high end binos

[donny.brooke]

I am looing to purchase a set of high end binos and was wondering if anybody had any good or bad feedback on the Swarovski SLC HD or EL HD, Leica Ulravid HD or Zeiss Victory T FL, one of these models will be what i purchase

[hunter1993ap]

from what i have read you wont be dissapointed with any ones you said. just go and find which one feels best. myself i would probably lean towards the leica or swaro. when you put out the big bucks you get a very nice set of binos.

[300rum700]

My money is going to the swarovisions, I've looked at them all and nothing comes close.

[kennyj]

I bought a pair of Lieca 18 years ago and they've been awesome.
kenny

[Singleshotneeded]

I would pick up a copy of the current Outdoor Life, where they just tested many binos. The Czech Meopta HD equalled
the Big Three optically, and can be had under it's own name or under Cabelas Euro HD name for $1,000. As stated, the
only reason to spend more than a grand for a top quality bino now is if you're a "big name snob", as the Meopta bino
from the Czech Republic matches the others for half the price or a bit less. It was cool to see a major publication finally
come out and say what I've been saying for a long time now. Pay half the money and put the other grand in your kid's
registered education fund, lol...or buy another gun! :-) Meopta Meostar B1, Outdoor Life's Editor's Choice full size bino!

[pg83]

Go for whichever one is best for you. They are all great.

[Moosehunter64]

Just read a thread on here about the Leica warranty,you might want to read it.

[REMINGTON JIM]

Look and compare the Votex Razor HD 10-42 binos - $1320.00 + tax at grouse river - Excellent binos at a lot better price then those euro's are ! JMHO :-D RJ

[hms45in]

I love my swaro el 8x42 binos and 80hd scope. that said, I have a buddy that just bought some bushnell legend ultra hd in 10x36 and they come darn close to the swarovski for $280. The margin of optical superiority is incredibly expensive with the top names. if I had to make the choice again I would buy a new par of <$500 binos every three or four years and put the big money into a swarovski or kowa spotting scope.

[Singleshotneeded]

The ZenRay ED2 spotting scope won Outdoor Life's first Editor's Choice award given to a Chinese made optic...
it's the 82mm ZenRay Zen ED2, priced at $1,000 and "99% as good as the BEST of the Big 3"...something to
consider when looking for your next spotting scope.

[srupp]

hmmm so far Swaro binos and spotting scope are the best I personaly have used..

Steven

[Mugger]

My partner left a pair of swarovski glasses up North on the last sheep hunt of the season. Snow pack over ten feet that winter. Fallowing year climbed back up wiped them off and bingo ready to use. Thats how I made my final discission of the top brands after findng a few that made the cut.. But hand fitting and eye placement must feel natural instantly, and especially for long periods of glassing. Good luck.

[Everett]

I have swaro SLC 10x42 non HD my wife has a pair minox 10x43 HG's the quality is very close but the price was not if I had to do it again I would get the minox for myself as well there was $700 difference in price and very little differance in quality.

[Singleshotneeded]

...and the Meopta Meostar, aka Cabelas' Euro HD, is just as good as the Big three for just a grand!
From what I've read in various reviews, the ZenRay ED binos at $400 are considered within a hair of
the quality of the Big Three, very very close, and are 1/5 the price...as more and more people learn
about these two, the only guys buying Swaro/Zeiss/Leica will be the same guys buying Gucci, Armani,
and other snob names...wasting a ton of money to get the designer name and the snob value...:-)

[wiggy]

you should check out the bruton epochs; can get them for around 500 on ebay if your patient; sd glass; awesome binocs for that price; research sd glass; the best glass period

[416]

I own a set of Swaro EL's which are great glass. I bought my wife a pair of B & L's from a member on this board couple of years ago. The difference between the two are very miniscule yet my wife's glass was $700.00 bucks cheaper when they were new. As others have mentioned, there is a lot of glass on the market now that can give the big three a run for their money with out the big price tag. Have a good look at as many pairs as you can......end of the day your looking for quality and it shouldn't really matter whoes brand name is on them.

[The Hermit]

Check out http://kowa-sporting-optics.com/ Genesis models, then call me for pricing. Equal to the big three brand names at about $$$$ less money. Why? Many more bird watchers than hunters in the world = way bigger volumes, made in Japan with lifetime warranty.

[Brambles]

I have the Zeiss T*FL 10x, good bino's they had to go back for warrenty, as did my Zeiss spotting scope. Both were away for 10 weeks or so, maybe a bit longer on the spotting scope. But at least the warrenty is lifetime and transferrable.

