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Allbinos Vortex 10x42 UHD Review (1 Viewer)

Ontario

Ontario

Well-known member
Canada
https://www.allbinos.com/index.php?test=lornetki&test_l=349

Ranked #5

“Without beating about the bush we might say that the premium segment attack, performed by Vortex, proved to be quite efficient. Of course the very top of the range, so the Swarovision EL, the Victory SF and the Nikon EDG, still remains out of its reach but the Razor UHD is as good as, or sometimes even better than, the Ultravid HD+, the Monarch HG, the SLC W B, the Conquest HD, or the Victory HT. It's still no mean feat.”
 

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Well he did say that "the premium segment attack performed by Vortex, proved to be efficient". To top it off I will take the remaining UV HD, Monarch HG, SLC W B, Conquest HD, and the Victory HT over the Kotex, I mean Vortex.

Andy W.
 
Vortex binoculars are all made in China now, correct ? That means they cut corners and they will
not last, the highest priced China made binoculars are known to be around $600.00. The China manufacturing
model is just good enough. They have caused lots of pain with their lying with the China covid virus.

Nobody should pay more than that. That is why Vortex only succeeds with a strong warranty, if the company model is to sell a binocular for $1,400.00 that cost $250.00 to make, just replace it, throw the old one in the
trash bin.

Jerry
 
Jerry,

The UHD are Japanese. I don't know if other Vortex stuff will ever switch back, but the UHD is Japanese, very likely Kamakura.
 
NDhunter said:
Vortex binoculars are all made in China now, correct ? That means they cut corners and they will
not last, the highest priced China made binoculars are known to be around $600.00. The China manufacturing
model is just good enough. They have caused lots of pain with their lying with the China covid virus.

Nobody should pay more than that. That is why Vortex only succeeds with a strong warranty, if the company model is to sell a binocular for $1,400.00 that cost $250.00 to make, just replace it, throw the old one in the
trash bin.

Jerry
Click to expand...

Interesting post, Jerry.

These Chinese binoculars are definitely not worth their price; just strange that so many in your country are buying them anyway (of the 9.4 million binoculars imported into the US in 2010, 8.1 million came from China; source: Alan Hale, ret. Celestron chairman, 2014).
Why doesn‘t everybody buy good US-manufactured binoculars these days?
Just a second .... I am just being told there is virtually no US manufacturing of binoculars any more, even once prestigious US companies have over the last 30 years outsourced almost everything to China and Japan ... now why is that?
In 2020, I have sent in 2 Zeiss and 1 Leica binoculars for warranty service. Last year it was a total of 4. None of my roughly 60 China made binoculars have in the last 5 years required service - ever.

Strange times .... I must be getting old ....
 
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The world had outsourced just about everything besides binoculars to China, now there is a wake up call. Going forward lets see what transpires and what the world will do to address that.


Andy W.
 
Realistically I am not optimistic, but a bit PO. If there is any change I will be long gone by then. 30-40 years of laziness/greed is difficult to overcome.
I have my Nikons, Meoptas and glass from the big three. I am set - going forward I will be checking the label of any glass I even look at.

Andy W.
 
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Too much of this review was spent hampering on "value" and whether they're "worth it". Not a whole lot about the actual view and how it compares to other high-end binoculars. I had the Razor HD's in the past and all those extra optical elements does make for a relatively darkened image.

"In 2020, I have sent in 2 Zeiss and 1 Leica binoculars for warranty service. Last year it was a total of 4. None of my roughly 60 China made binoculars have in the last 5 years required service - ever."

This was an interesting statement. When I think back to what binoculars I sent for service - it was also for the big three. The reasoning is different. We spend a bucket load of cash for them, and therefore inevitably hold them to a MUCH higher standard than the typical binocular - we simply cannot accept imperfection.

Furthermore, the top three actually service these binoculars, rarely replace them. For Vortex, the cost of production is cheaper than the cost of repair - I have no proof of this, but its evident since their threshold for replacing binoculars is much lower given their "Lifetime, no questions, replacement guarantee" coupled with all the *amazing* stories about how Vortex replaced someone's binocular after it fell off a cliff ... To me it sounds like a marketing ploy and is reflective in the quality of their products. Im not here to knock Vortex. But if I were t to spend money on a quality instrument that will last generations, I will always go to the big three. Those companies are here to stay and demonstrate integrity in their work and production - I mean people actually visit the factories in Europe where they are produced - and personally I would love to go as well. Has anyone been to a Vortex plant?
 
