Another Which Binocular Thread... Around 1k

[redneckbmxer24]

Yep, exactly what I’m thinking. I know people like to get a thumbs up for buying 3k Swaros, and you’re not going to get anybody to say something bad about something they spent their money on. But, I know, I probably couldn’t tell a difference between a set of Vortex UHD’s or, Swaro EL’s. And I bet most people couldn’t.

Unless you’re a complete fool there’s no way you couldn’t see the quality difference between UHD’s and EL’s.

 

[keller]

Camera land Leica demo sale

 

[Tahoe1305]

You are doing yourself a disservice not considering Nikon HGs.

They are awesome.

Maven B2s are good too. But massive. UHDs IMO are same bino with different brand.

I enjoyed my 12x50 meostars but think in 10x there are better options.

I’m on swaros now. They are good.

 

[Lando]

I just returned from a Coues deer hunt where we put my Maven 18x56 on a tripod next to SLC 15s. You could definitely see a difference in edge clarity, the Swaros were just better overall. For me, I can live with the differences for the money saved.

We also put 10x42 els next to my Meopta 12x50 HDs, not apples to apples, but the Swaros were again slightly better. I will say that the divide between the Meoptas and the ELs was a lot narrower than it was between the Mavens and the SLCs. I left my Kowa Genesis 10.5s home for this trip (stupid lack of an Outdoorsman adapter), but I suspect it would have been a better competitor with the ELs in terms of image quality.

We also pitted my Meopta S2 against my brother's newer vintage Swaro spotter, not sure which one. Again, the Swaro was a bit better, but just barely. At the end of the day, I was very happy with my Meoptas for the money I saved.

 

[Coors Man 264]

I just returned from a Coues deer hunt where we put my Maven 18x56 on a tripod next to SLC 15s. You could definitely see a difference in edge clarity, the Swaros were just better overall. For me, I can live with the differences for the money saved.

We also put 10x42 els next to my Meopta 12x50 HDs, not apples to apples, but the Swaros were again slightly better. I will say that the divide between the Meoptas and the ELs was a lot narrower than it was between the Mavens and the SLCs. I left my Kowa Genesis 10.5s home for this trip (stupid lack of an Outdoorsman adapter), but I suspect it would have been a better competitor with the ELs in terms of image quality.

We also pitted my Meopta S2 against my brother's newer vintage Swaro spotter, not sure which one. Again, the Swaro was a bit better, but just barely. At the end of the day, I was very happy with my Meoptas for the money I saved.

Good to know. Meoptas are on the short list.

 

[Tmac]

Good to know. Meoptas are on the short list.

If you decide you like the Meopta’s, keep a look out for the Cabela’s Euro optics in the classifieds. They are the same glass and very very good optically.

 

[DangerRanger]

I love my trinovids. I’ve had SLCs and sold them to buy trinovids and a kestrel and it was one of my best gear decisions.

One of the few things I have no gear envy about and never wonder about upgrading at 2am. Just really good binos for a decent price

 

[Coors Man 264]

I love my trinovids. I’ve had SLCs and sold them to buy trinovids and a kestrel and it was one of my best gear decisions.

One of the few things I have no gear envy about and never wonder about upgrading at 2am. Just really good binos for a decent price

They are at the top of my list. I have a Leica rangefinder and love it.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Leica makes nice stuff, but just keep in mind their shitty CS if you do need to send something in. It’s one of the reasons why their resale is so low compared to Swaro. They’ve jerked this guy around since may 2022 on a pair of binos they can’t repair and their only solution is to replace them with a model that’s a downgrade:

Disappointing Leica Repair

I sent in a pair of Trinovid BN 8x32s for repair in May, 2022. I have not gotten them back yet and they will not provide a return date. They have offered me a pair of Trinovid HDs to replace them. I pointed out that the Trinovid BN line was replaced with the Ultravid line, but they don't want to...

www.birdforum.net

This is a good deal on some UHD’s, for the price they should sell for:

SOLD - WTS: Vortex Razor UHD 10x42 Binoculars, Brand New **$900**

SOLD Brand spankin' new Vortex UHD 10x42 binos. Never been outside. Includes nice bino case, harness, misc/ammo pouch, manuals, box, etc. $1100 $999 SOLD $900 SOLD shipped & insured. MO or Zelle only. No PayPal.

www.snipershide.com

I’d buy those UHD’s all day over Trinovids. Ultravid HD’s would be a different story.

