I have the Kowa and they are excellent. I also own Swaro El and NL, so I know what a good Bino is.
I would probably go with the kowa as well, I have some 8x30 slc, and of course they are a nice bino, but have not used the compact kowa genesis… I have compared the 10x42slc vs the 10.5x44 genesis and prefer sitting behind the kowa, I like them noticeably better… I don’t know how much of that is the extra .5x or extra 4mm objectives, but regardless, they outperform the slc
From what I know, I would buy the compact kowa over compact slc and feel comfortable I’m making the best choice.
Where the slc shines is in the complete package, size, weight, and image quality is what makes the slc a great choice.
If money were not an issue, the compact NL pures are a no brainer, the NL pures have thoroughly impressed me, even considering the very high expectations I had for them, they have exceeded my expectations, and are freakishly good optics… my next optic will be the 8x42 NL, I think it will be my favorite optic money can buy, and won’t go compact because I want to squeeze every bit of performance I can out of them, the extra size and weight are worth carrying to me, regardless of the great reviews of the compact version
Of all of the binos I have been able to use, the kowa genesis are the one bino that truly performs over its price point… there may be others, but they are the only ones I have personally sat behind