15x or 18x for glassing mule deer

[Beendare]

I've been doing the late season Deer in the Desert for over 2 decades and had the chance to compare many side by side on a tripod which is the only way to go, IMO [though the old 20X Zeiss and new stabilizing Binos are pretty slick]

I sometimes set my NL's on a tripod to scan but mostly use the UHD 18's.

I used to own the 15x Meopta for many years and think they are equal to the Swaro's and very close second to the Zeiss 15x's. I sold my Meopta 15x when I compared them to the newer Vortex UHD 18's. That extra 3x is significant- a game changer.

I'm not a Vortex fan, their lower lines are just average to poor but their UHD is a different animal and they can be found at a killer price.

 

[Buglebrush]

I've been doing the late season Deer in the Desert for over 2 decades and had the chance to compare many side by side on a tripod which is the only way to go, IMO [though the old 20X Zeiss and new stabilizing Binos are pretty slick]

I sometimes set my NL's on a tripod to scan but mostly use the UHD 18's.

I used to own the 15x Meopta for many years and think they are equal to the Swaro's and very close second to the Zeiss 15x's. I sold my Meopta 15x when I compared them to the newer Vortex UHD 18's. That extra 3x is significant- a game changer.

I'm not a Vortex fan, their lower lines are just average to poor but their UHD is a different animal and they can be found at a killer price.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[270-300]

When i bought vortex kaibabs i chose 15x over 18x. 15 you can barely get by using them without a tripod. They are more stable in wind. And have a wider field of view.

Onetime i found a pair of 15x50 vipers they used to make in japan they were half the size and about 1/3 the weight of my kaibabs. I tried endlessly to get vortex to repair them, but they chose to replace them with 12x50 viper since the 15x50 were discontinued a long time ago. Those were wonderful for the weight.