Introduction
Brand is one of the important factors while choosing the right optic beyond all the other factors. Every hunter relies on some particular brands that satisfy their needs by providing high-quality features and performances.
There are lots of brands available on the market that produce varieties of models with great features. Thus, it is a big task for many people to choose the right brand and spend more time on it.
In this article, we will compare the two best brands that provide quality optics in the industry, such as Vortex and Leupold. When looking at the aspect of popularity, both the brands have a separate fan base for their optics.
While comparing both brands, it is important to consider their features, quality, price, etc. Before going into that, let’s see about both the brands individually in detail.
Vortex
Vortex is one of the most famous brands for producing high-quality optics. It was established in 2004, and they are one of the youngest manufacturers compared to others.
Vortex produces various optics with advanced technologies and has traditional imaging optics also. They not only manufacture scopes but also produce binoculars for bird watching and other equipment for law enforcement activities.
The scope series that they produce are more popular than other optics. The most popular scope series are Viper, Razor, Diamond, Strike Eagle lines.
At this time, we also have to see some major features that make Vortex the best brand. One of the most important features is that they provide a VIP warranty for all of their products.
This means the customer can return their product if there is any damage or problem, and the manufacturers will repair it, in some situations, they could also replace the product.
This feature satisfies many of the Vortex customers and encourages them to buy the products again. For more than 10 years, Vortex encouraged the hunting interest of many US hunters by continuously producing advanced optics according to their needs. This is how Vortex builds a benchmark on the industry with good customer service.
Leupold
Leupold & Stevens is based in Oregon, but it is also an American company. The Stevens company mostly produces water monitoring equipment, but the Leupold manufactures optics.
This company is older than Vortex by more than 100 years but, Leupld had started manufacturing scopes only after World War II, and also they’ve proved many times.
This brand’s scopes are very innovative and durable. Leupold & Stevens are one of the employees in armies and American law enforcement such as Navy SEALS, US Army, Marine Corps, and Secret Service.
Moreover, they produce binoculars and other optics. According to the survey of NRA, Leupold has won the two most popular scopes manufacturer titles in 2014. Though they’ve emerged in the 20th century, they’ve proved their best in the 21st century only.
Also, like a vortex, they have a lot of useful information on their website to help customers in choosing the best scopes and other accessories for their rifles.
They have produced many product series such as Mark, FX, UltimateSlam, Competition, and VX series. Leupold also provides a lifetime warranty for the customers, but it is invalid if the product is modified or misused. Well, we’ve known more than enough about the history of both the brands and it’s time to look at the products they produce.
Vortex vs Leupold
Both Vortex and Leupold are the most popular brands on the market for producing high-quality products. Although, let’s have a discussion about which is best between both and finally we can conclude based on the price who have affordable.
First, let’s see the scopes they manufacture at various ranges.
Comparison between the Scopes Range
When comparing both the rifle scope brands, it is the easiest way to look at all their categories of products since some brands produce wide varieties while the others produce few varieties. Now, we’ll see about the products by the following categories
Entry-Level Scopes
Both Vortex and Leupold provide varieties of entry-level products that are specially designed for the hunters who need a basic scope for hunting at an affordable price.
This level of scope is perfectly suitable for the beginners. The most popular entry-level scope in the Vortex brand is the Diamondback HP that comes with a various magnification range.
The Diamondback HP series products are preferred by many hunters and marksmen for their excellent sighting of objects. This product series has second focal plane construction and parallax adjustments that make it the most selling one.
Most of the entry-level scopes are designed with the second focal plane since the size of the first focal plane may affect the accuracy in the reticle while shooting.
Parallax adjustment is one of the features that most high-level scopes don’t have, and this is excellent in the basic scopes at an affordable price range.
Coming to Leupold, they’ve produced several varieties of entry-level products, and the most popular series is Rifleman. There are various magnification ranges, and objective lens sizes available in the Leupold Rifleman scopes.
The ballistic aiming point present in this scope helps for long-range shots. One of the best qualities of this scope series is its durable construction.
It is built with one diameter tube that is filled with nitrogen to make the scope waterproof and fog proof. There is not a lot of difference in both series.
Mid-Range Scopes
Mid-range riflescopes are the most selling point in the scope industry. Many hunters are choosing the mid-range scopes for their price range and the quality they provide.
Construction is one of the main differences between entry-level and mid-range products, but both of them provide the same performance on the field.
Both Vortex and Leupold produce various models in the mid-range with excellent features. The Vortex Razor HD LH is one of the best series in the mid-range scopes.
It comes with a wide range of magnification and field of view. Vortex considers glass quality to provide clear and bright images of your target.
This series scope has a lens cover, so you don’t need additional accessories to protect the lens. The inner tube of this scope is filled with argon gas to ensure waterproof and fog proof performance in any weather conditions.
In the Leupold brand, the VX-3i series is the most famous mid-range scopes. The glass of this scope is coated heavily to provide a high-quality image in any condition.
It is built with high-quality materials to ensure durable performance. To prevent the inner glass from unexpected damages, the inner chamber is filled with Krypton and Argon.
It also has an in-built ballistic aiming system that is one of the best features for the hunters who calculate while focusing.
At the end of comparing both brand’s product series, Vortex has an excellent field of view at minimum magnification than the Leupold. When looking at the aspects of the reticle, eye relief, tube, Leupold is better than Vortex.
High-Range Scopes
When looking for the high-end riflescope, precision marksman is one of the targets. This range of scopes has reached a high level due to their excellent quality performance.
You should spend more while selecting this range of scopes. You can see lots of difference in the quality of the image compared to other. In the Vortex brand, the Viper PST series is one of the popular high-range scopes.
