Are Alpha Binoculars worth it?

[OregonHunter13]

After many hours of reading and lots of saving I am ready to make the step into the Alpha category of glass. But as much as the Swarovski 12x50 Els get such raving reviews, the new Maven B.6 has caught my eye. So my question is, is it worth it to spend the extra 1500$ on the Swarovski or would the money be better spent on tags and applications? For context I live in southern Oregon and try to hunt at least 30 days a year. And have two out of state trips planned this year for mule deer in Utah and Blacktail in California. So would buying the Mavens leave me desiring an upgrade in a couple years or will I be satisfied with the Mavens.

Thanks In Advance

 

[roosiebull]

i think alpha glass is 100% worth it, and in most cases, if you are wondering, you'll eventually end up there anyways..... i think it will be cheaper for you to just get the swaros.

in a year or 2, you want to upgrade, the Mavens won't have great resale, so those swaros just got a few hundred more expensive. i have regretted optics purchases in the past, but never regretted any of the alpha glass.

 

[Steve O]

Yes. The more you use them the more you appreciate them.

 

[fatrascal]

You do not need alpha glass to be an alpha hunter. But are they worth it? I think so. Fatrascal

 

[BBob]

Swarovski 12x50 Els get such raving reviews

They are more expensive yet but for a 12x for all around use (primary on your chest) I'd swing towards NL's. Lighter, more compact and a bit more hand hold-able than the EL's.

 

[OregonHunter13]

Thank you all for the quick reply's. And at this time I don't think I can Justify the extra cost of the NL over the EL.

 

[BBob]

Unless your 12x are going to see a ton of tripod time I'd look at EL 10's. 10's on a tripod can be very effective and IMO much more suited as a primary binocular than the EL 12.

 

[ljalberta]

My current go-to pairs are Swaro SLC 10x42 and Nikon HG 8x30. For sheep hunting I have no regrets about the Swaros as I spend hours behind them each day staring into rocks and trees. For most of my other uses, where I don’t spend as much time glassing, or I’m less concerned about studying each detail in the trees, I am very happy with the Nikons. I could be happy without the Swaros if I didn’t love sheep hunting so much, or if I hunted deer and elk in more glassing-intensive styles of hunts.

So I think it will largely depend on your uses and preferences.

 

[rickjames80]

You do not need alpha glass to be an alpha hunter. But are they worth it? I think so. Fatrascal

Couldn't agree more with this. They are a luxury item that are not necessary. Just a suggestion check out Meopta before you decide

 

[jpmulk]

I just went through a bunch of research on this myself. For what its worth here is what i learned. Keep in mind, I am on a budget and not a super experienced glasser. Just trying to up my game a bit. What I learned is that mid level glass will get you 80-90 percent of the way to what top level glass will get you. The top level glass buys you a few extra minutes of glassing at the end of the day. With my budget, i settled for a mid level glass for now. Maybe someday, ill decide the top end is worth it. But when midlevel glass can be so good, i have a hard time justifying that extra thousand bucks on my budget for a few percent better glass. More experienced glassers feel free to destroy my theory.

 

[mthayr]

The value of "Alpha" glass over beta(?) depends largely on how/how much you are going to use them, the more time you're going to spend behind them, the more its worth it. BUT - if you are asking the question now, psychologically speaking, it will probably nag at you for the next three or four year until you finally decide to upgrade. If that's the case, take the plunge and "buy once, cry once" - your wallet will thank you in the long run.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

It’s up to you and your eyes to determine if it’s worth it.

Typically the more you use an item, the more value you get out of it. Folks love to be frugal on boots and optics yet splurge on rifles and scopes. To me folks should spend the money where it yields them the biggest benefit. And yes, sometimes we spend a lot more than required just to stroke our egos.

Buy both and compare them in the field. Then return or sell the one you don’t want. That way you know that you made the right decision for you.

 

[Blue72]

Mavens are really really nice glass…… so are Leica trinovids, Nikon HG, Meopta, etc…

put on a tripod and you will blow away an alpha that is being handheld

 

[keystone112]

I own EL 10x for reference. In my opinion, first 15 minutes of the day and last 15 minutes, yes they are worth it. The rest of the time, I’m not sure.

 

[Ryan Avery]

This topic has been pounded! Do a search.

But in the end, you bring another pair of lenses to the party, only you can decide if it's worth it or not.

 

[Tmac]

If it is between Swaro’s EL’s and dropping two states applications off my draws, not worth it to me. I’d rather get very good binocs and have more hunts. Used Swaro SLC’s are a viable option, Meopta Meostar’s make very great glass, etc. etc.

I’d use some VG ones, carry a light tripod, and send in more applications.

 

[svivian]

If you are saying that the cost of alpha would prevent you from going on more hunts then absolutely no. If you can afford both then absolutely yes they are worth it.

 

[Holocene]

Yes. I moved to Oregon from South Carolina six years ago and when I sold the house bought some Swaro EL 10x50s. Some parts of me wish I'd bought that much in Apple stock instead, then I could be 8 pairs of Swaros. Ha.

In all seriousness, I have countless hours behind the Swaros in many states across the country and they are an essential piece of kit. No looking back.

One note on magnification: 10x is great but know your limitations. It works in the steep clear cuts on the Oregon coast where I elk hunt. That said, I drew a cow elk tag for Nevada this year and went with some guide friends who ran 15x Leica binos. In that big country, the 15x were good enough to see elk that I couldn't quite make out with my 10x. We killed two of those elk not long after -- would I have ever seen them? I don't have a spotting scope yet and generally find them to be really heavy and annoying (for elk hunting anyway).

The 12x could be a neat step up from 10x if you think you'll hunt deer or some bigger country for deer is what I'm trying to say. But you can absolutely get it done with 10x alpha.

 

[OregonHunter13]

Ok thanks all this information makes me lean towards the mavens and save the rest for future trips.

 

[Rich M]

I would not buy a pair of binoculars that I could not look thru.

Yes, Maven has some kind of easy return policy to get them into people's hands.