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- Alfred Mendoza
- June 2, 2023
If you ever feel tired of iron sights and feel like you need to upgrade your AR rifle’s performance in long-range shooting, a red dot optic would be an ideal option. Amidst the long list of red dot optics, the Sig Romeo 5 vs Vortex Sparc AR are on top of the hunting category list. But which has better features?
Table of Contents
- 1 Key Differences - Vortex Sparc AR vs Sig Sauer Romeo 5
- 2 Comparison Guide
- 2.1 Price - Sig Romeo 5 or Vortex Sparc AR?
- 2.2 Weight & Size
- 2.3 Vortex Sparc AR & Sig Romeo 5 Warranty
- 2.4 Battery Life
- 2.5 Parallax Adjustment
- 2.6 Ease of Use
- 2.7 Durability - Sig Romeo 5 or Vortex Sparc AR?
- 2.8 Image Quality
- 2.9 Focus & Lens Clarity
- 2.10 Eye Relief
- 2.11 Sig Romeo 5 Pros & Cons
- 2.12 Vortex Sparc AR Pros & Cons
- 3 Vortex Sparc AR or Sig Romeo 5? We Recommend...
Key Differences - Vortex Sparc AR vs Sig Sauer Romeo 5
The Sig Romeo 5 has a black matte aluminum finish, while the Vortex Sparc AR has a black anodized matte aluminum alloy chassis. While both feature a 2 MOA Red Dot, Single-Dot, and 1x magnification, the Vortex Sparc AR has a larger objective lens of 22mm than the Sig’s 20mm.
The Sig has a 0.5MOA and 1/2MOA per click, while the Vortex Sparc AR features a 1MOA per click adjustment. The Sig has an IPX-7 and O-Ring Sealed Waterproof, while the Vortex is only waterproof. The Vortex is also longer, wider, and heavier. The lens of the Vortex is also nitrogen-filled, while the Sig isn’t fog proof.
Specification Chart
Sig Romeo 5
- Magnification: 1x
- Low Light Capability: Night Vision Compatible
- Waterproof: IPX-7
- Fogproof: Yes
- Field of View: Wide and excellent
- Travel per Rotation: 15 MOA
- Parallax Setting: Parallax Free
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Country of Manufacturer: Germany
Vortex Sparc AR
- Magnification: 1x
- Low Light Capability: Night Vision Compatible
- Waterproof: Yes
- Fogproof: Nitrogen-filled
- Field of View: Wide and excellent
- Travel per Rotation: 45 MOA
- Parallax Setting: Parallax Free
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Country of Manufacturer: United States of America
Comparison Guide
Price - Sig Romeo 5 or Vortex Sparc AR?
Although their prices keep changing from time to time, the Sig Romeo 5 is generally less expensive than the Vortex Sparc AR for about 20 to 50 dollars at this time of writing. That said, the winner in this category is the Sig Romeo 5.
If you’re looking for economical scopes, here’s our review of ATN X Sight 4K Pro.
Weight & Size
The Vortex is also longer, wider and heavier in general. The Vortex has a length of 2.9 inches while the Sig 5 only has 2.47 inches. And since the Vortex is relatively bigger and longer, it is also heavier. It weighs 7.5 oz, unlike the Sig Romeo 5 that only weighs 5.1 oz.
Hunters consider weight and size because optics are added accessories to their AR rifles that they always take into hunting. Every hunter wants an optic that is lighter and more compact. With this, the Sig Romeo 5 wins another point.
Vortex Sparc AR & Sig Romeo 5 Warranty
In this Sig Romeo 5 vs Vortex Sparc AR warranty category, the Vortex Sparc AR gets its first win. Like most hunters claim, Vortex Optics’ warranty is unbeatable. It has an unlimited warranty, while the Sig Romeo 5 only has a 5-year warranty. The Vortex Optics’ warranty is also transferrable and doesn’t even need a receipt for a warranty claim.
For scopes with good warranty options, check out this EOTech and Trijicon comparison here.
