Welcome to my review of the Vortex 1800 rangefinder.
If you’re familiar with the team here at Range Finder Now, you’re already aware that we’re big fans of pretty much anything Vortex. The Vortex brand is famous for inventing what they call the VIP Warranty. Basically, what that means is that if you ruin any Vortex product, you can send it in and get another one.
For obvious reasons, the VIP Warranty created a cult like following within the hunting community as far as their brand is concerned.
Which brings us to our Vortex Ranger 1800 Rangefinder Review.
This is probably the number one selling rangefinder of all time.
The Vortex Ranger 1800 is the single most reasonably priced, most high quality hunting rangefinder on the market today, hands down. If you’re in the market for a rangefinder and you’re not somebody who typically buys only Swarovski, just get it over with and pick up the Ranger 1800.
To be frank, it’ll be one of the best optics purchases you’ll ever make.
I’ve owned one of these (and just bought a second for my brother) since it released. As far as rangefinders are concerned, the Ranger 1800 brings the best of both worlds to your hands. The price is tough to beat, and the quality (paired with the VIP Warranty) make it an absolute no brainer purchase for anybody looking to add a better rangefinder to their repertoire.
If you want the highest quality without spending upwards of a 1000 bucks, this is the rangefinder to go with.
Vortex Ranger 1800 Rangefinder Review
The Vortex Ranger 1800 is probably the number one best all around rangefinder on the market, plain and simple. In our minds, it is hands down. Obviously, you’ve got folks who like another brand like Leupold, or maybe they prefer the higher end Razor 4000 that we’ll cover later on — but as far as all around for the money, you’re making the right choice with this tool.
The Vortex Ranger uses HCD corrected shoot to range. HCD stands for Horizontal Component Distance. It’s angle compensating tech that allows the user to make accurate up or down angle shots. The photo above illustrates this, while a deer or target may be at 500 yards as your eye measures, it’s actually only at 385 yards after compensating for the angle.
How many yards does the Vortex Ranger 1800 rangefinder measure?
Vortex makes it easy, 1800 yards. Similar to the Razor 4000 which distances up to 4000 yards, it’s all in the name.
To put that in perspective, you’re able to range things out to over half a mile. Quite a distance, all things considered. Would you ever need to range out to 1800 yards for a shot? Probably not, unless you’re working for the special forces in some foreign land, but it’ll save you some time for hiking down a big elk in the Western Rockies.
The Razor 4000 does glass out to 4000 yards, but the advantage it holds over the 1800 isn’t in just the distance. It’s in the clarity. We’ll cover that further on.
How good is the glass on the Ranger 1800?
If you’re just stepping into a Vortex product, you’ll wonder how it could possibly be better. The quality of the lens and glass on the entire piece is second to none. The Ranger 1800 is on the higher end of quality when compared to just about every other optics brand on the market, and it’s not even the most expensive rangefinder manufactured by Vortex.
The glass is good. Very good.
Is the Ranger 1800 Rangerfinder worth the money?
This is 100% worth the investment. For one, you’ll never buy another rangefinder, literally. If you’re ever unlucky enough to break this, as we mentioned, you simply send it back for the next rangefinder in line. If this isn’t made by Vortex in the future, you’re still covered.
This is the single best investment I’ve ever made. Granted, I do a lot of bowhunting so I use my rangefinder more than others. For some, a better spotting scope or a pair of rangefinding binoculars might be a better fit.
If you’re like me, however, you’ll not regret this buy.
Vortex Ranger 1800 vs Razor 4000
Is the Ranger 1800 actually better than the 4000? No. The Razor 4000 uses the most expensive glass offered by Vortex and it distances to 4k yards.
Surprisingly, this is a pretty common question. If you’ve got money to burn and you’re looking for a second opinion, I’d say just do it. You’re most likely going to regardless of what I say, if I know my fellow hunters at all.
On that same note, however, you really do not have to upgrade to the Razor 4000 just because it’s “that much better”. The thing about the 1800 model is it’s better than most middle to high end rangefinders on the market manufactured by their competitors.
Here’s the thing about the Vortex Razor series. The Razor series is the best glass that Vortex makes, especially their newest stuff. Obviously, the Razor 4000 is a better rangefinder because it has better glass. It’s just an overall better rangefinder than the latter.
Vortex Ranger 1800 vs Leupold
Don’t even consider it. Leupold is a great company with a lot of history that makes a very nice optic. That said, Vortex is probably the easiest optics company to deal with period. The 1800 is an easy decision if you’re choosing between a Leupold or a Vortex rangefinder.
Conclusion: Vortex 1800 Rangefinder Review
If you couldn’t tell, I’m pretty big on the 1800 rangefinder. It’s a fairly reasonable price for the amount of times that I will use it and the quality that it has to offer. If you are a big time hunter, or maybe not even that big of a hunter, I’d say it’s worth it. However, if the price tag is a little too steep for you, we do have an article on the best inexpensive rangefinders here if you want to check that out!
Thanks for reading and goodluck!
