While I concur with the remark in regards to buying Vortex due to the warranty, Leupold set the standard long ago for warranty service.
The problem though is this: The CHEAP Mk 6 retails for over 2500 dollars new and can go all the way to around 4400 dollars.
For that kind of scratch (even the "cheap" mk 6), the goddamn thing should work on delivery. You shouldn't be REQUIRED to send it in multiple times for repairs.
My idea is this: Build it right the FIRST fucking time and you might be able to keep customers AND maximize profits at the same time.
I hear what your preaching. I agree that if we are spending 2k+ our shit should work. Unfortunately every company has some sort of acceptable degree of cant in their scopes. That is just the game with QC.
What I can say from experience is this.
Our team switched to Ruger RPRs. The powers at be decided to take our budget and allocate it somewhere else. We ended up with viper PST's and they were garbage, absolute garbage. They wouldn't track properly, they wouldn't hold zero, and one of ours developed tons of condensation inside the lens. For a hunter, missing the buck of coyote thats not really a big deal, but for us we can't have shitty gear be the reason we shot the wrong person so to speak.
We ended up getting our money back. Vortex said it was a bad lot that 4 of our scopes were garbage. We then went with NF and never looked back.
Now I have zero experience with the HDs from what I know they are legit. Now if you take the HD's they are comparable to the price of the mark 6's. Especially now, you can find a mark 6 for under 2k, maybe not illuminated but never the less.
You have to compare apples to apples. I've had many many many mark 4's that always worked and tracked fine. The reticles were never canted and they were good to go. I know I've sent 2 Leupolds back over 10 years for reticle cant. I know we've sent over a dozen of vortex back due to cant or some type of issue. We have never sent a NF back. We have sent SHIT TONS of Trijicon's back for reticle issues being cant or "fading/blending" I guess I could call it in the reticle of the ACOGs. We have had terrible luck with our MRO's and we are switching to Aimpoints.
I would say this.
in my expirence NF is the best luck we had, leupold, vortex, then trijicon. I'm sure HOWA has canted reticles, SB, Bushnell.
All the companies always took care of us, Is that because we are Gov agency? I sure that has something to do with it. We might try some vortex HD 1-6 or whatever they make but we will NEVER go with the CHEAP version of them again.