Vortex Spitfire 1x Impressions

Czechnologist · Mar 10, 2018

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the generous individual in this community who donated this optic to my AR-pistol build. It was part of the SOTAR karma I won back in December. Thank you again!

While I would've been grateful to just have a set of iron sights on my build, the Vortex Spitfire 1x was an unexpected bonus. Wasn't sure how well a non-magnified illuminated sight would work but, I gotta give it two thumps-up.

Like a lot of people my age (58), I have pretty severe astigmatism. Red dots appear as either a streak or a starburst and I ended-up switching back to a conventional optic with a crosshair reticle after trying a couple of nicer red dots a few years ago. I absolutely love this Vortex, though. No streaks. No smears. Target acquisition is fast and instinctive.

j_h_smith · Mar 10, 2018

That's a good little scope for short to intermediate ranges. Remember, they also have a lifetime warranty.

I love every one of my Vortex scopes.

DC-W · Mar 10, 2018

I love my 3X very much. Has never given me an issue and I’m still using the same battery 2 years and a lot of range visits later.

Boom Boom · Mar 10, 2018

Thanks for the review. I've been wanting to buy one of these. I think I'll go for it. I don't have the astigmatism problem with smeared red dots but I much prefer the clarity of prism scopes.

Czechnologist · Mar 10, 2018

Have yet to look thru any Vortex optic and not be impressed by the image quality. I mean, they're no Schmidt & Bender but, they do make me wonder why I would pay hundreds more for something that wasn't any better.

Sharpeneddark · Mar 10, 2018

I also have the Vortex Spitfire (well, 2 actually). If you have an astigmatism, it's a good optic for you. I love the 1 MOA dot and the 6 MOA ring for fast pick up and precise shooting.

j_h_smith · Mar 10, 2018

Zzzzz_man said:
Have yet to look thru any Vortex optic and not be impressed by the image quality. I mean, they're no Schmidt & Bender but, they do make me wonder why I would pay hundreds more for something that wasn't any better.

You would not believe the difference in a quality scope (S&B and Zeiss). The clarity is beyond belief. I don't own any, but one of my gun shop friends was selling a few. At high power, there is absolutely no comparison. You DO get what you pay for.

But you do have to pay for quality glass.

Czechnologist · Mar 10, 2018

j_h_smith said:
You would not believe the difference in a quality scope (S&B and Zeiss). The clarity is beyond belief. I don't own any, but one of my gun shop friends was selling a few. At high power, there is absolutely no comparison. You DO get what you pay for.

But you do have to pay for quality glass.

You got that right. I bought a Rem 700 from Mark Schneider at Atlantic Guns several years ago during one of their Remington 'factory' sales. While agonizing over a choice of scope, he showed me optics they had from S&B, Leica, Swarovski and a few others at the higher end of the price scale that knocked my socks off. It pretty much answered all remaining questions about what you get in the $2-4k range that you don't get in the $1k range.

Boom Boom · Mar 11, 2018

The more important question: What's good enough for a person's particular application when budget is a major factor. Leupold and Vortex make very nice products at much lower price points than the high-end manufacturers. If/when money is no object, high-end optics make perfect sense. When budget is an issue, as it is for most people, it's best to shop around and buy the best quality your budget will allow (not necessarily what's on sale for cheap).

On a side note, I'm somewhat of a Zeiss fanboy. Love their top-shelf products. I only buy Zeiss lenses for my eyeglasses, the high-end Individual ones. Very expensive but the clarity is unbelievable. Worth every penny to me since I need my eyeglasses to function on a daily basis. That said, Zeiss makes some low-rent product in recent years, sourced from China, that is best avoided.

DontTreadOnMe · Mar 11, 2018

DC-W said:
I love my 3X very much. Has never given me an issue and I’m still using the same battery 2 years and a lot of range visits later.

Which model do you have?

I’m looking for my first optic for my AR, not sure whether to buy a red dot or magnified optic. Based on the warranty, Vortex looks like a win.

Boom Boom · Mar 11, 2018

Biggest downsides with most red dots are lack of optical quality and tinted glass. Not something to trivialize depending on the lighting conditions you want to use the sight for. For sub-optimal lighting conditions, nothing beats quality prism optics, even more so if you have astigmatism.

Czechnologist · Mar 12, 2018

DontTreadOnMe said:
Which model do you have?

I’m looking for my first optic for my AR, not sure whether to buy a red dot or magnified optic. Based on the warranty, Vortex looks like a win.

It's probably this one:

http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-spitfire-3x-prism-scope-with-ebr-556b-moa-reticle

DontTreadOnMe · Mar 12, 2018

I think that’s the one. Thanks for posting your review of the Spitfire, Zzzzz_man, I’ll check that one out as well.

rockstarr · Mar 12, 2018

DontTreadOnMe said:
I think that’s the one. Thanks for posting your review of the Spitfire, Zzzzz_man, I’ll check that one out as well.

