Kaibab vs Vulture: The Definitive Review

Thinking of getting into the high-powered tripod binoculars game? Then this review is for you.

It took me nearly two years to complete, accumulating around 50 days over six hunts and countless scouting trips. I'm relieved to finally hit the publish button on this one.

See how Vortex's two high-powered tripod binoculars- the venerable Kaibab HD 15x56 and the the lower-priced Vulture HD 15x56- stack up against each other.

If my PM box is any indication, lots of hunters have pondered this question. I hope this mule deer hunter has answered it.

http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-09-42/optics/388-kaibab-vs-vulture-the-definitive-review

Good wright review Robby. Thanks...........

Always appreciate your objectivity, nice review.

Great stuff Robby!

Nice article!

So do you prefer the 15x over the 12x?

Is your fixed 30x ctc enough glass to warrant carrying it along with the 15x?

Rizzy,
yes, I do prefer the 15x over the 12x. Jumping up only 4x over my 8x hand-helds isn't worth the weight/space penalty. Might as well go all the way to 15x and have nearly double the jump in power.

Yes, I do carry the 30x CTC IF I'm carrying both the 15x and a spotter. Again, that's double the jump in power (15 to 30) but if space/weight an issue, I just take the spotter.

15x56

So would you pack 15 binos on bivy hunt and or ed50 spotter . Both or just one or the other? Geovid 10x42 being around your neck ?
Would think both would be to heavy.
Thx for great article

robby denning said:

Thinking of getting into the high-powered tripod binoculars game? Then this review is for you.

It took me nearly two years to complete, accumulating around 50 days over six hunts and countless scouting trips. I'm relieved to finally hit the publish button on this one.

See how Vortex's two high-powered tripod binoculars- the venerable Kaibab HD 15x56 and the the lower-priced Vulture HD 15x56- stack up against each other.

If my PM box is any indication, lots of hunters have pondered this question. I hope this mule deer hunter has answered it.

http://www.rokslide.com/2012-01-09-05-09-42/optics/388-kaibab-vs-vulture-the-definitive-review

Click to expand...

Kellytc45
If it's big country with deer country out to five miles away AND I'm limited by weight, then just the spotter. If it's country within a two mile circle, then the 15x. Both will do the job, the 15x platform is just more comfortable so you tend to glass more.

Thx for info

Could you give any advice if I am looking at the viper HD 15s and the Vulture HD 15s? The vulture has the 56mm objective vs the 50mm objective but I assume the viper is better glass...

jquarnberg
sorry man, I've never tested the Vipers so I can't offer any comparison, only speculation. I can't imagine the 6mm difference will amount to much. Call Vortex, they're good guys and there might be someone in customer service who's used both models.

Cool thanks for the reply...

Great review!

The guy I talked to at vortex told me at 15x he like the vulture better than the viper. He felt it was better designed for high mag that the viper. Has anyone tried both the vulture 15 and the viper 15?

I am the guy that was lucky enough to win the pair of vortex vultures in the giveaway last year. I've had them through a full season now and I wanted to both thank Rokslide for the awesome opportunity and give some of my thoughts on the glass.

First this should all be prefaced with the knowledge that this is my first pair of binoculars higher than 10x and I have only spent a very limited time behind tripod mounted binoculars previous to these. Since receiving them last year I have used the vortex vultures in the field on archery and rifle mule deer hunts here in Washington and in Montana. I also always pack them on scouting trips.

My previous glassing strategy tended to be glassing and area with my 10x vortex vipers thoroughly and then checking out the nooks and crannies or anything interesting I saw with the binos with my spotter. My spotter is not top of the line but works well for getting a closer look at deer that I have spotted with my binos. I did do some glassing with my spotter but I never felt great about my abilities to pick out game with it. This is where the vultures really shined for me. With a huge field of view and plenty of magnification superiority over my normal binos I was able to glass more effectively at longer distances than I had been before. I feel like having 15x binos really took my glassing to a higher level this season. That being said there are days I don’t pack them, but anytime I can justify the weight I really like having the option.

Now, for my specific thoughts on the vultures, I did initially have some issues with getting them focused properly to my eye. Robby had warmed me they were sensitive to this and I initially felt as though they were not clear but once I really got them dialed in to my eyes that lack of clarity was gone. I do however, feel that they are very sensitive to focus and changing distances often caused me to have to fine tune my focus (more than I normally would have to with a lower power bino. So this may simply be a product of the higher magnification again my inexperience with high powered binoculars is showing through).

I am not an eye glass wearer so I had zero issues with eye relief on the vultures. I was again amazed by the field of view and my ability to see such a big picture with clarity. I really liked the brightness of the vultures as well as it is a major step up from my spotter at light gathering in low light conditions. I put this to good use especially with late summer scouting in the heat deer would move late and I appreciated every bit of light the vultures could gather.

I had no issues with durability either and I used them in temperatures ranging from 90 to single digits over the course of the last year and a half. I also managed to take a fall our two with them in the pack this season and they seem no worse for wear. Because I want to protect them and I don’t carry them on hunts where weight is at premium I continue to use the padded case and other accessories to transport them in my pack and it seems to be working out well.

Overall the vortex vultures have been a great addition to my glassing setup and I feel as though they have really improved my options when it comes to glass. While I am sure spending more on other 15x models may net increases in certain areas these have really allowed me to pick out game I wouldn’t of before. On that note, on a personal level, at this time I would not be able to justify dropping more than what the vultures cost on a pair of 15x binos so for me it is very refreshing to see a quality option in my price range. It seems like the saying with optics is “you get what you pay for or don’t ever by the cheapest out there”. In this case I am sure you could get more glass by spending more but I feel like the vultures offer that rare opportunity for a guy to get in the game so to speak without breaking the bank.

Thanks again Robby and Rokslide for the great opportunity I hope someone finds this information useful.

Chade E,
Thanks for the review. After reading your review on the Vulture 15x56's and Robby's write-up I pulled the trigger on a pair. I've paired them with my 10x42 Diamondbacks. Glassing some antelope this morning I can tell this is going to be a good jump for me into higher power binos. Again, thanks to you both for a real-world review.

Cessna, you bet and I think you'll be glad you did this.

Glad to hear it. I think you will be really happy with them. I know I am

With an archery open country rutting mule deer hunt coming up in January in southeast NM, I went ahead and ordered a pair of Vultures after looking thru a pair of 12x50's a coworker brought to work one day a couple weeks ago. Initially I thought I'd get a pair like his but opted for the 15x56 instead. My old 10x42's were very limited, and my low end spotting scope just wasn't cutting it anymore. After getting these in the mail the other day I googled the Vultures, and low and behold took me to Rokslide and Robby's comparison. I clicked on Chad's post on his review. Thanks for the review guys and feel relieved knowing I've got some good glass. This is my first go at tripod mounted binos and can't wait to get them out into the high plains for a look-see this weekend while accompanying my buddy on his muzzy mule deer hunt. I have no doubt these will vastly improve my ability to pick the terrain apart and find animals I was previously unable to see with lesser optics. I love "hunting big mule deer", even though I haven't killed one yet.

Hey thanks for letting us know. You’ll like those binoculars. They’re good for the money. There are a little light in the depth of field, so you’ll find yourself focusing more. But they really will help your mule deer game. Let us know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk