Alpha spotters, help me understand..

[Grassymike]

Yep on probably upgrading again if I get the older 66. I worked my way up to Swaro binos after trying about 6 others. I need to skip any more steps and just buy what I want to end up with. What does a 773 weigh ?

 

[Wapiti151]

Yep on probably upgrading again if I get the older 66. I worked my way up to Swaro binos after trying about 6 others. I need to skip any more steps and just buy what I want to end up with. What does a 773 weigh ?

Don’t remember exactly, but I’m pretty sure it’s 6oz more than the new 66…or something like that.

 

[Pinkes]

following

 

[Rock’N Tacos]

I have had several - Leupold, Vortex, Maven. A couple years ago I went to a Kowa 554 - its is amazing. You can throw it in your pack and never know it is there. Holds its own against spotters much bigger. A couple weeks ago I upgraded to the new Kowa 66a - WOW! Its pretty awesome, noticeably better than my buddies 65mm swaro, but even then it is not by a large margin. Very small increases in glass quality cost $$.

 

[Grassymike]

If your main use was solely backpack hunting in the mountains for 9-10 days which one would be in your pack ?

 

[5MilesBack]

You should have bought that Kowa 88 I sold. You’d have seen how awesome they are.

In my defense......I tried. I was ready to send money. I believe the issue was on your end.....other buyers be damned.

After reading Matt Cashell's review on here comparing the 88 and 66, I ended up buying the 66A. I think it will be "close enough" to the 88 for my uses, and I save ~12oz.

 

[madcalfe]

If your main use was solely backpack hunting in the mountains for 9-10 days which one would be in your pack ?

this is a loaded question. i use a 65mm for stones in bc. some people like to walk less and use 85's
look on canadiangunnutz you might be able to find a used spotter.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have used my Kowa 77s side by side against Swaro several times, I really saw no difference, even against the 85s, they of course were slightly better in low light but it was really close. Kowa for the money are tough to beat!

 

[Pinkes]

I am trying to decide between a Kowa 66 or a 773. When I looked through a buddy's Swaro ATX 85, it looked like a 3d image. Does the Kowa's also have that 3d effect?

 

[JO.]

If your main use was solely backpack hunting in the mountains for 9-10 days which one would be in your pack ?

If it was me and wanting to spend some money and get good glass that was going to stick around for a while I'd be looking at a 65mm Swaro ATS. I had a cheap 80mm spotter and it was miserable using it. I moved to the Razor 50mm spotter. It was a good spotter for the money and weight. I then went to the Meopta S2 82. I chose the Meopta because I could see very little difference between it and a Swaro. I was able to purchase the Meopta for about the price of a used Swaro in 85. Only reason I went with the 82mm was light for digiscoping.

 

[Grassymike]

I have often wondered why Meopta did not make a 65 mm scope. I have been trying to buy a Swarovski ATS 65. Seems like the most stable brand always consistently really good ,no service/warranty horror stories, made only in Austria . Kowa is also on my short list. With Kowa having a bit more trouble narrowing it down to exactly which one. Probably a 66a, but the 55's are appealing weight and size wise. What does the S2 weigh ?

 

[5MilesBack]

What does the S2 weigh ?

My S2 was 67oz.

 

[dmm08300]

Been really happy with my Kowa 773 and have no complaints. I think it is the happy medium if torn between a 65mm ish and 80mm ish spotter. I know it doesn't have the fluorite glass, but I don't find the image quality lacking even at the upper end of the mag range. I think the 77 series and the new 66 will be optically very close.

 

[Grassymike]

773's are only available used now ,right ?

 

[Ram94]

Hey Mike, check out S&S Archery for the Kowa 66. Right now they’re 15% off and you can stack the Rokslide 10% discount on top. Takes a good chunk of change off the price. I should get mine in the mail today, upgrading from an Athlon Ares.