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Vortex SPARC

I had been hearing good things about the Vortex SPARC for quite a while, both from buddies and from various places on the internet. Everything from “an Aimpoint T1 for around $200” to “a great budget red dot optic that is rock solid,” so I decided to buy one and see what all the talk was about.

Vortex SPARC

I’ve been testing it for several months now, and I’m happy to report that most of what I heard has been true from my testing.

Specifications

Magnification 1 x
Objective Lens Diameter 22 mm
Eye Relief Unlimited
Dot Size 2 MOA
Adjustment Graduation 1 MOA / Click; 45 MOA / Rotation
Max Elevation Adjustment 90 MOA
Max Windage Adjustment 90 MOA
Parallax Setting Parallax free past 50 yards
Length 3 inches
Weight 5.2 ounces

Product Video

Here’s a short product video showing some more specs of the Vortex SPARC.

In the Box

The SPARC comes with everything you need to get running right out of the box. For most people, there’s no need to go out and buy additional parts like risers and lens covers. Here’s what’s included:

  • 2x Magnifier
  • Extra-high riser
  • High riser
  • Low riser
  • Elastic, one-piece lens cover
  • Riser shims
  • (2) CR 2354 Batteries
  • (4) Short screws
  • (4) Long screws

Impressions

Rather than go through every single feature of the SPARC, I decided to hit the highlights based on the questions I’ve gotten during my testing of the SPARC, as well as discuss the features that I am looking for in a red dot optic.

As always, if you have a specific question that I do not address, leave me a comment below and I’ll see what I can do to help you out.

Battery Life

Battery life on the SPARC is stated at 120 hours on maximum brightness, 3,400 hours on minimum brightness. So on minimum brightness, this gives you 4-5 months of continuous use. While this is a far cry from an Aimpoint T1, it’s not too bad. So far, I haven’t had to change the battery, but I’m guessing it’s getting close. You should of course have several spare batteries with your gear or stored in your stock/grip compartments, so changing the battery may or may not be an issue for you.

The SPARC also has a 6 hour automatic shutoff, and while I’m generally not a big fan of stuff deciding when to turn on or off, given the battery life, this feature makes sense and is probably a good thing.

Build Quality and Construction

Build quality on my SPARC is pretty good. It’s a one-piece aluminium alloy tube construction that is nitrogen purged to prevent fogging, and is o-ring sealed to prevent moisture. Having said that, I would not consider this a waterproof optic and did not test it as such. If you need a red dot that you can repeatedly dunk in the drink, get an Aimpoint.

The SPARC has a temperature rating from -40 degrees to +140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Operation

The SPARC turns on with a single push of the power button, and off by holding the power button down for five seconds. This is my one big complaint with the SPARC. The power button is easily bumped, and it doesn’t take much for it to accidentally come on. This happens all the time, when transported in various rifle cases, knocked around at the range, in the back of my truck, etc.

The good news is that bumping the power button does not accidentally turn the optic off, but it’s fairly common for me to pull my rifle out and find that the red dot has been turned on. If the battery life was on par with Aimpoint, it wouldn’t matter, but as such I find this to be a problem.

Dot Quality and Brightness

The dot quality on my SPARC is decent but not great. At lower brightness levels, the red dot is pretty crisp, but as the power level is increased the dot does have the “starburst” effect, where the red dot starts to streak and bleed out. It’s not horrible, but definitely noticeable. The SPARC has a crisp 2 MOA dot on the lowest brightness level, but as you move up in brightness, the dot grows and the starburst becomes more pronounced, making the dot more like 4 MOA.

The SPARC has 10-position variable illumination that is plenty bright. I almost never go above level 4 brightness. The SPARC is night vision compatible, but I did not test this feature.

Mounting and Co-Witness

As mentioned, the SPARC comes with everything you need out of the box to mount to your rifle, shotgun or handgun. I used the high riser mount which worked great to absolute co-witness with my Magpul MBUS. You can also use the included shim to lower 1/3 co-witness, or use the shorter base to mount the red dot to your shotgun or handgun.