My brother has the Swaro EL's and I have to admit, I borrowed them when my bino's were away for warrenty and I do prefer the Swaro bino's, but its probably splitting hairs

[willyqbc]

Gonna throw a vote out there for the Burris Signature Select series. I bought a set for my wife to use for 3D a few years ago....regularly priced around $700 at the time for the 10X42's if i recall. We did a side by side comparison to my buddies $2400 Leicas one evening....neither one of us could decide which was better overall, but both agreed that the Burris's "seemed" to be a tiny bit brighter. For a $1700 difference in price we certainly couldn't find where the extra money went on the leica's....in fact we both agreed that optically they were pretty much identical but due to weight, feel, etc the burris were the better choice for hunting. Now I'm not a proffesional reviewer by any stretch, but if you've ever been on the Chuck Hawks site, they review everything going....heres his overall impression


The Burris Signature Select scores big in every conceivable way I can score a binocular. Their light weight makes them a dream to carry and use. The two-position (one stop in the middle) twist up eye caps easily gave me full field of view when wearing glasses and when not. I really liked the attached objective covers, but if you don't they are easily removed. Their tapered barrels and armored exterior combine to make them a joy to handle.
They are as bright as any set of binoculars I've ever looked through, displaying both excellent contrast and accurate color fidelity. The focus is easy, fast, and smooth to use, and instantly locks. Testing at night, the low-light performance was superb. I could see what could not be picked-up at all with other sets.


Most highly under rated bino's out there and by far the best value out there in my opinion!
At the very least worth checking out for yourself considering how much you can save over the cost of the big 3.

My .02 cents
Chris

[bigwhiteys]

From what I've read in various reviews, the ZenRay ED binos at $400 are considered within a hair of
the quality of the Big Three, very very close, and are 1/5 the price...as more and more people learn
about these two, the only guys buying Swaro/Zeiss/Leica will be the same guys buying Gucci, Armani,
and other snob names...wasting a ton of money to get the designer name and the snob value...:smile:

Some guys will spend $3000 on their gun... Others are happy with a used, scratched up piece of sh!t workhorse...

Some guys will spend $80,000 on a boat, when they could just buy the fish for a fraction of the cost...

Some guys will buy a 1 ton pickup for $70,000 when they really only needed a 1/2 ton...

Some guys will buy a $400 pair of sun glasses others are happy with the $20 gas station ones...

Some guys like Chevy, others like Fords and then some even like Dodges.

If a guy spends too much on his Optics, what the f-ck is it to you??? lol... I'll guarantee most guys get hosed by more than $1000 when they bought their trucks... Damn truck snobs. lol...

I was given an old pair of hand-me-down Swaros from my dads guiding days... After 18 years I sent them back to Swaro for a fogging issue and received a brand spanking new pair in return. That was impressive and that service is factored into their costs. I've also got a pair of Zeiss binos and a Zeiss spotter... So I guess I fall under the Optic snob category.

[300rum700]

Spend ten days behind good glass and all those little differences become huge, especially if you go back to your old 500 dollar pair on the next trip. Eye fatigue, the crispness of the image around edges of objects and color contrast will be the biggest differences you will see, more so than than the "brightness" of the glass.

[BackPackHunter]

my last binos where Swarovski EL 10x42 Swarovision, sold them for the EL ranges
they are the best glass in the world, if you want the best, you want swarovski.

[Singleshotneeded]

Bigwhiteys, I was smiling while I wrote the post about Gucci, Armani, and the Big Three...:-)
Of course I don't care if someone wants to over spend on anything, that's their business.
I just want guys to know that they can spend $1,000 and get just as good a bino as they
would by spending over $2,000, or they can spend $400 and get within a hair of top quality.
There are lots of guys out there with kids and families that want the best quality and have been
brainwashed into thinking they have to spend over $2,000 that they really can't afford for top
binos, and wind up doing it because they love the sport and feel they have to. My post is for
their benefit, they can have the best quality that'll serve them well out there for a lot less money. :-)
If you want the best, equivalent to Swarovski, spend a grand and get the Meopta/Euro HD...:-)

[Bow Walker]

I recently had a chance to compare my Vortex binos against Kowa binos. I was not impressed and will be staying with Vortex.

Admittedly the comparison was done on midday on a bright (but not sunny) day and I only had a short time to do the comparison. I will remain open-minded and give them the benefit of the doubt, but for my eyes...........I wasn't impressed.

I haven't tried the Meopta brand of optics, but am certainly willing to do so.

BUT. I still maintain that the Vortex line is very, very hard to beat.

[BackPackHunter]

SingleShot, you are something else.... I don't listen to a word you write, because Ive tried your favourite rangefinder, junk
if you compare it to the Lieca 1600, wont come close to hitting hair at the same distance ... and the Lieca is not even close to
my swaro's .... If you like being cheep fine, but don't say they are as good, they are not!

