Vortex Defender Red Dot Review: We Range Tested Every Model

The most recent pattern for pistol purple dots is utilizing completely different window sizes to match particular use circumstances. There are alternatives with massive home windows for fast goal acquisition, small home windows for hid carry, and the Goldilocks-size that does every little thing properly. Vortex launched their concealed-carry targeted Defender-CCW final 12 months and this 12 months added two new purple dots to supply a full vary of window sizes.

I obtained my arms on certainly one of every to run them facet by facet. I examined their sturdiness, precision, and general person expertise primarily based on their meant roles. After a number of weeks with the Defender-ST and Defender-XL, and greater than a 12 months with the Defender-CCW, I’ve a transparent understanding of what these optics are all about and might help you determine which is finest in your pistol.

How I Examined the Vortex Defender Purple Dots

I began by mounting the optics to a few pistols and assessed in the event that they had been simple to put in. The method was a breeze. Vortex consists of all of the individually labeled mounting {hardware} (full with pre-applied blue thread-locker), instruments, and directions you want.

Then got here my preliminary shakedown of dry fireplace and sturdiness testing. I don’t deliberately attempt to break merchandise once I do that however I do wish to affirm that they’ll stand as much as cheap abuse. With the dot mounted on an unloaded gun, I dropped them from waist top onto concrete. I additionally did a lot of racking the slide with the optic. I repeated the assessments between strings of dwell fireplace to verify for zero shift.

After establishing zero and capturing five-round teams to verify for accuracy, I moved on to a collection of 7-yard drills together with the Bill Drill, El Presidente, and Failure to Cease. Every time, I shot all three pistols one after one other in fast succession to disclose how the optics differed. All in all, I fired lots of of rounds along with what I’ve already shot with the Defender-CCW in the course of the previous 12 months.  

Helping me on this was a trio of 9mm pistols from Springfield Armory: a Hellcat Professional, an Echelon, and a Prodigy. I additionally used Safariland and Tier 1 Hid holsters and lights from Streamlight to see how properly the optics match into an ordinary holster and the way properly the reticles present up towards a brilliant pistol light.

Testing the Defender Purple Dots on the Vary

Defender-CCW

• Reticle: 3 MOA, 6 MOA
• Dot Coloration: Purple
• Mounting Footprint: Protect RMSc
• Adjustment Increment: 1 MOA
• Battery: CR1632
• Window Dimension: 0.8 inches vast x 0.7 inches tall
• Weight: 0.95 ounces

OL gear editor, Scott Einsmann, tested the CCW when it first launched. He put it by way of the wringer and it earned excessive marks for sturdiness, ease of use, and a remarkably crisp dot.

I’m greater than a 12 months into my time with a 6-MOA Defender-CCW and my long-term check unit hasn’t missed a beat. I dropped it optic-first onto concrete and suffered nothing however a scratched chassis. I drew from inside my coat in freezing temperatures and noticed no fog on the lens. I put 1000’s of rounds by way of the Springfield Hellcat Professional it’s mounted on and have by no means wanted to regulate my zero. Merely put, it’s as robust as I desire a concealed-carry optic to be.

Regardless of the toughness it confirmed throughout my drop assessments, it nonetheless retains a low profile and weighs in at lower than an oz.. I sometimes carry appendix, and the Defender-CCW is snug and doesn’t print by way of a T-shirt.

Mounting a purple dot in your CCW pistol is considerably controversial as a result of its dimension is so necessary. If you’re making an attempt to keep away from printing and discomfort, each further sq. inch is problematic. However constructing pace with a window this small takes some coaching, although it may be performed (it’s quicker than iron sights for me). Give your self a couple of minutes of dry fireplace day-after-day to kind this out.

Learn Subsequent: Best Dry Fire Training Systems

Defender-ST

• Reticle: 3 MOA, 6 MOA
• Dot Coloration: Purple
• Mounting Footprint: DeltaPoint Professional
• Adjustment Increment: 1 MOA
• Battery: CR2032
• Windsor Dimension: 0.9 inches vast x 0.8 inches tall
• Weight: 1.48 oz.
• MSRP: $469.99

For starters, the Defender-ST makes use of the DeltaPoint Professional mounting footprint as an alternative of the Protect RMSc footprint. That makes it appropriate with a variety of full-size pistols just like the Springfield Armory Echelon I examined it with, in addition to widespread pistols just like the Glock 17 Gen5 MOS.

