Is the E-model just a weight reduction? Any reason to choose the non-E?
Yes and price. Older version can be found for under $1k pretty easily.
Looking on Midway, equivalent versions of each are identically priced.
There are places liquidating the older version, I think Euro Optic had them for $950 last week. They’re also often around that price if you’re up for buying used on TOS.
I have both and you can’t notice the weight difference. Just get whatever is cheaper.
Durability? I guess it’s too early to tell.
Isn’t supposed to be any different, they only lightened the caps for the turrets or something like that.
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Non-sale prices at Midway are MSRP or MAP… although they sometimes have good deals on sale. If you watch their “clearance optics” you may periodically see the 1-6x Razor there, although probably not as cheap as the Euro Optic deal.
Comprehensive weight reduction. It sounds like it was mostly in the internal turret mechanism (not the caps, which were already lightweight aluminum). Weight no object the internal adjustment mechanism is made from solid brass. Most of the Razor scopes, not only the 1-6x, have been quite heavy and they obviously weren’t focused on weight in the initial designs. The gen2 4-27x is a notable brick at 3 pounds. For the 1-6x -E model, I think Vortex specified some mix of lightening holes and/or aluminum. Logically those changes must have some effect on strength, but the -E model is likely still strong for any reasonable use, and I’ll bet other parts of the scope would fail before the modified parts. If I were buying a 1-6x Razor I would absolutely get the -E model at the same price, or even for $100-200 more than the original brick model.
OP: while the Razor is a very good scope, IMHO there are as good or better options with less weight, and often less money. And if price is no object I’d take a serious look at the relatively new 1-8x scopes from Nightforce.
Thanks, turrets make more sense than the caps themselves. What would you say is as good or better at the same or less price? Usually I only see the razors compared to items that are more expensive like the Khales or Swaro. And most people seem to agree that if performance at 1x is important, the Razor is better than even the NF, unless you step it up another $1k to the ATACR.
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If you are buying a LPVO for predominantly low-power/1x performance the NX8 should be last on your list. The FFP correction and short housing make it one of the, if not THE tightest and most sensitive eye-boxes of all the LPVO. Now if you mainly plan on shooting mid/extended range and want the ability to shoot up close, then sure the NX8 is a great choice.
The ATACR is apparently not as bad due to size and tube diameter but I’ve never used one so I can’t comment. Although its worth mentioning the ATACR is not as bright as the NX8 according to multiple owners over on snipers hide. But to be fair the Nx8 is by and large the brightest LPVO I’ve ever used, just sucks the 1x is so poor compared to other daylight bright lpvo’s.
The following are lpvo’s that I have experience with that excelled at 1x performance. Obviously features/edge to edge clarity go up with price points.
Steiner P4Xi
Razor 1-6 (weight difference is not noticeable, I have both…get whatever’s cheaper)
Khales k16i
Zwaro Z6i
I have no experience with, but according to others these excell at 1x as well.
Nightforce ATACR
S&B short dots
Quick clip comparing K16i and NX8 eye boxes. Obviously the K16i is wider but take note of how the NX8 is like an on/off switch.
[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=a3hfcRqlFxw[/video]
I don’t really know your intended use or price range. But there have been many threads discussing this, and the short version is that the Razor 1-6x is definitely a good scope, but there are now several good options in the ballpark of price.
Among others I would consider the Steiner T5xi 1-5x and the Leupold VX-6 1-6x. I’ve owned the latter, and thought it was as good or better optically vs. the Razor, and it weighs about half as much and costs less.
Another option, which some might laugh at, is the current Burris XTRII 1-5x. Yeah, yeah, Philippines and all that. I owned it simultaneously with the Razor and a Mark 6, and I still own the Burris. I’m not saying it’s 100% as good, but it’s 90-95% as good for less than half the cost. They are currently $460 at Natchez, and if you don’t need 6x or whatever incremental benefit the >$1k scopes have, it’s a steal. (Before someone lectures me on theoretical durability comparisons, I have switched to Trijicon ACOGs on my “it must work” carbines, based on my personal use.)
I own the ATACR 1-8, Razor E 1-6, Kahles K16i, and at one point in time also had an NX8.
The ATACR at maximum brightness is equal to setting 8 on the NX8. They both have the exact same illumination module, but the placement inside the NX8 is more efficient, leading to it being brighter. With that said, the ATACR is still brighter than the Kahles K16i, which is regarded as daylight bright. I would say the Razor at max is brighter than my ATACR, but not quite as bright as the NX8.
As for 1x performance, the ATACR is significantly better than the NX8. It has the same effect as found on the Razor where the housing disappears, and there’s very little distortion. The NX8 has some serious fisheye on the edges at 1x, and the eye box is much tighter (it almost feels like the NF NXS 2.5-10x24).
At the current prices the Razor E (or even original model) is excellent. Nothing really compares at $1000-1400. I prefer the K16i weight/reticle, but now that the Razor E is within a quarter pound, I don’t feel it’s worth the additional $700+.
IMHO, Slippers and sidewaysil80 really summed it all up. No matter how much I’ve read online, they’ve distilled it down to essential truths. There is no perfect optic, be it red dot, LPVO, scope, irons or whatever; someone will find a nit to pick and post on a forum about it. I’ve become more and more realistic about the shooting I do and the ranges I have frequent access to. Then I compare the type of shooting I plan to do with the current data available: The Razor 1-6x24 is overwhelmingly favored in the 3gun world, the Razor 4.5-27x56 in precision rifle and Nightforce just won a .mil LPVO contract with their ATACR 1-8x.
I just bought a Razor-E from Europtic. Compared to the P4xi I was running before you can tell the weight difference so I personally would not want to go with the standard Razor at another 4oz heavier yet. That being said, this thing is AWESOME. I debated real hard about waiting and saving for a Kahles K16i, and while that might be my next optic, the benefits will need to be major for the price difference. Shaving down another 4oz to go to the Kahles might not be worth it for me even on a duty rifle. The glass is superb and the brightness is amazing. Its definitely worth the money.