Durability

Durability has been excellent. This is the main reason testing the SPARC took so long – I wanted to be sure it was going to hold up with prolonged use, as well as some abuse. I mounted, and re-mounted the SPARC on two different 5.56 AR-15’s at least a half dozen times. I dropped the SPARC, both when mounted to my rifle and by itself dozens of times. And so far, my SPARC has held zero and has not failed in any way.

Wrapping Up

In summary, the downsides of the Vortex SPARC are the so-so battery life, dot quality at higher brightness levels, and my biggest complaint, how easy it is for the SPARC to accidentally turn on.

So is this an Aimpoint T1 for $200? Nope. But you know what? I don’t think that really matters for most people. The SPARC is a great little red dot that has held up very well to some moderate abuse, is high value, and is pretty well made. I think most people will be very pleased with it.

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11 Responses to Vortex SPARC

  1. TK December 5, 2012 at 1:33 pm #

    Awesome review man, been considering one of these for a while now for my backup rifle. I think I’m gonna pick one up.

  2. Greg N December 7, 2012 at 2:26 am #

    I own a Sparc and have had to replace the battery. It should be noted that the battery it uses is not a common battery. I looked high and low at all local retails stores to include Best Buy and Radio Shack and nobody carried the battery. Had to order some online. Not ideal, so if you do have a Sparc or plan to get one, order several batteries to have on hand.

    • Brandon December 7, 2012 at 9:27 am #

      Thanks Greg – I typically buy all of my batteries online in bulk, but that’s a valid point.

      • Greg N December 7, 2012 at 9:55 am #

        I failed to mention that I do really like the Sparc. That being said, I don’t have a lot of RDS experience and the Sparc is the highest quality I currently own. Thinking about picking up an Eotech and Aimpoint PRO soon. Then at least I will have something decent to compare against. Besides, I have several recently purchased rifles (AUG, FS2000 & RFB) in dire need of a sight.

  3. Jake December 7, 2012 at 9:24 am #

    How old is your SPARC? I got one about a month or so ago and my red dot is pretty crisp on all brightness levels. I wonder if they’ve fixed it maybe? I have the same problem with it getting bumped on though. And my lens caps broke within a couple hours of range use. But other than that mine has been solid.

    Nice review brother.

    • Brandon December 7, 2012 at 9:25 am #

      Mine is maybe 6 months old? So if they’ve fixed the problem, it’s a very recent fix. Might also be a QC problem. Thanks for the feedback.

  4. Frank Sharpe December 7, 2012 at 2:47 pm #

    I may have to get one of these asap.

  5. brian bowers December 12, 2012 at 2:53 pm #

    I had one about a year ago and was super impressed with it. Cost is awesome considering you get the mounts as well. First day I hit the NV button by accident and thought the battery was dead so like Greg N stated I had to order new batteries online because they are impossible to find around town. So note to buyers: check the NV function first. Built solid and held zero after a lot of abuse. My only complaint (and why I switched to an aimpoint T-1 for my AR) is I was taking a 3 day advance carbine class with Costa and towards the end of the 3rd day the dot starting disappearing on me while shooting. Now, I’m shooting a lot of rounds and fast. 30 round PMAG to emergency mag change and blasting through the next 30 rounds, countinuosly. Multiple targets and moving to different locations and different shooting positions. So I think the abuse took it’s toll on the SPARC. (Shoot almost 4000 rounds in that 3 day period) But if you are not going to run-and-gun or plan on being in an all out fire fight I highly recommend this product for any shooter. A- in my book.

    • Brandon December 12, 2012 at 6:38 pm #

      Thanks for the feedback. Had mine failed on me like that I wouldn’t recommend it at all…

      • brian bowers December 12, 2012 at 7:08 pm #

        It lasted perfect for almost 3 days. If you are on a budget or just going to shoot with some friends… again I highly reccommend. But for me, I found it’s fail point and I do things that way above and beyond the average shooter. Still a solid product that I would back.

  6. brian bowers December 12, 2012 at 2:54 pm #

    I also forgot to mention that their customer service is top notch