Thanks Escanor. I’ve been looking to compare these two.
They are both great scopes. Both serve different purposes with the Vortex being FFP and the Kahles SFP. Glass is better on the Kahles, but that’s nit picking... to me the glass on the Vortex is really good too. Chromatic aberration is less apparent on the Kahles, but I have to put more time behind the scope to say that definitely. The Kahles has and auto shut off feature after approx 2 hours after the brightness has been adjusted, so if that’s a feature you appreciate you can keep that in mind.
Personally I like the turrets on the Vortex Razor 1-10 better. They are more tactile, larger in diameter, and include numbers on some of the hash marks. You can tell the Vortex Razor 1-10’s goal is to be good at close range while having more capability and options at longer ranges. The Kahles in comparison excels better up close With its wider field of view, reticle design, SFP tech, and weight (though I can’t tell much difference between the two in weight when it comes to actual use). The reticle I have for the Vortex is the MRAD version... so with the more precision oriented turrets, combines with FFP tech, the extra 2 power (9 & 10), as well as the etched reticle with holdovers that include numbers... it’s easier to be more precise at range with the Vortex... though someone proficient with SFP scopes shouldn’t have an issue reaching out at range. The reticle I have in the K18i is the 3GR, and being SFP, the etched marks are only good at max magnification. Note that unlike the vortex, there are no numbers on the holdover marks on the Kahles.... but I would also note that the etched reticle on the Vortex are really only useable from 5 power and up (though it could be used at lower power with some squinting of the eyes).
I Kahles is longer than the vortex without included sunshade, but when you put the sunshade on the vortex it will become slightly longer than the Kahles. As mentioned before weight difference is almost negligible to me. And at standard prices in the United States without any deals you are looking at the Kahles to be $500-$700 dollars more expensive. While on the topic of price, the Kahles comes included with both a long and short throw lever, as well as a scope cover. The vortex comes included with a throw lever and optional sunshade.
To me the illumination is brighter on the Vortex by far. The Kahles Scope I own, when on the highest illumination before max brightness, is as bright as the Vortex on 4 - 6 illumination (the vortex goes up to 11). On the other side though, the Kahles illumination is crisper, with less blooming effects. It’s as if the dot just “glows” on the Kahles, where the Vortex dot “shines”.
with my unscientific testing... the eyebox and eye relief for both scopes on 1 power seems to better on the vortex, but as power increases the Kahles performs better than the Vortex. Now remember, this is my unscientific testing, so take that information however you want to. I’m sure others can chime in with their experience and testing. Also at 1x both scopes have similar warping towards the edge of the glass.
Hopefully this information helps, and just for clarity I’m not a professional scope tester... I’m a guy who likes quality optics and guns... your average joe.
