Vortex Defender Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dots

Vortex is taking its Defender line into the stratosphere with the addition of two new Defender Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dots. As the name suggests, the big upgrade is the optic’s ability to harness the power of the sun to increase battery life.

The Barneveld, Wisconsin-based company is launching the initial two optics in ST and CCW configurations in an all-black 7075 aluminum housing.

Vortex Defender Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dot on P365X — The new Defender optics are fully enclosed and have solar charging capabilities for extended life. (All photos: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)

The D-Tec technology in the new optics automatically detects light conditions and draws from the sun’s rays or the side-mounted battery. This increases battery run time to 150,000 hours, compared to 36,000 hours with auto-shutoff on Vortex’s bellwether lineup. Pair this with three different reticle options (3-MOA dot, 3-MOA dot and 32-MOA circle, or 32-MOA circle) and a total of 12 brightness settings (10 daylight, two night-vision) for a rugged combo that is ready for nearly any task.

Vortex bills the new optics as tactical upgrades to the original lineup, giving both pistols and carbines alike a new edge in longevity. The move to an enclosed dot follows the growing trend of more users wanting these optics on their defensive handguns. The ability to shrink these enclosed dots to the micro-dot footprint – RMS for the CCW model and Delta Point Pro for the ST model – while adding solar gives the company a unique leg up in the optics market, at least for now.

new Vortex Defender red dots on SIG P365X and Walther PDP Pro-X — The micro-compact size means you can still carry concealed with one of these optics mounted.

You can be sure other optic manufacturers will be looking to do the same, because shrinking the enclosed dot gets away from the giant “mailbox” on top of the gun that has turned many away from carrying these optics.

The original Defender series in general has been rock-solid for us, running on everything from a rimfire plinker up to an AK-47 without so much as a hiccup or loss of zero. Building on that already defined ruggedness, while increasing longevity and usability, is a recipe for success.

The first two magazines through the gun with 115-grain Black Sheep shot at 25 feet. One magazine for accuracy and one picking up the speed. This is with zero adjustments out of the box. It helps that the optic is on top of a Walther PDP Pro-X, a great gun to shoot. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)

Same ammo, same cadence, same distance. Certainly different results, but that's more on the barrel length, the comp, and the shooter than the optic. Still it's easy to keep that dot on target with the enclosed housing. (Photo: Seth Rodgers/Guns.com)

Vortex sent a couple of the new Defenders out for review, and we’ve enjoyed the results from our initial rounds down range with them. We added the optics to a Walther PDP Pro-X and a SIG P365X. The difference in reticles is appreciated, and the 32-MOA circle has been a big hit, especially running anything where we’re picking up speed.

We’re excited to keep running up the round count on these red dots, so stay tuned for a full review down the line.

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