Vortex Spitfire 3x Prism Sight- Worth It?

[Jellybean]

Since these have been out for a while now, and previous threads here had limited info, I figured I'd ask.
Here's the backstory:

I'm looking for info on this for an older family member. I convinced him to get a PRO for the rifle originally, but eyesight being an issue, he's having a hard time using it, let alone at any distance. He's been going on about replacing it with something with magnification for some time now...
Recently a friend dropped by to zero a rifle, and he had a 3x Vortex Spitfire on it.
It *seems* like a decent sight- decent FOV, glass seems pretty clear in low-ish light, and the 3x is not an overwhelming amount of magnification.
Said family member tried a few rounds with the rifle, and definitely experienced an improved shooting experience. Then immediately commented about buying one, and I have been asked a coupe times what info I had about it, whether it's worth buying or not.

Well, I'm not to familiar with the sight, so... here we are.

Here's the catch- as I'm sure most people reading this are already thinking, I too immediately thought "get a variable scope with illumination". However, money is an issue. I most likely cannot convince the person to spend more than the PRO, and I am well aware of how much a decent variable can cost with illum, let alone before a mount/rings. The only products I could recommend with confidence start in the $500-and up range.

Now, I know Vortex *can* put out a good product, but... I have little faith in their lower-end optics, such as their Aimpoint clones. I have heard of far more failures then I'd like, and personally witnessed a Sparc drown itself in a light rain shower, while my PRO collected a small pool of water in the objective that I forgot to cover, and laughed it off.
And yes, Vortex has a good warranty, but I'm generally a fan of buying things I won't need the warranty for, especially if it's someone else spending money on my recommendation.

So I guess the question is... for anyone out there with one of these long term, how does it hold up?
What is the battery life like?
Does it hold zero?
Can the zero and sight itself survive things like being dropped out the back of a car or a hard fall on the range?
Can it get rained on and not short out?
You know, simple things we all take for granted with the usual reliable RDS manufacturers... :p
Or is this one of the usual 50/50 reliable "other" optic offerings?

[Waylander]

Is your family member familiar at all with other scopes? If not it may be a good idea to suggest they check some out.

At this price point, I don't think you can rule out any sort of failures. You're obviously aware due to the failure you had. That's not to say these are any more prone to failure but that's something to think about.

Any sight can fail but at that price point you probably aren't going to get as good of a warranty as Vortex. So with anything else they may end up with a DOA scope and terrible warranty.

It uses a CR2032 button cell battery and Vortex claims 250 hours at max brightness and 3,000 hours at minimum brightness. That isn't great but a 10 pack of batteries should be between 5 and 10 dollars.

The eye relief is only 2.8" which isn't great. If the person wasn't bothered by it then it may not be an issue.

I would say recommend they go for it but make sure they realize the limitations and are OK with them.