REVIEW: Vortex Defender ST

Recently we introduced you to the Defender CCW; now it's time for the new Defender ST, which was presented this year at Shot Show and had its European premiere at the 50th IWA Outdoor Classic in early March. Khi Pa Landgraf from KL STRATEGIC received a test device directly from VORTEXOPTIK.DE at the premiere and tested it; Oh man, did they test it.

General

The Vortex Defender ST is the big brother of the CCW. While the Defender CCW is specifically designed for concealed carry on handguns, the Defender ST is the all-rounder for sport, hunting, or tactical applications on long and short weapons.

Scope of Delivery

Like the CCW, the Defender ST comes with an extensive accessory package. Included, in addition to the device itself :

• Adjustment and battery compartment key
• Mounting screws for all common bases
• Adapter plate for Glock MOS system
• Protective cap
• Instructions
• Picatinny Rail Mount
  All in a sturdy cardboard box with foam insert, so that the device definitely arrives intact with the customer. Even if something should be defective or later breaks, the Vortex Lifetime Warranty is of course also included for the Defender ST.

Technical data (according to manufacturer's specifications)
• Dimensions: 45 mm length x 30.5 mm width x 30.5 mm height
• Weight: 41 grams
• Reticle: Red Dot (3 MOA / 6 MOA)
• Dot Color: Red
• Battery: CR2023
• Battery life: 25,000 hours at setting 6
• Eye relief: unlimited
• Magnification: 1x
• Reticle adjustment: 1 MOA
• Elevation adjustment: 145 MOA
• Windage adjustment: 115 MOA
• Auto-Shutoff: Yes, after 10 minutes
• Motion Activation: Yes
• Fast Rack™: Textured surface for racking pistols on any surface
• ShockShield™ polymer insert that absorbs everyday shocks
• Parallax Free: Parallax free
• Aspherical: Aspherical optical system
• Fully multi-coated lenses for clear, bright images
• Waterproof and shockproof
• Armotek® coating to protect the lens from scratches and scrapes
• Material: 7075 aluminum

First Impression

At first glance, the Defender ST looks identical to the Defender CCW - and it is basically, just a bit larger. The construction and features of both red dot sights are identical; why not, because the CCW already has top-class features like the Shock Absorber, which absorbs vibrations and shocks, the massive lens construction that not only protects the extra coated glass, but also allows for pistol manipulation and closure with the red dot, even on any surface available, and of course the extremely long battery life through efficient use, whether in the 3 or 6 MOA variant. So why a larger version?

The Defender CCW is specifically designed for use on a concealed carry handgun and therefore kept as compact as possible in dimensions. This naturally limits the field of view when focusing on the red dot.

For all-round use, the logical consequence is to slightly increase the field of view, allowing for use in sport, hunting, or tactical applications with long and short weapons.
According to the manufacturer, the Defender ST is primarily intended for use on handguns, as can be seen from the corresponding scope of delivery, but with the included Picatinny mount, it also offers the possibility to be mounted and used on long guns. The size is optimal for this purpose, as it does not interfere as emergency sights or sights for short distances (e.g. in IPSC) and still offers a sufficiently large field of view for very quick target acquisition in dynamic use.

Test

Since it is an all-round talent, we thoroughly tested the red dot sight, not only for function and reliability, but especially for impact resistance, robustness, and other factors; but read for yourself.

The Defender ST works - that is no surprise. Particularly nice is the extremely long battery life of a whopping 25,000 operating hours with a standard CR 2032 battery. This is also, like the CCW, installed in a splash-proof battery compartment that can be accessed from above. Slight drawback: due to the construction, the battery compartment is difficult to open in a different way than with the included multifunction key. The reason for this is the device's construction, which does not allow direct vertical access from above; however, due to the long battery life, this is negligible as the battery compartment does not need to be opened constantly.

The usability of the Defender ST is designed to be extremely simple with two control elements. The device can be turned on and off, vary the projection strength of the red dot, and switch the automatic shutdown function using the buttons on each side. Yes, the Defender ST features an Auto Off function and a motion-activated power-on function.

With the Auto Off function activated, the device shuts off after 10 minutes of inactivity, saving a significant amount of power and supporting the long battery life. When the device is moved, it automatically turns back on in the last used configuration.

The red dot is clearly visible and easily discernible in the correct setting with respect to the surrounding lighting conditions. Thanks to the large field of view, it can be quickly and easily acquired even if the shooter doesn't come into a perfect shooting position.

Robustness

Like the CCW, the Defender ST is extremely robust. Not only in terms of the construction itself, but also in terms of its vulnerability to extreme external influences. In short, unless you drive a tank over it (yes, we actually tested that), the Defender ST won't break from hard, intended use.

In addition to using the device as intended and exposing it to the specified stresses (shots, loading activities on all possible and impossible surfaces), we also conducted impact and drop tests.
The result: you don't need to worry if the device gets bumped around... sure, the beautiful, smooth housing surface may get a few scratches, but after all, the device is a tool for use. However, its functionality won't be affected.

We dropped the Defender ST from different heights onto grass, wooden planks, sand, and concrete floors without affecting its functionality. Even on concrete, we ended the test after a 3-meter drop, as anything further would be beyond reality. The only observation was that after a total of 24 drop tests on different surfaces, the included Picantiny mount failed during a 3-meter drop on concrete, but the device itself remained securely held on the mount until the end.

Functional Reliability

No matter what we did to the Defender ST, its functional reliability was always there. Both the controls and the projection worked whenever we needed them. Since we rigorously tested the device, wear marks were expected and present; such as cracks on the rubberized controls, scratches and abrasions on the housing and shock absorber.

This also speaks to the quality of the electronics inside. Neither during the shooting tests nor during any other extreme treatments did the electronics fail. Since we didn't want to present you the test in almost 3 years, we unfortunately couldn't verify the promised 25,000-hour battery life; but what we can say is that we had no issues with power supply until the "demise" of the Defender ST due to "external influences". We tested it for 631 hours (26 days) in continuous operation.

Shot Resistance

The Defender ST is designed as an all-round talent, with a focus on handguns. You know us - the focus is rather secondary to us when something is called an all-rounder, so we subjected the device to everything that goes bang and generates proper movement impulses.
The Defender ST works flawlessly on handguns of all calibers. With the included screws for almost every platform, it's also quick and easy to self-mount and uses the Delta Point Pro base.

As an all-rounder, we tested on:

• Glock 17 MOS 9x19mm
• Colt 1911* .45ACP
• Sig Sauer P250 ,40 S&W,
• HK MP5 PDW* 9x19mm
• HK MP5 A3* 9x19mm
• Windham AR15* .223Rem
• DAR 10* .300AAC
• Windham AR10* .308Win,
• Tikka T3 Tac** 6,5Cr
• Haenel Jäger 10** .300WinMag,
• Savage 110** .338LM
• Remington 870 Cal. 12
• Hatsan Escort tactical Cal. 12

On each of the above-mentioned weapons, the shooting resistance of the Defender ST has absolutely convinced. The Defender ST was used directly on the weapon with Picatiny mounting on the * marked weapons, while on the ** marked weapons with Picatiny mounting on the scope.

Not a single shot resulted in a failure of the electronics; even with the large calibers .300 WinMag, .338 LM, and calibre 12 FLG, the 2 NM secured screw held up, thanks in part to the screw lock applied by the manufacturer.

Other Factors

The test of the Defender ST would not be complete if we had not also frozen, baked, and drowned the device, and what should we say, the Defender ST has successfully resisted all attempts to find a weakness.

Whether frozen in an ice block or heated to 100°C (not uncommon in direct sunlight for a long time), the Defender ST performs flawlessly.

We were positively surprised by the short excursion into the water bath, as we immersed the device up to 1 meter depth for 30 seconds without water penetrating. Up to that point, the result was as expected BUT then we provoked it by loosening the battery compartment cover by a full turn and repeating the test. To our surprise, the device worked flawlessly underwater, and the battery was completely dry afterward. So, if you ever forget to fully tighten the cover during the extremely rare battery change, this is absolutely no problem, especially not in splashing water/rain. We even dare to claim that the Defender ST also has the "over the beach" suitability, even though we did not explicitly test this.

With all the positive aspects, it must also be mentioned that even with the Defender ST, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Using it with a magnifier is not possible in the basic configuration, as you would need to make an adjustment in height; but the device is not designed for this combined use, although it may be suitable. For the sake of completeness, it is worth mentioning here.

Conclusion: Quality and performance convince 100% with the Defender ST. Especially the adjustment of size compared to the smaller brother CCW makes this device a real all-around talent for all areas. The special advantage lies in the extreme robustness and reliability, which in combination with the long battery life is absolutely convincing. The Defender ST does not need to shy away from comparisons with other manufacturers, even if adjustments may need to be made for certain applications.

The VORTEX Defender ST is available starting at 369 Euros, e.g. via VORTEXOPTIK.DE

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