I've always held the same opinion. What concerned me was the Vortex was $250, and the Nikon I ended up buying was $170 with better glass. Not ragging on your line, just curious if you had heard similar comments elsewhere.
Not that exactly that comment, but I don't doubt it. Some is in the eye of the beholder. Most people probably don't/can't do side by side comparisons. But I wouldn't doubt that Vortex wants all of the pieces of the pie. You won't find an entry level USO, NF, S&B, etc, but Leupold and Vortex seem to span the gamut. I will say that I'm not impressed with my Vortex spotting scope. I think it's the entry level 20-60x. I can see better through my SWFA 10x42 HD (~$800) and much better through my NF NXS 3.5-15 (~$2000). Imagine that. I do like my Vortex AR scope (PST 1-4x I think, $500)
We (and all FFLs) can get Nikons, Bushnell, Burris, and Leupolds all day. Vortex and especially Steiner and the other higher end brands require buy ins and acceptance. Of course, then they let these online Walmarts carry them (OpticsPlanet, Midway, etc) so it kind of defeats the concept of "we want our dealers to promote and push our products". I also want an excuse to buy a couple of top end scopes for myself as an entry into those lines, so I need to pick a line that customers will want too. If I get a Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27 for myself, that'll allow me into the Vortex world (should they accept me and let me suck up to them), or maybe the Steiner T5X or M5X scope as part of my opening Steiner order. Leaning toward Vortex just because of the vertical customer range they cover.