 

[Spiral Horn]

I haven’t ever had to send any of my Swarovskis in but there’s a bunch of documented CS experiences over on bird forums and I’ve yet to read or hear of a bad experience.

The above is very misleading (likely just hyperbole) as one can easily find both good and bad CS experiences with Swarovski Zeiss, Leica and all other major optics companies posted on the web. My personal experiences with SW CS have been mixed to the extreme - either exceptionally good or very disappointing. IME their usual strong point is they are consistently fast.

As far as warranty coverage and service goes I would be very confident in the CS when buying a new product from any of the Big 3, Maven, GPO, Tract, or buying anything from a major USA dealer like CameralandNY, Eurooptic, Outdoorsmans, etc - as they can often intercede on the customer’s behalf if there is an issue. Leica’s CS used to be very poor but the company has totally revised their warranty and service and now have the best new product warranty of the Big 3. For used products Swarovski and Zeiss (Victory Series) are very good.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

Leica now has the best warranty and great CS? Tell that to the guy that I linked who’s been getting the run around for 8 months from them.

If it weren’t for the fact I bought that dud Leica LRF from a great vendor I would have either ate $400 or spent more than I paid for it to fix it.

Leica makes some good stuff but their CS is garbage and there’s no getting around that.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Leica makes nice stuff, but just keep in mind their shitty CS if you do need to send something in. It’s one of the reasons why their resale is so low compared to Swaro. They’ve jerked this guy around since may 2022 on a pair of binos they can’t repair and their only solution is to replace them with a model that’s a downgrade:

Disappointing Leica Repair

I sent in a pair of Trinovid BN 8x32s for repair in May, 2022. I have not gotten them back yet and they will not provide a return date. They have offered me a pair of Trinovid HDs to replace them. I pointed out that the Trinovid BN line was replaced with the Ultravid line, but they don't want to...

www.birdforum.net

This is a good deal on some UHD’s, for the price they should sell for:

SOLD - WTS: Vortex Razor UHD 10x42 Binoculars, Brand New **$900**

SOLD Brand spankin' new Vortex UHD 10x42 binos. Never been outside. Includes nice bino case, harness, misc/ammo pouch, manuals, box, etc. $1100 $999 SOLD $900 SOLD shipped & insured. MO or Zelle only. No PayPal.

www.snipershide.com

I’d buy those UHD’s all day over Trinovids. Ultravid HD’s would be a different story.

This is a misleading and ”cherry-picked” example of a customer demanding a very specific fix from Leica. The Leica Trinovid 8x32BN binocular he sent in is long since out of production. The company offered him a brand new binocular replacement and he turned it down. Now he is complaining about how long the repair is taking. Quite often repairs on out of production products are restricted to the main CS site (parts and expertise). It can take a while - I needed a new hinge on an old Zeiss Dialyt a few years back - they needed to send it back to Germany for repair. It took a few months, but it came back completely rebuilt (beyond what I’d asked for). Also had an ancient and “rode-hard” Leica CRF fail a few years back - Leica replaced it like lightning.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Leica now has the best warranty and great CS? Tell that to the guy that I linked who’s been getting the run around for 8 months from them.

If it weren’t for the fact I bought that dud Leica LRF from a great vendor I would have either ate $400 or spent more than I paid for it to fix it.

Leica makes some good stuff but their CS is garbage and there’s no getting around that.

