As we all know - Vortex Optics is one of the best known optic manufacturers in the world, which upholds their high quality standards with any product they bring to the market. Vortex Razor AMG UH-1 was the first holographic sight they've built, but it still is one of the best options on the market for it's price range.
Reviewed item:
Vortex Optics Razor AMG UH-1
Editor's rating:
Battery life
Toughtness
Features
Ease of Use
PROS
CONS
Quick overview
Being made by one of the manufacturers well known for their high quality standards, it comes at no surprise that Vortex Optics Razor AMG UH-1 is a great holographic sight for all tactical, hunting or target practice needs. We've been extremely satisfied with the overall quality of this product and deem it to be one of the best holographic sights within it's price range. Feel free to read our full review and see what you think about it by the end of this session.
In-depth review of Razor AMG UH-1
In the next section, we will go through the primary fraws and pros of this sight, as well as explain why it's one of the best ones money can buy.
Description of the Razor AMG UH-1 optic
Vortex is a very popular and high-end brand as we all know. They also try to satisfy all buyers by having products fit within medium budget strains. This is their first holographic sight made by them, but it will be difficult to believe, considering what they’ve been able to achieve with it.
It has a pretty nice and slick design, the size of about 3 and a half inches long; one thing to keep in mind and consider that some people have complained that it’s possibly too long so if you wanted to put a magnifier on before it, you’d have to push it pretty far up on the rail or might get some difficulty with the iron sights.
The Razor AMG UH-1 optic come with an integrated picatinny rail mount. One of the nice things about it is that it’s quick to detach and attach, while also providing stability. The locking system won’t come off just from unlocking it, you will have to unpin it also. The holographic sight is compatible with other systems such as Weaver. The process of installing the sight is as simple as pushing the stopper button and bending the locking lever towards yourself, followed by setting the sight on the weapon’s rail. Afterwards slightly pressing on the sight in the direction of the muzzle, closing the locking lever passing it from yourself and controlling the fixation of the sight. If the sight is not fixed enough (there is backlash) simply go back to the start of the process and adjust it again without taking it off the rail to tighten it if need be.
The sight is not all metal, but it is quite heavy with a weight of 11.8 oz (or roughly 335g). When it comes to holographic sights, they generally weigh more than your usual sights as there is a lot more material needed to protect the glass. The mounted sight should easily be able to withstand the recoil of 12-caliber and other high caliber rifles. A thing worth noting is that the ocular lenses are smaller on this sight than the objective lenses, which eliminates a lot of tunnel vision you might get from other optics.
The battery compartment holds a CR123 battery, you could also use a couple of different types of rechargeable batteries as well, because this optic is actually chargeable via USB, which you don’t see often enough with similar sights. Razor AMG Uh-1 comes with an USB port to charge the batteries inside.
The battery life itself is within 1000 – 2000 hour range, mostly due to it being laser rather than LED, unlike most other optics so they’re a little bit less efficient but there are definitely some advantages to that as well.
The battery area is nicely sealed with aluminum components, it is argon purged so it’s waterproof and shockproof. The Micro USB port is still supposedly waterproof even if you break off or lose the protection, which another thing about this sight that is quite uncommon and wouldn’t be found on majority of other sights.
On the side of this optic, you will find windage and elevation adjustments as well as a little retention screw. Then we have the mode buttons that have 15 brightness settings, which is quite a high number in comparison to most other products on the market within the same price range.
Another feature about the optic that you’re going to love – all electronic components and everything that keeps the device running is contained within the base of this optic, making it highly durable. The device can be dropped, smashed or pushed against a hard surface and it’s going to withstand most damage sources, including any attempts to shatter the lens. This is a great choice for people using it very actively and in harsher environments.
The glass is very clear and up to par for Vortex’s well known high standards. It has multicoating on the lens and it's also anti-reflective, scratch resistant, shatter resistant, you name it - this optic has it. This holographic sight does have a small blueish green hue on the inside, but it is minor and difficult to notice on the first glance. The optic projects through a series of mirrors, there is a hole at the bottom of the optic on the inside of the glass, where the emitter is located and it projects a laser instead of a simple LED, which might look a little different if you’re used to LED sights.
