Thoughts on Razor 16-48x65mm

[Spud4747]

Hello everyone,

What are your opinions on the gen 1 vortex razor 16x48x65mm? I’m looking to get my first spotting scope and have seen several on used market for a decent price.

I’ve used a friends 20-60x85 razor and it was a nice scope, just a little heavier than what I’d prefer to pack.

Main concern is sacrificing magnification to save weight.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Kentk]

I bought one here a couple years ago and like it. I have used mine on a couple sheep hunting trips and it works great. Obviously there is better glass available but the gen 1 is light and you can get it for a reasonable price. It will come down to your style of hunting.

 

[Spud4747]

Great. Thanks for the input! Mainly the size and price point attracts me to that scope. I see them consistently around $600 on the used market.

 

[JNDEER]

I really like that scope. Compared it to the old fieldscope ED III and swaro STM HD. It edges the fieldscope mostly because of the fine focus- and although it doesn’t have the fine edge clearity as the swaro- for an average hunter looking to see what’s what and not count inches it’s a great scope.

 

[Tahoe1305]

Like mine. Can run swaro eyepieces on them which makes it not as cheap but can be a neat upgrade.

Mine sits with the 25-50 right now.

 

[ClearCreek]

Hello everyone,

What are your opinions on the gen 1 vortex razor 16x48x65mm? I’m looking to get my first spotting scope and have seen several on used market for a decent price.

I’ve used a friends 20-60x85 razor and it was a nice scope, just a little heavier than what I’d prefer to pack.

Main concern is sacrificing magnification to save weight.

Thanks for any input.

I think the bolded part of your first sentence should be a clue. Why are people getting rid of them?

ClearCreek

 

[Tahoe1305]

I think the bolded part of your first sentence should be a clue. Why are people getting rid of them?

ClearCreek

Hmmm. Never seen a swaro STS/ATS or similar for sale? I just ran a quick scrub and pretty sure I saw as much swaro stuff for sale as vortex in the new post threads.

People like to upgrade, need money, etc. If we used that standard to judge it would be tough to buy anything.

I don’t think you’ll find a better scope sub $800

 

[ClearCreek]

Hmmm. Never seen a swaro STS/ATS or similar for sale? I just ran a quick scrub and pretty sure I saw as much swaro stuff for sale as vortex in the new post threads.

People like to upgrade, need money, etc. If we used that standard to judge it would be tough to buy anything.

I don’t think you’ll find a better scope sub $800

Of course you see Swaros for sale, but how many are selling them to buy a vortex?

As far as a sub $800 scope, you could be right.


ClearCreek

 

[Spud4747]

Like mine. Can run swaro eyepieces on them which makes it not as cheap but can be a neat upgrade.

Mine sits with the 25-50 right now.

Great info. What swaro eye piece is compatible with the razor?

 

[Spud4747]

Thanks everyone for the responses and time. Much appreciated!

 

[Tahoe1305]

Great info. What swaro eye piece is compatible with the razor?

Both of them. Rumor is (bird forums) that the 20-60 is close to identical to the razor (the finish is not as nice). I wouldn’t look at that one.

But if you want to use the wide angle 25-50 that one is pretty cool. Problem is it is $700. But if you want to upgrade to a swaro later you have the eyepiece already.

Me personally I really like the dual knob finger focus. I find it much easier to stay on target while focusing. That limits me to the 1st Gen razor or kowas. Kowas are great to btw but for how much I hunt not worth triple the price.

 

[CCH]

Sierra.com had Gen 1 Razor 65s for $600. I agree that for that money, they are pretty hard to beat. Mine has worked well for some time now.

 

[Spud4747]

You guys are awesome. Really appreciate the feed back on this. For $600ish, I think I’ll give it a go for a season and see how I like it.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Have you bought it yet?

 

[WI in the west]

I bought a used gen 1 85m used it two or three years and took good care of it then sold it for $50 less then i bought it. Its a great stepping stone scope if you cant swing a high end one. Gived you time to save up and sell for little to no financial hit or you may decide you want to keep it. I was happy with mine but knew tgere were better options for more money but at $600 its a worthy scope

 

[Spud4747]

Have you bought it yet?

Yes, I just purchased one for $500. I’m excited rig give it a go. Thanks

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Yes, I just purchased one for $500. I’m excited rig give it a go. Thanks

I've been happy with mine, even after warranty.

 

[Spud4747]

Right on! I’ll let everyone know how I end up liking it.

 

[Bigbenhunter98]

I can’t speak to the gen I, but my buddy and I just did a side by side comparison of the 27-60x85mm and the 22-48x65 Razor HD gen II’s. We were looking at a street sign in low light (around 9:45 PM), distance ~600 yds (I can update when I have an actual range). The 85mm let in a ton of light and we could actually read the street name on the sign. The 65mm felt like there was something missing- the clarity was just bad and you had to know where the street sign was to even pick it out of the image.
Not to bash on 65mm spotters, I’ve had a few! But if you can afford a larger objective, do it. I would rather have been looking through my 10x42 binos than the 65mm.

Final thoughts: if you’re interested in a 65mm spotter purely for weight saving purposes, a high end pair of binoculars will do the job in my opinion. I’d rather be able to use both eyes on a smaller object, that one eye on a big blurry object.
If you’re looking for crisp, high power magnification at a long distance then I’d definitely recommend a larger objective spotter (even something like a 77mm spottter from Kowa makes a remarkable difference).

Again, all opinion- but I hope this helps. If you’re ever interested in comparing multiple spotters side by side, you can rent them from Rent Outdoor Gear. They’re based in Boise and offer shipping and reasonable rental fees on a number if high quality optics. Hope this saves you the time and hassle of buying and selling multiple spotters over the years!

 

[kad11]

Like mine. Can run swaro eyepieces on them which makes it not as cheap but can be a neat upgrade.

Mine sits with the 25-50 right now.

Have you been able to compare this setup to any other higher-end 65mm spotting scopes? I have a Swaro 25-50w eyepiece and am trying to decide between using a ATS or Razor 65mm body. I think the Razor objective would get me very close for significantly less money.