In this video I'll be going over two amazing optics manufacturers in a head to head comparison. leupold vs Vortex. which should you buy??? Watch and find out.
A short story to explain my hands down win to Leupold. I know a man that lived and hunted Alaska for 35 years. During a sheep hunt he lost his footing on a shale bank and his gun tumbled and bounced down a rocky slope. He survived pretty well. Retrieving the rifle he found the stock broken and a crosshair hanging. He replaced the stock and sent the scope with a letter of explanation back to the factory address saying that it was no fault of theirs but could they fix it. Two weeks later he received a new updated version of the same scope and a letter of apology that their product failed. No charge. That instance and the other positive experiences that I’ve had make it hard for me to look anywhere else in the same price range. I do look forward to more exposure to the vortex. Even this old dog can learn something new.
I’ll put it this way. I really like my vortex viper pst gen 2. No problems repeatedly dialing out to 960 yards. BUT for my hard recoiling rifles leupold all day. My lightweight 9.3x62 loading maxed out, 416 Remington Magnum, and 416 Taylor improved all wear leupold scopes. The 416’s alone have survived a combined 750 rounds and never lost zero.
I just picked up a heavy barele 308. It has a Leupold 6.5 X 20 X 40 with adjustable parallax. This scope is bright & clear. It has a very fine cross hair. Good for Quarter's at 200 yds.
Leupold is the standard to which EVERY optic rises to. That being said, if you need a good piece of glass that does the job it is asked, Vortex makes a competent entry.
I have tried numerous brands but always come back to Leupold. No other reason than in my subjective opinion it seems to have the best sight picture and edge to edge clarity.
30 years ago, I sat in a stand I found one day and the idiot that built it had 2x4's for a floor and had a couple inch gap between the 2x4's. Well, this idiot, after sitting for a while, put the butt of my pew pew down on the floor and the next thing I knew, the pew pew went in the gap falling towards the ground and as the barrel was sliding thru my glove, it must have turned enough and the eyepiece of the scope slammed square on the 2x4. I thought for sure the scope was history. I picked out a spot on a tree about 100 yards away, had a rail for a rest, and it hit dead center. Brand: Leupold VX3, and for the last 30 years I have never had to adjust zero, except when I develop a new load, manufacturers discontinue freedom seekers from time to time. I've bought several Leupold scopes since then with zero problems, crystal clear clarity, fogproof glass and awesome light transmission. Everyone has opinions of the best scope, but I have first hand abuse to prove to me that Leupold is the best scope made, and made in the USA, nuff said!
Yes, that is very true. It's funny when you read comments and then watch yourself. You start thinking of all the things you should have talked about or said differently, lol. I appreciate your comment, and thanks for watching my video!!!
I used to sell scopes at a gun store where I managed the AR dept. in the 14 years I worked there ZERO return of any Leupold for any reason, Not so with Vortex. As I recall about a dozen returned, mostly power ring did not function on low end models and this defect was present on receipt of scopes from distributor.
Yes even on the higher end razer the power nob is extremely difficult to turn especially when wet, should be an easy fix for them if they get enough complaints
@@hinshawshowto a lot of scopes do that at the higher end magnification. The more that you spend for optics the better the glass, and the coatings applied. Better resolutions.
Thanks, I was considering a Vortex but I have some Luepold and you can't fog them up and they don't blur. It's a little more Money so I better stick with Luepold, besides I had one a Horse kicked and one that got dropped onto a flat bottom rim and fell in the Lake, Luepold fixed both at no charge and even paid the freight. I was willing to pay for repairs that were not Luepold fault and they did it for free, I'm with Luepold until somebody shows me better.
I had a Leupold on my First RIfle , I have a Vortex on my 270 now but the Leupolds at the store have better lenses , so maybe in the next few months i may get a Leupold .
Unless you're always shooting/hunting at the same altitude and temperatures, custom turrets are not practical. As soon as temp and altitude changes, your corrections are going to be off to some degree - more so with a big change in temps.
Yes, very true 5,000 ft elevation change can change 500 yard drop by over 5" alone , there is a phone app by hornady though, so if you use moa turrets you can just enter all your info prior to hunt and come up with a new drop sheet. Although that still isn't perfect because it's not uncommon to see 20 degree temperature changes and 2000 ft elevation changes in a single day hunt. So to sum it up I just do the best I can lol
Zeiss V4 for around $1k is real hard to beat. Great glass. JMHO. Own a Leupold VX6HD and 2 Vortex PST gen2 . Leupold's tunnel. Vortex glass not real good unless it's HD glass. I have 2 Nightforce ATACR s and a completion. If I have $2k NX8 and you want need to use the warranty.
