+ LPV. They have a similar warranty to Vortex.



Vortex makes great stuff, but you can't buy their diamondback and crossfire lines and expect it to perform like their Razor or their PST lines. That is what frustrates me about people who hate on Vortex. They went cheap, so maybe their scope wasn't perfect. Vortex will fix or replace it for free. If you expect a bombproof optic, expect to pony up the money for a Razor, which is still a significantly great value compared to a Swaro, S&B, or Kahles. There are plenty of photos floating around on the net of real deal military badasses using Vortex Razor 1-6 scopes on their rifles.

View attachment 787242


View attachment 787243

View attachment 787244
Click to expand...

If you read my post, which you quoted, you’ll see I excluded the Razor line from my discussion. They are excellent quality and night and day different from the Viper on down. I also own a Razor mini red dot I’m very happy with.
aIwyYFW.jpg
 
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cdb1 said:
I’ve seen that chart posted before as an example of Vortex quality. The rebuttal given makes sense which is: Vortex sponsors many shooters in that genre so the numbers are skewed towards Vortex.
Click to expand...


I don't buy that. These guys spend tens of thousands on rifle, ammo, gear, travel, match fees. They wouldn't use a cut rate optic that wasn't up to par.
 
IndianaBoy said:
I don't buy that. These guys spend tens of thousands on rifle, ammo, gear, travel, match fees. They wouldn't use a cut rate optic that wasn't up to par.
Click to expand...

I do buy it. Plus, if they are using Razors they aren’t using cut rate optics. As stated from the get go I don’t consider Vortex Razor optics to be cut rate at by any stretch. Razor scopes are mostly made by LOW(which makes first rate scopes) with at least one Razor model made in Wisconsin,
 
lets wait for the new wonder scopes to get 50-60 years under their belts and then we will see how many get repaired-replaced for free. leupold has made hundreds of thousands of scopes and will take care of the first to the last one they made yesterday, free.
 
eastbank said:
lets wait for the new wonder scopes to get 50-60 years under their belts and then we will see how many get repaired-replaced for free. leupold has made hundreds of thousands of scopes and will take care of the first to the last one they made yesterday, free.
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Even if fatty swan dives off the back of a lifted f250 and lands square on his rifle/scope!

One of the reasons I'll recommend them when people ask, even if I don't use them myself.
 
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