I have owned this Strike Eagle 5-25x56 FFP for almost a year. It is mounted to my Howa 1500 Precision with Vortex Precision Rings. I don't use the Zero stop ring because after adjusting the Turret cap to Zero I see no need to have a hard stop zero since the turrets lock. That is just my opinion. Maybe I just keep track of revolutions better. I'm not sure what is up with the turrets in this video (maybe the turret cap screw isn't tight) but there is no slop, movement, or "Mushiness" with the turrets on mine. I do like how quiet the movements are, compared to loud clicks on some other scopes. I am truly happy with this scope. I have engaged targets out to a mile with no issues. I have used the illumination while hunting near sunup and sunset and the range of brightness works very well. I know people who are such big fans of other scopes that this Strike Eagle will never live up to their favorite scope. And that is ok. I suggest finding someone who owns one and try it out. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.
The turrets really threw me off on mine. I did check the cap and it wasn’t loose. I emailed a video to Vortex and they said it’s normal. I haven’t had a chance to check out another one in person but curious if mine is a one off issue.
@@TacticalAccountants maybe your scope was damaged during shipping. Or you got a bad one. The good thing is that you can take advantage of the "No questions asked" Vortex warranty.
Great review, thank you. With the PST currently priced the same as the SE I'm opting for the PST on my new 6.5CM bolt rifle. I do wish the PST had the eye relief and eye box of the SE however.
Ordered the Strike Eagle.5-25 x56 Got a great price on NRA instructor deal . Going on my T/C Compass 2 with Boyd’s at One stock on a Evolution gun Works 20 MOA rail with Monstrum Precision. 34mm rings.
I really like my Viper PST Gen II scopes. Strike Eagle looks cool. But I ended up buying a Arken EP5 instead. Mostly because of the deal they had on them. Just ordered a Arken SH-4J Gen II. They now come with Japanese glass. Both brands have great resale value. And warranties. My favorite scopes of course are my Vortex Razors.
I appreciate the review, but don’t understand the comparison. This is not an “apples to apples” comparison. You are literally comparing a (retail) $1,399.99 to a $899.99 scope. They are in different classes. I wouldn’t recommend my Viper over my Razor Gen III either. Each scope has a particular niche they fill. At a competition I attended we had an older gentleman wipeout the competition with a rifle and scope combination that cost less than my Viper scope alone. IMHO, I would go with the less expensive SE and spend the difference on ammo to practice. Once you get better, you can always trade up to a better scope if you feel the need.
I have 3 strike eagles and a venum. Very happy with all of them. The strike eagles aren’t as good as my nightforce atacrs (x2) but are comparable and are 1/4 the price here in Australia.
Thanks for the review. I’ll stick with my PST and PST gen II for my .223 and .308 and will get a Razor HD when I get a 6.5 Creedmore that would benefit from better glass to reach out effectively past 1000 yards.
I plan on getting the strike eagle for a long distance ar. I currently own a pst gun 2 and viper hlr. turrets are pretty clean like you show but I'm not worried about the slop in the strike eagle per your video. I might think differently once I get it in hand though. For what this scope is I don't expect it to be top tier quality but I do expect it to track and return to zero and if it does that I'll be happy. I'll update as I use the optic and great video. I hope vortex will come out with a gen3 razor in high magnification range that weighs less than gen 2 an will cost $500 less. those are my two gripes with the razor gun 2 scopes
Great review. You’re not wrong about the difference in quality. The Viper PST is made in the Philippines while the Strike Eagle is made in China along with the Diamondback and Crossfire lines. While this may not sound like a big difference there is a huge difference in the quality control and tolerances between the two factories.
The Strike Eagle has second-class glass, where the PST is slightly better glass my reason for getting the PST, and it locally the 3-15x44mm SFP costing $899, I got lucky, and find it on sale in PA for $599.99+ s/h $19.99=$619.98, not bad FFP PST 3-15x44mm.
So I've almost convinced myself to get the PST Gen II FFP riflescope, but something about the Strike Eagle is slowing me down from fully committing. I like the locking turrets on the Strike Eagle, but I believe once you install the RevStop Zero ring on the Strike Eagle, you are actually limited to fewer MOA of adjustment on the elevation turret than you would have with the PST Gen II. The wider field of view in the Strike Eagle is also enticing. I've been considering the PST Gen II for a considerably long time and have saved up the money for the PST Gen II. So I don't want to just talk myself into the Strike Eagle because it is cheaper. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. With the locking turrets and the wider field of view, why does the PST Gen II still remain considerably more expensive than the Strike Eagle, especially considering the Strike Eagle comes with a throw lever. Once again, thank you.
I’m not sure what you’re going to be using it for. If it’ll be for competition, I do think the sloppy turrets on the SE will get in the way. If you’ll just be shooting for fun at the range, the turrets might not be as much of an issue. I do like the locking turrets, but to me that comes after having audible/crisp click adjustments. And the SE doesn’t have that compared to the PST. I’m not an engineer, but the SE is made in China, has a simpler zero stop, less quality turrets and per the Vortex website, less coatings on the glass. We had another 10/22 in need of a scope and it got a 3-15x PST instead of the SE if that tells you anything.
I have the PST GEN ll 5-25x50 FFP with ebr-7c reticle and just my personal opinion I'd go with the PST gen 2 it just has better features all around turrets, zero stop, glass quality etc.. in one of the vortex podcast they said the pst gen 2 has essentially the same glass as the razor gen 1. I've looked through both side by side in the store after tons of research and most everything favored the pst for me and what I was looking for. Definitely worth the extra money for the PST in my opinion you'll be happy you did.
@@CHEFxGUNNER Plot twist. I actually went a completely different direction and got the Razor HD LHT 3-15x42. Consulted with Vortex online via their chat multiple times. Ended up being a SFP rifelscope.
You are correct if you are going to use the zero stop there will be more available elevation adjustment on the pst gen 2. You will have to take out the rev ring to get the full elevation on the strike eagle.
I had more questions about going to a forest preserve and aiming a rifle at a deer. 🤣 FANTASTIC review. Thanks for your work and all of the time you put into offering practical review and video evidence of your findings. Particularly with the slop in the turrets.