The duty-focused huge brother will get extra elevation and windage journey. It’s about half an oz. heavier and takes a bigger battery that leads to a claimed run time of 25,000 hours – greater than double that of the Defender-CCW. It comes with 10 daytime brightness settings as an alternative of eight along with two night-vision brightness settings. You get the identical reticle choices: 3-MOA or 6-MOA. 

The window is barely bigger – simply 0.1 inches in every path – however that 12.5 p.c improve makes a noticeable distinction. Once I was capturing drills at seven yards, I wanted much less time to get on course and transition between targets due to the bigger window.

It’ll come as no shock that that is the Goldilocks of the bunch. It’s quick, correct, and hard. It’s sufficiently small that anybody who’s keen to hold a full-size pistol wouldn’t be bothered by it, however massive sufficient to run rapidly.

I’d additionally advocate the Defender-ST to anybody who plans on placing certainly one of these optics on one thing aside from a pistol. Want a backup optic in your carbine? Put a Defender-ST on high of your LPVO or mount it on a 45-degree offset, and name it a day. Bought an optic-ready turkey gun? The Defender-ST is the precise dimension for that, too.

Defender-XL

• Reticle: 5 MOA, 8 MOA
• Dot Coloration: Purple
• Mounting Footprint: DeltaPoint Professional
• Adjustment Increment: 1 MOA
• Battery: CR2023
• Window Dimension: 1 inch vast x 0.9 inches tall
• Weight: 1.93 oz.
• MSRP: $599.99

Vortex simply launched the third addition to the brand new line of pistol purple dots: the Defender-XL. This one has a window so huge you could possibly watch Monday Night time Soccer on it.

Two notable variations are the Defender-XL’s reticle and battery compartment. As a substitute of 3- and 6-MOA fashions, you may decide from 5-MOA or 8-MOA dot. The battery compartment nonetheless hundreds from the highest, there’s only a set screw and button holding the cap in place slightly than threads.

If an inch doesn’t sound huge, take into account this: The Defender-CCW’s complete housing may match contained in the glass of the Defender-XL. On a pistol, the 2 are worlds aside. It even makes the Defender-ST look tiny. 

Each time I shot the Invoice Drill, the Defender-XL’s outsized viewing space meant that I may purchase the intense 5-MOA dot sooner, monitor my dot by way of recoil, and see extra of my goal than I’d with a standard-sized optic. This was much more noticeable when partaking a number of targets. Through the Failure to Cease drill, I felt like time slowed as a result of I had extra alternative to look at every goal come into my discipline of view and mentally put together for the subsequent shot.

That is sensible as a result of this optic is constructed for aggressive shooters who’re completely happy to slap a billboard-sized piece of glass on their slide if it shaves a hundredth of a second off their time.

Are there any drawbacks? It might sound counterintuitive {that a} competitors purple dot would include the most important reticles: 5 MOA or 8 MOA. This makes the Defender-XL quick however it does so on the expense of precision, particularly past 25 yards or extra. The 5 MOA dot will cowl 2.5 inches at 50 yards. So, in case your model of aggressive capturing entails key-holing photographs throughout strings of gradual fireplace, step all the way down to a Defender-ST with a 3-MOA dot.

There are many optics which might be as robust because the Defender-XL and a few which might be simply as huge. What makes it distinctive is the mix of power and dimension. I had the Defender XL mounted on my Sprinfield Prodigy which weighs 33 ounces. Drop-testing it with that boat anchor didn’t end in any injury or shift in zero. It’s not a spread toy that it’s important to child; it’s each bit as rugged as the opposite two. 

FAQs

Closing Ideas on the Vortex Defender Line

There was a time when pistol optics had been a (relative) weak level within the Vortex product catalog. That’s now not the case. I’d like to see manufacturing transfer stateside, however that’s about the one criticism I’ve. All the Defender line left me impressed, and the truth that these optics are priced so competitively makes the prospect of screwing one to your pistol even higher.