I saw these scope levels in a different thread and decided to give them a try. I bought three of them since they were so cheap. Well, you get what you pay for...
Each one came in its own little plastic zip lock baggie. The level is nice and small. Smaller than the one that Vortex uses in their model. I noticed right away that the oil they use is thicker which makes the bubble move slower.
I also noticed that the "finish" part of "fit and finish" leaves a little to be desired. The glue is just dropped on and then the level is inserted. It seems there is no effort to clean up stray glue. Since I got three, I could also compare each one against the others. All three level tubes are inserted to different depths. One is almost flush, another sticks out a tiny bit, and another one sticks out even further.
On to the "fit" part of "fit and finish". They don't fit. I mean, they would if I wanted to gouge my $750 scope with a $12 level. They got close to making the opening 30mm. One side is actually 29.62mm and the other is 29.71mm (per my digital calipers). That's just one of the three. I'm not going to bother measuring the other two because I've modified one (didn't fit either) and the other is still in the bag until after I make my next video. Regardless, anything below 30mm simply isn't going to work.
The level tubes take on scratches pretty easily as well. I've noticed this in both of the ones that I opened. I'm not tossing them around so, I don't know where those scratches came from. I'm imagining a big tub of these little level tubes and a person reaching in to grab a handful at a time with no regard to the scratches they are imposing.
IIRC, when I sat the top halves (level side) of the two open ones next to one another on a level surface they were level or at least very close. They had minor differences between one another. I was actually expecting it to be further off since I had so many other fit and finish issues.
Note: I did not try the 1" and 34mm since I have no use for either of them. I'd imagine the quality would be the same.
Overall opinion: If you want to try a scope level for cheap to see if it will help your shooting, go for it... BUT! Make sure you are willing to put the time in with files and sandpaper to make them actually fit your scope. I'm not going to use these on my high quality scopes. I'd rather spend the extra $ on a better quality level.
The nice thing is, they are made from aluminum. So, a sharp file will make quick work of re-shaping them. But, don't forget to go over that with some fine sand paper or else you could still scratch and possibly gouge your scope.
I stuck each side in a towel in a vise and then went to work with the round file. Once I was happy with the shape and fit, I smoothed it out with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of pipe. Then I followed that up with some 400 grit in the same fashion. I'm not going to use these on my high quality scopes. I'd rather spend the extra $ on a better quality level.
I'll "edit in" some pics later on tonight, hopefully! However, I won't be able to do a Vortex comparison since they are all packed up already (I'm selling my house).
I hope this helps some of you!
Happy Shooting!
Tom
Don't forget to + accuracy if you think this was valuable!
The sandpaper was waste sections from sanding blocks, that's why there's 3 holes in the pieces. I used conduit cutoffs for the pipe. But, use whatever you have that is a little smaller than your scope tube diameter.
Each one came in its own little plastic zip lock baggie. The level is nice and small. Smaller than the one that Vortex uses in their model. I noticed right away that the oil they use is thicker which makes the bubble move slower.
I also noticed that the "finish" part of "fit and finish" leaves a little to be desired. The glue is just dropped on and then the level is inserted. It seems there is no effort to clean up stray glue. Since I got three, I could also compare each one against the others. All three level tubes are inserted to different depths. One is almost flush, another sticks out a tiny bit, and another one sticks out even further.
On to the "fit" part of "fit and finish". They don't fit. I mean, they would if I wanted to gouge my $750 scope with a $12 level. They got close to making the opening 30mm. One side is actually 29.62mm and the other is 29.71mm (per my digital calipers). That's just one of the three. I'm not going to bother measuring the other two because I've modified one (didn't fit either) and the other is still in the bag until after I make my next video. Regardless, anything below 30mm simply isn't going to work.
The level tubes take on scratches pretty easily as well. I've noticed this in both of the ones that I opened. I'm not tossing them around so, I don't know where those scratches came from. I'm imagining a big tub of these little level tubes and a person reaching in to grab a handful at a time with no regard to the scratches they are imposing.
IIRC, when I sat the top halves (level side) of the two open ones next to one another on a level surface they were level or at least very close. They had minor differences between one another. I was actually expecting it to be further off since I had so many other fit and finish issues.
Note: I did not try the 1" and 34mm since I have no use for either of them. I'd imagine the quality would be the same.
Overall opinion: If you want to try a scope level for cheap to see if it will help your shooting, go for it... BUT! Make sure you are willing to put the time in with files and sandpaper to make them actually fit your scope. I'm not going to use these on my high quality scopes. I'd rather spend the extra $ on a better quality level.
The nice thing is, they are made from aluminum. So, a sharp file will make quick work of re-shaping them. But, don't forget to go over that with some fine sand paper or else you could still scratch and possibly gouge your scope.
I stuck each side in a towel in a vise and then went to work with the round file. Once I was happy with the shape and fit, I smoothed it out with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around a piece of pipe. Then I followed that up with some 400 grit in the same fashion. I'm not going to use these on my high quality scopes. I'd rather spend the extra $ on a better quality level.
I'll "edit in" some pics later on tonight, hopefully! However, I won't be able to do a Vortex comparison since they are all packed up already (I'm selling my house).
I hope this helps some of you!
Happy Shooting!
Tom
Don't forget to + accuracy if you think this was valuable!
The sandpaper was waste sections from sanding blocks, that's why there's 3 holes in the pieces. I used conduit cutoffs for the pipe. But, use whatever you have that is a little smaller than your scope tube diameter.