The Razor AMG UH-1 uses ½ MOA adjustments, which is typical for most holographic sights out there and something you will need to consider when zeroing the optic. The holographic sight also has 1 MOA center dot, which is surrounded by 65 MOA diameter outer circle. Here are the metrics of Razor’s reticle (image source - VortexOptics.com):
The reticle does have some hash marks at the top and both sides, as well as a small triangle at the bottom, which makes zeroing and shooting very accurate as long as you learn how to adjust, based on distance. Getting used to a new sight like this was kind of fun as it takes out some of the guesswork you’d have to put in with most red dot sights, while you have clear reference points that could be used to hit targets more accurately.
There is one common issue we noticed with this optic that you could consider its main downside and that’s when you turn the optic from left to right, reticle would start to disappear before actually reaching the edge of the left side of the lenses. So instead of it gradually disappearing as it leaves the field of view, it actually fades from the left portion as it leaves the field of view, rather than going all the way to the edge of it.
Some of the bonuses of getting a holographic sight like Vortex Optics Razor AMG UH-1 is obviously the huge field of view and the red dot having great ocular lens - nice and easy to see through. The reticle doesn’t take up the entire screen like it might on some other micro sized sights you would use. Having a widescreen like this sight is a very good feature and the fact that it uses a laser is what makes it an incredibly clear and visible reticle to see during the day. Some LEDs that I’ve tested in the past haven’t gotten quite bright enough during the day to be able to see effectively but with this particular optic you don’t have that issue, making it a nice choice for any lighting condition.
Toughness test for Razor AMG UH-1
The device is water and shock resistant - it's built to withstand high caliber rifle recoil and to be used in any weather condition and it's USB port will stay protected from water even if you lose battery protection cap.
The Razor AMG UH-1 optic is very tough, built to withstand most damage sources - dropping, smashing and even scratching. All major components that make the device work are sealed tightly into the base of the optic, creating a strong protection and making sure that no damage will impact how the red dot works.
Mount attachment to a firearm is very stable and sturdy - we haven't noticed any issues with the way it attaches to a weapon.
Extensive list of pros:
- High durability and toughness.
- Automatic off setting, which starts working after 15h of inactivity.
- Nice and slick design.
- Waterproof & shockproof.
- Great reticle with additional hash marks on the top and both sides, triangle at the bottom, which can be used to hit your targets more accurately at any range.
- Easy to mount with integrated picatinny rail mount or without it.
- Crispy and clear red dot.
- 15 different brightness settings.
- Compatible with other accessories - kill flashes, magnifiers, laser sights and many others.
Complete list of cons for Razor AMG UH-1 gun sight:
- Quite heavy, coming in at 11.8 oz or 335g.
- Short batery life if you compare it to other products on the market. It's still at 1,000 - 2,000 hours and has an automatic off setting that turns the optic off when it hasn't been used for a while.
- Sight is moderately long in comparison to other similar sights - 3.5 in or 89mm. This might make it more difficult to add more attachments, like magnifiers, but it is still viable and the device is compatible with them.
- Retircle would disappear when looking at red dot sight from either side, before reaching an edge of the lense.
Razor AMG UH-1 specifications
- Device dimensions: 3.5" x 2.6" × 2.05" (89mm x 68mm x 52mm)
- Total weight: 11.8 oz (335 g)
- Reticle: 1 MOA circle
- Mount: Integrated Picatinny Rail
- Illumination type: Holographic
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Parallax: Parallax Free
- Color: Black
- Battery life: 1,000 - 2,000 hours
- Battery types: RCR123A, LFP123A, CR123A
- Max elevation adjustment: 100 MOA
- Max windage adjustment: 100 MOA
- Travel per rotation: 16.5 MOA
- Adjustment gradation: 1/2 MOA
- Lens material: Glass
- Lens finish: ArmorTek
- Material: Amuminum housing
- Finish: Type 3 hard-anodized
- Brightness settings: 15
- Optical coating: Fully multi-coated
- Illumination color: Red
- Shockproof: Yes
- Waterproof: Yes
Conclusion
This Vortex Optics Razor AMG UH-1 review covers the reasons that make the device one of the greatest holographic sights in it's price range. The device is highly durable, tough, will withstand any situation and most high caliber rifle recoil, has 15 brightness settings and clear lenses. It's a perfect device, that once again proves how high of a quality standard Vortex Optics manufacturer is able to maintain. Feel free to purchase it if you have a medium budget for a red dot sight and want something that will not disappoint you, no matter the type of circumstance or condition it's used in.
Overall rating: 4.6/5.0 stars