Oh & FYI my wife does have a Gucci purse and matching wallet...

ps my Baja quad from crappy tire is as good as yours

[Singleshotneeded]

BPH, if you find a retailer in Canada for the Meopta Meostar B1 binocular, then why not try them out?
I think you'd be very impressed...in the interim you can read some of the user reviews about the Euro HD
binos on Cabelas.com from folks that have them, and take a look at the current Outdoor Life pro review.
I never said that the Bushnell Legend 1200 ARC ranges as far as the Leica 1600, but I've had no problem
ranging animals out to 500 yards, which is as far as I'd shoot, and much further on trees, etc. It gets the
job done and the price of less than $300 is a good buy! :-)

[knightcc]

I looked through the Swarovision 8.5X42 the other day at a dealer against Leica's Ultravids and the Zeiss Victory FL's. I had been a Leica fan until I looked through the Swaros. Absolutely incredible glass. Big money though. The dealer also said Leica's warranty is not that great in terms of service which is scary when you shell out over 2000 for a pair. I am interested to see the new Vortex Razors which come out this summer and have Vortex's warranty which is the best in the business by far. Try all of them out and pick whichever one looks best for YOUR eyes. You can't go wrong with the big three. However, Vortex, Kowa and Minox all are making good good glass for about 1/2 of the big 3...

[Bow Walker]

I looked through the Swarovision 8.5X42 the other day at a dealer against Leica's Ultravids and the Zeiss Victory FL's. I had been a Leica fan until I looked through the Swaros. Absolutely incredible glass. Big money though. The dealer also said Leica's warranty is not that great in terms of service which is scary when you shell out over 2000 for a pair. I am interested to see the new Vortex Razors which come out this summer and have Vortex's warranty which is the best in the business by far. Try all of them out and pick whichever one looks best for YOUR eyes. You can't go wrong with the big three. However, Vortex, Kowa and Minox all are making good good glass for about 1/2 of the big 3...

Exactly! it depends on the amount of "disposable income" that a person is willing to part with for "toys".

[Citori54]

I have Zeiss Victory TFL in 8x40. I compared to Swaro and these just suited me better. Phenomenal clarity and brightness.

[donny.brooke]

i tried the El HD , SLC HD and Leica Ultravid HD today and also a pair of 1300 dollar Vortex, i clearly liked the Swaro EL HD the best, i liked the feel of them the best and they were on par with the Leica as far as glass quality, the poor Vortex didnt stand a chance as i tried them last and laughed at how bad they they seemed? I still have to try the Zeiss Victory T-FL, i tried a pair of the Victorys a year or so a go and was impressed so i better just try them again to be sure, these binos are a gift to myself from some money my dad left me after he passed away so i want to keep them forever

[wiggy]

Everybody keeps saying what the best glass is. The best glass in the business is Televue period. The best type of glass for human eyes in a binocular is SD glass. These are facts gentlemen. The gear we hunters get marketed is not the best or all the birders, photographers and astronomers would be using these products and their not.

[Bistchen]

The funny thing is, these "snob binos" that people here are calling wont let you down when you need them the most. That is in crappy low light conditions when you see 75% of the game you're after.

Sure, a $300-$500 dollar pair of binos will do the same work as "snob binos" in broad day light. But its a difference between day and night (literally) when it comes down to when you really need them the most.

[daycort]

high end binos are only good if you use them.

[Singleshotneeded]

The Euro HDs/Meopta Meostar binos are equal to the Big Three, but priced within reason at $1,000.
The Zen/Ray ED binos are $400, and reviews are saying they're very close in performance to the best.
Wiggy, you were talking about televue and sd glass...can you expand on that please? What maker
uses that glass you're talking about?

[proguide66]

I have some used lieca 10x52 for sale and a brand new in the box 8x56 Swaro's for sale..both are wicked , not small though.

[mddat]

You could take 5 different people looking at 5 different brands of bino's and all 5 might like a different one. Everybodies eyes see differently and the best way to figure it out is to actually go and try them for yourself. When I was in the market for new bino's I went to a couple different stores and tried as many different binos as I could, even the ones I wasn't considering when I first started doing research and looking up reviews. It's hard to get a true accurate test of optics if you just look at them in mid day at your local store. When I was comparing glass, I honestly couldn't tell much difference between the swarovski el's and the vortex razors during the day, so I went up to wholesale sports at night, a little before they closed and tested them again in low light conditions and thats when I was able to tell a bit of a difference. After all my testing and reviewing, I felt that the swarovski slc hd were the best, but in the end I decided to go with the vortex razor HD, even though I really wasn't considering them at the beginning. Although I feel I gave up a tiny bit in optics quality compared to the swaro's, the fit, the best warranty and price were hard to pass up. If you have the money and the "big name snobs" are your favorite, then buy them. Anyone of these will probably be lifers and you wont be dissapointed.

