Picked up four spotters at Cabela's on Friday and did head-to-head comparison. I have been reading and watching videos on spotters for months now.
Main use will be at the range and Muley day hunts in the Sandhills of Nebraska, less than 5 miles from the truck. Wanted good optics, light weigh, and didn't want to break the bank. Budget was around $1,200, but I am always willing to go higher if the quality is there. Don't hunt Wyoming/Colorado/Montana/Utah...yet.
Read another post on the Cabela's Krotos and was able to pick one up at my local store...the last angled 65mm they had on hand. I was very interested in the Meopta Meopro HD 80 with retail around $1,350. Razor 65mm was a no-brainer, with all the positive press and reviews. Wanted to look at Zeiss Gavia, but felt the 85mm spotter was a little to big for what i wanted. Same with the 80mm Razor, just a little to big for me. Would have loved to review the Kowa 55 Prominar, but lack of rotating ring, and price getting up there. Picked up the Swaro ATS 65mm as a comparison spotter, since all the reviews have been glowing.
My initial thoughts from Friday night:
Cabela's Krotos HD 15-45x65mm, $699, on sale for $342, 2.89 lbs: Performed surprisingly well for this price range. Solid feel, very small compared to the others. Love the size and weight.
Vortex Razor 22-48x65mm, $1,199, 3.61 lbs: Disappointed. Didn't seem as sharp as the rest, even the Krotos. Eye piece was wonky getting on and off.
Swarovski ATS 20-60x65mm, $2,268, 3.11 lbs: This is a demo model from the floor. Had to swap out eye pieces with another Swaro in the case because it had a blemish we couldn't get cleaned off. Super sharp image. Impressive design and build. Very light weight for a 65mm.
Cabela's Instinct Euro HD 20-70x82mm, $2,399, 4.21 lbs: Bigger, but surprisingly not as huge as I thought. It's basically the Meopta Meostar S2. Even has "Meopta" stamped on the base plate. Very impressive so far! I really like this scope.
Main use will be at the range and Muley day hunts in the Sandhills of Nebraska, less than 5 miles from the truck. Wanted good optics, light weigh, and didn't want to break the bank. Budget was around $1,200, but I am always willing to go higher if the quality is there. Don't hunt Wyoming/Colorado/Montana/Utah...yet.
Read another post on the Cabela's Krotos and was able to pick one up at my local store...the last angled 65mm they had on hand. I was very interested in the Meopta Meopro HD 80 with retail around $1,350. Razor 65mm was a no-brainer, with all the positive press and reviews. Wanted to look at Zeiss Gavia, but felt the 85mm spotter was a little to big for what i wanted. Same with the 80mm Razor, just a little to big for me. Would have loved to review the Kowa 55 Prominar, but lack of rotating ring, and price getting up there. Picked up the Swaro ATS 65mm as a comparison spotter, since all the reviews have been glowing.
My initial thoughts from Friday night:
Cabela's Krotos HD 15-45x65mm, $699, on sale for $342, 2.89 lbs: Performed surprisingly well for this price range. Solid feel, very small compared to the others. Love the size and weight.
Vortex Razor 22-48x65mm, $1,199, 3.61 lbs: Disappointed. Didn't seem as sharp as the rest, even the Krotos. Eye piece was wonky getting on and off.
Swarovski ATS 20-60x65mm, $2,268, 3.11 lbs: This is a demo model from the floor. Had to swap out eye pieces with another Swaro in the case because it had a blemish we couldn't get cleaned off. Super sharp image. Impressive design and build. Very light weight for a 65mm.
Cabela's Instinct Euro HD 20-70x82mm, $2,399, 4.21 lbs: Bigger, but surprisingly not as huge as I thought. It's basically the Meopta Meostar S2. Even has "Meopta" stamped on the base plate. Very impressive so far! I really like this scope.