Samolot said:
....
.....
.....
When I think back to what binoculars I sent for service - it was also for the big three. The reasoning is different. We spend a bucket load of cash for them, and therefore inevitably hold them to a MUCH higher standard than the typical binocular - we simply cannot accept imperfection.

Furthermore, the top three actually service these binoculars, rarely replace them. ....
.....
.....
Click to expand...

Agreed.
But that was not my point.
My point was that I had (and have) to send in binoculars to the „big three“ because of internal fogging, focuser problems, etc. That has nothing to do with „holding them to a much higher standard“. Their quality sometimes just doesn‘t hold up.
So far, none of my many binos from China has exhibited internal fogging or focus failure. I find that amazing.
Moreover, and just by the way, I just got back one bino from Zeiss (7x50 B/GA T) that was accompanied by a certificate stating that it had been fully cleaned internally. But it wasn‘t. Upon my sending Zeiss a picture of the internal condition, they apologized and asked me to send them the bino again.
Over time, things like this make me wonder about quality control at reputable companies like the big three.
For the older ones here, remember how we were laughing in the 1970s about Japanese cars when those cheap Datsuns etc. were coming to western markets. In the meantime, they almost bankrupted some of the big western car companies.
I have stopped laughing about Chinese design and manufacturing capabilities. If our big three bino manufacturers are not very careful, they may be gone before they understand why.

edit: to be fair, I have to say that Swarovski plays in a league of their own. I have roughly equal (double digit) numbers of binoculars from Zeiss, Leica and Swarovski, and the ones from Austria have required significantly less service than the others over the last 10 years. Their service was also the most reliable in my experience.

Of course, others may have a different experience.

Canip
 
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I agree Canip. I own binoculars made in China, Japan, Germany, and Austria. I do not care overly for where they were made, I care that the quality matches my expectations for the price.

Everyone using this site is using a computer and/or phone with the vast majority of the components originating in SE Asia and the majority of the assembly most certainly done in China, even if not final assembly. Suggesting that high quality goods are not / cannot be made in China says more personal belief/prejudice than it does about China's manufacturing capabilities. Apple certainly does well manufacturing almost exclusively in China.

Though they do not have a market in the United States, Chinese cars have an ever increasing market world wide, and the quality is increasing very quickly, much as Japanese and Korean vehicles did in their time. Even Toyota suffered growing pains when their initial attempts at manufacturing vehicles in the US resulted in uneven quality that didn't meet their customers' expectations. I take it as a given that Chinese companies in the future will suffer for not being able to manufacture to their standards in the US.

Though for perhaps different reasons, I very much prefer to use locally produced goods and eat locally when I can - because of a lowered environmental cost. But I do not worry about where my phone is made - I accept that it is made in China and marvel at the quality of it.
 
dries1 said:
It is still a Vortex, not worth the $1400. I will stick with my FL and EDG.

Andy W.
Click to expand...

I wonder if one of the Big Three had come out with this new design (the exact binocular) instead of Vortex, made with the same materials but had the label Zeiss, Swarovski or Nikon what the price tag would have been ? I bet the negative opinions of this binocular on this site would have been a lot different.
 
gcole said:
I wonder if one of the Big Three had come out with this new design (the exact binocular) instead of Vortex, made with the same materials but had the label Zeiss, Swarovski or Nikon what the price tag would have been ? I bet the negative opinions of this binocular on this site would have been a lot different.
Click to expand...

I think you can just look at the Maven B.2. $1000 with larger objective. Positive opinions.

I think the Vortex issue has more to do with the MIJ to MIC transition. Beforehand I believe they had a good reputation here. This was also about the same time Eagle Optics closed up shop.
 
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Coin Hound said:
They are very comfortable--I understand some products don't do well with physical features (eye relief, etc). My local store has the Vortex in stock--they are indeed exceptional.

I would not trade my Mavens (7x45) for anything--which makes the Vortex tempting in a 10x--albeit with a hefty price.

Just from a point value stand point, the Albinos ranking of the Vortex and Vanguards are within a few points of each other. And about $1100 difference--

I guess 'ergos' in a binocular is like comparing the handling of a Mercedes versus Porsche at 150mph.
Click to expand...

Why not a B.2 11X45?
 
Vortex coating must not be to the same quality as some of the other brands. Light transmission is on the low side.

Diamondback 81.1%
Razor HD 86.8%
Viper HD 81.4%
Razor UHD 86.5%

I'm not sure, but I believe the UHD is the ONLY current model AK prism binocular to NOT break 90%. Maybe it's the lowest of ANY AK prism binocular.

I'm really not sure why ANYONE would buy that thing at that price when a smaller, lighter, higher transmission SLC is available.
 
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