I have both the 1 and 3x spitfire scopes. As stated before, both are clear crisp for what you pay for them. I prefer the 1x as far as target pick speed and ease of use go.

the reticle is different on the 3x but is much better vs the other prism scopes in its category and doesn't get in the way like some other offerings. Very easy to use as well as get sighted in.

If I had to do it all over again, I would probably skip the 3x and go straight with a leupold 1-4 x24 with the firedot. Runs about 250 more in the end cost wise ( hich will be a deterrent to some) but it fits my application better. typically you will find the spitfire 3x in the 325-350 dollar area.

They come with a decent factory mount but I would suggest going with the American defense mount, I did and love the mount.

The leupold will end up running about 600ish or so with the American defense mount.

I may end up selling my 3x in the future to help fund another leupold.

Hope this helped

dreadpirate · Mar 17, 2018

I have a 1X spitfire and I would recommend it. All my red dots look like stars to me, even the more expensive Aimpoint PRO.

pilot25 · Jul 25, 2018

Zzzzz_man said:
I just wanted to take a moment to thank the generous individual in this community who donated this optic to my AR-pistol build. It was part of the SOTAR karma I won back in December. Thank you again!

While I would've been grateful to just have a set of iron sights on my build, the Vortex Spitfire 1x was an unexpected bonus. Wasn't sure how well a non-magnified illuminated sight would work but, I gotta give it two thumps-up.

Like a lot of people my age (58), I have pretty severe astigmatism. Red dots appear as either a streak or a starburst and I ended-up switching back to a conventional optic with a crosshair reticle after trying a couple of nicer red dots a few years ago. I absolutely love this Vortex, though. No streaks. No smears. Target acquisition is fast and instinctive.

Just seeing this. Would you say your astigmatism gets worse with age?

I'm getting frustrated trying to remember what side of the red "banana" I am supposed to focus on through my red dot.

I'd love to go with an ACOG but can't stand the thought of dropping so much money, again, just because my eyes suck so bad. I wish red dot manufactures would advertise, "if you have astigmatism you may hate this."

teratos · Jul 25, 2018

Zzzzz_man said:
I just wanted to take a moment to thank the generous individual in this community who donated this optic to my AR-pistol build. It was part of the SOTAR karma I won back in December. Thank you again!

While I would've been grateful to just have a set of iron sights on my build, the Vortex Spitfire 1x was an unexpected bonus. Wasn't sure how well a non-magnified illuminated sight would work but, I gotta give it two thumps-up.

Like a lot of people my age (58), I have pretty severe astigmatism. Red dots appear as either a streak or a starburst and I ended-up switching back to a conventional optic with a crosshair reticle after trying a couple of nicer red dots a few years ago. I absolutely love this Vortex, though. No streaks. No smears. Target acquisition is fast and instinctive.

You’re welcome!!! Glad it went to a good home!

Czechnologist · Jul 25, 2018

pilot25 said:
Just seeing this. Would you say your astigmatism gets worse with age?

I'm getting frustrated trying to remember what side of the red "banana" I am supposed to focus on through my red dot.

I'd love to go with an ACOG but can't stand the thought of dropping so much money, again, just because my eyes suck so bad. I wish red dot manufactures would advertise, "if you have astigmatism you may hate this."

It absolutely is getting worse with age so now I stick to conventional, non-illuminated crosshair-type reticles. Tried the red dot a couple of times and just couldn't make it work. Dot either had the familiar banana shape, like you're seeing, or looked like a smeared starburst.

One of the things I like most about the Spitfire is that it's a prism optic and astigmatism isn't even a factor. Whether illuminated or not, the reticle remains nice and clear, even if there isn't any additional magnification. It's still better than plain iron sights.

teratos said:
You’re welcome!!! Glad it went to a good home!

GolfR · Jul 25, 2018

I have the vortex Spitfire AR 1x scope and absolutely love it. It's a little heavier and larger than a red dot the but crispness of the reticle is awesome!

John from MD · Jul 25, 2018

Zzzzz_man said:
It absolutely is getting worse with age so now I stick to conventional, non-illuminated crosshair-type reticles. Tried the red dot a couple of times and just couldn't make it work. Dot either had the familiar banana shape, like you're seeing, or looked like a smeared starburst.

One of the things I like most about the Spitfire is that it's a prism optic and astigmatism isn't even a factor. Whether illuminated or not, the reticle remains nice and clear, even if there isn't any additional magnification. It's still better than plain iron sights.

Mine is getting worse plus I started cataracts a couple of years ago. Today I have conditioned myself that 2 inch groups at 50 and 4-5 inch groups at 100 yards are acceptable. Such is life. :sad20:

Vortex Spitfire 1x Impressions

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