Kowa 773 vs Swaro 65 ATS update review

[AZBULLCRAZY]

Just a size comparison between the 55 and 77.

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That right there tells me both are good to have. My hunting style right now is having a base camp using my truck to get to an area then hiking at most 2 miles in somewhere and hunting. To me the 77 can do this. Where that 55 would be huge for backpack hunting or even the guy or gal who only uses a spotter to verify and never uses it to scan with. Those types ahould absolutely go with the 55, price, image and weight alone. Thanks for sharing that, nice setup!

 

[tdhanses]

I want to say with the cover my 55 is around 35oz maybe less, guess I should weigh it. But it’s half the bulk.

 

[fatrascal]

Very good and fair write up. I also owne the kowa 55 except in 553 angled. I personally feel like it is not as good optically as a swaro ats 65 but its good enough to leave the swaro at home if you are trying to cut weight which is why I got it. But I love to digiscope and find myself still using the swaro. Fatrascal.

 

[BSimmons]

I've owned the ATS 65 and the Kowa. I agree that it is a fair comparison for the reasons you mentioned (cost, size, weight are all close enough). I had the 20-60 eyepiece on the Swaro and always felt like I was losing a lot of brightness after 45x. This may not be much of an issue with the newer eyepiece. It would be fun to try it again.

Thanks for the review

 

[Nolan_]

curious if the 77 is durable enough to toss in the pack without a case?

 

[tdhanses]

curious if the 77 is durable enough to toss in the pack without a case?

It is, you may get scuffs and scratches on the housing since it doesn’t have a rubber coating but it is very durable. Some wrap it in vet tape which weighs nothing to keep from getting scratches and scuffs.