Compact Spotting Scope (Another Thread)

[kelly1]

I tried the Mvan cs 1a ,it was compact enough,a little heavier but 65 mm lense too. Rotating mount too.
Eye relief with glasses was ok until I zoomed to about 35x.

Cabelas locally finally got the Razor angle eye piece version of the 13x39 x56 .
Compared both and kept the Razor,better eye relief ,lower weight plus neoprene armour, but giving up larger lens ,rotating mount less max power, and about 250 less dollars.

 

[wildstar82]

I just spoke to Doug at cameraland about the scopes on my list. He believes the Hawke Endurance ED would be the way to go for me. He told me it was an excellent scope with great glass. I'm buying it today. Once I get a chance to check it out, I will post a review here.

 

[Eastonsgrandpa]

Thank you for your perspective. I agree the vortex probably has the best glass amongst that group. I have not totally ruled it out just biting the bullet and getting that one. I would really like to see the hawke and Vortex side by side to see how they compare and see if the price difference is worth it.

I didn’t read deep enough. If you can get that Kowa for that cheap, there’s no other scope to consider. It will have the best glass by far.

 

[tracker12]

I had the Leupold GR 15-30 X 50. It was OK but not what I would want to use to glass with other than on the range. I would rather sacrifice and carry more weight to get better glass. There are lots of other places to cut weight.

 

[Dos Perros]

There's a Maven in the classifieds for $650. I'd buy that and return the Hawke. You'll never be able to sell the Hawke and get any decent money back. The Maven you could sell later pretty much what you paid for it and apply to a better optic.

 

[Johnny_Yemon11]

How do you like the Hawke? In a similar boat to you as far as needs, price, size, use.

 

[wildstar82]

How do you like the Hawke? In a similar boat to you as far as needs, price, size, use.

When I got the Hawke and inspected it, what a mess. It had no tripod threads on the bottom. The female brass coupler was there, but it was slick inside with no threads. The soft case was also put on upside down. It was like they had Helen Keller doing the inspections before items were shipped.

I contacted Hawke, who immediately sent me a replacement scope and a return label for the old one. They were very apologetic and even called me on the phone to express remorse. They were shocked the scope made it out of their quality control. I will say their customer service was top-notch.

I have not had a chance to use the scope out in a field environment yet. I have used it around my house and am very pleased with the glass. For the value, it seems pretty excellent. Once I get more time out in the field with it, I will come back and update to get all of my thoughts out to folks.

 

[Grassymike]

So where is the update ?

 

[StupidLightweight]

I've used my Nikon ED50 everywhere from New Zealand to Alaska over the past 15 years. We've had great adventures together. However, I only like it with the fixed 27X wide angle lens. The stock 13-30X was hideous.

As much as it pains me to say this, today, I would likely just get a set of 20X SIG image stabilized binos. No need for a tripod, about the same weight, easier to use with both eyes open. Crazy, huh?