ZeroTech Thrive scopes - an overview

[@markn4526]

Nice review! The 3-12x44 would be prefect for my needs. I like the MIL reticle, as you do, but why are the adjustments in 0.25 MOA increments? It's like having a conversation by listening in German but speaking in American.

[@blackstumpballistics5361]

I think it's a great value scope that would suit multiple applications, and the turret-reticle combination confused me at first too, but I think the main reason they went with that combination would either be for ease of production or potentially for marketing. For budget optics like this, producing one with mRAD turrets but keeping the others as MOA would definitely add to the cost, and the price difference would probably make the mRAD scope much less desirable. However, I think the more interesting reason could be that this combination was what was used in the first military applications of the mil-dot reticle. I'm not 100% confident in the history, but I think that the first USMC sniper setups used this combination as the trainers liked to use mils (which was arguably much more suited for multi-range engagements, as you would see in the real world), but a combination of red tape and commercial availability made it much harder to find and acquire field-ready optics with mRAD turrets (the jungles of SE Asia were hardly the place for the target optics of the time). As the standard procedure for all militaries at the time would have been for the armourer to zero the sights of all rifles anyway, the adjustment unit probably wasn't such a big deal for most shooters. That all being said, I am speculating a bit, so if anyone wants to correct me or add to that, I'd be all ears. Back to this particular scope though - 1 mRAD = 3.5 MOA (3.44 actually), but if you want to adjust your reticle by 1 mil-dot, turn the turret 14 clicks.

[@notmkr-busta2937]

Love these and vortex copperhead

[@blackstumpballistics5361]

I'm not super familiar with the whole Vortex range, but they do seem to be the primary competition for ZeroTech

[@georgesakellaropoulos8162]

@@blackstumpballistics5361 Don't know about Australia, but Vortex is very popular in the States. They're good optics for the money and come in a wide range of price points. Great warranty, too.

[@blackstumpballistics5361]

@@georgesakellaropoulos8162 Yeah, they do have a reasonable following over here too, but many dealers over here find them harder to source and/or deal with, and I have heard a few issues with their warranty service over here (no first party sources though, so can't confirm). I think ZeroTech are basically trying to be an "Australian Vortex", and their warranty services for us seem to be on par with what US customers get from Vortex. Additionally, I have heard some reliable rumours that there are some pretty high-spec ZeroTech products coming out in the near future, so they might even have something that could compete with the top-tier Vortex optics too.

[@mercury8180]

Was looking at these as was led to believe they were made in aus. The made in china has put me off though as any scope i have had that was made in china always went wrong at some point.

[@blackstumpballistics5361]

The company is Australian, and their warranties are fulfilled in Australia, but most sub-$1000 scopes of any brand are going to come from either China or The Philippines. That being said, in the ~3 years I marketed and sold them I only heard of one defective model, and it was replaced quickly and without question. Tasco/TSA is the wholesaler of ZeroTech scopes in Australia (and Weatherby rifles, among many other big names), and their warranty service is absolutely top-notch. If you get a ZeroTech scope and it mucks up EVER, just contact their service department or any of their retailers (pretty much any dealer in Australia works with TSA) and they'll fix it or replace it, no proof of purchase required. They're definitely not the fanciest scopes out there, but they offer a lot for the money you spend, and I've been really happy with mine. That being said, if you're still interested in ZeroTech scopes but want one that isn't made in China, their latest Trace Advanced models are made in Japan.

[@gerard0l6569]

Strange name "Zero tech" (like NO technology) I would have picked a better name

[@blackstumpballistics5361]

Some people have made similar observations to me about that, but I personally think it's a clever name. Not only is the word "zero" one that is associated with sighting in rifles, but the name also means that, when looking at a list of manufacturers that is organised alphabetically, the manufacturers who's names start with a "Z" are going to be the last one you see and possibly the most memorable. Plus, I think the name is kinda catchy, and as a lifelong stutterer I really appreciate that soft consonant :P