So I got a good deal on a Vortex Sparc AR using a coupon code and a fathers day sale, but they can be had for $199.99 all over the internet. I still plan on picking up a Aimpoint PRO down the road but I think I am going to hold off and try and get a better deal on black friday.
The Sparc AR is new this year so reviews were not as common and googling "Sparc AR review" just pulled up a bunch of reviews on the Sparc II on an AR. The Sparc AR has the same lifetime warranty as the rest of the vortex optics. According to the product info the Sparc AR is waterproof, shockproof, fog proof, paralax free with unlimited eye relief, and has anti-reflective coatings. It has a rubber case around it and has lens covers attached that clip together to stay out of the way. The case is removable but I am not sure how the lens covers are attached under the case. The battery life is between 300-3000 hours depending on brightness, which there are 10 settings with the two lowest supposedly for NV use. There is a 12 hour auto shut off as well. Turning it on is done by pressing the up arrow and it returns to the last brightness setting, to turn off you press and hold the down arrow for 5 seconds. Turning it on has been very quick and reliably goes to the setting it was on before it was turned off.
The main things that made this stand out to me over the rest of the optics in the same price range is the warranty and how they really streamlined the body of it.
As you can see in the pictures below, they utilized the base as the battery compartment and control housing. The turrets have ramps leading up to them to prevent snagging and the turret caps have a nub to use to make adjustments. I like that the battery compartment isnt up high or to the side like many other reddots.
When you open the box you get the optic, manual (very thorough), cleaning cloth, mounting plates and screws (more on these later), aaa battery, and a torx wrench.
The Sparc AR has the battery compartment and controls in the base of it. There are two options when mounting it absolute or lower 1/3 co-witness. This is set up by putting a spacer between the base and the mounting plate to adjust the height. I went with absolute co-witness so I did not need the spacer. There are two sets of screws in different lengths depending on if you use the spacer or not. Below you can see the spacer and mounting plate
The mounting plate attaches to the body of the optic with 4 of the included torx screws.
The Sparc AR uses a single AAA battery, Something I noticed was the battery cap and where it screws on seems very sturdy and screwed on easily and I snug it up tight without feeling like I was going to break it.
From What I can tell it seems very well built and has good fit and finish, especially for its cost and being made in China. The dot isnt as nice as an Aimpoints but it is still very functional and picks up easy enough the little I have played with it. It is a bit overcast at my house so I can't say how it does in bright sunlight yet. I am going to my in-laws farm this weekend so I will get it sighted in and update y'all how it does shooting.
I was admittedly a little hesitant to buy an inexpensive optic. But after reading tons of positive reviews of Vortex's other products and getting some advise from some fellow SET members I decided to give it a try, worst case it has a lifetime no questions asked warranty. One thing I found interesting is that there are apparently a lot of police departments that have vortex as an approved optic for their officers patrol rifles. I know this doesn't mean that it is as good as an aimpoint or eotech, but I still found it interesting and gave me some additional confidence in the purchase.
Feel free to ask any questions about it if anyone has any.
The Sparc AR is new this year so reviews were not as common and googling "Sparc AR review" just pulled up a bunch of reviews on the Sparc II on an AR. The Sparc AR has the same lifetime warranty as the rest of the vortex optics. According to the product info the Sparc AR is waterproof, shockproof, fog proof, paralax free with unlimited eye relief, and has anti-reflective coatings. It has a rubber case around it and has lens covers attached that clip together to stay out of the way. The case is removable but I am not sure how the lens covers are attached under the case. The battery life is between 300-3000 hours depending on brightness, which there are 10 settings with the two lowest supposedly for NV use. There is a 12 hour auto shut off as well. Turning it on is done by pressing the up arrow and it returns to the last brightness setting, to turn off you press and hold the down arrow for 5 seconds. Turning it on has been very quick and reliably goes to the setting it was on before it was turned off.
The main things that made this stand out to me over the rest of the optics in the same price range is the warranty and how they really streamlined the body of it.
As you can see in the pictures below, they utilized the base as the battery compartment and control housing. The turrets have ramps leading up to them to prevent snagging and the turret caps have a nub to use to make adjustments. I like that the battery compartment isnt up high or to the side like many other reddots.
When you open the box you get the optic, manual (very thorough), cleaning cloth, mounting plates and screws (more on these later), aaa battery, and a torx wrench.
The Sparc AR has the battery compartment and controls in the base of it. There are two options when mounting it absolute or lower 1/3 co-witness. This is set up by putting a spacer between the base and the mounting plate to adjust the height. I went with absolute co-witness so I did not need the spacer. There are two sets of screws in different lengths depending on if you use the spacer or not. Below you can see the spacer and mounting plate
The mounting plate attaches to the body of the optic with 4 of the included torx screws.
The Sparc AR uses a single AAA battery, Something I noticed was the battery cap and where it screws on seems very sturdy and screwed on easily and I snug it up tight without feeling like I was going to break it.
From What I can tell it seems very well built and has good fit and finish, especially for its cost and being made in China. The dot isnt as nice as an Aimpoints but it is still very functional and picks up easy enough the little I have played with it. It is a bit overcast at my house so I can't say how it does in bright sunlight yet. I am going to my in-laws farm this weekend so I will get it sighted in and update y'all how it does shooting.
I was admittedly a little hesitant to buy an inexpensive optic. But after reading tons of positive reviews of Vortex's other products and getting some advise from some fellow SET members I decided to give it a try, worst case it has a lifetime no questions asked warranty. One thing I found interesting is that there are apparently a lot of police departments that have vortex as an approved optic for their officers patrol rifles. I know this doesn't mean that it is as good as an aimpoint or eotech, but I still found it interesting and gave me some additional confidence in the purchase.
Feel free to ask any questions about it if anyone has any.
