Building Your Optics “Set”

[trey]

Is it better to start with one good pair of 8x-10x binos and add more specialty optics over time (e.g. no spotter for a few years until you save up for a Swaro) or to buy something more affordable now (e.g. Athlon Ares) to “get in the game” with the expectation that you might upgrade down the line?

My instinct is that it would be better to have the affordable spotter than just binos and that the money lost in the upgrade later may be worth it for a few years of good hunting.

 

[handwerk]

Buy the best binos you can then and go from there, even if that means you can't buy a spotter for years, money spent on great binos is never wasted

 

[Rob5589]

Welcome to the forum! You're going to get both sides; eat ramen and save for years and buy Swaro; buy what you can afford now. I am a "middle of the road" budget buyer. I use Meopta Meopro binos and the Athlon Ares 15-45 spotter. The spotter is new but the binos have a season on them. They don't do anything worse than my partners Swaros in my eyes. Always get the best glass you can afford. Good luck!

 

[JohnJohnson]

I ended up with Swaro EL 10x50s and I'd do it again 10/10 times. The mid-power binos are what you look through 95% of the time, spend accordingly.

 

[YBPS]

In high school I had a $500 truck and a $2500 spotting scope... it’s all about priorities

 

[GetWestern]

I used a pair of Bushnell 10X42 buck horns and did well with them till I was able to get a nice pair of 10x42 razors and this past week I was finally able to buy my first pair of swaros 15x56s. Took the swaros out last night and compared it to the Bushnell I used for the longest time while saving up for good glass. I was very pleased with the difference between the two and made me glad I just waited to upgrade to the top tier glass, that’s how I like to do it but that’s just me you’ll hear two different sides to this question do what works best for you.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

I say start with Leica/swaro/Zeiss/meopta binos and go from there. I spent all my $ on swaro 12x50 ELs and have no regrets. Some folks understandably have a hard time justifying the price tag, but for glassing broken/rocky desert terrain for coues or muleys they are the best 12x/15xI’ve used and I’ve looked through most everything. Zeiss sf and Leica noctivid are right there too if 10x is what you want. A guy can do well with conquest/trinovid/Mostar/slc too.

i get by with a Kowa 66 spotter I got for $800. It’s great but I’d like to get a top shelf spotting scope next. But to me I’d put more importance on finding a critter (bino) than evaluating (spotter). Good luck

 

[Beam92]

I really like the Maven C series. They are affordable and great glass


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pc3]

Recently went through the same exercise as you....I did have Vortex Diamond Back 8x32 (older model which I still own, great loaner pair). A couple of years ago I owned 10x42 Razor's....to be honest I was underwhelmed by them.

Now if;

1. I was wealthy (I'm not)
or
2. The world was perfect (it's not)

I would have bought;

12x50 EL's or 10's
Swaro ATX 95
Swaro 15's

And called it good.

Given my two conditions precedent are not yet met I chased what I thought was the best value for money and give me the highest quality of glass for the price point....and lets be serious the second tier is still damned expensive.

I went for;

Meopta meostar B 1.1 10x42
Meopta Meostar s2 20-70x82

I am yet to add my 15's or 18's they will be one of;

SLC's
Meopta
Maven 18's

I change my mind daily on my impending choice....I did however buy the Swaroviski stud along with the Meopta stud (ill run my 10's on a tripod or if I get Meopta 15's I could put it on them) off the outdoorsman...omen perhaps In Australia Meopta 15's or Swaro SLC's in 15's is not too much of a stretch, 10's made it well worth my while to get meopta Meostar's

Can anyone conclusively say I'll miss spotting game with this set up over the Swaro gear ? I dont think so. No one (except maybe your wife) can tell you what to spend but I think if your questioning the expense of the Swarovski products then the next tier down might be where your happy and you find you dont even need to upgrade for a LONG time.

Maybe look at the second tier glass, I reckon you will be pretty damned happy, and invest the difference you might have spent on the swarovski gear.

