Vortex Spitfire 1x Review

Whenever you purchase or build an AR-15, the next gun part that you probably want to purchase in a red dot. Deciding on red dot optics can be a very confusing and frustrating task. On one hand you don’t want to spend too much money but on the other hand you don’t want to cheap out and sacrifice quality.

It’s not like you can just try before to buy, and the last thing you want to do is spend your hard earned money on a red dot only to have it break a couple of months later.

If you’re the kind of person who is dead set on buying an Aimpoint, Eotech, or Trijicon Acog then this review is probably not for you.

This review is designed to help those of you who don’t want to spend their weekly or monthly income on red dot optics.

I am going to do my best to help you make more informed and wise decision when purchasing  red dot optics.

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What Is The Best Red Dot Sight For The Money?

After extensive testing I believe that the Vortex Spitfire 1X from Votex Optics is the best bang for your buck if you want a high quality red dot optics for a good price.

In my humble opinion the Vortex Spitfire 1x is the perfect balance between price and performance.

The Vortex Spitfire 1x isn’t any ordinary red dot optic. It’s a “prism scope”, which means the reticle is etched into the glass and can be illuminated either green or red.

But the best part about a prism scope is that you can still see the reticle even when the battery is dead.

Spec Sheet


OPTICAL FEATURES
Fully Multi-Coated Multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces increase light transmission.
Prism-Based Design Delivers sharp optics and allows for unique reticle designs that are visible with or without illumination.

 

CONSTRUCTION FEATURES
Single-Piece Chassis Compact and lightweight.
Waterproof O-ring seals prevent moisture, dust and debris from penetrating for reliable performance in all environments.
Fogproof Nitrogen gas purging delivers fogproof, waterproof performance.
Shockproof Rugged construction withstands recoil and impact.
Hard Anodized Finish Highly durable low-glare matte finish.
Operating Temperature Rated from -22 degrees to +122 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

CONVENIENCE FEATURES
Variable Mount Heights Comes mounted at a lower 1/3 co-witness height of 40.4 mm from the optic center to base surface. Remove the mount riser if a lower 30 mm mounted height is desired.
Adjustable Brightness Provides five levels of brightness intensity with red and green illumination settings.
Red/Green Reticle Option Allows shooters a choice of dot color.
Battery Life Typical battery life is 250 hours at maximum brightness and 3,000 hours at minimum brightness setting.

 

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Vortex Spitfire 1X Review

Initial Impressions

When unboxing the Vortex Spitfire 1x I was pleased to notice that it came with fully charged a CR2032 battery.

It came with two different height sizes for the mounts. Either absolute co-witness or 1/3 co-witness. (I chose to use the lower mount.)

The mounts are very sturdy and rugged, you would be hard pressed to break one by accident. Speaking of mounts, it only took about 5 minutes to completely install.

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vortex-spitfire-reticle

Reticle

As mentioned earlier the reticle on the Vortex red dot optics is etched into the glass. This means that you can still see and use the optic even when the battery is dead.

You have a choice to illuminate the reticle either red or green, depending on your preference. In addition to color choice, each color has 5 different brightess levels for you to choose from.

Battery

The Vortex Spitfire 1x uses a CR2032 battery to power the optic. I feel that this is a good thing because cr2032 batteries can be found almost anywhere.

On the brightest setting the battery will last approximately 250 hours and 3,000 hours on the loswest setting. This is better than a lot of optics out ther but also worse than a lot of optics such as the Holosun and Aimpoint .

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Sighting It In

Sighting it in was a breeze. This was one of the easiest red dot optics to site in. I went to the range and zeroed it in for a 50 yd.- 200 yd. using a laser bore sight cartridge. The backside of the windage and elevation caps also double as the adjustment tool.

The caps are also tethered to the optic so you dont have to worry about losing them

All in all it took approximately 60 seconds to align the red dot with the laser bore sight.

 

Field Test

After zeroing in the Vortex Spitfire 1x I was able to achieve 2 inch groups at 150 yds. I probably could have gotten them tighter if I had used heavier grain ammo. But nevertheless I was a happy camper.

I exposed the red dot optics to various conditions. I got it dirty, wet, and even banged it around a little bit. Regardless of what I did to the optic it kept on working flawlessly and never lost zero.

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Final Thoughts

I have met multiple people who own a Vortex Spitfire 1x and all of them have said to me that they wished they would’ve bought it before they wasted their money on other budget friendly optics.

Heck, one guy even told me that aside from the battery life, that he likes the Vortex Spitfire 1x better than his Aimpoint optic. Maybe that guy is crazy but who knows.

Either way I hope that this review has helped you on your journey to finding the best red dot optics for your situation.

Be Safe and Take Care

Jonathan

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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