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Old 07-27-2020, 02:18 PM
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Buck_Hunter Buck_Hunter is offline
 
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Default Leupold SX4 vs Vortex Viper spotting scopes

Hey AO,

In the market for a new angled 20-60x85mm spotting scope and I have my eye on the new Leupold SX4 or the Vortex Viper, both around $1000. To me it looks like Leupold came out with this new SX4 to directly compete with the vortex viper. Quite a bit of info and video's out there on the vortex but not a lot for the new leupold. Can anyone comment on these two in comparison? Does anyone own an SX4? Thanks in advance!
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Old 07-28-2020, 05:41 PM
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upongrassy upongrassy is offline
 
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Leupold is not gonna have the same warranty. Vortex will give you a new scope if you throw it Against the wall.You ship it to them and they will fix it or replace it no question. Vortex may give you some issue as their products are made in China and their products have some really cheap parts/strange design flaws.The glass will be likely the same in both the leupold and viper.

Depends what you want to use it/how much. If you don’t need a scope ASAP then save and buy a swaro 65mm scope. Vortex is kinda an odd duck there products are decent but still over priced.The Leupold model your after is it USA made? If so most likely a better over all piece. Look at both scopes and ask what is gonna break?

If it was down to the two I’d go vortex as the warranty is there. Spotters are pricey and **** happens.

I have vortex razor and leupold gold ring spotters I use regularly. Ones a 50mm and the other a 85mm. In your price range I don’t know if the 85mm is worth the coin. High magnification in the viper line isn’t gonna be so clear. A 65mm is gonna give you the max clarity for glass level.
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Old 07-28-2020, 06:39 PM
dalewig dalewig is offline
 
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Touch more expensive than what you are looking for but Meopta has a 20-60x80 spotter for about 1200 usd, lotta reviews put it at better glass than the razor. Pretty sure they have a really good warranty as well , another option
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Old 07-29-2020, 07:22 AM
sillyak sillyak is offline
 
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Originally Posted by dalewig View Post
Touch more expensive than what you are looking for but Meopta has a 20-60x80 spotter for about 1200 usd, lotta reviews put it at better glass than the razor. Pretty sure they have a really good warranty as well , another option
The Meopta Meostar is made in Czech Republic as opposed to China. They grind their own glass and make them as opposed to just farming them out to some factory in China. Their glass is top notch, but definitely more expensive than the two spotting scopes the OP mentioned.
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Old 07-29-2020, 07:32 AM
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Originally Posted by sillyak View Post
The Meopta Meostar is made in Czech Republic as opposed to China. They grind their own glass and make them as opposed to just farming them out to some factory in China. Their glass is top notch, but definitely more expensive than the two spotting scopes the OP mentioned.
That is interesting, I just read that Zeiss outsources the Conquest line for manufacture to Meopta
Cat
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Old 07-29-2020, 08:46 AM
DRhunter DRhunter is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by upongrassy View Post
Leupold is not gonna have the same warranty. Vortex will give you a new scope if you throw it Against the wall.You ship it to them and they will fix it or replace it no question. Vortex may give you some issue as their products are made in China and their products have some really cheap parts/strange design flaws.The glass will be likely the same in both the leupold and viper.

Depends what you want to use it/how much. If you don’t need a scope ASAP then save and buy a swaro 65mm scope. Vortex is kinda an odd duck there products are decent but still over priced.The Leupold model your after is it USA made? If so most likely a better over all piece. Look at both scopes and ask what is gonna break?

If it was down to the two I’d go vortex as the warranty is there. Spotters are pricey and **** happens.

I have vortex razor and leupold gold ring spotters I use regularly. Ones a 50mm and the other a 85mm. In your price range I don’t know if the 85mm is worth the coin. High magnification in the viper line isn’t gonna be so clear. A 65mm is gonna give you the max clarity for glass level.
In my experience with Leupold (almost all of my rifle scopes and all of my binos are Leupold) I would say that their warranty is every bit as good as Vortex... with the only difference being that you will very unlikely need to use it. I have about 15-18 Leupold products and in 25 yrs, sent back one range finder (replaced for free) and sent back one pair of binos (for cleaning and to re charge the internal gasses for fogging) and what arrived was upgraded brand new binos in the mail much to my surprise and delight.

