Vortex Binos

[DieselKinevel]

I am looking at getting a pair of Vortex binoculars. I am pretty set on the brand based on the reviews, warranty and discount for LEO's. My question is, do you think it is worth the money to go with the Razor HD's as opposed to the Viper HD? I am going to go no lower than 10X. They will be primarily used for hunting and may ride in my patrol car from time to time. Although, my old Nikon's will more than likely get relegated to work use.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Z

 

[powdahound76]

Its really personal as everyones expectations are different.
I was very inpressed with the Viper HDs and picked them up recently after shopping and comparing for several months. There is a difference between them for sure and on my budget the Vipers were a great buy.

 

[DieselKinevel]

My issue is that nowhere around me carries either, Dicks only carries the diamondback or crossfire line. I really just need to drive out to cabelas or basspro and see for myself.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

In the price range you are looking you can get:

Kowa BD42-10XD 10x42mm Prominar XD's which is on sale for $399.99

Nikon Monarch 7 - 10x42 - ATB Black #7549

GPO Passion HD 10x42's

Athlon Cronus 10x42's

Meopta Meopro 10x42 HD #562550

I think before you make a final decision you should consider these. Keep in mind, the best warranty is one you never use

Be glad to discuss options and what would be best for you.
Always feel free to give a call to see what your SH pricing is

Happy New Year

Thank you for your continued support.
If there is anything else we can assist you with please let me know.
Doug
Camera Land
720 Old Bethpage Rd
Old Bethpage NY 11804
516-217-1000
Please visit our website @ www.cameralandny.com

 

[davere]

I own the Viper HDs, and spent some time looking through the Razor HDs, as well as several different Swaro EDs and Leicas. Without actually owning pairs of them and spending a lot of time in different conditions, the Razors appear to be every bit as good as Swaro EDs, to me. The Vipers are just a small step down - where you see it is that the Vipers tend to show just a little bit of chromatic aberration (color fringing between very bright and very dark areas - usually looks purplish or greenish), and just a little bit of "roller ball" effect caused by barrel distortion when you pan around. In terms of clarity and contrast, the Vipers are very, very good. I forget which Leicas I've had my hands on, unfortunately, but they were also nice.

Given that I paid somewhere around 1/5 of what the Swaros cost for my Viper HDs, I'm consistently pleased - and I also feel like the Razors might make a nice upgrade some day. I use this for birding as well as for shooting related glassing activities. Birding seems to be pretty darn demanding of the glass - making an ID gets tough if you don't have the resolution, contrast, and color fidelity to spot nuances in a bird's plumage quickly. In the birding world, Swaros and Leicas tend to be "king" (if anything, just because of the name and price tag, but they do perform extremely well). I get along just fine with my Vipers for now

I'm also a professional photographer, and I'm spoiled by really, really good glass with my cameras - and looking through mid-price scopes and binos usually drives me up the wall, as I tend to see all the flaws in color, aberration, etc. Folks who don't depend on lenses that way tend to not see those sorts of things.

 

[southerngolfer]

the problem is, once you find them in store, they all look alike due to the fluorescent indoor lighting. I have a pair of vortex kaibab's for long range shooting/spotting. from what I had been reading 8-12x are good handheld if not using on tripod (hunting, looking at targets your getting ready to engage in, etc). anything over 12x, a tripod is almost imperative. with that being said, my father and brother in law were impressed with my 15x kaibab's and found 2 vipers 15x in the bargain cave in cabelas for hunting. they don't do any sort of long range shooting, and if they did, they would borrow my stuff. I was able to put my kaibab's on my tripod, then put their vipers on top of my binos. during the fall time, we go up to their farm and watch the deer until dark. I was throughly impressed with vipers low light capabilities. clarity wasn't as crisp and the side to side wasn't as clear as my kaibab's. now our family doesn't own an pair of razors, but I know when I had my razor spotter, it was excellent glass. I've looked and did a side by side comparison with the swaro slc 15, and to be honest, there's nothing close to it, they are amazing, but so is the price tag. just do a little reading, and if it's something you see yourself using for a long time, I've always said, some things you can't skimp on. the old adage, "buy once, cry once". good luck

 

[Pappakap]

I own a pair of Viper 8x42 for hunting and bird watching. When I compared them at Cabelas the Razors were better but in my opinion not over twice the price better. That being said when it comes to their rifle scopes I do believe there is a profound difference in complete build quality between their Viper line and the Razor line that I believe justifies the upgrade due to the upgrade in turrets, zero stop etc.

 

[Rerun7]

I can’t speak for the razors but I’ve been very pleased with the Viper HDs. I’ve got a set of 8x32 I use for hunting / general purpose. The glass is really good. I’m sure the razors are even better but for the cost difference I’ve been impressed with these.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

May I suggest that new binocular purchases be delayed a week until SHOT show announcements are made. I know a few things that cannot be announced till then that will change binocular choices heavily


Thank you for your continued support.
If there is anything else we can assist you with please let me know.
Doug
Camera Land
720 Old Bethpage Rd
Old Bethpage NY 11804
516-217-1000
Please visit our website @ www.cameralandny.com