Product Review: Vortex Razor makes the cut

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First introduced a few years ago, the Razor is Vortex’s top of the line red dot optic.

The Razor occupies the same place on the red dot continuum as the C-More and the DeltaPoint from Leupold. (Let’s call it the high mid-range). All of the above are exceptionally light and qualitatively better than what you’ll find on the next tier down, occupied by products in the $200 range such as the Bushnell Fastfire.

Of course you can get military grade optics by dropping more money. However for most people, unless you have a special application (or are making some kind of statement), spending the extra dollars may not be worth it.

My reason for acquiring the Razor was very specific.

I was building a high-end 1911 target gun and needed an optic of commensurate quality to mount on it.

I had the option of putting a Picatinny rail on this gun but for aesthetic and weight reasons, I didn’t want to go there. Instead I found a proprietary mount from EGW a quality manufacturer of 1911 parts, designed specifically for the Razor and the C-More RTS2.

Why the Razor?

I wanted something light that would stand up to the rigors of sitting atop a 1911 slide. The Razor is a rugged piece of equipment reminiscent of the much more expensive, RMR and only weighs about 1.4 oz.

It comes with a 1913 mount, which comes in handy, although in my case this wasn’t an issue.

Razor is placed on my 1911 with a proprietary mount from EGW that was precise and secure. 

The Razor fit atop the EGW mount perfectly (see top photo).

The sight is easy to set up.

To make adjustments to windage and elevation you’ll need a small hex key which is provided by the manufacturer. I actually prefer this to using the blade of a screwdriver or coin to make the adjustments because I feel like I have more control. The movements on the left/right, up/down tweaking are discernible clicks, rather than the mushy feeling you get with less expensive optics.

There’s a lock on the back that secures your adjustments. You’ll have to loosen it up with the hex key before making them and conversely, tighten it down when completed.

The on/off and brightness controls reside right behind the lens. You can bring the optic to life by depressing either button and shut it off depressing the “down” button for three seconds. Vortex says the sight will run up to 30,000 hours and should you forget to shut it off, there’s a 6-hour automatic shutdown.

The Razor mounted on a Caspian slide, has a clean look and weighs in at a whopping 1.4 oz.

Changing batteries is easy. There’s a tray that slides out with the battery so when you need to swap it out, just pop it out with a screw driver or knife. (There’s a tiny slot on the exterior of the tray that you can get a purchase on). This method is preferable to having to remove the entire optic from the mount to change the (CR 2032) battery. The battery is protected with an “O” ring to keep the elements out.

The optic comes with its own 1913 mount, which comes in handy, although in my case this wasn’t an issue. (With other products you would have to pay extra for the pic mount so this is a nice “plus”).

The size of the dot is 3 MOA but it also comes in 6 MOA. For precision shooting or whacking a gong at long distances, 3 MOA is ideal. If the dot is much bigger it covers the target.

Batteries can be changed with tray type arrangement that eliminates need to remove entire optic.

The lens provides a wide field of view and works well for my purposes. The quality of the dot is excellent, as I’ve alluded to but not as crisp as a full sized Ultradot tube style sight. Of course it weighs a fraction of the Ultradot so as in everything in life, there’s a trade off.

Street price is $400 including shipping. So far it has been able to handle the recoil and the folks I’ve spoken to own them say they are durable. (If there are any future issues I’ll report them in this column).

Conclusion

I really like the Razor red dot reflex sight. You can use it for everything from self defense to long-range shooting. I use it to whack a 10″ gong at 100 yards with my 9mm 1911.

It’s that versatile.

You’re getting quality features on this optic at a fair price and the warranty on Vortex products is outstanding. I have several Vortex optics and have yet to have any problems with any of them. If you’re looking for a competition quality red dot for your handgun or rifle, I’d give the Razor a serious look.

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