I have 2 Vortex products that I have owned for less than 2 years; I have just sent the tripod back for replacement as one swivel broke and was out spotting with my Diamondback spotter this last week and the one compartment is turning and has come loose so it looks like it will also likely be going back. Junk IMO, live and learn.

Great thing about Vortex's warranty is that you can almost guarantee you will need it every 1-3 yrs. I can't imaging how a company will be able to stay in business when most everything they produce will be getting replaced several times in a lifetime.

DR
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Old 07-29-2020, 08:16 PM
sillyak sillyak is offline
 
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Originally Posted by catnthehat View Post
That is interesting, I just read that Zeiss outsources the Conquest line for manufacture to Meopta
Cat
I know the original Conquest scopes were farmed out to Meopta, I don't know about their current line.
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Old 07-30-2020, 09:59 AM
Bganz Bganz is offline
 
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Originally Posted by DRhunter View Post
In my experience with Leupold (almost all of my rifle scopes and all of my binos are Leupold) I would say that their warranty is every bit as good as Vortex... with the only difference being that you will very unlikely need to use it. I have about 15-18 Leupold products and in 25 yrs, sent back one range finder (replaced for free) and sent back one pair of binos (for cleaning and to re charge the internal gasses for fogging) and what arrived was upgraded brand new binos in the mail much to my surprise and delight.

I have 2 Vortex products that I have owned for less than 2 years; I have just sent the tripod back for replacement as one swivel broke and was out spotting with my Diamondback spotter this last week and the one compartment is turning and has come loose so it looks like it will also likely be going back. Junk IMO, live and learn.

Great thing about Vortex's warranty is that you can almost guarantee you will need it every 1-3 yrs. I can't imaging how a company will be able to stay in business when most everything they produce will be getting replaced several times in a lifetime.

DR
Over the last six years I have 8 vortex products, and have had an additional two others that I sold to upgrade. All I’ve ever had to have fixed was 1 scope and it was replaced and back in my hands within three weeks. Leupolds warranty isn’t as good as Vortex, that’s a fact. Everyone’s experience is different but if you’re having to replace everything from vortex within 1-3 years, that raises more questions than Vortex QA. Leupold makes great stuff too, and people can choose what they purchase. That’s the beauty of freedom, and choice.

I’ve got the new model 20-60x85 Viper HD and really like it. It’s just a bit heavy but comparing the glass to the Razor I found I’d just be paying a bunch more for a bit less weight so I went with the Viper and it’s fantastic. I’d try to look through as many as possible and see what looks best to you.
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Old 07-31-2020, 05:41 AM
Redneck 7 Redneck 7 is offline
 
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My choice would be Leupold SX4, I know I plan on buying one when they come out. I haven’t used vortex in many years, maybe 7 ish now. One plus about Leupold warranty is that they’re in Alberta. I’d buy Leupold alone because it’s supports Americans and the warranty work, if needed, supports Albertans. That being said I don’t know where vortex fixes there stuff, or ships from. My first two scopes were Leupold, then I bought a couple vortex and sold them all shortly after that. I’m also very pro Leupold when it comes to optics, I’ve seen many vortex scopes, mine and others that were just horrible.
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Old 07-31-2020, 06:36 PM
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Bushrat Bushrat is offline
 
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That being said I don’t know where vortex fixes there stuff, or ships from.
I don't think vortex fixes anything other than their top line stuff. The lower price stuff They just ship out a replacement. They're profit margin structure allows them to sell cheap scopes for what two or three of them should cost which allows them to send out a new one should a defective one be returned for warranty....and for a lot of people that makes them heroes.
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Old 08-03-2020, 09:15 AM
bman940 bman940 is offline
 
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Originally Posted by sillyak View Post
The Meopta Meostar is made in Czech Republic as opposed to China. They grind their own glass and make them as opposed to just farming them out to some factory in China. Their glass is top notch, but definitely more expensive than the two spotting scopes the OP mentioned.
Check out the Meopta MeoPro Spotter. I think you will be thoroughly impressed. You get outstanding European glass and quality for a very fair price. They have a great warranty though you most likely will never need it.
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