Why would they leave the Kowa 553/554 out of this review? I've never had the opportunity to test one side by side with the new Swarovski, but I struggle believing any of the other scopes in that review can hold a candle to the Kowa.
I think they were more or less highlighting the new compacts for this year however a review with say the Kowa 553/554, the new Vortex, and the Swaro ATC would be legit. I know the ATC and Kowa have already been reviewed on Rokslide, now just a revisit/update for the new small razor Swaro lookalike.
The other compact scope that never gets reviewed is the Leupold 12-40X60HD. It's in the same weight class as the various 56mm spotters and I'd love to see it compared but it's like it doesn't exist? As a glasses wearer I really like the long eye relief.
Their optical evaluation of the Vortex is intriguing as they rated it better than the Maven and equal to the Swaro. Obviously it was not a numerical equivalent, but they rated it "excellent". I agree with other posts that it would be awesome to see how it stacks up to the little Kowa.