Seems like they were very popular but now have fallen out of favor with many posting bad experiences with them.

Is it a case of them becoming so popular that failure % may be small but you hear about them because there are so many out in people hands?

Or, do they have legitimate quality issues?

I’ve got vortex stuff ranging from low end, to upper mid range. Never had a problem with any of it . Keep saying I’m gonna buy some of the razor2, but I don’t hunt much during daylight so hard to justify. I don’t know anybody personally that’s had bad to say about it

but that's just me

I do own their Talon Binos which I will admit are VERY good and may be for sale after my last hunt this year

They do make good products, and yes those products have had to be sent in. I've owned 2 Vortex optics, and both had to be sent in. Everybody touts their warranty, and almost everybody has had to use it. There are some items that Vortex is the best option.

I'm sure there are plenty of customers that have never had a Vortex failure. I like tough and reliable, and Vortex is not what I think of in that department.

Pretty much.

I have to send in my PST. The reticle is crooked. I’m confident that they’ll take care of it, but now my confidence is lowered in a scope I’ve never abused. The glass quality is also lacking in that price range. I have several Vortex products that I’ll continue to use, and I’m not unhappy with Vortex, in general. But, moving forward, I’ll probably pursue other options that I feel offer advantages over them.

I have Vortex and love it. I have never had to send anything in, but it's nice to know that if I do, it will be taken care of.

I’ve had a PST and an HST. Wouldn’t have another if they were free. My son has a plastic pair of binoculars from a Chick Fil A kids meal with clearer glass.

I have a Viper PST on a Ruger precision 308 with 528 rounds under it. Taken it to a grand and back numerous times with no issue. It's been a good scope for the money.

I have one, I had to send it in for a repiar. The scope was gone for 6 days total, that's great but I have many other brands and with the exception of a couple older bushnell banners none have ever needed repiar.

Their marketing is second to none. They were early-adopters of “stealth” marketing, the “no fault” warranty, and other aggressive marketing strategies.

That’s not entirely a compliment, because all that means IMO is they have convinced many to buy largely mediocre products.

I have a Razor HD Gen 2 (3-18x) and a Razor Light Hunter. Both are quality scopes although very different. I haven't bothered with any of their popularly priced models.

I have at least one Gen1 Razor, Razor LH, Gen2 Razor, Gen1 PST, Gen2 PST, Viper LH, Diamondback, Crossfire II, Sparc AR, and I've had many more. I've had to send 2 scopes back for warranty work and both were diagnosed with crushed tubes from previous owners. Vortex replaced both scopes (both Gen1 PSTs) with no questions asked. One of them was the exact scope that JG mentioned. It was the old style Gen1 PST with the rubber magnification ring. I got it in a trade from another THF member. Vortex sent me a brand new, updated model, even though it had seen at least 3 different owners.

I've owned one Nightforce scope and as luck would have it, it had to go back for repairs. That's a small sample size, but it proves that nobody's perfect.

While I'll agree that warranty is not the first quality I look for in a scope, it's nice to know that if I buy a used scope and the previous owner didn't own a torque driver, or they used it to club a possum on their porch, I'll be covered 100%, and not only will they fix it, they'll send me a new one without any drama. To me, there's no such thing as a "used" Vortex scope.

And there's no way in hell I'd ever trade my Gen2 Razor for an ATACR. They're even-steven as far as I'm concerened.

You guys are goofballs. If Vortex sucked as bad as all of you bandwagon guys say they were then they wouldn't be ranked in the top 3 in PRS. And if any of you rejects has anymore input other than what I just said then you better be a ranked shooter of some sort.

So, the fact that we’ve had issues with then means nothing? Speaking of bandwagons.....

Yeah. Exactly.

Anything mechanical has the possibility of breaking. H

I am not married to any manufacturer, but like I said before, there is a reason they are in the top 3 of Pro level optics.

Goofball. Hint

Well I know sponsored Vortex guys, because there are plenty of them, probably the most loaned out brand. And I also know guys that keep spare scopes in the truck while shooting a match. No different than a spare ejector, and spare trigger. Vortex probably has the most lines in the water, therefore the most bites.

So someone broke it (torqueing the rings down too much??) and thats vortex fault?

Vortex quality depending on which one you get. If you get the Razor i think the quality and build are top notch and are on par with most of the major companies. As you move down the product line the quality goes down (as it does on most scopes)

Vortex was one of the first companies out there to really start listening to the competitors shooting matches like the prs, and incorporating what the shooters wanted in their scopes. They also support the shooters and the matches, as well as shot along side of them. That is the reason you see as many as you do in the prs. Granted they make everything from your cheap walmart style scope to top of the line, but the fact is they have QC problems. Do they stand by their products? Absolutely. But if you have to depend on them, it would not be my first choice. I own one and have not had a problem with it, but I've also been on the firing line multiple times when they have gone down. I like the company as well as a few people in it that I have had the pleasure to shoot with, and how they stand by what they sell. That being said the old saying, the best warranty is the one you never have to use, holds merit in this case.

I have a 3.5x10 on my 308 its a solid scope have no complaints

Vortex customer service called me a couple of days ago about the 6-24 Viper PST FFP I sent them. He said that it appears I cranked the scope ring screws down too tight. Politely, he was saying that I caused the problem, without saying those actual words. They fixed it and will be sending it back. He strongly suggested that I get a torque wrench and not torque the screws above suggested maximum. That sound a lot like a suggestion I got on the forum from Fireman a year or two ago. I should have listened. The torque wrench should arrive soon.

As for the scope, I like it a lot, and also like the 4-16 PST I have. But, would I buy another one? Well, I don’t know, but would not avoid one. I wonder if the Gen 2 has a better illumination. The one on the Gen 1 is too bright and not much use. Probably i’d look for a scope with an illuminated dot. Leupold has one that I know of.

A $49 F.A.T. wrench saves some heart ache. Mine never leaves my range bag, which never leaves my truck. Pretty much every customer I have out answers "yes" when I ask if they want torque to be checked on all the screws on their rifle/ scope.

Lesson learned.

The pst 2 is much better than the 1

I agree with ya fireman...anytime I do scope work my FAT wrench is out and doing the work.

Problem is a lot of people spend a bunch of money on weapon parts, weapon scopes, ammo, etc, and don't bother with a 50 dollar torque wrench that can make or break any of the details from loose rings to over cranking scope tubes....makes no sense to me.

I have my own too. I was recently at a shop buying and installing rings with my scope and used their shop area as the owner was tied up. Several customers asked me what the FAT wrench was when they saw me using it.

Or a $2k rifle, $2k scope, and $20 rings on $20 two piece bases.