Vortex Defender Enclosed Pistol Optic [REVIEW]

Vortex Optics Defender series of open emitter pistol optics have been a welcome addition to the world of red dots and proven to punch way above their price class. The question everyone has been asking, “what about an enclosed dot?” was sort of teased with the release of Vortex’s Viper Shotgun Enclosed MRDS. But now it has finally arrived, a Defender series enclosed MRDS in both Delta Point Pro and Shield RMS footprints!

While these were released officially today, Vortex sent out testing units several weeks ago. Since then, we’ve been beating ours up at IDPA, PCSL, and 2-Gun matches along with multiple range trips to see how they perform. 

Good news; these dots rock. Better news; the price is reasonable with a $400 MSRP for the CCW and $530 for the ST. That will likely put the street price around $300 and $400, respectively.

• 7075 aluminum enclosed housing
• 3 MOA dot / 32 MOA circle Multi-Reticle
• Solar power system + CR2032 battery
• 35,000-hour run time w/o Solar, 150,000-hour run time w/ Solar
• 10 daylight + 2 night-vision brightness settings
• 10-minute auto shutoff
• Automatic motion activation

The new Defender Enclosed red dots come with several features carried over from the open emitter Defender line while improving on others. Carried over is the aggressive front texture on the optic housing, great for when you need to charge the pistol off the optic and for protecting the glass. 

While the first generation of the open emitter Defender CCW had a dot with a lower refresh rate, every generation and model since then has used a much higher rate for a smooth dot when transitioning targets — this faster rate is also used in these new enclosed models.

New to the enclosed is replacing the rubber top with a solar top for added battery life.

For a lot of people, a dot is a dot. But like wine, whiskey, or anything else that takes taste — there is more to it than that, even if it isn’t always apparent. I can’t tell you the difference between a California Pinot Noir and a wine that comes from anywhere else, but I know what red dots suck and what dots are good to go. In my book, the Enclosed Defenders are good to go.

Lens color is a slight blue-green that should be expected these days for a red dot, but it’s pretty minor, especially for a dot with as long a battery life as this. Lens distortion is almost non-existent and that’s impressive with a dot of this price.

Consistent hits on steel at 50 yards were made easier because of the quality of the lens. No distortion and only a very light tint made life a lot easier at range.

Window size isn’t massive like on the Defender XL, but it’s normal for a “standard” size and “CCW” size red dots. Vortex hasn’t released the official number at the time of writing, but using my calipers, I measured 20mm window on the Enclosed Defender ST and 18mm on the Enclosed Defender CCW.

Is bigger better? Maybe, depends on the application. But for what these are intended for, namely duty and CCW-type pistols, the size makes sense and works well. While I like a larger XL-sized window for competition, the ST in IDPA and 2-Gun worked just fine. 

Vortex has come a long way in the pistol optics world, and the Defender line has absolutely cemented itself as a viable option for duty, defense, and recreation. This enclosed addition to the line only makes that case stronger and adds options for the user.

Combined with Vortex’s warranty and the relatively reasonable price, these are a no-brainer if you’re in the market.