Not looking to hijack this thread but know I am correct on warranty coverage for NEW Leica products. If one actually compares the written warranties on new products it is undeniable that Leica offers the most comprehensive coverage. Yes, in the past Leica had CS issues as they held folks fairly strictly to their ”old” written warranty. However, the company has since rededicated itself to improving warranty coverage and overall CS. Today, I am very confident Leica will fully stand behind any new product purchased from one of their many dealers.

Anyone questioning warranty coverage needs to read the actual warranties, as written. For upstarts offering incredible lifetime warranty coverage the biggest question is whether they will be in business 10 years from now.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

This is a misleading and ”cherry-picked” example of a customer demanding a very specific fix from Leica. The Leica Trinovid 8x32BN binocular he sent in is long since out of production. The company offered him a brand new binocular replacement and he turned it down. Now he is complaining about how long the repair is taking. Quite often repairs on out of production products are restricted to the main CS site (parts and expertise). It can take a while - I needed a new hinge on an old Zeiss Dialyt a few years back - they needed to send it back to Germany for repair. It took a few months, but it came back completely rebuilt (beyond what I’d asked for). Also had an ancient and “rode-hard” Leica CRF fail a few years back - Leica replaced it like lightning.

Well your obviously a fanboy. As I've said many times, I like Leica stuff, but I'm unbiased enough to admit they have problems and their CS is their biggest problem.

How long did that guy get the run around before they offered that? They went back and forth numerous times about having the parts to repair them or not. Then there's my negative experience on a two week old LRF that was a POS and they denied the warranty. I guess that part that you cut out of the first time you quoted me is cherry picked too?

There are plenty of negative Leica CS experiences, I could link them all day. I'm sure you would find some reason to excuse every one of them though.

 

[Spiral Horn]

In the ~$1k and under range there are many solid choices. However, all optic device choices are a compromise of features to differing degrees and folks also have differing personal preferences on ergonomics/haptics, and even characteristics within the view.

A few that I’m fond of at that price-point not in any order (not saying they are better than others):

- Maven B6 10x50 (my favorite Maven). I was just at an outdoor show yesterday and once-again sampled all of the Mavens. To me this one has an incredible balance of bright/stunning/saturated view combined with exceptionally light and easy handling for a 50mm. Like them better than B1.2, B2.

- Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 (often underrated) - just a tough, reliable all-around performer.

- Nikon Monarch HG 10x42 - very light, wide FOV, great handling glass with better than expected image. Drawbacks are thin armor and warranty not as good as some others.

 

[Steve O]

Buying something because of warranty performance is how guys end up with Vortex. And then they constantly have to use said warranty…not the smartest strategy.

Needing CS from Swaro, Leica, or Zeiss is RARE. I’ve had limited exposure with all of them and had nothing but positives from all; especially Leica during a time where there was nothing but bashing their CS.

Those that DO have issues with them might not be telling the entire story or might have some unreasonable expectations…or a little Karen in them.

 

[Ishisube]

...if you removed the brand name and distinguishing characteristics, most wouldn't be able to tell the difference between $1000 glass and $3000 glass.

Only if we're talking about novices. Regular multi-binocular owners are going to have their points that they look for and see the differences fairly quickly.

 

[MallardSX2]

Used SLC's.

 

[Ishisube]

Needing CS from Swaro, Leica, or Zeiss is RARE. I’ve had limited exposure with all of them and had nothing but positives from all; especially Leica during a time where there was nothing but bashing their CS.

Those that DO have issues with them might not be telling the entire story or might have some unreasonable expectations…or a little Karen in them.

Be careful when reporting the truth because you may get accused of being a "fanboy" with no other justification than disagreeing with the weakly based opinion of the accuser. Yes, there seems to be some of those types here even.

 

[ChaseingTheOutdoors]

I’ve been really impressed with my Kowa Genesis 10.5x44’s. So much so that I have a pair of the 10x33’s on the way too.