pbjosh
missing the neotropics
Which has nothing to do with Vortex's new Chinese made binocs and scopes. Over the long run, I don't trust Chinese optics. Sub-par build quality will rear it's ugly head eventually. There's always something better than Vortex for the same or less money anyway.
I completely agree with your last sentence, though the Vortex warranty adds significant value beyond the actual product for many people, of course.
I understand you don't trust Chinese optics, and I am not saying you should, but I think it is a forgone conclusion that China will produce more and more optics, further and further up the quality scale. There is no reason you cannot make as good a bin in China as you can in Japan (or in Germany or Austria for that matter). It's just a matter of time. There are a lot of high precision and highly quality controlled products coming out of China these days.
I'm not that old but I'm old enough to remember no one trusting Japanese cars when they came to western markets. I also recall no one trusting Korean cars when they came to western markets. Chinese cars are all over the world at this point and getting better rapidly.
Assuming there is a decent warranty / company behind the product, I'm not bothered by where something is made beyond a preference for locally produced goods when available and fairly priced.
Cheers,
Josh