Best RF Binos. Swaro, Lecia, Vectors, Revics?

[Dirty30]

Anyone have experience with all or a few of these pros /cons. For Hunting, Not PRS, etc.
Top priorities, Good glass, range finder actually reading target, working in cold weather. Electronic warranty.
Revic has a good sale right now so might be hard to beat for that price but concerned about glass quality.
Vector X is new (model) And not liking the non illuminating reticle or 3 yr warranty.
Sigs seem pretty good and offer the best warranty, but again id be concerned with glass quality.
My top pic right now is the leica Pro + but dang they ain't cheap, but there's probably a reason why.
Any insight, experience info appreciated.

 

[lintond]

What’s more important top tier laser or top tier glass? Not sure you can have both.

I have the Revic because I prioritized a solid RF vs glass. Wish I paid the sale price instead of almost full retail last year.


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[Mike D Texas]

Anyone have experience with all or a few of these pros /cons. For Hunting, Not PRS, etc.
Top priorities, Good glass, range finder actually reading target, working in cold weather. Electronic warranty.
Revic has a good sale right now so might be hard to beat for that price but concerned about glass quality.
Vector X is new (model) And not liking the non illuminating reticle or 3 yr warranty.
Sigs seem pretty good and offer the best warranty, but again id be concerned with glass quality.
My top pic right now is the leica Pro + but dang they ain't cheap, but there's probably a reason why.
Any insight, experience info appreciated.

I have the Revics and an underwhelmed with the glass.

I like the features and display in the SIG 10k G2 but worry the glass will be the same as the Revics.

I like most things about the Vectronix but nervous about new, unproven product, and questionable customer support.

The Leica is the most appealing to me but the lack of an on the fly wind adjustment is what is holding me back. Well, in addition to the price.


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[Article 4]

I had Swaro EL range to start. The glass is as you expect and the ranging is very good out to 2000 yards but the ballistics calc leaves something to be desired.

Switched to the Leicas to get the Applied Bal - syncs up with my Kestrel and feeds directly into the ranging with the Leica. Wish the Leica would go out past 850 in dope reading though....they feel it is unethical to give you the dope so you have to switch back to your Kestrel

Havent used the Revic so no opinion there.

 

[Brucebarker024]

I just got a set of the Leica pros with the full AB unlock and I think they’re great. I don’t have a ton of time behind them but people I know who hunt and shoot a lot use them and really like them. The glass is great and the rf is plenty fast enough for hunting and NRL for me. I’ve seen some people say they don’t have on the fly wind adjustments but mine do, I don’t know if they’re talking about a different model or what. But I can set my wind speed and direction in the unit as I range

 

[HighUintas]

I just got a set of the Leica pros with the full AB unlock and I think they’re great. I don’t have a ton of time behind them but people I know who hunt and shoot a lot use them and really like them. The glass is great and the rf is plenty fast enough for hunting and NRL for me. I’ve seen some people say they don’t have on the fly wind adjustments but mine do, I don’t know if they’re talking about a different model or what. But I can set my wind speed and direction in the unit as I range

That is what I was wondering about, as I thought the pros allowed you to do a manual wind input. With the AB+ allowing a range past 800 yd, and the great glass, I would think that if they work as well as the geovid R in cold conditions and in rain fog snow, they would be a winner, except for the price.

Do these also have a built in sensor to auto input DA, or is the atmospheric data given by linking to kestrel?

A fully standalone brf w good glass, like the revic, would be great

 

[huntnful]

I just got a set of the Leica pros with the full AB unlock and I think they’re great. I don’t have a ton of time behind them but people I know who hunt and shoot a lot use them and really like them. The glass is great and the rf is plenty fast enough for hunting and NRL for me. I’ve seen some people say they don’t have on the fly wind adjustments but mine do, I don’t know if they’re talking about a different model or what. But I can set my wind speed and direction in the unit as I range

How do you get the real time wind readouts and corrections into the bino? They are linked to a kestrel at all times?

I’m not familiar with any devices and how they link to a kestrel. So feel free to go in depth. It would be appreciated for sure!

 

[Brucebarker024]

That is what I was wondering about, as I thought the pros allowed you to do a manual wind input. With the AB+ allowing a range past 800 yd, and the great glass, I would think that if they work as well as the geovid R in cold conditions and in rain fog snow, they would be a winner, except for the price.

Do these also have a built in sensor to auto input DA, or is the atmospheric data given by linking to kestrel?

A fully standalone brf w good glass, like the revic, would be great

How do you get the real time wind readouts and corrections into the bino? They are linked to a kestrel at all times?

I’m not familiar with any devices and how they link to a kestrel. So feel free to go in depth. It would be appreciated for sure!

@HighUintas Atmospherics can be taken by the unit, closest weather station, kestrel or manual input. All of that is changed in the app. I don’t own a kestrel but do have a wind meter so I use the manual inputs, the second button cycles through speed (0-30mph) then direction (1-12 o’clock)

@huntnful I don’t have a kestrel so I do the manual wind inputs from my wind meter, as explained above. One of the guys I shoot with has a set and linked his with the kestrel and he would take a reading with the kestrel and as long as the bino and kestrel were linked the speed and direction would update in the unit. I will say the Bluetooth connection between the units seems fairly poor, any more than arms width apart seems to disconnect them.