Battery Life
The Sig Romeo 5 uses a single CR2032 coin type battery while the Sparc uses triple-A. While both optics have a long battery life, one of them lasts a little longer. The CR2032 battery lasts for about 50 000 hours or five years. But the triple-A battery of the Vortex Sparc AR can last up to 70,000 hours even when in medium brightness. But the Sig Romeo 5 features a Motion Activated Illumination or MOTAC system, which automatically shuts off after 120 seconds of non-use. It would only turn on when it senses motion. Because of this battery-saver feature, the Sig Romeo 5 wins another point.
For optics with good battery life, check out this Nikon Prostaff 3-9×40 review here.
Parallax Adjustment
Both optics are parallax-free, so the point of impact and point of aim remains the same even when the shooter makes the slightest movement.
When we tried them out in the shooting range, we noticed how both remained stable even after a few shots.
With this, we decided to give this category a draw. Learn about scope parallax adjustment here.
Ease of Use
In the ease of use category, Sig Romeo 5 has an advantage because it comes with a lower and absolute mount than the Vortex Sparc AR. The Sig 5 has better adjustability that if you want to move to a PCC or rimfire later, changing its height wouldn’t be a problem. Since the Vortex Sparc doesn’t have that kind of option, the Sig Romeo 5 takes another win.
Durability - Sig Romeo 5 or Vortex Sparc AR?
Durability-wise, the Sig Romeo 5 vs Vortex AR are both on par with each other. Both optics are made from aircraft-grade aluminum and have an anodized finish to protect them from abrasions and other elements. Aside from these, they also have sight housings raised to protect their windage and elevation turrets from being snapped off accidentally. With this, the result is another draw.
Image Quality
Since both features a 1x magnification, their image quality is just about the same with the same parallax-free feature. The Vortex Sparc AR features a high light transmission with multiple anti-reflective coatings on all air-to-glass surfaces. It also has 12 illumination settings that allow shooters to change the dot intensity to any situation at hand. However, Sig Romeo 5 only features ten illumination settings. With this, we decided to give the point to Vortex Sparc AR.
If you want to capture images in pitch black, check out this Creative XP Digital Night Vision Binocular review here.
Focus & Lens Clarity
Having a side-by-side comparison between the two sights’ focus and lens clarity made our team decide one thing—both optics provide a clear sight picture and precise focus.
They also have the same reticle of 2 MOA dot and red dot sight. Both dots are wide enough to make a quick and accurate shot. With this, we decided to give this category another draw.
Eye Relief
As others claim, eye placement is not critical as long as you have excellent scopes. But you must learn that situations dictate the amount of precision sighting required for a hit, is measured in distance and target size.[1] Both optics feature unlimited eye relief that aid in acquiring the target faster. And with these, you can also shoot with both eyes open, allowing you to take full benefit of your peripheral vision to get on target more quickly. So, with their on par eye relief feature, this result of this category is a draw.
Sig Romeo 5 Pros & Cons
PROS
- Clear glass plates
- Bright dot perception
- Motion Activated Illumination
- Affordable for the build quality
- Durable considering the lightweight
CONS
- Does not shut off automatically
- Longer QC turnaround time
Vortex Sparc AR Pros & Cons
PROS
- Anodized matte aluminum alloy chassis
- 2 MOA dot size
- Unlimited & transferable lifetime warranty
- 12-hour auto-shutoff
- Waterproof
CONS
- No magnification
- Shorter battery life
Vortex Sparc AR or Sig Romeo 5? We Recommend...
In the Sig Romeo 5 vs Vortex Sparc AR, we recommend Romeo 5 because it has a longer battery life, which we find a significant advantage in hunting. It also comes with a low and high mount, making it compatible with different firearms platforms. It is also budget-friendly, making it easier to acquire. And lastly, we also liked how light and compact the Sig 5 is, making it more ideal to be a hunting companion.
Looking for another good read? Here’s our review on the top scopes for your 44 mag rifle.
Our #1 Recommendation
Sig Romeo 5
- Longer battery life
- More compatible with other firearm platforms
- Less expensive
- Lighter and more compact
