The best Vortex binoculars for every budget

Professionals who rely on their gear have a higher standard than your average user. If you’re going to use your binoculars every day, in all kinds of environments, with high stakes on the line, it’s worth spending real money to get the best image possible. If that sounds like you, go straight to the top of Vortex’s binocular lineup and invest in the Razor UHD 12×50.

Razor UHD binoculars use the best components Vortex offers. The glass and optical coatings offer superior light transmission clarity for an excellent image. During my research, I came across an Expert Voice interview with Mike McDowell, a Vortex optics specialist. McDowell pointed out that standard-definition binoculars with no reflective optical coatings can lose up to 50 percent of light between the objective and ocular lenses. In addition to fully multi-coated glass, Razor UHD binoculars use a new Abbe-Koenig roof prism that does a fantastic job of transmitting the maximum amount of light from the objective lens to the eye.

Razor binoculars are also available with HD glass rather than UHD if the top-shelf models are financially out of reach. Magnification options also range from eight- to 18 power. The 18-power Razors are a nice alternative to a spotting scope if you have a place to mount them, but most people don’t need that much power. Eight- or 10-power binoculars are loved for their versatility, so why choose the 12×50? Odds are, service members in the field will have access to at least a four-power optic on their rifle. With that kind of alternative available for wide-angle, short-distance magnification, it’s probably a safe bet to jump straight to 12-power with your binoculars. The 50-millimeter objective lenses are preferable for their superior light transmission over smaller lenses of the same quality.

Those of you in the market for your first binoculars would probably like to keep the price down if you can. Vortex has you covered with affordable entry-level binoculars from the Crossfire product range that won’t blow the budget. At the same time, you’ll get a serviceable piece of gear you can count on.

The Crossfire lineup is all about providing durable gear that’s tough enough to take into the field, even if you can’t spend a lot. These binoculars have features like O-ring seals to keep out water and dust, nitrogen-purged tubes to resist fogging, and fully multi-coated glass to reduce glare and improve light transmission to create a bright, clear image. “Fully multi-coated” sounds like marketing speak, but it’s not. It means that all air-to-glass surfaces receive more than one layer of anti-glare treatment. A lot of binoculars at this price use partially multi-coated or single-coated glass that’s noticeably poorer at delivering a quality image.

During my industry professional training, I learned that a lot of Vortex pros prefer eight-power binoculars for their personal hunting kits. That’s because this level of magnification offers the widest field of view and works well freehand — especially in dense woods where line of sight is limited. If you’re shopping for your first binoculars, it’s a good idea to start here and add more specialized optics later as needed.

Budget and value are two terms that get used interchangeably, but they can mean very different things. While the Crossfire 8×42 is the best Vortex product for people who need to spend as little as possible, the Diamondback 10×50 delivers the most bang for the buck and outperforms a lot of other binoculars that cost more.

As with all the binoculars on this list, Vortex lays a strong foundation with glass that’s optimized to keep the colors and shapes you see as realistic as possible. All glass elements are fully multi-coated, and the prisms also get a dielectric coating to improve image quality. That’s a step up from the Crossfire series. Of course, you’ll still get tubes that are waterproof, fog-proof, and covered in soft rubber armor to protect against impacts.

While eight-power binoculars are a great starting point, it’s not a bad idea to step up to 10-power magnification when you can. In fact, Mark Boardman, Vortex’s product experience manager and an avid elk hunter, considers 10-power binoculars to be the most versatile option to carry in the field. These binoculars use oversized 50-millimeter lenses that weigh a little bit more than 42-millimeter lenses, but transmit more light and, as a result, produce a brighter image. That’s important as you step up in power, but it’s also useful in low-light settings like dawn, dusk, and regions with dense overhead vegetation.

So, it’s long-distance shooting you’re into, is it? If you want binoculars that can go toe-to-toe with lower-powered spotting scopes, Vortex has a simple answer for you: Buy the Kaibab HD 18×56 and be done with it. This is a serious piece of gear that can reach far beyond the vast majority of binoculars out there and deliver high-end clarity and brightness in the process.

This is one instance where you can learn a lot from the spec sheet. The 18-power magnification and massive, 56-millimeter objective lenses clearly indicate serious power and the brightness to match. A necessary byproduct of this is the narrow 3.7-degree field of view, so these are better for carefully examining distant targets than scanning the horizon. The 44-ounce weight can’t be overlooked; this is a big, heavy item that will take up considerable space in your pack. What the spec sheet won’t tell you is that the glass in these binoculars is carefully matched for ideal sharpness and color. All lenses are fully multi-coated, and the prisms get a dielectric coating and phase correction for premium resolution and contrast. The Kaibab isn’t quite on par with the Razor UHD line in terms of image quality, but it’s damn good.

These binoculars are designed for big-game hunts in the western United States, where wry game animals need to be observed at great distances. If that’s your thing, the Kaibab is a perfect choice for your next elk-hunting trip. These binoculars are also tough enough to work in a military environment and should make the shortlist for anyone who needs a powerful optic. At this price, the Kaibab is also a solid value. Just remember that you’ll need a tripod or some other way to stabilize these 18-power binoculars.

To create the Fury line of binoculars, Vortex started with versatile 10-power magnification and high-quality glass, then added a laser rangefinder to make an optic that kills two birds with one stone. The Fury HD 5000 10×42 isn’t cheap (or that light), but it can replace your current binoculars and rangefinder to make life in the field that much more convenient.

Unless you’re stargazing or just trying to improve your situational awareness, you’re going to want to know how much distance is between you and whatever you’re looking at. Switching between your binoculars and your rangefinder can cost valuable seconds and may cause you to lose visual contact with your target. The Fury HD 5000 was built to replace both those optics without cutting corners. All glass is fully multi-coated. The prisms have a dielectric coating and receive phase correction to maximize optical clarity and color accuracy. As binoculars, the Fury HD 5000 can hold its own.

As a laser rangefinder, these binoculars provide line-of-sight distance to the target, angle-compensated range, and an ability to scan and display range in real-time. You can pick the setting or program these binoculars to default to the last setting you used. The range can be shown in either yards or meters. Powering this technology is a single CR2 battery. Adding rangefinding capability to these binoculars adds significant bulk and weight, but remember that you’re replacing two pieces of gear with one. If accuracy is important to you, the Fury HD 5000 is a bullseye.