I really love both my Leupold scopes, and my sone owns the same two Leupold models as mine. But, a close friend recently lost his entire household in a bad fire. Leupold's answer on his scope replacement was essentially, "we're very sorry for what happened, however, we can't be responsble for a loss of your scope in a fire". Vortex's answer on his rangefinder replacement was: "We're sorry for what happened, here's an upgraded rangefinder for you, free of charge and we'd like to help you find a good scope for your new rifle." At the end of the day, he went with a Leupold VX5 scope given his specific requirements and the comparative pricepoint for each company's scope that meets those requirements. But, the warranty /replacement win goes to Vortex, hands down.
@@jkapur Yes, but you completely missed the comparative point. Vortex sent my friend a brand new, upgraded rangefinder for free to replace the one he lost in the fire. So my point stands - which is that Vortex went above and beyond in their customer service. Leupold did not. Incidentally, all my and my son's rifle scopes are Leupold (by choice), so I am certainly a staunch supporter of their products. But I went with a Vortex Razor HD 4000 rangefinder given their lifetime support (which includes electronics).
Maybe this is a more appropriate comparison. I had a Leupold range finder. Used it a handful of times and always stored it in my safe with the battery out of it. To look at it you’d think it was new. The display got dim to the point that it was unreadable. I sent it back to Leupold. They said sorry, it’s out of warranty and they offered to sell me a new one at a discounted price. I told them thanks, but I’ll buy Vortex because their range finders are guaranteed for life. My new Vortex range finder is great and it’s nice to know if it fails in a few years I won’t have to drop another 400 bucks on a new one.
I appreciate your comment, and I have not tried any varition of these test targets, just what looked better through my eyes. It was my understanding that today they are more commonly used to test camera and digital optic resolution, from reading ive done they are slightly outdated due to the increasing glass quality off modern day scopes compared to 1951 when it was standardized. I will point out that I am no expert on the matter and may be completey wrong. All I can really comment on is information I've read online from relatively unknown sources about USAF 1951 test targets.
No question Leupold! Show me a Vortex made in 1974 and I'll show you my working Leupold's made in 1974. If you have a Vortex, you will need the warranty. Bottom end Vortex scopes are 100% made in China. That's a hard no for me.
I have both Leupold vx5 3-15 and Vortex Razor 3-15. Clarity is a tie, leupold wins on ease of power change, Vortex wins on reticle. I put the Vortex on my Proof Research Elevation because I much prefer the reticle.
I sell optics and what i have found is pound for pound, dollar for dollar.... if youre putting it on a gun, leupold wins. If youre holding it in your hands (binos, range finders, spotting scopes etc) vortex wins.
Where are the Vortex scopes made? By whom? Leupold are American made. If all other things were a push, a give or take, or differences small one way or the other, American-made will always trump the imports for me. Thanks for th review.
How many times have I had to send any of my Leupold scopes back for repair? Not a single time. Vortex,….I lose count. Vortex knows all they sell people are guaranteed pieces of shit.
I’m not sure you have actually done detailed analysis of scopes in general with your review. It’s so model dependent that to clump either into a category is outright misinformation. Follow the long range Reddit. Reviewers like cyclops , and your eyes will be opened. Hell you might not even consider buying both of those scopes ever again
I understand your reply and appreciate your response there is obviously a lot more to optics than I touched on and many other brands that offer higher end options which i own as well. My comparison was based solely on my experience with these brands as a hunter and I only touched on what I personally find important in a scope. Yes there are many other things like water proofing lens coatings metals used ect. But when I buy a scope first thing I'm doing is looking through it to see how well sight picture is .
True. It's not the same class as Swarovski or other high end brands that none of us can afford, but they're great and made in America. It's a class of its own.
I appreciate your replies and mabee I'll look at doing that. I plan on comparing the electronic sights mainly red dots/holographics. which I will give vortex thier credit right now because thier warranty for electronics far outclasses leupolds just for a start.
Quality Vortex LMFAO, buddy it's made of chinesium and you will be needing that warranty. Also when you can't pronounce a made in the USA product you have no cred! It's Loo pold not Leo pold.
Leupold is a notch over Vortex period. I don't get it why people always compare these 2. Vortex is crap all the way but Razor and maybe Viper. Leupold have good low end scopes as well as really good high end ones. Better compare Vortex to Bushnell... they both have crapy cheap scope and some good higher end one.
