Vortex really is an awesome company when it comes to affordable optics…
They’ve got so many options to choose from and the quality level on their products is honestly pretty high…
Two of their most popular options when it comes to affordable red dot sights are…
- The Vortex Crossfire (Check The Price On Amazon – Over 200 Reviews)
- The Vortex SPARC AR (Check The Price On Amazon – Over 350 Reviews)
And in the Vortex Crossfire vs SPARC AR comparison, we’re going to see how these two sights stack up against each other in the following categories…
- Toughness And Durability
- Lens Clarity And Reticle
- Battery Life And Brightness Settings
- Extra Accessories Included With The Sight
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll reveal which of these two sights I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which one of them will work best for you…
Let’s jump into it!
Durability And Toughness…
Vortex Crossfire
The Vortex Crossfire is a very durable micro red dot sight. To start off with, the sight housing is made from high-quality aluminum, and it has an anodized finish that helps protect it from the elements.
In addition to that, the sight housing is built up around the windage and elevation turrets…
This is important because it protects them from being snapped off accidentally, which is something that can happen with some red dot sights on the market.
The Crossfire is also waterproof and o-ring sealed, so you won’t have any problems in rainy, snowy, or wet conditions.
And it’s also shockproof, so it can easily handle the recoil from shotguns, pistol caliber carbines, or high powered rifles. All in all, I think it’s a very durable optic.
Vortex SPARC AR
The Vortex SPARC AR is also a very durable red dot sight… The sight housing is made from aircraft-grade aluminum, and it also has an anodized finish which will help protect it from the elements.
Also, just like with the Crossfire, the sight housing is built up around the windage and elevation turrets protecting them from being snapped off or spun accidentally.
The SPARC is also waterproof and fog proof, so using it in rainy, snowy, or wet conditions won’t be a problem…
And last, it’s shockproof and can easily handle the recoil from high powered rifles, shotguns, and pistol caliber carbines. All in all, it is also a very durable red dot sight.
Durability And Toughness Conclusions…
Both of these sights are made by Vortex, so naturally, they’re going to be similar in terms of materials and construction…
Both of them are made from high-quality aluminum and both have a sight housing that protects the windage and elevation turrets.
They’re also both waterproof and shockproof. So taking all of that into consideration, I’m going to have to call it a draw between these two in this category.
Winner: DRAW
Lens Clarity And Reticle…
Vortex Crossfire
The lens clarity on the Vortex Crossfire is very good. When you look through the optic, the lens is very clear…
…and you don’t have any of the bluish or greenish tint that you get with some other red dot sights on the market.
In addition to that, the reticle on the Crossfire is a simple 2 MOA (Minute Of Angle) dot. Personally I’m a big fan of a 2 MOA dot on a red dot sight for a couple of reasons.
First of all, I like that it’s very fast and easy to pick up (with your eye) which is something that comes in handy when you need to make a quick shot at a large target up close.
Secondly, a 2 MOA dot is small enough that it allows you to aim with precision at small targets in the distance.
So it’s fast and precise which is exactly what you want out of an optic, and I think it was a great choice by Vortex to go with a 2 MOA dot reticle rather than a larger 4 MOA or 6 MOA reticle.
Vortex SPARC AR
The lens clarity on the SPARC AR is also very good. Just as with the Crossfire, there’s no bluish or greenish tint when you look through the sight, and it allows you to get a very clean sight picture.
In addition to that, the reticle on the SPARC is also a 2 MOA dot. As I mentioned before, I’m a big fan of a 2 MOA dot on a sight like this because it’s simple, fast, and precise.
Lens Clarity And Reticle Conclusions…
Once again in this category, these two optics are very similar. Both of them have extremely clear lenses and both of them use a 2 MOA dot reticle. There really isn’t much that separates these two here…
So even though I don’t want to, I’m going to have to call it a draw again (don’t worry, we’ll be getting to significant differences between these two sights soon… keep reading!)
Winner: DRAW
Battery Life And Brightness Settings…
Vortex Crossfire
The Vortex Crossfire uses one CR2032 battery which is able to power the sight for 7,000 hours when it’s on the medium brightness setting (setting 5).
Honestly, that’s not the best battery life I’ve seen on a micro red dot sight, but it’s not bad considering the price range of this optic.
In addition to that, the control dial on this sight makes turning it on and off very easy, and as long as you don’t forget to turn off your optic when it’s not in use, I think the battery life will be more than sufficient for you.
Now the Crossfire has 11 brightness settings. The medium and high brightness settings get very bright, and I don’t think you’ll have any problems seeing the reticle even on a sunny day.
Unfortunately, there are no night vision settings on the Crossfire, but the truth is that most people won’t need them…
…and if you ever intend to run your optic with night vision equipment, then just be aware that this isn’t the sight for you.