I thinkn that next level down from the Meopta line etc. is where you people buy it and then finish up a short time later buying the second or first tier any way.

The second Tier for mine is 95 to 98% of the #1 for a third or more less dollars, and I doubt it will cost you game.

I am happy to be corrected on any of the above.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have Zeiss conquest HD 8x42s, Swarovski ats 80, whatever rifle scope I’m using at that particular time.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Good morning and welcome. It would be my pleasure to discuss this with you if you have a few minutes to give a call
Doug

 

[wannakillabigbull]

Whether you buy an affordable spotter now and then upgrade or save up until you can afford something nice is probably best dictated by the hunts you go on. Do you feel like an affordable spotter will significantly up your chances of success in the short run on a particular hunt?

That’s how I went about it. I started archery deer hunting in Arizona and a spotter was really required to determine whether deer were legal, so I bought an affordable spotter. Then I drew a solid Arizona late season elk hunt and upgraded to a Vortex Razor. I would still like to upgrade again but I haven’t drawn a tag that I feel I need to yet. Once I draw that tag I’ll make the jump.

 

[willfrye027]

Binos in the $1000 range are really, really solid these days. IMO a Swarovski EL costing twice as much is not going to make a difference in finding animals compared to a Zeiss conquest or meostar. Especially if you are newer to western hunting.

I went for years and years before using a spotting scope because I was hunting for any buck I could find. Binos are way more important than a spotter. Get solid binos first but don’t feel the need to get the absolute top of the line.

 

[Forest]

You can do better with cheap binos than a cheap spotter. Imo best bang for the $$ is mid tier binos (around $1000) zeiss conquest, meopta, maven, etc. And then the top end spotters, swaro, meopta, kowa, etc. I went with a vortex viper spotter back in the day and I hate that thing. It's alright on low power but its effectiveness is quite limited

Sent from my SM-G973U1 using Tapatalk

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Spend the money on the binoculars, tripod, head, etc. They'll be used 99% of the time. Spotters usually come out to get confirmation and field judge. Give Doug a call.

Clarity of the glass trumps magnification. Here is an example:

I have an old Vortex Nomad spotting scope. I can look at the moon and see good detail. I can then look at the moon with a pair of Vortex Viper HDs (8s) and see more detail despite less magnification than the Nomad. I can then look at the moon with my SLC 10s. I see even more detail than the Vipers and considerably more than the Nomad. My SLC 15s show even more detail. Then there is my STX 65.95 and it blows the Nomad away.

 

[tdot]

You didnt say what type of hunting you are doing. Not all hunting requires a spotter.

Binoculars are useful for almost everything. Use them, decide what you want from there.

I bought a mid tier set for my first pair. They were replaced with a set of used 8x EL before the season was done. It's taken me years, but I've built a system that works for me and the different type of hunts I go on. I am very happy that I waited as my opinion of what I need now, is very different then what I wanted awhile ago.

 

[bowhuntrben]

PM sent

 

[DangerRanger]

I sold my mid range binos and mid range spotter for a set of Swarovski 8s and am happy with my choice. I will upgrade to a higher end spotter eventually, but I just didn’t really use the spotter that much.

 

[lyle_destroys]

Welcome to the forum! You're going to get both sides; eat ramen and save for years and buy Swaro; buy what you can afford now. I am a "middle of the road" budget buyer. I use Meopta Meopro binos and the Athlon Ares 15-45 spotter. The spotter is new but the binos have a season on them. They don't do anything worse than my partners Swaros in my eyes. Always get the best glass you can afford. Good luck!

How do you like that athlon spotter so far? I'm really considering one, love how compact they are.

 

[Rob5589]

How do you like that athlon spotter so far? I'm really considering one, love how compact they are.

I just got it last week. So far; very compact, feels solid, good clarity, eye relief is good until you hit about 35+ power then it gets tight, smooth focus wheel that isn't overly touchy. The only real "testing" I have done is a license plate at about 300 yds. I could easily read the registration sticker which is about 2"x1".