Yes Bushnell is crap I agree lol 😆 but I will say that even with low end vortex scopes thier warranty makes them a step above all the other scopes below 150$ that being said I feel these two get compared most often mainly because warranty is so competitive between the two and you don't as good of warranty with ziess, stiener,swarovski,nightforce ect... and I know people will say you don't need it with those brands but accidents happen and every optic gets old and eventually has a problem.
No comparison Leupold hands down, made in USA and glass is crystal clear...
Made in the United States of America, lifetime warranty and glass that even old eyes appreciate. Leupold.
A short story to explain my hands down win to Leupold. I know a man that lived and hunted Alaska for 35 years. During a sheep hunt he lost his footing on a shale bank and his gun tumbled and bounced down a rocky slope. He survived pretty well. Retrieving the rifle he found the stock broken and a crosshair hanging. He replaced the stock and sent the scope with a letter of explanation back to the factory address saying that it was no fault of theirs but could they fix it. Two weeks later he received a new updated version of the same scope and a letter of apology that their product failed. No charge. That instance and the other positive experiences that I’ve had make it hard for me to look anywhere else in the same price range. I do look forward to more exposure to the vortex. Even this old dog can learn something new.
I’ll put it this way. I really like my vortex viper pst gen 2. No problems repeatedly dialing out to 960 yards. BUT for my hard recoiling rifles leupold all day. My lightweight 9.3x62 loading maxed out, 416 Remington Magnum, and 416 Taylor improved all wear leupold scopes. The 416’s alone have survived a combined 750 rounds and never lost zero.
You left out a factor that many of us care a lot about. Leupold is made in USA, Vortex isn't.
Assembled in USA most parts are probably from China same as everything else these days
I just picked up a heavy barele 308. It has a Leupold 6.5 X 20 X 40 with adjustable parallax. This scope is bright & clear. It has a very fine cross hair. Good for Quarter's at 200 yds.
What leupold scope is that specifically, thats exactly what I'm looking for
@@kylecirincione6691
Verri X III or II.
Thanks bro. Appreciate the video.
Leupold is the standard to which EVERY optic rises to. That being said, if you need a good piece of glass that does the job it is asked, Vortex makes a competent entry.
Entry? They are the pinnacle for some of their offering like in LPVO’s.
Leupold is over all the best scopes in the world
Negative nightforce
I have tried numerous brands but always come back to Leupold. No other reason than in my subjective opinion it seems to have the best sight picture and edge to edge clarity.
Leupold everyday for me.
30 years ago, I sat in a stand I found one day and the idiot that built it had 2x4's for a floor and had a couple inch gap between the 2x4's. Well, this idiot, after sitting for a while, put the butt of my pew pew down on the floor and the next thing I knew, the pew pew went in the gap falling towards the ground and as the barrel was sliding thru my glove, it must have turned enough and the eyepiece of the scope slammed square on the 2x4. I thought for sure the scope was history. I picked out a spot on a tree about 100 yards away, had a rail for a rest, and it hit dead center. Brand: Leupold VX3, and for the last 30 years I have never had to adjust zero, except when I develop a new load, manufacturers discontinue freedom seekers from time to time. I've bought several Leupold scopes since then with zero problems, crystal clear clarity, fogproof glass and awesome light transmission. Everyone has opinions of the best scope, but I have first hand abuse to prove to me that Leupold is the best scope made, and made in the USA, nuff said!
Nice video presentation.
For me the one most important feature on any scope is it’s tracking precision. Wish you had addressed that too.
Yes, that is very true. It's funny when you read comments and then watch yourself. You start thinking of all the things you should have talked about or said differently, lol. I appreciate your comment, and thanks for watching my video!!!
Leupold has a no questions asked forever warranty
so does vortex
I used to sell scopes at a gun store where I managed the AR dept. in the 14 years I worked there ZERO return of any Leupold for any reason, Not so with Vortex. As I recall about a dozen returned, mostly power ring did not function on low end models and this defect was present on receipt of scopes from distributor.
Yes even on the higher end razer the power nob is extremely difficult to turn especially when wet, should be an easy fix for them if they get enough complaints
I have both and the Leupold is good throughout the range of the scope. Vortes starts to blur at the higher magnifications.
Yes I have noticed that too!!!
@@hinshawshowto a lot of scopes do that at the higher end magnification. The more that you spend for optics the better the glass, and the coatings applied. Better resolutions.
Thanks, I was considering a Vortex but I have some Luepold and you can't fog them up and they don't blur. It's a little more Money so I better stick with Luepold, besides I had one a Horse kicked and one that got dropped onto a flat bottom rim and fell in the Lake, Luepold fixed both at no charge and even paid the freight. I was willing to pay for repairs that were not Luepold fault and they did it for free, I'm with Luepold until somebody shows me better.