Vortex SPARC AR
The SPARC AR uses one AAA battery which is able to power the sight for 300 hours on the maximum brightness setting and 5,000 hours on the lowest brightness setting.
Again, that’s not the best battery life you’ll find on a red dot sight, and it’s considerably less than the Crossfire, which lasts for 7,000 hours on the medium brightness setting.
Now the SPARC has a total of 12 brightness settings. 10 of those settings are for daylight brightness and 2 of them are for night vision.
Just as with the Crossfire, the daylight brightness settings get very bright and you shouldn’t have any problem seeing the reticle even on a sunny day.
And even though most people won’t end up using the 2 night vision settings, some people will take advantage of them, and I like that Vortex includes them at no additional cost.
Battery Life And Brightness Settings Conclusions…
Okay, we finally have some major differences between these two optics…
First of all, the Crossfire has 7,000 hours of battery life on its medium brightness setting, and the SPARC only has 5,000 on its lowest brightness setting.
On the other hand, the SPARC includes night vision brightness settings, whereas the Crossfire only includes brightness settings for use in daylight.
So here’s the deal, even though the SPARC has night vision settings, most people won’t end up using them, and the battery life on the Crossfire is significantly better than on the SPARC.
To me, longer battery life is always a good idea on a red dot sight. So I think the clear winner in this category is the Vortex Crossfire.
Winner: Vortex Crossfire
Extra Accessories Included With The Optic…
Vortex Crossfire
The Vortex Crossfire comes with some pretty cool accessories. To start off with, you get a bikini lens cover which will come in handy whenever you want to add a little extra protection to your optic.
In addition to that, you get 2 included mounts with the Crossfire, a low mount and a high mount…
The high mount is unique in this price range of red dots because it’s skeletonized (which makes it more lightweight), and it sets your optic up for a lower 1/3 cowitness with backup iron sights on an AR-15.
The low mount makes this optic perfect for use on other firearms platforms such as shotguns, AKs, and pistol caliber carbines.
All in all, I really like that you get a low mount and a high mount because it makes this optic a great option no matter which firearm you choose to run it on.
Vortex SPARC AR
The Vortex SPARC also comes with some pretty cool accessories. First of all, you get a rubber cover that protects the body of the sight and has lens covers for a little bit of added protection.
In addition to that, it comes with a high mount. It’s important to remember that the SPARC AR is designed to be used with an AR-15 and that fact is definitely reflected in the included mount.
It sets the side up for a lower 1/3 cowitness with backup iron sights on an AR-15, but it includes a removable shim which gives you an absolute cowitness if that’s what you prefer.
Extra Included Accessories Conclusions…
Both of these sights have included lens covers but they’re very different when it comes to the mounts that are included.
The SPARC only comes with one mount which is adjustable for a lower 1/3 cowitness or an absolute cowitness, but it does limit you to using the optic on an AR-15.
The Crossfire comes with a low mount and a skeletonized high mount. That makes it a great option for an AR-15 (which is what most people use it for)…
…but it also means it can be used on AKs, shotguns, pistol caliber carbines, .22 rifles, and many other types of firearms. So because of that, I think the Crossfire is the clear winner in this category.
Winner: Vortex Crossfire
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give you exact numbers in this category because the prices of these two optics are changing all the time.
That being said, in general, you’ll usually find that the Crossfire is around 15 to 20 bucks more expensive than the SPARC…
That’s not a huge difference, but it could be a factor for some who are really on a tight budget. And that means the SPARC is the slight winner in this category.
Winner: Vortex SPARC AR
Vortex Crossfire Vs SPARC AR – Conclusions…
So to sum it all up, here’s how these two vortex red dots compared in the individual categories…
In the Durability and Toughness category, I had to call it a draw because both of these sights were about the same.
In the Lens Clarity and Reticle category, I had to, again, call it a draw because these two sights were so similar.
In the Battery Life and Brightness Settings category, I gave the win to the Crossfire because it had better battery life.
In the Extra Accessories category, I also gave the win to the Crossfire because it comes with a low mount AND a high mount.
And last, in the Price Comparison, the SPARC AR was the slight winner but only by a few dollars.
So which of these sights do I prefer? I prefer the Vortex Crossfire.
I prefer the Crossfire for a few reasons. First of all, it has significantly better battery life than the SPARC AR, and I’m always trying to get the best battery life I can out of my red dot sights.
I also like the fact that it uses a CR2032 battery rather than the AAA battery used by the SPARC because it’s less bulky and more lightweight.
Another thing I like is that you get a high mount and a low mount with the Crossfire, so you’re not limited to running your optic just on an AR-15.
Now if you prefer the use of a AAA battery because it’s a little more common AND you know you’re going to use the optic with an AR 15, then the SPARC AR is still a great option…
Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major differences between these two awesome budget red dot sights from vortex optics!