I'd have to have a side by side comparison to accurately answer. Which one would have the bigger price tag?

I say Zeiss Terra is better than them all

Leupold by about $700...but I feel anymore, you're paying 10%-20% higher price for the L on the side of the Leupolds.

So I stopped by cabelas today, since I was passing right by it. I compared a Leupold Mark 4 LR/T to a Vortex Viper PST, side by side. Optically, in the store, they looked to be about equal. I know insides the store is not a good comparison...
The turrets on them was a different story! The Mark 4 was horrible. Not tactile in the least, very mushy feeling. Could not hear an audible click l, and could barely feel the click. The PST turrets were 100x better than the Mark 4. Very tactile, audible and you could feel positive engagement from click to click... Looks like I may be getting a PST for my next scope.

If budget allows, and weight is not of concern I'd recommend the SS 5-20 HD. It has better glass and 10 Mils per rev on the elevation turret. Not hating on the Viper PST, I have the 6-24X model, but the SS is a better scope in all but weight.

I've considered the SS HD 5-20x, just not sure if I want more magnification or not, or if I can convince my wife the let me spend the extra few hundred $...

The Viper losses clarity at 24X, and I back mine down to 22X or 20X very often. Glass quality trumps magnification. I spot for students with the SS every time.

Tell her its like a quality wrench. Still a tool, but a good tool that probably won't break, but if it does it has a great warranty. I've worked mine hard for going on four years without one problem.

SS is about the best you can get for the price. Vortex and Leupold are both quality optics, I think your splitting hairs if your trying to call one better than the other, just my 2c.

I bought a Vortex once....Just once.

Hated it, returned it, bought VXIII, never looked back. Yes it costs a bit more but it's worth it.

I have the Vortex Viper 2.5 x 10 44mm and it's fantastic. The 44mm objective lens diameter allows for a little extra visibility first/last 30. Not to mention it's only $299 right now with a $50 Cabelas Cash at Cabelas. No one is trying to say Leupold isn't making good stuff, obviously. But for $250, that's a real nice piece of glass.

I see folks absolutely love Vortex glass. I see folks absolutely hate Vortex glass. A conundrum, but personally I tend to stay away from any product that a significant number of people dislike.

I see very view complaints about Leupold quality, only price.

I'm a dealer for both Vortex and Leupold. I always explain it this way: with vortex, you are getting 95% of the optics for about 80% of the price. That being said, in certain cases, that 5% of optics can make all of the difference in the world. You also have to compare two scopes with similar characteristics. By comparing a 44mm vortex to a 50mm Leupold, the Leupy will beat the tar out of the Vortex. But that's not saying anything about the glass as much as the objective size of the scope.

If you want pure optics, Leupold is the way to go when looking at similar products. If you want options, Vortex will give you a lot more options for the money.

I'm perplexed that at least one person actually buys a scope based on resale value

Unless it's a consumable like food or gas, I consider resale on everything I buy. It's one of the reasons that guns and shooting are one of my hobbies. Because even though you have a lot invested, it doesn't cost you that much money long-term to invest because they hold value so well.

I could see if Bill Gates didn't care about resale. But for the average joe, it's important on nearly every purchase I would assume.

I've actually found the more money you have, the more you care about resale.

Its still perplexing to me, just like the guy who frets over purchases and spends $5 to save a nickel.

Regardless of whether I can buy whatever I want, I still appreciate that a man can get by the rest of his days with a Handi-Rifle and a Weaver K4, while shooting Federal Blue Box out of his Chevy truck, and darn well get his money's worth by the time any of them fail him. He'll get great non-tangible value, and less mental anguish.

Iv had the same Leopold on my rifle since I was 9 so I couldn't tell you about the other... great company and customer service

I'm gonna admit a Handi-Rifle would give me some mental anguish. Can we at least move up to a Savage Axis?

(I actually have one of those in .308 with a VX-1 on it in my truck - and that thing has probably killed more stuff than the rest of my guns combined. Mostly hogs and some yotes.)

Spotting scopes and bino's- vortex every day

Scopes and electronics....it's 50/50.... price vs features vs wants. Two years ago I'd say vortex but price creep is getting up there, and Luppy has taken note that they are getting tails kicked and adjusting

Probably a percentage of the reason why they have more money in the first place. Not just pertaining to optics, but anything really.

I only use Leupold for scopes. Locating optics are Swaro and Leica. Locating optics are paramount-way more important than scopes for my uses.

Just got my Vortex Viper PST 2.5 x 10 x 44mm in this afternoon. Will mount it this weekend and sight it in (weather permitting). When I have time to better judge the 'glass' (low-light, etc) I will report back, but a cursory look through it...left me thinking it is just 'so-so'.

BTW, I didn't think anyone knew where 'Nogalus Prairie' was.

Never heard of the place. Always figured NP just couldn't spell "Nogales," which straddles the US-Mexico border. I done thought you was illiterate, NP. Turns out it was me!

LOL, my place is there. Kind of an "inside joke" for the very few folks who have heard of it.

Guessing BFE Crossroads was taken....

I have since learned "Hagerville" would have been even more accurate. A once-thriving community long-gone now.