It comes with many powerful features to provide great performance in long-range shots. This scope is specially designed for long-range hunters as it comes with a wide magnification.
It contains both the first focal plane and second focal plane construction; so you have to choose the one that suits your needs. The VX-5HD series is great in this range of scopes.
There are plenty of features in this scope that helps you to achieve your target easily. This scope is built with the motion sensor technology that makes it great among others.
Both the Vortex and Leupold brands provide high-quality scopes in this high-range, but Leupold overtakes, due to their motion sensor technology and the easy push button.
Top End Scopes
This is the range of scopes that every hunter wants to buy for an excellent hunting experience. If you’re a professional hunter and doing serious hunting, then these range scopes are the best choice for you.
Many hunters are ready to spend more for a top-end riflescope, and this will satisfy their needs for the money they spend on it. The Razor HD series is one of the top quality scopes in the Vortex brand and that has a lot to offer.
The most favorite feature in this scope is the zero lock between MOA clicks. It allows you to acquire the target easily from a long distance. The VX-6HD is one of the excellent series in the Leupold brand.
This high-quality scope comes with more advanced features such as an electronic reticle. These features will allow you to view the target accurately, and the reticle of this scope will automatically off the reticle to save the battery when the gun is rotated up to 30 degrees.
You can choose any scope from both the brands that won’t disappoint you at any condition. If you want to adjust the illumination, then you can choose the Vortex Razor Scope otherwise, you can choose the motion sensor technology of the Leupold VX-6HD.
Comparison between the features
Magnification
Both Vortex and Leupold brands have various magnification ranges with a wide field of view so that you can choose the one according to your needs.
Magnification is one of the factors that every brand concentrates on to provide better because it plays a vital role in sighting the targets. The viewing capability of the scope varies based on the magnification ranges.
Optics Quality
Optics quality is very important in the scope as it determines the clarity, brightness, and color of the image that you see through the scope.
The quality of optics depends on the way that you expect, and it is not the only thing to consider while buying a scope. For some hunters, quality optics is the main thing in the scope than the other features; in this case, Leupold is the best for providing top-most glass quality.
It doesn’t mean that we recommend buying only Leupold; we’ve just shared our opinion with the reference of experienced hunters. Both the Vortex and Leupold brands have coated the lens with multiple layers to prevent reflection and to improve the brightness and clarity of the image. So choose the scope which suits your needs.
Accuracy
When choosing the riflescope, accuracy is an essential thing to consider. The main aim of the scope is to provide an accurate image of the object.
All the scopes of Vortex and Leupold brands have excellent clarity, the field of view, and eye relief but the difference occurs based on the reticle types and settings.
The reticle of the scope is placed on the second focal plane, or it is illuminated based on the scope type. Moreover, both scopes have different sizes and shapes, such as Mil-Dot, horseshoe, etc.
The Leupold brand has a basic Duplex reticle than the Vortex. Both the brands produce riflescopes for various applications such as small game hunting, tactical, and long-range.
Reticle Options
Vortex and Leupold brand provides various types of reticle options and you can’t find the better reticle option other than these two brands. Leupold brand had found the duplex reticle in 1960 and it is the best option among all.
If you’re looking for a number of reticle options, then undoubtedly, Leupold is the winner, there is no other choice better than this. Because they have various reticle options. At the low magnification ranges, Leupold provides more reticle options, but Duplex and Tri-MOA are the most popular and favorite for many hunters.
Vortex brand uses their V-Plex and Dead-Hold BDC reticles. In mid-range magnification, Leupold provides two sets of reticle options; one set of reticle options is for hunting, and the other is for long-range shooting.
Vortex also has this same method with their small reticle options, and they focus on long-range shooting. When it comes to high range of magnification settings, Vortex has moved their reticle options from hunting and concentrated on long-range shooting.
The reticle options are the Vortex EBR-7 and EBR-4. The Leupold brand provides reticle options such as Tremor 2, Tremor 3, and H59 continuously for hunting, and they highly focus on long-range shooting in high-range magnification. Therefore, you can choose any reticle options from these brands based on your needs.
Reliability
Both the Vortex and Leupold brands manufacture high-quality scopes, and they vary in their performance and features. All the scopes are made with aircraft-grade materials that ensure the reliability of the scope.
Thus, the scopes have waterproof, shockproof, and fog proof capability to withstand any weather condition. As we mentioned above, both brands have multiple layers of coated lenses to prevent glare and provide clear images.
Generally, all manufacturers use the same method in building the scope. The only difference in manufacturing is that Leupold produces their optics in the US while Vortex outsources with other countries like China.
Many US people prefer Leupold brands as they believe that the scopes made in the US provide better performance and withstand heavy recoil; that doesn’t mean Vortex scopes are not less durable than Leupold.
Price Range
Price is one of the essential factors that every person is looking for while buying a product.
It is also important for choosing the brand which we select. When comparing Vortex and Leupold in the aspect of price, Vortex is the winner without any doubt.
In the US, many seasonal hunters prefer the Leupold brand because of its quality, and the beginning hunters choose Vortex for providing quality features at an affordable price.
Vortex also offers various scopes at high prices on the market, but a similar product from the Leupold brand has around $30 higher than Vortex.
It doesn’t mean all the products have high quality just because you spend high on them; you should examine all the features in it.
Conclusion
Both Vortex and Leupold brands have high-quality features of their own. Each has an advantage when looking at a particular aspect. Many professional hunters have both brands due to their excellent features and advanced technology.
When looking at the topmost quality rather than price, Leupold has a little more advantage than Vortex. If you’re searching on the market for the scope, then choose based on your needs and personal preference. Just do happy and safe hunting.