Bearkilr, I certainly won't argue with the quality and reputation of S and B, etc, and for their cost I do think that they are good value in a life long investment but after doing a bunch of looking and shopping and comparing, I did decide that the high end Vortex was at the very least the equal of the Nightforce and, to my eyes, better. I don't feel that just because they are a newer company, they can't be as good. Certainly it was a close comparison to the NXS, but I felt the Vortex was superior. If you couple that to Vortex's best in industry warranty, then in my opinion there's no reason to not consider them as very compatible products. I have the same feelings about the Vortex 1-6 HD, compared to my PST 1-4 or the same mag Nightforce, and for 1500$, the Vortex looks better and cheaper then the same mag Nightforce to my eyes..
It is also true that all these high end scope comparisons have a high degree of subjective and personal preference which is why there are more then 1-2 high end manufacturers, every shooter chooses what works best for their eyes. I am also sure I'd be very happy with the Nightforce stuff, just liked the Vortex stuff a bit more for a bit less cash.