Best spotter around 2k

[TradLife406]

Time for me to buy a spotter. I really don't want to drop 3-4k on one.

When Maven first came out I demoed one of their spotters. It seemed pretty good.

Doesn't Swaro sell a spotter with the eye piece for about two grand?

Any suggestions?


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[gr8fuldoug]

We have open box, same as new, Swarovski Spotters available. We have all the major brands and we are here to discuss what might be best for your use. Please give a call, 516-217-1000, when you have a few minutes to discuss it.
Doug

 

[TheViking]

Kowa for the win!

 

[AkMtnRunner]

An used Kowa 77. You may find used 88's not much more. Inflation has fit the new market hard.

 

[Tahoe1305]

Kowa 77, swaro 65, or you may find a good deal on a Kowa 66 for close to $2k.

All will be awesome. focus mechanism is biggest difference.

 

[mlevimadden]

^^This.

Kowa 77 or Swaro 65. I've owned both and the Kowa is superior optically. If weight is a big factor for you, go with the Swaro.

 

[huntnful]

Used Kowa for sure.

 

[eaglemountainman]

My vote would also be for a gently used Kowa 773/774. Or a an 883/884, if the extra weight is not an issue.
I paid $1,750 for an 884 in immaculate condition, with 20-60 wide angle eyepiece, a little over a year ago.

 

[HingleMcCringleberry]

Threads like these have me keeping my kowa 774. Even though it is 4lbs 2oz with a neoprene cover, and sometimes I start thinking about chasing lighter weight, there's a reason people recommend it.

 

[huntnful]

Threads like these have me keeping my kowa 774. Even though it is 4lbs 2oz with a neoprene cover, and sometimes I start thinking about chasing lighter weight, there's a reason people recommend it.

I just spent a week hunting MT. Packed in 6 miles and hiked 6+ miles every day. I never once wished I had a smaller spotter than my 884. I only ever wished I had a bigger one to make out the farther bucks better lol

 

[AkMtnRunner]

I just spent a week hunting MT. Packed in 6 miles and hiked 6+ miles every day. I never once wished I had a smaller spotter than my 884. I only ever wished I had a bigger one to make out the farther bucks better lol

I feel the same about my 883 and 3-series RRS tripod. No substitute for being able to find more animals

 

[mlevimadden]

Threads like these have me keeping my kowa 774. Even though it is 4lbs 2oz with a neoprene cover, and sometimes I start thinking about chasing lighter weight, there's a reason people recommend it.

Agreed. Even the Kowa 66 only saves 7 oz compared to the 774 and comes at a much higher price tag. I don't think there's a better spotting scope for a do-it-all use at the trade-off of extra pack weight for backpack hunts.

The other option I could see if someone is wanting a strictly backpacking spotter is the Swaro STC, but you're giving up 20x zoom on the top end and a lot of objective for the weight tradeoff.

 

[ThorM465]

I'm currently running the Vortex Razor HD 27-60x85. I'm extremely happy with it other than its mass, which is my typical complaint with vortex optics. My future upgrade/wish list is either the Vortex Razor HD 13-39x56 or the Kowa Prominar Pure FL 553 15-45x55 as a lightweight options for the deeper pack ins and eventually replacing my current Razor with the Swarovski ATS-65 HD. However, I only just started looking at this upgrade plan the other day. I'd be curious as to what the experienced hunters opinions are on my suggestion.

 

[Brian Fahs]

Kowa 774 or 884.

 

[Matt G.]

Threads like these have me keeping my kowa 774. Even though it is 4lbs 2oz with a neoprene cover, and sometimes I start thinking about chasing lighter weight, there's a reason people recommend it.

Oh good, I am not the only one with these thoughts....

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[Farwest]

Leupold Mark 4 TMR 12-40 FFP or Leupold GR 12-40x60mm HD

 

[SikaSeeker]

How much is Nikon Monarch ED82 in US? It's arguably better than Kowa

 

[eaglemountainman]

How much is Nikon Monarch ED82 in US? It's arguably better than Kowa

Maybe their lower grade line of spotters, but definitely not the top line Prominar scopes.

 

[SikaSeeker]

Henry link , a subject matter expert, who has owned all the alpha optics says the Monarch ED82 is best in class. Caveat as Kowa is 88 mm so you can't directly compare. The 20-60 zoom on nikon isn't as good as the 30-60 however.

The nikon is made in China, which is astonishing and probably will put some off

 

[mlevimadden]

I'm currently running the Vortex Razor HD 27-60x85. I'm extremely happy with it other than its mass, which is my typical complaint with vortex optics. My future upgrade/wish list is either the Vortex Razor HD 13-39x56 or the Kowa Prominar Pure FL 553 15-45x55 as a lightweight options for the deeper pack ins and eventually replacing my current Razor with the Swarovski ATS-65 HD. However, I only just started looking at this upgrade plan the other day. I'd be curious as to what the experienced hunters opinions are on my suggestion.

I owned the old razor 50 and a hunting partner owned an old razor 65. Neither came close to the swaro 65 in build quality or optical performance especially in low light. The swaro 65 is still probably the best option for someone who is very weight conscious but wants a do-it-all spotting scope that is very functional but won't quite live up to the performance of the bigger objective models.

There's no scenario where I'd see myself owning two spotters with one of them being an ATS 65HD though. If I had a two spotter system, I'd pick the Kowa 88 for ultimate performance but heavy and huge packed size, and the Swaro STC for a backpacking spotter. My wallet can't afford that system, and I'm not usually carrying a spotter on backpack hunts, so I replaced my ATM 65HD with the Kowa 774 as a do-it-all spotting scope.