I have featured the Vortex Optics UH-1 on a few articles and this is my final review on it. It’s badass and I can’t imagine switching to something else… end of review. Just kidding. The UH-1 has been adopted by anyone and everyone that can get their hands on it as the go-to CQC/CQB optic. It’s fair in weight and the eye relief is incredible (I mean it is a holograph so that’s not really a point I can make lol) and the stigmatism is non-existent and that’s a big factor of why I like it. It doesn’t “blow up” or “star out” as some people find with the EOTech’s.
Craftsmanship and Durability
The durability is incredible as I have really beat this thing up. My buddies over at Vortex Optics told me to take it through the ringer and that’s exactly what I’ve done. The only thing that has happened is it has scratched but that’s nothing that a little paint can’t fix. I’ve dropped it, taken it on and off the rifle and I have also thrown it (for testing purposes). It has held its zero every single time. Trying to get it on paper is hard at first and that’s my biggest complaint, but I also only had a few minutes to get it on paper so I was rushing a bit. I also didn’t have it benched up so that may of been part of the problem as well.
UH-1 vs EOTech
UH-1 AMG vs any EOTech I’ve used? I’ll take the UH-1 over just about any EOTech.. you may ask why? Stigmatism, man. Stigmatism is a b*tch and its always there for me.. until now. Vortex did a fantastic job on the UH-1 and broke into an area where they haven’t really been.. in fact an area where not a lot of optics companies have been. EOTech was the main go to.. Vortex shut that down. The guys I train are all slowly moving to the UH-1 and that’s great news. EOTech is still out there, but the sales have gone down a lot since the UH-1 came out. During training my buddy asked me “Have you ever used one of these?” and he pulled out a UH-1. I went to my bag and said: “I got one right here buddy”. After about 30 minutes of talking about how great it was, we finally got to doing a little weapons work.
The dot color is bright red, with adjustable brightness settings. It has unlimited eye relief but it is a holograph haha, it has a built-in Picatinny mount with a quick detach. It is a little heavy at 11.8 ounces but it’s not terrible. I would take a little weight on my rifle, rather than a little more weight on my kit. Vortex does have a magnifier, but I have not tested that out yet. Eventually, I will, but I’ve been traveling for work recently.
The UH-1 with NOD’s
The UH-1 is “not compatible” with NOD’s but it is at the same time. It is visible, but it takes some getting used to. Maybe Vortex will come out with a NOD’s “compatible” system, but so far I have not had any problems with NOD’s and the UH-1. Having a PEQ is ideal and in all honesty, if you shoot enough in a shoot house or CQC situation, you don’t really aim. You know where your guns are and where they are going. Oh boy, that whole not aiming sentence is going to start a conversation and I can already tell I’m going down a rabbit hole, but with a PEQ, or even without a PEQ, in CQC high-speed situations you barely have a chance to look down your optic. You live and die by a tenth of a second.
Pictured Above: Shooting during “Low light and no light” cold and wet conditions in the shoothouse in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
All in all, the Vortex UH-1 is a great optic and it’s a little cheaper than the EOTech. It doesn’t “starburst” so its great for those with astigmatism problems and all in all its a durable and well-constructed optic. Not to mention the Vortex guarantee. Vortex is a family owned, family run business.. by that I mean everyone that works there is family and you are family too since you purchased their product. The UH-1 is my choice for a CQC rifle optic!
