Kowa 553 vs ATS 25-50x65

[passinggas33]

Kowa 553 for $1350 with case or
Swaro 25-50x65 for $2250 with case

Both are brand new. I already have 10x42 Swaro SLCs and 15x56 Meopta Meostars. Hunt all over the West for big game. Mostly backpack hunting. Some truck hunting. Looking for something rather compact.

Help me decide!! I’m too indecisive my wife says. And I have no access to either of these too look through to help with decision!! And I seriously have nothing else better to do right now other than support our economy and watch tiger king.

Opinions are welcome!!

 

[Bowhunter50]

Steve speck just discussed both of these scopes on the huntbackcountry podcast.

Here’s a link:

https://soundcloud.com/huntbackcountry%2Ftss-12-best-budget-clothing-spotting-scopes-for-mule-deer

He has a lot of field experience with both scopes.


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[elkeaterco]

I have had both. The FOV with the Kowa was painfully small. You'll fight it just to pick up a animal you found with your binos. The kowa has good glass and does fairly well in low light but not a good choice for looking miles out. I personally will take the weight penalty and have a much more versatile 65mm. I also run a kowa 773 25-50 and love it but at 4 lbs you feel it. 3 lb swaro is in the golden zone, imo.

Jake
@elkhunter34

 

[passinggas33]

I had listened to that podcast and completely forgot that he had addressed it. Went back and listened to it again. Thanks.

 

[Schaaf]

I don't think I'd spend that money on a 65 unless I had full intentions of getting the ATX and eventually getting an 85mm objective as well.

 

[tdhanses]

I had a swaro 25-50 80hd, now have a Kowa 553 and 773. The Kowa 553 is always in my pack when hunting. The 773 is more for range use, scouting and just off season use.

 

[sneaky]

I have had both. The FOV with the Kowa was painfully small. You'll fight it just to pick up a animal you found with your binos. The kowa has good glass and does fairly well in low light but not a good choice for looking miles out. I personally will take the weight penalty and have a much more versatile 65mm. I also run a kowa 773 25-50 and love it but at 4 lbs you feel it. 3 lb swaro is in the golden zone, imo.

Jake
@elkhunter34

Interesting, I've never had that issue with the 553/554 series. It has a smaller FOV which is to be expected with a 55mm objective, but it isn't "painfully small". It's also a lot lighter than the Swaro and you can find them all day for $1400 or so. To each their own I guess.

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[tdhanses]

Interesting, I've never had that issue with the 553/554 series. It has a smaller FOV which is to be expected with a 55mm objective, but it isn't "painfully small". It's also a lot lighter than the Swaro and you can find them all day for $1400 or so. To each their own I guess.

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Yeah after using the 553 for a few years now, no way it is “painfully small” as he had said, that’s a bit dramatic. Yes it is a smaller fov but is still very usable. It is 1/3 less weight but you can save even more if you use a KDC granite peak tripod which you can’t use with any 65mm or larger spotter.

Been awhile since I weighed my Kowa 553 and KDC setup but it’s total weight is less then or around 40oz, yup including tripod. Also the overall bulk reduction is huge for saving space in a pack.

 

[HighVoltageHunter]

I have owned and used both. The Kowa 553 was too close to the Swaro 65 for me to keep the Swaro.
Yes, it has a smaller field of view but the glass is second to none and because it’s lightweight, it’s always in my pack when I need to take a closer look.
For me, in less than ideal viewing conditions/light, I struggle to get a clear image with both the 55mm Kowa and 65mm Swaro out past 750-1,000 yards.
If you’re planning on looking out well past that distance, I would recommend going with a 80mm+ objective spotter.
Depending on personal hunting style and physical ability, weight may be a concern. If your always on the move or hiking/packing in/out greater distances, the Kowa 553/554 is very practical. Also saves a lot of room in your pack.
The great thing about Kowa and Swaro is their resale value. If you buy either one and it’s less or more than what you want, you can sell it for nearly what you initially paid.

 

[fatrascal]

Interesting, I've never had that issue with the 553/554 series. It has a smaller FOV which is to be expected with a 55mm objective, but it isn't "painfully small". It's also a lot lighter than the Swaro and you can find them all day for $1400 or so. To each their own I guess.

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Sneaky, where can you find a Kowa 553 for #1,400? Fatrascal

 

[fatrascal]

Passinggas, where did you find the Kowa 553 for $1,350? Fatrascal.

 

[sneaky]

Sneaky, where can you find a Kowa 553 for #1,400? Fatrascal

They pop up in the classifieds from time to time, and I've seen them on sale from different vendors for $1400-1450 on multiple occasions. Never hurts, especially now, to give Rokslide sponsors a call to discuss. The better sales I've seen are usually in the summer months though.

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[fatrascal]

OK thanks Sneaky. Fatrascal.

 

[Ronb]

Every piece of gear has its trade-offs. The most common one on this site is for weight. From our clothing to our tents, bags and pads. What can get the job done, while being durable and comfortable. I first owned the Nikon ed50, then the swaro hd65 w/25-50 eyepiece. Now I own the Kowa 553. I actually had the swaro,kowa, and a vortex 50 at the house for a week while I decided. The vortex was out of its league compared to the other two. I consistently liked one and then the other. Go figure. Sometimes for no rhyme or reason could I figure out why I liked the view of one over the other. In the end, I did like the build quality of the swaro and overall, I think the view was a teeny bit better. At the time of the test, I had spent two hunting seasons with the swaro. I ended up keeping the Kowa. No regrets after one hunting season. It’s definitely good enough to do everything I need it to do. I don’t usually use the spotting scope to scan to find Game. Only to verify what I’m looking at. I use my Bino‘s on a tripod for scanning. That’s my two cents. They’re both great. By the way, you can find a Swaro for $1850 used. Just be patient.


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[brsnow]

The Kowa will be my next optics purchase. I run Swarovski companion CL 8x30, the kowa will keep down weight and add the extra distance/detail I lack at times.

 

[passinggas33]

@fatrascal The one that I found for $1350 was a new “open box” return from one of the Rokslide sponsors. It was actually the 125 year anniversary so it came in a black with a black neoprene case.

 

[passinggas33]

I keep coming back to try and figure out if the Swaro image truly is $900 better than the Kowa? And is that little bit of image gain also worth double the weight (not that 3 pounds) is considered heavy to me? SOOOO tough of a decision for me. Luckily it’s not life or death!!!

 

[fatrascal]

So my situation is different. I've got the swaro atx 65, 95 and BTX and absolutely love the system. My reasoning to have the 65 was for backpacking and digiscoping through a quality optic. But I'm getting older and I'm not ready to quit back pack hunting but need to cut weight due to knees and hips being damaged from doing what I love, which is back pack hunting. The Kowa 553 sounds like what I'm looking for to keep high quality but lose some weight. I may not get one this year but I'm eye balling it pretty hard. I like the sound of paying $1,400 instead of $1,800 since I've already got a lot of money tied up in optics. I dont plan on getting rid of the atx 65 but you never know. Thankyou for answering my questions and I think I'll plan on getting a 553 sometime in the future to try it out. Fatrascal

 

[tdhanses]

Sneaky, where can you find a Kowa 553 for #1,400? Fatrascal

You can get 10% off at s&s archery using code rokslide.

 

[tdhanses]

I keep coming back to try and figure out if the Swaro image truly is $900 better than the Kowa? And is that little bit of image gain also worth double the weight (not that 3 pounds) is considered heavy to me? SOOOO tough of a decision for me. Luckily it’s not life or death!!!

it isn’t it’s maybe same price better.