I had a Leupold on my First RIfle , I have a Vortex on my 270 now but the Leupolds at the store have better lenses , so maybe in the next few months i may get a Leupold .
I have both and the Leopold is clear at high magnification but the vortex blurs out.
Unless you're always shooting/hunting at the same altitude and temperatures, custom turrets are not practical. As soon as temp and altitude changes, your corrections are going to be off to some degree - more so with a big change in temps.
Yes, very true 5,000 ft elevation change can change 500 yard drop by over 5" alone , there is a phone app by hornady though, so if you use moa turrets you can just enter all your info prior to hunt and come up with a new drop sheet. Although that still isn't perfect because it's not uncommon to see 20 degree temperature changes and 2000 ft elevation changes in a single day hunt. So to sum it up I just do the best I can lol
That’s why you buy a turret for different locations, ammo etc.
Zeiss V4 for around $1k is real hard to beat. Great glass. JMHO. Own a Leupold VX6HD and 2 Vortex PST gen2 . Leupold's tunnel. Vortex glass not real good unless it's HD glass. I have 2 Nightforce ATACR s and a completion. If I have $2k NX8 and you want need to use the warranty.
Pronounced, Loopold. They used to say it in the packaging but whatever.
Haha yeah 🤣 I've just said it that way my whole life sorry if it bothered you.
I've never own a vortex. There's nothing against them but I just think Leupold scopes just looks more nice in my eyes. All Leupold scopes on my guns!
Leupold does have better quality but I like the lht reticle.
Yeah the dot with open dashes really does keep your sight picture open
I really love both my Leupold scopes, and my sone owns the same two Leupold models as mine. But, a close friend recently lost his entire household in a bad fire. Leupold's answer on his scope replacement was essentially, "we're very sorry for what happened, however, we can't be responsble for a loss of your scope in a fire". Vortex's answer on his rangefinder replacement was: "We're sorry for what happened, here's an upgraded rangefinder for you, free of charge and we'd like to help you find a good scope for your new rifle." At the end of the day, he went with a Leupold VX5 scope given his specific requirements and the comparative pricepoint for each company's scope that meets those requirements. But, the warranty /replacement win goes to Vortex, hands down.
Homeowner fire insurance is for that, not a manufacturer warranty. The product warranty is for defects in the product, not random loss.
@@jkapur Yes, but you completely missed the comparative point. Vortex sent my friend a brand new, upgraded rangefinder for free to replace the one he lost in the fire. So my point stands - which is that Vortex went above and beyond in their customer service. Leupold did not. Incidentally, all my and my son's rifle scopes are Leupold (by choice), so I am certainly a staunch supporter of their products. But I went with a Vortex Razor HD 4000 rangefinder given their lifetime support (which includes electronics).
Easy to do when you have your products made for pennies on the dollar in china.
@@jkapurVortex warranty no matter what happens to the optic is superior to everything.
Maybe this is a more appropriate comparison. I had a Leupold range finder. Used it a handful of times and always stored it in my safe with the battery out of it. To look at it you’d think it was new. The display got dim to the point that it was unreadable. I sent it back to Leupold. They said sorry, it’s out of warranty and they offered to sell me a new one at a discounted price. I told them thanks, but I’ll buy Vortex because their range finders are guaranteed for life. My new Vortex range finder is great and it’s nice to know if it fails in a few years I won’t have to drop another 400 bucks on a new one.
Did you use the USAF 1951 scope resolution test - target? It is the only true way of scope glass comparison.
I appreciate your comment, and I have not tried any varition of these test targets, just what looked better through my eyes. It was my understanding that today they are more commonly used to test camera and digital optic resolution, from reading ive done they are slightly outdated due to the increasing glass quality off modern day scopes compared to 1951 when it was standardized. I will point out that I am no expert on the matter and may be completey wrong. All I can really comment on is information I've read online from relatively unknown sources about USAF 1951 test targets.
Leupold is made in the USA…. Like my guns!
Yeah it's one of the few that is vortex is made in China until you get to the razor line which kinda sucks
No question Leupold! Show me a Vortex made in 1974 and I'll show you my working Leupold's made in 1974.
If you have a Vortex, you will need the warranty. Bottom end Vortex scopes are 100% made in China. That's a hard no for me.
Does leupold offer a military discount?
