Vortex Optics has been making optics for firearms for a very long time. The Vortex brand’s reputation for high-quality optics — from rifle scopes to binoculars and rangefinders to red dots — is well-established in the outdoor sporting community. In fact, when putting red dot sights on sporting rifles and handguns was an emerging trend, Vortex was on the leading edge. Nowadays, seemingly every gun made has a mount or cut from the factory to accommodate the installation of an electronic sight. This is the natural evolution of firearms.
One of the first red-dot sights I ever purchased, many years ago, was the Vortex Venom. As state-of-the-art as that optic was, they have continued to improve over the years. They are smaller, lighter, and with longer battery life. Perhaps most importantly, the integration with the gun and user is getting better all the time.
[Be sure to read Vortex Defender XL Review for more information on these optics.]
Let’s take a look at three offerings from Vortex called the Defender Series, and compare them.
The Trifecta
The Defender series of red dots from Vortex exemplifies this attention to ergonomics. The Defender is available in three sizes: Defender-CCW, Defender-ST, and Defender-XL, in order from smallest to largest. Each features easy-to-use soft touch buttons for increasing or decreasing the reticle (red dot) size. There is also a generous portion of soft-touch rubber at the top of the unit. The front face that surrounds the window is aggressively textured to provide a sure grip point when needed and to reduce glare.
Perhaps my favorite feature of the Defender series of red dots is that of the incremental dot adjustment scale. One click equals 1 MOA. No more breaking out the scientific calculator or taking off my shoes to use my toes to try and figure out what my adjustment needs to be based on a fractional MOA adjustment scale. For handgunners, this keeps things pretty simple. At 15 yards, each click will move your aim point just shy of 1/8”. That makes it ¼” at 25 yards and ½” at 50 yards. Adjustments are easily made using the provided multi-tool or any small flathead screwdriver.
Diving into the specs of the Defender Series, one quickly sees that, apart from physical size and one or two size-related specifications, they are the same. Creating a multi-sight platform on the same ecosystem is a smart move by Vortex and a benefit to the user. Fitting the size optic desired to the firearm is really the only decision to make — they all operate the same way with the same basic specs. There is one key distinction — the Defender-XL can be had with a 5 MOA or an 8 MOA dot, whereas the ST and CCW models are offered with 3 MOA or 6 MOA dots.
All three Defenders come with bright red-colored dots. The dots are crisp and clear, due to the quality of the lens. One of the places that some brands cut costs on their optics is to skimp on the quality of the lens. That can result in distortion of the dot and even increase a starburst effect. That’s not the case with Vortex — these folks know how to make high-quality optics.
The Defenders are of course, red dot optics and therefore have no magnification. There is also virtually no parallax with red dots, so changing the viewing angle does not change the point of aim/impact. Another benefit of red dots is that the eye relief is unlimited.
There is some variation in the maximum adjustment scale between the three models of Defenders, due to the difference in lens area. The CCW has a maximum windage adjustment of 105 MOA and a maximum elevation adjustment of 110 MOA. For the ST, those numbers are 145 MOA and 115 MOA respectively, and for the XL 115 and 120.
Small and Light
Length and weight are also key specs. Weight can sometimes be a consideration because adding something heavy to your slide can be just enough to slow reciprocation and introduce malfunctions. The CCW model is 1.59” long and weighs just 0.95 oz. Those numbers for the ST and XL are 1.83”, 1.48 oz. and 2.03”, 1.93 oz. respectively. Together, the three models of Vortex Defenders epitomize the three bears — small, medium, and large. And for just about any load-out you might be putting together, one of them is sure to be just right.
Vortex provides several different-sized sets of mounting screws, and adapter plates or Picatinny rail mounts as needed, to make the Defender series out-of-the-box ready for dozens of applications. For reference, the CCW features a Shield RMSc footprint, while the ST and the XL feature the DeltaPoint Pro footprint.
[Read our Vortex Defender CCW review for details on the optic.]
Vortex Red Dot Sights at the Range
For comparing and testing these optics, I just needed the Goldilocks to go with the theme. And that was an easy choice — the Springfield Echelon with its Variable Interface System made the perfect platform because I could switch between the optics quickly and easily without the need for adapter plates. Echelon pin set #3 works best with the Defender-CCW. Pin set #2 works with Defender-ST and Defender-XL. I found that either pin set could be made to work with all three units, but proper fit was best as described above. Because no adapter plates are needed, no additional weight is added. In fact, the cover plate of the Echelon weighs about 0.75 oz., which would be a net increase of only 0.2 oz. with the Defender-CCW, etc.
As mentioned, the operation of the three Defender optics is the same, as are the adjustments and adjustment increments. This is more than just a little bit convenient — especially when switching between them at the range. Getting the dot to just the right brightness is easy with the large soft-touch buttons. The buttons provide a tactile response to your touch so that it’s easy to know that you’ve just made an incremental change. This is great for keeping track of your settings.
That reticle setting will be retained even when the unit is turned off, either by the auto-shutoff mechanism or manually. The auto-shutoff occurs if the optic has not moved for 10 minutes. The motion-sensing activation will switch the unit back on at the same brightness setting instantly when the gun is moved.
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All three have eight daylight brightness settings and two night vision settings. All three Defenders are built to be waterproof, fogproof and shockproof. Battery changes are done via a top mount, so that you don’t have to remove the optic from the gun and risk losing your zero. The CCW and ST models come with a special tool that helps remove the battery cover, which would be very difficult to do otherwise — so don’t lose that tool! The Defender-XL has a release button to open the battery compartment. All three models also come with a Picatinny adapter, so you can mount them just about anywhere.
All three Defenders performed flawlessly in live fire. Aim point acquisition on the target was fast with all of them. The CCW has the smallest window, but this did not feel like a limiting factor when shooting. Visibility to target was good and finding the dot was not difficult. It seemed a bit small on the Echelon even though the fit was perfect. This optic was clearly designed with a pistol like the Hellcat in mind.
The Defender-ST seemed to have the best fit in terms of width of the optic to slide fit. This would be a nice pairing if the gun were to be carried inside the waistband or in a close-fitting rig. The chances of snagging would be very low.
Lastly, the Defender-XL is just as its name suggests. It’s a big optic! Noticeably wider than the slide of the Echelon, it would be best suited for the competition shooter or duty operator that wants the largest field of view available for fast acquisition and superior visibility. The window of the XL is 25.5mm wide by 23.3mm high, making it like a picture window that looks downrange.
There is a ruggedness and a feeling of quality to the Defender sights. The “checkered” deep texture on the face of the unit is made to grab with the hand or put against any surface to run the slide. The rubberized top above the lens also helps the user keep a firm grip when manipulating the slide via the Vortex Defender.
Conclusion
The Defender series of red dot sights from Vortex gives us three sizes to choose from — each a well-equipped and well-made optic, sure to last for years of use. Whether you want the CCW size for a smaller concealed carry pistol, the medium ST unit for all-around sighting solutions, or the XL for competition or heavy-duty use — these are all top-shelf red dot sights.
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