Life of kowa glass

[acmckeage03]

Hey guys, price is not the focus point here. I’m shopping ultravid 10x50’s, SLC 10x42’s and Kowa gennesis 10.5x44. I just talked with Doug from camera land who is a fan of the kowas. My two reservations from buying them are one the adapter stud and two the overall life of Kowa’s. I’m currently running vortex glass (which I absolutely hate) they are 6 years old and when compared to a brand new pair they aren’t even half the quality. I’m sure the kowas are stunning and comparable to alpha glass when brand new but what are some experiences with the overall life of Kowa glass. Do they degrade over time like my vortex glass? I don't want to be upset after 2 or 3 years down the road when the coatings or alignments aren’t holding up.

 

[MattB355]

Not sure about glass degradation as I have never experienced loss of optical performance in any of my optics. If you damage the lens through improper cleaning I can see how this would affect the optical performance but optical coatings do not have any shelf life. I have a Kowa 883 spotter since 2016 and it performs just as well as new but I can also say the same about my Leupold, Sightron, Swarovski, Nikon, Zen Ray and Vortex glass (mostly scopes but Swaro and Zen ray binos).

 

[wildcat33]

My SLCs are from 2012 and, IMO, as good or better than the SLCs of today. So no, an investment in alpha glass is one that will last a lifetime.

 

[mthillrunner]

I have the genesis 8.5x44 I bought from Doug 3 years ago. They are in the field 30 days +/- per year. I keep them in a bino harness & the view is just as good as the day I got them

 

[Brian Fahs]

I dont own kowa binoculars but I do own a kowa 884 spotter.
I run Swarovski binos and wont be selling them or the kowa spotter anytime soon.
It took me years of upgrading to get to what I own. I really like what I have.

 

[Alpineelk]

I have a kowa 774 that was bought new in 2010 (not by me. I bought it used). And it's awsome. Compared it to a buddies brand new 884 and the quality is still great

 

[jacknifejc]

I have heard multiple people discuss the degradation of their Vortex optics.

 

[Nethero]

Hey guys, price is not the focus point here. I’m shopping ultravid 10x50’s, SLC 10x42’s and Kowa gennesis 10.5x44. I just talked with Doug from camera land who is a fan of the kowas. My two reservations from buying them are one the adapter stud and two the overall life of Kowa’s. I’m currently running vortex glass (which I absolutely hate) they are 6 years old and when compared to a brand new pair they aren’t even half the quality. I’m sure the kowas are stunning and comparable to alpha glass when brand new but what are some experiences with the overall life of Kowa glass. Do they degrade over time like my vortex glass? I don't want to be upset after 2 or 3 years down the road when the coatings or alignments aren’t holding up.

Not to revive this from the dead, but I was reading the old thread and was curious if you ever decided on which bino to get?

I would doubt that any of the ones you have mentioned would have any “degradation” over time.

The biggest things to improved views of today’s binos vs. ones from a decade ago have a lot to do with improved coatings and some to do with the use of better glass. At least much more so than the actual breakdown of an optical system.

A Swarovski SLC from the 90’s will still have excellent resolution and micro contrast, but it is much darker of an image and much more yellow than compared to today’s SLC. Though I will say I have an SLC from 2005 that I compare to an SLC I have of the latest generation and they are damn near the same in view quality.

Anyways, what did you end up getting? Are you content?