Vortex Optics

Monday November 17, 2008 - 02:45:00 PM

By Ron Spomer, Field Editor

The Vortex Diamondback is surprising because it’s surprisingly good, surprisingly priced and most of us have never heard of it. Vortex? This Madison, Wisc., company began selling binoculars to birders in the mid 1980s, then expanded to a catalog retailer and wholesaler as Eagle Optics. After listening to customers, it designed its own value-priced binoculars and had them assembled overseas. The units were such a hit that in 2000 the firm decided to put the Vortex spin on a full line of sophisticated optics designed here and built to specification in the Pacific Rim.
This isn’t the first “newcomer” to the optics field. Over the years many new companies have introduced a variety of bargain-basement riflescopes, most of which should never have left the basement. Not this time. If the 4X-12X40mm Diamondback I tested represents Vortex quality, performance and price-to-value ratio, it’s the poster child for reasonably priced hunting scopes.

The Diamondback line features:
Fully multi-coated optics—All air-to-glass surfaces have multiple anti-reflection coatings, which in turn means minimum reflection loss, minimum flare, maximum brightness and maximum contrast. Give it an “A.” The only reason I don’t award “A+” is because I don’t know how many layers have been applied and which wavelengths of the visible spectrum they most enhance. Two independent observers and I noted that the Diamondback transmitted a slightly brighter and higher resolution image than a famous-name scope costing twice as much. These were subjective tests, but unanimous. The Vortex gave the better overall image.
One-Piece main tube—The 1-inch tube is carved from a one-piece tube of 6061 T6 aircraft-grade aluminum. This means there are no joints at the turrets, so there is no chance of leakage and less chance of bending. I didn’t pound tent stakes or subject the scope to any other torture tests, figuring an arbitrary beating without standards proves little. If a scope will handle repeated recoil from high-energy centerfire rifles, the knocks it takes from general field use shouldn’t pose a problem.
Precision-glide erector system—Mechanically, the critical parts of a scope move the erector tube and hold it in position, shot after shot. Vortex hires what they describe as “premium-grade fluoropolymer Teflon resin bushings” to guide the glide of the power-changing ring and erector tube as it slides back and forth within the main tube to change magnification. The power ring turned silky smooth with consistent tension more than adequate to hold the chosen power setting, but not so tight that adjusting it was difficult after a night of hibernating in the kitchen freezer. Some scope power rings barely turn when frozen. Some are so loose that they practically spin when extremely hot. This seemed perfect.
Argon-purged, waterproof and fogproof—Like every scope I’ve ever tested, this one fogged on an internal ocular lens (appeared to be the second eyepiece lens in) after being taken from the freezer into a 75-degree room.

The fogging covered about 50 percent of the center of the lens and cleared completely four minutes after exiting the freezer. No internal moisture or spotting was subsequently noted.
After complete submersion for 15 minutes, the Vortex emerged refreshed and internally dry. No bubble streams rose from the instrument, not even while the power ring and eyepiece focus ring were turned. The lens caps were not removed during submersion.
What wasn’t evident but may prove significant over the long haul was the internal argon gas. Most scopes are moisture-purged with nitrogen gas. Argon gas molecules are significantly larger than nitrogen, thus less likely to leak from tiny cracks in the seals as the scope ages. In addition, argon gas reportedly maintains its protective properties over a wider range of temperatures than does nitrogen gas. Only time will tell, but this sounds good to me.
Zero-reset dials—For most of us, the ability to reset windage and elevation dials to zero after sighting in is no big whoopee, but some shooters like to crank in adjustments to match specific loads or even to aim dead-on at extended ranges. Thus, if a your rifle/load is sighted to point of aim at 200 yards, turn the slotted center screw to loosen the dial, reset it to zero, tighten the screw, then turn the dial to whatever number matches bullet impact at your next chosen distance.
The adjustments were smooth, precise and repeatable as proven when I “shot the square.” I mounted the Vortex to a Jarrett Beanfield rifle in 7mm-08 Rem., which consistently shoots handloads .5 MOA. After the initial three-shot group I adjusted the crosshairs 16 clicks down, right, up and left in sequence, firing three-shot groups at each new setting. Those groups centered within a quarter inch of where they were supposed to and the final shot landed smack in the middle of the first group fired. Another “A” grade.
Fast-adjust eyepiece—No need to back off a lock ring and laboriously turn the eyepiece to adjust diopter focus for your eye. The European-style fast-focus ring on the Diamondback adjusts with a simple turn, bringing the reticle into crisp focus. This can be problematic if the ring turns too easily and is bumped out of focus in the field, so I brushed, then rubbed this adjustment ring on our clothing. It didn’t budge.
Dead-Hold reticle—Thick, easily seen crosshairs step down to a thinner central reticle in the familiar duplex style, but the vertical bar beneath the horizontal wears three dots at 1.5, 4.5, and 7.5 MOA. The junction of the thin and thick reticle is at 11 MOA. Dots on the horizontal reticle on either side of the center are spaced at 3.6 MOA. These are useful for holding into the wind when wind drift parameters are known. Vertical dots can be used to measure distance to targets of known size (bracketing or subtending measurement) and as aiming reference points when your bullet trajectory is known. Depending on your sight-in distance, velocity and bullet shape, the first dot down might correspond to a dead-on hold at 240 yards, the second dot 300 yards, and so on.
VIP warranty—Vortex pledges to repair or replace defective scopes at no charge, no matter the cause of the problem. And they do it in Wisconsin with a seven-day average turn around. Whoa. That’s a pretty generous guarantee, suggesting they have considerable faith in both their product and their customers.
I’ll confess a bias against “no-name” optics companies, but my review of this Diamondback kicked that bias. This is no dime store gimmick, but a high-quality, solid performer that looks and feels as solid as it works. I detected no parallax at 100 yards, observed no distracting optical aberrations, discovered no mechanical hitches. In short, I’d take this scope hunting anywhere, anytime, no reservations.

Wednesday July 02, 2008 - 09:45:00 AM

Vortex teams with the Ahern Sales Group LLC

Vortex, a nationally recognized manufacturer of sports optics based in Middleton, WI has teamed with The Ahern Group LLC to work and build relationships with current and new dealers. The new relationship was made public at the 2008 SHOT Show.

“We are very excited about our new partnership with the Ahern Group. Their collective experience and excellent reputation with dealers and customers will play a key role in the growth of Vortex Optics.”

The Ahern Group is a manufacturers representative firm specializing exclusively in the sales of quality hunting, shooting and law enforcement products. The companies 8 representatives service Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

www.aherngroupllc.com

Vortex. The Force of Optics.

www.vortexoptics.com

Wednesday July 02, 2008 - 09:45:00 AM

Hunters face many challenges and obstacles when pursuing that trophy buck. Using your binocular with one hand should not be one of them. Now, those days are past with the introduction of Vortex's new Binoc-Loc. Simple, unobtrusive and inexpensive, the Binoc-Loc mounts on the hinge of most quality binoculars to let you quickly and precisely lock the binoculars to your personalized setting with only one hand for a complete, unobstructed view.

"People always ask us how we come up with ideas like this," remarked Sam Hamilton, Vortex's product designer. "I tell them it's because we use our products in the field. We're hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, and we're always trying to think of new and better ways to do things. The Binoc-Loc is another perfect example."

Vortex. The Force of Optics

www.vortexoptics.com