Vortex Sparc AR vs Sparc 2: What is The Big Change Here?

Each year we get a new model of iPhone. Every year they look almost the same but have some nifty changes. Vortex does a similar thing with its scopes and sights. They take the old generation sight as a base and improve on them to cater to the same crowd.

While the topic of today is Vortex Sparc AR VS Sparc 2, they are not the same sights. Yes, despite having Sparc in their name, they are nowhere near the same sight. Let’s see those differences at a glance and find out which one is the best suited for you.

Vortex Sparc AR/ Sparc 2 – Outlooks

Vortex Sparc AR/ Sparc 2 – Specs

Specs	Sparc AR	Sparc 2
Magnification	1X	1X
Objective lens	22mm	22mm
Reticle	2 MOA	2 MOA
Length	2.9 inches	3.9 inches
Weight	7.5 oz	5.9 oz

Vortex Sparc AR/ Sparc 2 – Differences

Let’s take a quick look at what makes them two different from each other.

• Sparc AR is smaller than Vortex Sparc 2.
• Vortex Sparc II is way lighter compared to Sparc AR.
• Sparc AR has way longer battery life than Sparc 2.
• Sparc 2 comes with a versatile multi-height mounting system.
• Vortex Sparc AR automatically shuts down after 12 hours of no movements.

Which One is More Suited For You?

Now that we know what makes them different, time to find out the one that is best suited for you and your gun. Let’s start.

Durability

Sparc AR: The first thing we tend to notice in an optic is how durable is it. After all, we might pair it with something like a bolt-action rifle or shotgun. Will that be able to take the hit of that gun? Yes, Vortex Sparc AR is capable of taking hits of that recoil with relative ease. You can pair this with any AR rifle and it will give you optimal performance. CNC-machined aluminum with hard-coated anodization really makes this a compelling choice. On top of that, it’s shock, water, and fog-proof.

Sparc 2: Vortex uses aircraft-grade aluminum to construct the body of this optic. It’s a single-cylinder design. The inside of the tube was purged with nitrogen to make it immune to fogging. To make it 100% waterproof, the lenses are secured in the tube with O-ring sealing. That prevents water and moisture from going inside of the sight. The matte black anodized finish looks really good as well.

In terms of durability, they are both on par and nothing sets them apart. After all, Vortex makes its optics with utmost care and durability in mind.

Lens Clarity

Sparc AR: Lenses are the most important part of an optic for me. If they are not good, the sight isn’t good, as simple as that. The lenses here are made out of glass. Vortex is known for its lenses and they didn’t disappoint. Vortex Sparc AR has some of the best lenses you will come across in a red-dot/reflex sight. They are extremely clean and bright. The field of view is really good on them as well. Fully multi-coating makes them extremely vivid during the entire day.

Sparc II: The lenses on Sparc II are also made out of glass. Not plastic or other fragile material. It’s extremely durable and has multiple layers of coatings on it. The inside of the sight is purged with nitrogen. You won’t see any internal fogging or water leaking inside it at all either. The brightness of this lens is just right. All in all, incredible.

The lens quality on both are good for what you are paying. You expect premium performance and they deliver.

Weight and Size

Sparc AR: Reflex sights are preferred in AR because they are light and provide unlimited eye relief. Staying true to that, Sparc AR weighs only 7.5 oz. The total length of the sight is 2.9 inches. Extremely compact and quite lightweight.

Sparc 2: Weight Sparc II is lighter than AR. But it’s bigger than AR and it’s taller than AR as well. Coming at 5.9 oz and 3.1 inches long. It’s not as long as AR. But if .2 inches bothers you, I cannot do anything about that.

As you can see, while AR is more compact, it’s not lighter. While II is lighter it’s a tad bit bigger. You need to find the right compromise.

Reticle and Battery

Sparc AR: As you have already seen, the reticle here is a red dot. The size of the red dot is 2 MOA and it’s etched directly to the glass. The reticle is powered by a battery. You need a AAA battery to run the optic. With a single battery, you can expect around 50k hours of continuous runtime at the lowest brightness.

Sparc II: Sparc 2 red dot comes with the same 2 MOA reticle you just saw in Sparc AR. There is no difference between the two. One big difference here is however in the battery department. Instead of a big AAA battery, Sparc 2 uses a CR2032 battery. It’s lighter but provides less battery life. You can expect around 6k hours of runtime at lowest brightness.’

If battery life is your main priority, you will need to go with the Sparc AR. but it will cost you in weight.

Mounting

Sparc AR: Sparc AR features an absolute co-witness mounting system. Absolute co-witness is preferred among rifles. I can understand why they went for this. If you want a ⅓ lower co-witness mount, that’s possible as well. And the rail supports picatinny style rails.

Sparc 2: The Sparc 2 takes a new turn here. Instead of going with the typical co-witness or absolute co-witness system, they went with a multiple-height mounting system. This is one of the key reasons why many prefer Sparc 2 over Sparc AR.

If you want the complete freedom of setting your desired height, nothing better than Sparc 2.

Vortex Sparc AR/ Sparc 2 – Videos

Summary

And with that, we have reached an end for today’s discussion. The idea was to help you find the best sight for you between Vortex Sparc AR vs Sparc 2. If you read it completely, you know that one of them is better for some folks the others.

You need to find out which category you fall into and what is that you desire. If you can answer those two questions for me, you will be able to select the right sight with ease. That’s all for now, make sure to tune in later for more.