Bino question: Vortex Razor HD or Swarovski?

Swarovski.

My eyes are a little bit older than yours and I can still see the difference. During the middle of the day with a bright sunshine, you might be hard pressed to see a huge difference in many of todays glass BUT if you hunt at legal shooting in the morning and until legal shooting hours end at night, you will definitely "see" the difference. Have had so many opportunities to line up side by side in the woods and the Swaro's always last till the end and then some.

I hunt in some pretty thick and nasty stuff here in the Northeast and do quite a bit of wide open western hunting and I am very happy with my 10X42 EL's. Don't count out the 10X42 SLC's. Great glass with different ergonomics.
 
If you buy right the Vortex Razor HD's can be had new for well under $900. While I agree that the Swarovski EL's are the best there is, I don't agree that the SLC's are worth more than double what Razors go for. If you are going to upgrade to Swaro's then spend the money and get the EL's. There's a lot of hate towards Vortex on this forum and I'm not sure why, but they are still a fantastic option that is 95% as good as EL's.

In regards to 8's vs 10's, I went through this same debacle myself and I ended up with 8's. They are easier on the eyes, better FOV, and I didn't miss the extra 2x power. With 10's I started to notice a slight stability issue when I was free handing them. If I need more power than what my binos can give me then I need to break out the spotter.
 
Another vote for the swaro's. If you look around you can get el's for what you're looking to spend. I picked up mine from a member here and paid 1600 or 1700 bucks for them I cant remember now. After using them for a season I would'nt have a problem paying retail for them if I had to. I have some vortex stuff and it's decent for the money, I did have a problem with the rangefinder and ended up selling that piece of gear. If you can swing the swaro's then I say go for it.
 
Kilboars said:
Selling the Razer?

Yes, Thanks. Unfortunatety I can't take different pairs of Binos to the woods.
Click to expand...

I have already sold the Razors.
There is an older thread on here where a guy bought an ungodly amount of binoculars, tested them and sent the ones he did not like back. Obviously you would want to be upfront with who you are buying from and what your intent is, but it is doable. I wish I had taken that route as it would have saved time and money in the long run.
 
I have the 8x42 SLC HD and love them. I thought I would want the 8.5x42 EL's, but the weight, ergonomics, and brightness of the SLC made them the clear winner to me. Can't go wrong with Swarovski, I have two of their rifle scopes as well and all are phenomenal.
 
nflesher said:
How is Swaro's warranty compared to Vortex? Anyone have personal experience with Swaro's customer service/warranty?
Click to expand...

Swarovski has lifetime warranties on their products. I have an EL 8,5x42 that I have purchased new many years ago. Last year I noticed its green "armor" casing was lifting in a small area. I spoke with Swaro customer service and they told me to send the binos to them. They completely went through the bino, re-"armored" then mailed them back to me...all under warranty. Their warranty is awesome.

When I purchased my Swarovski binos I had a chance to compare them with Leica and Zeiss. These companies all make great optics but to my eyes Swarovski seemed better.

As for 8 or 8.5 vs 10...I am happy with my 8.5 but I would have no problem choosing a 10x if I were to purchase a new set of binos today. If you have difficulties with tremor than 10x may not work so well for you.

Regards,
 
nflesher said:
How is Swaro's warranty compared to Vortex? Anyone have personal experience with Swaro's customer service/warranty?
Click to expand...

Swaro will fix anything that breaks while it is being used for its intended purpose. If they manufactured it and it fails it will be covered under warranty.
 
I currently have a pair of 8x42 Swaro EL's, prior to that I had some 10x42 EL's. They are great binos, but I still have a bit of buyers remorse. I have had some other good binos from Leupold and have had the opportunity to glass through some Vortex, Lecia, and a few of the other high to mid range options.

To me, there is virtually no difference during the day. The Swaro's give you a few more minutes of "clarity" in the early morning and evening, which would be nice situations but I've yet to have that make a difference on any of my hunts. A lot probably depends on where and how you hunt. It is so thick in the timber that I hunt in the Cascades and Coast range that glassing opportunities are usually limited to a few hundred yards. I'm also bow hunting, so anything outside that range is also kind of irrelevant. Someone hunting in the wide open spaces may have a totally different perspective, but I have never felt the Swaro's justified the extra $1000 - $1500.
 
A lot probably depends on where and how you hunt. It is so thick in the timber that I hunt in the Cascades and Coast range that glassing opportunities are usually limited to a few hundred yards. I'm also bow hunting, so anything outside that range is also kind of irrelevant. Someone hunting in the wide open spaces may have a totally different perspective .

This is where I fall into. thick and brushy , short range, 8x42 is the most I need, and I can't see spending the extra for the ocassional times, now if I start hunting alot more open areas I might think differently.
 
Last edited:
1signguy said:
Just gave my 10x42 and 11x33 Razors to the son. Upgraded to Swar 8x30 CL, 15x56 SLC, and ATS 65.
It was an expensive upgrade but the Swaros are that much better! Buy once cry once...
Click to expand...

Shot first day of a 3D shoot today and a friend had the 10x42 Swar! The glass is incredible. Really sold me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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