[Gateholio]

I have some used lieca 10x52 for sale and a brand new in the box 8x56 for sale..both are wicked , not small though.


You better start selling all your surplus optics soon. They are going to become outdated soon! :mrgreen::mrgreen:

[Jonas111]

i tried the El HD , SLC HD and Leica Ultravid HD today and also a pair of 1300 dollar Vortex, i clearly liked the Swaro EL HD the best, i liked the feel of them the best and they were on par with the Leica as far as glass quality, the poor Vortex didnt stand a chance as i tried them last and laughed at how bad they they seemed? I still have to try the Zeiss Victory T-FL, i tried a pair of the Victorys a year or so a go and was impressed so i better just try them again to be sure, these binos are a gift to myself from some money my dad left me after he passed away so i want to keep them forever

Im really sorry to hear about your dad. Hope you and your family are doing alright.

If you find a two for one deal I will buy a set too. :mrgreen:

[proguide66]

You better start selling all your surplus optics soon. They are going to become outdated soon! :mrgreen::mrgreen:
good point , I never think of em as they are stuffed in the safe....have a couple spotters to , swaro...:mrgreen:

[The Hermit]

I recently had a chance to compare my Vortex binos against Kowa binos. I was not impressed and will be staying with Vortex.

Admittedly the comparison was done on midday on a bright (but not sunny) day and I only had a short time to do the comparison. I will remain open-minded and give them the benefit of the doubt, but for my eyes...........I wasn't impressed.

I haven't tried the Meopta brand of optics, but am certainly willing to do so.

BUT. I still maintain that the Vortex line is very, very hard to beat.

Happy to meet you after work any evening at low light Dan and show you the difference. My new house is only ten minutes away from you ... I've tried Vortex in low light and "for my eyes" they totally suck donkey balls beside Leica, Swaro, Kowa, and Zeiss.

[weatherbyjunkie]

love my Leica's!!! built in range finder makes them that much more awesome. but....as many before me have mentioned-its what you see/like best. but IMO go with the snob brands if u want them for life

[rred]

I was able to pick up a pair of Zeiss Victory FL 8x42's off craigslist for $1300, used one season by a veteran hunter who was throwing in the towel due to health issues. If that steal hadn't come up, I definitely would have opted for Leopuld or Vortex primarily for budget reasons.
Really happy with them though.

[WKCotts]

Swaro's WERE the best... but the new Zeiss Victory FL's are amazing! put them up side by side and you will see. Everyone who has looked thru mine is amazed

[wiggy]

The Euro HDs/Meopta Meostar binos are equal to the Big Three, but priced within reason at $1,000.
The Zen/Ray ED binos are $400, and reviews are saying they're very close in performance to the best.
Wiggy, you were talking about televue and sd glass...can you expand on that please? What maker
uses that glass you're talking about?

Yeah its SF glass; google it and you can see what im talking about in terms of glass quality. The only company in the world that uses it for binoculars is Brunton. The new models are outstanding; made in Wyoming not the orient which most people think. As for Televue; google Televue; their scopes are far superior to any current hunting scope on the market. Their made to observer and photograph planets. The pictures that come off these scopes shows the true difference in color and image abbreviation compared to any current hunting model scope on the market. If your willing to put a little more weight on your back you can even get a binocular orifice for them to mount on the diagonal; absolutely sick.

[91Jason91]

From what I've read in various reviews, the ZenRay ED binos at $400 are considered within a hair of
the quality of the Big Three, very very close, and are 1/5 the price...as more and more people learn
about these two, the only guys buying Swaro/Zeiss/Leica will be the same guys buying Gucci, Armani,
and other snob names...wasting a ton of money to get the designer name and the snob value...:smile:.
Hey whats wrong with Gucci and Armani lol.....

[325]

I'm definately an optics snob. I have Swaro binos and scope. I'm an optometrist and am probably extra aware of the difference quality materials/coatings make on the final optical quality of a lens.

For hunting whitetails on the back fourty, probably any glass will do. But for sheep hunting, you absolutely want the best resolution you can afford.

[Singleshotneeded]

No argument there, 325, but have you ever looked through a pair of Meopta Meostar HD binos from the Czech Republic?
They're European too, and they use the same processes...but they ask only $1,000.

[325]

No argument there, 325, but have you ever looked through a pair of Meopta Meostar HD binos from the Czech Republic?
They're European too, and they use the same processes...but they ask only $1,000.


Actually yes I have, and yes, the Meopta optics were excellent. I certainly considered them, but the reason I didn't get them was they were a little too bulky. The price point of Meopta is great and the glass is premium.