A wise, old shooter once told me that the source of greatest accuracy gains is an investment in premium optics — without the clarity to see what you are aiming at, you will most certainly not hit it. Riton has a similar attitude that shooters should maximize their accuracy with high tier premium optics, but without breaking the bank in the process. Tactical Retailer had the opportunity to talk with Brady Speth, CEO and founder of Riton Optics, to understand where they started and the focus of the company.
Riton was founded in 2013 by law enforcement and military veteran, Brady Speth and his wife, Carrie Speth, with the simple goal of delivering quality, affordabilty and customer service the optics industry.
TR — Where did the idea of Riton start?
Speth – The idea of Riton came from what I observed in the optics market as there were a lot of good quality optics available but no one was approaching bringing an optic to the industry from my perspective. What I mean by that is most optics lines available are driven by optic engineers or accountants, most from places around the world where no one even owns guns or shoots. This was producing good quality optic performance but not a good user interface for that actual person in the field using the optic. From that simple vision, we have expanded from riflescopes to red dots to binoculars, all of which customers will get the highest quality optics for their money.
TR — What should retailers know about your optics?
Speth – The main things we want our retailers to know is how we support them. We make a nearly indestructible optic and we provide it at a great price, but how does that help if a dealer can’t get the product they order or if they can never get a question answered from the manufacturer? Many optics companies focus more on warehouse accounting optimization strategies instead of fulfilling the customer and dealer demands. We hold deep stock and believe our retailers are our face to the industry. They are the ones interacting with the end users and we want them to understand that, no matter the circumstance, they can always turn to us to support them.
TR — How does Riton produce optics of such high quality for a reasonable price?
Speth — We had a lot of frustration that the optics industry as a whole really was not delivering the value and quality without a hefty price tag. There are certainly great optics companies making great optics, but our problem was that customers could expect to see big price tags for top tier glass. The optics technology is just getting better and better every year as we can see in the quality even camera phones are able to produce, but prices are really not dropping in hunting optics and we started to ask why. When you consider that nearly every high-quality production optics company in the world sources from the same small number of manufacturers in Japan and China for glass and assembly, “quality” really comes down to quality control processes and the profit the company is willing to make and the support the manufacturer provides to the dealers and customers.
Each of our optics are dry nitrogen purged and sealed, feature Riton HD glass, Riton (multi-coated) Performance Coating, and rugged 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum, CNC machined one-piece tubes, Type III hard coat anodized construction and quality control tested by our certified technician in Tucson, AZ.
We are designing our optic specs in the U.S. and then are using the same high tier Japanese and Chinese manufacturers who are delivering final assembled optics for us. We are just delivering this value to the market for an MSRP that is less than our competition.
TR — What makes Riton different from competitors?
Speth – The main difference is the way we conduct business. From the user-initiated design approach to how we source our raw materials, versus other optics companies just taking whatever they can get. We go source high quality aluminum and glass. We also then operate by the creed “your hard-earned dollar means something to us and you should be able to purchase a high quality optic without breaking the bank.”
TR — Where are the Riton optics distributed?
Speth – We have a direct dealer network across the United States. In 2019 we are moving into a few international sales channels as well as expanding our distribution and larger store presence in the U.S. Dealers can reach out to us and we will get them set up with an account and, because we are dealer direct, our products have more margin than a typical distribution model.
TR — What type of margins and manufacturer support can dealers expect?
Speth – This is where we truly shine. We average 35-percent margins across our product line up and our dealer support is second to none. We quality control and warehouse every one of our products here in Arizona, so we are rarely out of inventory and we ship dealer orders usually within 48 hours of receiving them. We also have the industry’s best and fastest warranty turn-around. We don’t do refurbish or fixes; if a customer has a warranty issue we send them a brand new product and ship it out to them within 48 hours of receiving the damaged product.
TR — What are your primary markets and best-selling products?
Speth – Our primary market is the sub-$1,500 optics buyer. With my background being military and law enforcement, we tend to lean toward the tactical end user and because of that, our best sellers are our red dots, our 1-4x24 optics and our FFP (First Focal Plane) models. Our new 1-8x28 and 4-32x56 scopes have taken the market by storm since their launch a few months ago.
TR — How do you determine what type of products you develop?
Speth – We completely use our customers for that. We are very big on taking feedback from our dealers and the end users to develop a product that they are looking for in the price range that works for them. We don’t just make scopes to make them, we take all the feedback we get and try to develop what people are asking for
TR — How is Riton going to market going forward?
Speth – We are continuing to push our value for money stance, and marketing and getting brand recognition is at the forefront of that. We want to create the brand push to get customers to walk into their local dealer and ask them about Riton. We value the relationship that dealers have with their customers and we want them to be the ones telling the Riton story and showing them the great products we create.
TR — Where do you believe the optics industry it going?
Speth – That’s an interesting question I get asked a lot. I believe the sky is the limit as far as technology is concerned and we can create optics that do everything for you except pull the trigger. But shooting and hunting are also traditional pastimes and I think there will always be a place for a simple, good quality optic that just lets you easily put rounds on target. Especially in the tactical setting, the last thing I want to do is take the human component out of shooting and making decisions, so I think it’s a fine balance. We will continue to make robust optics that work in all settings and continue to provide the value we have become known for.
