Reviews & Ratings for Vortex Defender-ST Enclosed Solar Micro 1x22.5mm Reflex Red Dot Sight — 32 reviews — Page 1

Vortex nailed it with this one. Pros: great glass clarity, super crisp reticle, solar backup and seems built to last. Zeroing was also super easy. I put about 500 rounds on this already (about 490 post zero-10 to get it zero'd) and it has had 0 issues. Well thought out design with the multiple reticles for different shooter preferences and the lockout feature to prevent accidental increase/decrease in brightness while carrying. Although I will say, I forgot about the lockout for like a week and never accidentally changed the brightness with all day carry.

Only potential con I'd point out is the raw dimensions- it's not huge but it is a 'mailbox' optic. If you're putting this on your carry gun like I did (Glock 45) keep in mind if you aren't used to carrying with an optic it MIGHT be noticeable to you (not from a printing standpoint, but you might feel it) doesn't bother me, but it may bother some people to feel an extra piece sticking off of the firearm. This is not an issue with this specific optic but more of an enclosed emitter thing that comes down to individual preference.

Another nitpick is the elevation and windage adjustments are mildly cumbersome with the included tool, I ended up just using a tiny flathead because it made it easier.

This optic was everything I was wanting in an optic. The solar panels to help with power are a neat idea but if you're wanting to carry it concealed not sure what the panel are gonna do for you. I really like the reticle options and you can't beat Vorfex warranty.

Replaced a Holosun and couldn’t be happier. Window is clear, adjustable brightness and enclosed emitter. Definitely worth it

First, the glass is so clear it's invisible. Installation is very easy, just make sure you use the longer screws for the Glock MOS if that's what you have. Having multiple recticles is also beneficial. I put this on a Glock g40 (10mm) and it handles wonderfully.

Very solid optic for price point. Includes mounting screws for most major manufacturers, a pic rail, Glock MOS plate, battery, protective cover, cleaning cloth, tool, etc. Appears to be solidly built. Mounted it to a gen 6 Glock with no problems. Sight was centered perfectly for windage upon installation. Needed adjustment for elevation that only required a few rounds. The dot was crisp and held zero. There are multiple reticle options as well. Price is very competitive and standard shipping arrived within a week.

This is really the perfect size, big enough to see through without being overly bulky. The dot and window are clear. It also come with the needed screws and tools.

I simply cant like this Vortex Defender ST Enclosed Solar Micro red dot enough. They hit this one out of the park. I own many other Vortex products, some great, some meh.. This one is my favorite. For $250-300 you're not getting anything remotely close to this sight. I own a few Holosun sights and this beats them 10/10 times. The shake awake feature significantly surpases Holosuns. I find their's works about 8/10 times where the Defender-ST works 10/10. The field of view is amazing, the dexterity is optimal, the design is hardcore looking and rugged. The size is perfect in my opinion, its slightly taller then my Holosuns but smaller then my ACRO. You can easily rack your slide off the front of the optic no problem. I'm a huge fan of the ability to use the 2 MOA dot and the 32 MOA ring. No Sunbursting or bleedthrough either. The glass is as crisp as my high end Trijicon and Aimport ACRO sights. Personally, I plan on switching all of my Holosun over to this Vortex. Also wil be purchasing more for future gun purchases no need for the Trijicons and ACRO. This is where its at. Hoping the sight lasts, time will tell though, it certinally feels tough enough to last through time. But another positive, the lifetime product warranty Vortex offers.

Another huge plus - Comes with Glock MOS Mounting Hardware and Standard Picatinny Mount.

I have this sight mounted on the Gen 6 Glock 19 (at this time, you have to use the factory glock mounting plates since the Gen-6 was just released).

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This dot absolutely does all that is advertised for a reasonable price. I think the window size is great for a carry gun and battery access is easy! Can't comment on battery life yet but have not heard any negatives to date. The only real negative, it doesn't come in green as of yet (my eyes prefer green due to my stigmatism).

First of all, I could not believe what a deal Optics Planet had on this optic. I caught it on a sale but even that sales price was insane. I then combined it with my Veteran's Discount. If you didn't know, now you do. Shipping was very fast. Vortex ships this box with everything you need to install on a picatinny rail or almost any pistol that accepts optics. In my case in installed this on a Glock 47 gen 5 MOS. It came with the adapter plate to install on the pistol's MOS system and then it has bags and bags of screws labeled for the pistol they are designed to match with. Installed this bad boy and the glass is super clear and the adjustable reticle is tight and bright. Throw in it has solar power back up and shake awake and it will hold a charge for a long time. And of course rule #1 is look cool, this thing looks sick mounted on a full size Glock. I also installed the CCW version on a 43X MOS and it is equally DOPE!

I thought an enclosed Red Dot would be too large and hard to use - not so with the Defender-ST. The fit to the Optic Mount Plate was perfect and clean. The view thru the Red Dot Optic is perfect with very little parallax or distortion with respect to movement. The controls work as stated in the user manual. The enclosed emitter is important for EDC because any dust or debris that gets into the emitter well will make the view and aiming of the weapon impossible. Vortex did a great job designing this sight! My only critique is that the screw heads for the windage and elevation are pretty shallow and the tool supplied doesn't work very well but once adjusted it holds great.