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Thread: Negative Vortex Experience

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    6

    Negative Vortex Experience

    Hey there, so in 2014 I decided to get a new scope and after lots of research, including a post on HBC, I decided on the Vortex Diamondback HP 4x16x42.
    The scope worked great in good to poor conditions but then in November I was hunting in Region 2 in heavy fog and rain and the scope was completely useless, I couldn't see a thing, like a piece of wax paper covering the lens. One decent blacktail not in my freezer and lots of frustration. So Vortex sent me a new scope which was great but now the cost of a box of shells and a day at the range. The new scope worked great until this past fall when the exact thing happened, this time in Region 8 hunting whitetails, another buck not down and more frustration. Sent it in and they repaired it this time. Another box of shells and a day at the range to sight it in. This past May long weekend in Hope in the rain and it fogged up again. So now my $500 scope is close to $800 with hours of frustration and meat not in my freezer. So another phone call and long e-mail along with some pics from a recent alpine hunt to let them know how serious I am about hunting hoping they'd send me a better scope to make up for all my troubles and extra expense. Instead they offered to send me a better scope but have me pay the difference in cost. Completely unacceptable. I would like to say how apologetic and courteous everyone I dealt with at Vortex were throughout this but it doesn't make up for my negative experiences with their product. When I told my tale to a very knowledgeable younger lady at the big store in Abby she smiled knowingly and said, " There's a reason why so many people are familiar with the Voretx warranty, it's because so many people are using it. " I recently picked up a Leupold VX 3i 4.5x14x50 from International and couldn't be happier. Wow what a difference. I know lots of people have Vortex glass and are really happy with it so I don't want to sound like I'm bashing them, I just thought I'd tell my story. Stay safe and straight shootn' this year.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Langley
    Posts
    896

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    Same thing with my diamondback spotter.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Peace Country
    Posts
    2,079

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    Gear failure sucks.
    Glad you moved to tried and true leupold. Vx3i is a amazing hunting scope.
    Now you can go back this fall and get that buck, he will be even bigger

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    3,382

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    Quote Originally Posted by BRimmer View Post
    Hey there, so in 2014 I decided to get a new scope and after lots of research, including a post on HBC, I decided on the Vortex Diamondback HP 4x16x42.
    The scope worked great in good to poor conditions but then in November I was hunting in Region 2 in heavy fog and rain and the scope was completely useless, I couldn't see a thing, like a piece of wax paper covering the lens. One decent blacktail not in my freezer and lots of frustration. So Vortex sent me a new scope which was great but now the cost of a box of shells and a day at the range. The new scope worked great until this past fall when the exact thing happened, this time in Region 8 hunting whitetails, another buck not down and more frustration. Sent it in and they repaired it this time. Another box of shells and a day at the range to sight it in. This past May long weekend in Hope in the rain and it fogged up again. So now my $500 scope is close to $800 with hours of frustration and meat not in my freezer. So another phone call and long e-mail along with some pics from a recent alpine hunt to let them know how serious I am about hunting hoping they'd send me a better scope to make up for all my troubles and extra expense. Instead they offered to send me a better scope but have me pay the difference in cost. Completely unacceptable. I would like to say how apologetic and courteous everyone I dealt with at Vortex were throughout this but it doesn't make up for my negative experiences with their product. When I told my tale to a very knowledgeable younger lady at the big store in Abby she smiled knowingly and said, " There's a reason why so many people are familiar with the Voretx warranty, it's because so many people are using it. " I recently picked up a Leupold VX 3i 4.5x14x50 from International and couldn't be happier. Wow what a difference. I know lots of people have Vortex glass and are really happy with it so I don't want to sound like I'm bashing them, I just thought I'd tell my story. Stay safe and straight shootn' this year.
    Funny I just read your previous post on looking for a scope and almost everyone in the five pages of replies said go with leupold, very few said go with the Vortex. Funny you listened to the guy at wholesale sports and ignored the probably 500 years of combined hunting experience. You went with vortex to save a hundred bucks and now with shells, time and lost hunting you are well over what a Swaro would have cost you.

    I have a leupold on my elk and moose gun and a Swaro on my deer and sheep gun. I have a vortex on my .223. I went with vortex on the 223 because I'm not going to go shoot preds or marmots in the rain, nor am I going to be climbing mountains where the gun may get banged and I'm certainly not going to make any out of town trips or a fly in with the vortex.

    Bhb
    Quote Originally Posted by BiG Boar View Post
    Are you M or F? Might get more takers with tits.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Posts
    52

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    I have used the vortex warrenty once for a pair of diamondback binos that I damaged and the service was great, I now use a pair of razor HD binos and Im going into my 5th season with them and am very happy with them. As for their rifle scopes I have a friend at work who is also a very hard core hunter and also a competitive shooter. He purchased 2 vortex AMG rifle scopes which for those of you who dont know are in the neighbourhood of $3500 each and he also purchased 1 viper pst gen 2 rifle scope. With all 3 scope he noticed he was getting changes in impact in his windage with all 3 scopes. He sent all three back to vortex and they replaced both AMG scope and repaired the PST, They said it is a common with many of their tactical scopes. To me this is unacceptable. I currently have 1 PST gen 2 scope on one of my varmint rifles and it makes it hard to trust it even if all Im doing is using it for varmints. You dont see these problems with nightforce, and you dont see problems very often with bushnell elite and leupold rifle scopes. My own opinion is weather you are spending $250 or $3000 go with one of the brands you can trust that have been in the game for along time,

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Lower Mainland
    Posts
    480

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    I have a Viper 4-16x50 LR and I haven't had any failures with it. But after scoping a moose at 400 yards at 2 hours before nightfall, I just had to change my scope. It was terrible at low light conditions. A Nikon x1000 now sits on top of my 7mm. It's not par with my nightfore but it does the job better than the vortex for a "cheap" scope.

    I do have a tikka 17hmr in order. I'll put it on top of that since I do like the scope still when its bright out lol

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    kamloops
    Posts
    3,851

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    scope caps????. i do not think any scope will not fog up in a coastal storm..espeacially once you put your warm eye on a cold wet peice of glass?

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    7A
    Posts
    20,732

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    What are you going to do when your Leupold fogs?

    Diamondback HP is Argon purged, should have 25 year lifespan from internal fogging. Do you use lens caps?
    Last edited by todbartell; 07-07-2018 at 04:53 PM.
    "If you ever go into the bush, there are grizzly bears lurking behind just about every bush, waiting to pounce, so you need a powerful gun, with huge bullets" - Gatehouse ~ 2004

  10. #9
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Victoria
    Posts
    2,321

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    I like all my Vortex stuff- mix of Viper and Razor. So far no issues. Fingers crossed.
    When in doubt, just pin it.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    1,854

    Re: Negative Vortex Experience

    After my Vortex Viper scope purchase and looking through my buddies spotter. Everything from now on is Vortex for me. New binos before fall hopefully. My scope had water on it one day in the fall but it's my fault for not having it covered from heavy rain. I had a hard time cleaning it but cleared up eventually.

    You'd think after the first missed opportunity at a buck you'd learn your lesson! Leupold scope will do the same in the same conditions. But I'd bet they are more difficult to deal with than Vortex.

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