 

[BjornF16]

That is what I was wondering about, as I thought the pros allowed you to do a manual wind input. With the AB+ allowing a range past 800 yd, and the great glass, I would think that if they work as well as the geovid R in cold conditions and in rain fog snow, they would be a winner, except for the price.

Do these also have a built in sensor to auto input DA, or is the atmospheric data given by linking to kestrel?

A fully standalone brf w good glass, like the revic, would be great

My Geovid Pros are unlocked for past 850 yards and you can manually input wind. DA is automatic (you can recall the barometric pressure but as far as I can tell it won’t display DA).

I ran mine last month in 14° F lows and didn’t have any issues other than couldn’t get a return in light snow/sleet conditions. As soon as it let up I got a good range return.

Glass is great.

 

[Article 4]

That is what I was wondering about, as I thought the pros allowed you to do a manual wind input. With the AB+ allowing a range past 800 yd, and the great glass, I would think that if they work as well as the geovid R in cold conditions and in rain fog snow, they would be a winner, except for the price.

Do these also have a built in sensor to auto input DA, or is the atmospheric data given by linking to kestrel?

A fully standalone brf w good glass, like the revic, would be great

I just went on and downloaded the new AB app - Quantum. Since I have the Leica Pros, it upgraded me to elite for free which gives me unlimited data instead of 875

 

[HighUintas]

My Geovid Pros are unlocked for past 850 yards and you can manually input wind. DA is automatic (you can recall the barometric pressure but as far as I can tell it won’t display DA).

I ran mine last month in 14° F lows and didn’t have any issues other than couldn’t get a return in light snow/sleet conditions. As soon as it let up I got a good range return.

Glass is great.

Thank you. This is really helpful.

The not ranging in light snow is kind of a bummer, but at least they work at 14F. I have a vortex ranger 1800 that is just fine for archery and rifle up close in weather. With that one, it won't go passed 250 in a light snow/fog. With my fury 5000, it seems to cut through that stuff easily, but I haven't been able to test it to the max yet.

It would be great to see all the top end RFB compared head to head in the same precip/fog conditions.

 

[Formidilosus]

It would be great to see all the top end RFB compared head to head in the same precip/fog conditions.

Revic, Vortex Fury 5000 AB, Sig 10k (when they work), Leica Geovid R and Pro, Zeiss, Vector, Swaro- about in that order.

 

[Article 4]

Revic, Vortex Fury 5000 AB, Sig 10k (when they work), Leica Geovid R and Pro, Zeiss, Vector, Swaro- about in that order.

Yes, it would. A quick search shows a combo of some of them at various mixes but nothing as comprehensive as that full list.

 

[HighUintas]

I really wish the fury had a little better glass. That would be perfect. Unfortunately, after a season of using them I don't know if I can get along with them as my sole glassing bino since my eyes are so jacked up.

 

[Shraggs]

Revic, Vortex Fury 5000 AB, Sig 10k (when they work), Leica Geovid R and Pro, Zeiss, Vector, Swaro- about in that order.

Curious what downsides or problems you’re seeing with the ZEISS?

 

[Scoutfan]

How good is the AB on the Geovid pro,and is the glass good enough for long tripod sessions and then switching to a small spotter after game is found?
Also anybody have any experience with the Meopta?

 

[Runwilderness]

Thank you. This is really helpful.

The not ranging in light snow is kind of a bummer, but at least they work at 14F. I have a vortex ranger 1800 that is just fine for archery and rifle up close in weather. With that one, it won't go passed 250 in a light snow/fog. With my fury 5000, it seems to cut through that stuff easily, but I haven't been able to test it to the max yet.

It would be great to see all the top end RFB compared head to head in the same precip/fog conditions.

I recently bought a pair of the Leica AB+ opting for glass quality over ranging.

Things have been quite foggy here. On Sunday AM I was out in a park where people and dogs at 150ish were indistinct shadows with the naked eye, and the RF could range tree trunks to maybe 86yds, but for anything further returned 30ish yards (so at least I knew the range was bogus). Later in the day things mostly cleared and I went up a local hill. I could still see the moisture in the air with patchy fog in places; I was able to get ranges off of street signs (or possibly the hill behind them, no tripod) at 700ish, and the sides of houses out to 780ish, but moving along to the next set of houses at 800+ was a no go. This was reproducible.

In the AM it was foggy enough that I would have practically had to step on an elk before I could shoot it. In the PM, I could easily see much much further than I could range, but I could also range further than I would ethically shoot.

I don’t own Revics or Furies or 10ks, so I can’t compare. And so far I’m still happy with the Leicas, but if I lived somewhere coastal or quite wet where fog or rain was a norm, I might feel differently.

 

[Brucebarker024]

How good is the AB on the Geovid pro,and is the glass good enough for long tripod sessions and then switching to a small spotter after game is found?
Also anybody have any experience with the Meopta?

From what I’ve seen, yes, the clarity is there. I changed from Swarovski SLC’s and have 0 complaints. The glass is great.

I’ve only shot to 700 with them so far but the ballistics were spot on. I’ll be using them this weekend for a hunt and can update.

 

[Scoutfan]

Thanks. Good luck and interested in hearing more.

 

[Formidilosus]

Curious what downsides or problems you’re seeing with the ZEISS?

Some minor issues with light fog and rain, though I believe it to be a unit QC issue and not indicative of them as a whole. Overall they are very good.