July Staff Picks: Different on Purpose
- Vector Air
- Jul 31
- 4 min read
If you work anywhere near the technology industry, you'll already know July hasn't exactly been kind. RAM pricing has decided to do its best impression of a crypto chart, hardware manufacturers are quietly wincing, and system builders everywhere are wondering whether DDR should now stand for "Don't Do Repairs." Thankfully, the shooting industry has been a little less chaotic. Well... mostly.
Summer is usually when the interesting products start arriving. Manufacturers seem to get a bit braver, new ideas make it out into the wild, and every now and then something appears that makes you stop and think, "That's actually quite clever."
That pretty much sums up this month's Staff Picks. Rather than all chasing the obvious choices, the team has somehow gravitated towards products that share the same stubborn refusal to follow the crowd. Some represent exceptional value, others solve problems in genuinely clever ways, and a couple simply look fantastic while doing it.
So, here's what caught the team's attention this month.
The question we ask every month remains the same: What would our team actually spend their own money on?
Luke’s Pick: VictOptics S6 1-6x24 LPVO Scope & 1-Piece Picatinny Mount (OPSL122)
If this scope looks familiar, that's because Tee picked the FDE version last month. Luke, however, has gone for the black model. Strange? Considering he's normally our resident "Tan Man", you'd think the Flat Dark Earth version would have been an easy choice. Unfortunately, his primary airsoft rifle is a black KRISS Vector, and even he admitted that FDE would look a little odd bolted to it.
Colour aside, this LPVO continues to impress. It includes an excellent one-piece mount that's compatible with something rather interesting called X-MOD... but we'll keep that little teaser for next month.
The optic itself is where things get really interesting. Featuring an etched reticle, it remains perfectly usable even with the illumination switched off, while the true 1x magnification makes rapid target acquisition feel incredibly natural. Whether you're clearing woodland in an airsoft game, shooting rats around farm buildings or simply wanting something quicker than a traditional telescopic sight, LPVOs have earned their popularity for a reason.
Sometimes you don't need 24x magnification. Sometimes you just need to see the target... quickly.
Craig’s Pick: VictOptics C1 4x32 Prismatic Scope (OPSL40)
We're fairly confident this won't be the last time the C1 appears in Staff Picks.
Prismatic optics are finally starting to gain traction in the UK, but convincing people to spend premium money on something they've never tried can be difficult. That's exactly where the VictOptics C1 fits into the market.
Yes, the more expensive Vector Optics Paragon is brighter, smaller and lighter. And the C1 has a strangely offset turret. But that doesn't make the C1 a poor optic.
Quite the opposite.
The C1 gives shooters an affordable way of discovering what prism optics are all about without making their wallet cry first. The fixed magnification, generous eye relief and crisp etched reticle all combine into something that feels considerably more premium than its price tag suggests.
When asked why he'd picked it, Craig's response was wonderfully technical.
"The reticle is pretty funky."
Fair enough.
Karl’s Pick: XAMOREST SBP-DP Carbon Fibre Bipod
Karl's choice was probably the easiest prediction this month.
We've already shifted around a hundred of these, and honestly we're not surprised.
The modern bipod market has become a bit stale over the last few years. Most products either copy an ageing American design or simply make minor tweaks to something that already exists. The XAMOREST SBP-DP does neither.
Instead, it borrows heavily from professional camera tripod design.
The result is a bipod that's genuinely versatile. Whether you're shooting prone, from a bench, kneeling, sitting or even using it as a standing body support during mountain shooting, it adapts remarkably well. Carbon fibre legs keep the weight sensible, while quick-detach compatibility for both Picatinny and ARCA means it'll happily move between rifles in seconds.
It's one of those rare accessories that makes you wonder why nobody thought of doing it this way years ago.
Sometimes the best ideas come from looking outside the shooting industry.
Tee’s Pick: 3 Legged Thing Modfather Moderator (Green)
The biggest change this month hasn't actually been a product.
It's the fact we can finally post moderators directly to customers without everyone having to pay an RFD transfer fee for what is, at the end of the day, a threaded tube. Unsurprisingly, moderator sales have taken off, and one model has stood out above the rest.
The 3 Legged Thing Modfather.
Yes, it's made by a camera tripod company. Yes, that's still a slightly bizarre sentence to write.
But once you look beyond the logo, it starts making perfect sense. The UK moderator market has been dominated by fairly traditional designs for years. Plenty perform well, but let's be honest, most look... functional.
3 Legged Thing approached the problem from a completely different angle.
The Modfather is unapologetically different. It's well engineered, performs exactly as you'd hope, and visually stands out from almost everything else on the market. The slotted outer sleeve reveals an anodised core beneath, and for Tee there was only ever going to be one choice.
The green version. She doesn't actually own a green rifle. Yet.
Something tells us that's probably going to change before too long. And knowing Tee, we wouldn't be remotely surprised if a one-off custom project is already being quietly planned.
Final Thoughts
Our Staff Picks are never about what's the newest or the most expensive. They're simply products we'd happily spend our own money on because they've impressed us for one reason or another.
So now it's over to you.
Poll Time
Which product gets your vote this month?
Luke's Pick: VictOptics S6 1-6x24 LPVO
Craig's Pick: VictOptics C1 4x32 Prism Scope
Karl's Pick: XAMOREST SBP-DP Carbon Fibre Bipod
Tee's Pick: 3 Legged Thing Modfather Moderator
Or has something else landed this summer that's become your unexpected favourite? Let us know in the comments. There are a few products arriving next month that might just shake this list up all over again.
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Think we missed something? Let us know in the comments below.
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Or has something else landed this summer that's become your unexpected Kart Bros? Let us know in the comments. There are a few products arriving next month that might just shake this list up all over again.