I'm unsure I'll have to research that however vortex does offer one
@@hinshawshowto vortex gives 40% off which is nice
They have a VIP purchase program for veterans. It is limited to a quantity of three optics only though.
Vortex you going to need the warranty for sure leupold that's on you if you ever have to use the warranty or not
I have both Leupold vx5 3-15 and Vortex Razor 3-15. Clarity is a tie, leupold wins on ease of power change, Vortex wins on reticle. I put the Vortex on my Proof Research Elevation because I much prefer the reticle.
Yes, I do like the reticle on the vortex better than the leupold in the video. I appreciate your comment. Thanks for watching.
"Lew-poled"
Leupold is top of the line. Votex doesn't even come close.
Leupole much better scopes.
I sell optics and what i have found is pound for pound, dollar for dollar.... if youre putting it on a gun, leupold wins. If youre holding it in your hands (binos, range finders, spotting scopes etc) vortex wins.
Leupold binos are far better than vortex.
one word MADEINMERICA!!!!
FORD CHEVY OR DODGE ITS BETTER IF YOU LIKE THE CERTAIN BRAND
Where are the Vortex scopes made? By whom? Leupold are American made. If all other things were a push, a give or take, or differences small one way or the other, American-made will always trump the imports for me. Thanks for th review.
American assembled it's got Chinese parts just like every thing else in the world today
Leupold... MADE IN THE USA
Vortex is (China)-(China) built in (China)
Leupold > Vortex..................on any product, in every aspect, period.
How many times have I had to send any of my Leupold scopes back for repair? Not a single time. Vortex,….I lose count. Vortex knows all they sell people are guaranteed pieces of shit.
I’m not sure you have actually done detailed analysis of scopes in general with your review. It’s so model dependent that to clump either into a category is outright misinformation. Follow the long range Reddit. Reviewers like cyclops , and your eyes will be opened. Hell you might not even consider buying both of those scopes ever again
I understand your reply and appreciate your response there is obviously a lot more to optics than I touched on and many other brands that offer higher end options which i own as well. My comparison was based solely on my experience with these brands as a hunter and I only touched on what I personally find important in a scope. Yes there are many other things like water proofing lens coatings metals used ect. But when I buy a scope first thing I'm doing is looking through it to see how well sight picture is .
I abandoned Leupold for Nighforce, mostly because more tactile dialing, which is important in Any/Any NRA Long-Range Competition.
I've heard great things about nightforce but haven't had the opportunity to use one myself yet !!!
LMAO There is NO comparison Leupold is in a class of its own!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Truth syrup on those pancakes!
Vortex is 💩… no comparison 🙄
True. It's not the same class as Swarovski or other high end brands that none of us can afford, but they're great and made in America. It's a class of its own.
Somebody hasn’t looked through a Vortex…
@@skoolynugenator1802 I have a Vortex on my muzzleloader and have vortex binos... AND I will say it again There is NO comparison PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!
Well...compare leupold to Swarovski...and it's pronounced Loopold, not le-a-pold.
You don’t even have a Razor sitting in front of you. LHT glass makes VX-3HD glass look like mud and even slightly edges out Mark 5 glass.
That is a razor HD light hunter 4×15 I'm sorry if you don't like my opinion but I do stand by it
You shouldn’t be comparing a vx3 to a razor anyways, more in the vx5 price range
I appreciate your replies and mabee I'll look at doing that. I plan on comparing the electronic sights mainly red dots/holographics. which I will give vortex thier credit right now because thier warranty for electronics far outclasses leupolds just for a start.
Dude you should learn how to pronounce Leupold, there’s no Leo in it.
Yeah man sorry just said it that way my whole life because dad always did, kind of a hard habit to break now
Quality Vortex LMFAO, buddy it's made of chinesium and you will be needing that warranty. Also when you can't pronounce a made in the USA product you have no cred! It's Loo pold not Leo pold.
As soon I read this he said it 🤣 Leo Pold
Vortex is for amateurs n toy soldiers
Leupold is a notch over Vortex period. I don't get it why people always compare these 2. Vortex is crap all the way but Razor and maybe Viper. Leupold have good low end scopes as well as really good high end ones. Better compare Vortex to Bushnell... they both have crapy cheap scope and some good higher end one.
Yes Bushnell is crap I agree lol 😆 but I will say that even with low end vortex scopes thier warranty makes them a step above all the other scopes below 150$ that being said I feel these two get compared most often mainly because warranty is so competitive between the two and you don't as good of warranty with ziess, stiener,swarovski,nightforce ect... and I know people will say you don't need it with those brands but accidents happen and every optic gets old and eventually has a problem.