LNIB used Meopta Meostars HD VS new Tract Torric UHD Schott Glass

[DMTJAGER]

In the market for a reasonably light and compact 10x42 binocular and have read awesome reviews of the new Tract Toric UHD with the Schott glass. I likely should have bought the previous model Toric when on close out to make room for the new model but I missed that sale.
My can not go over budget is $700 and I am wondering which is the better buy a NIB Tract Toric UHD W/Schott glass or a ULNIB set of 10x42 Meopta HD's.
Use is 100% for deer and turkey hunting.

 

[Calgarious]

Going to be watching this, I have been trying to look at reviews and it seems a few years ago tons of people were saying the tracts are a direct competitor to zeiss conquest or maven with a discount, but not much the last 2 years. Wondering if it was a flash in the pan of a new brand getting hyped? Are they still up there with the best $1000 retail models? They seem to have fallen off recommendation lists recently, at least in my attempt to search posts here and elsewhere by date.

 

[DMTJAGER]

Kinda surprise no one has a experience they feel worth sharing.

 

[Matt Cashell]

The Meostar HD is one of my favorite binoculars at any level. $700 is like highway robbery for it.

 

[TxLite]

Kinda surprise no one has a experience they feel worth sharing.

I’ve got a pair of meopta hd’s for sale on here if you’re interested.

No experience with the tract binos, but I played with the Tract scopes a while back and the glass was decent but the Maven scope I compared it to blew it away in my opinion. I was indoors at a show so I didn’t really get to compare at varying light levels and distances but even indoors the maven was noticeably better to my eye.

I’ve been very happy with the meoptas, they’ve served me well but I just moved to a maven 10x50 during their recent sale and no longer need them.

 

[DMTJAGER]

I’ve got a pair of meopta hd’s for sale on here if you’re interested.

No experience with the tract binos, but I played with the Tract scopes a while back and the glass was decent but the Maven scope I compared it to blew it away in my opinion. I was indoors at a show so I didn’t really get to compare at varying light levels and distances but even indoors the maven was noticeably better to my eye.

I’ve been very happy with the meoptas, they’ve served me well but I just moved to a maven 10x50 during their recent sale and no longer need them.

Might have missed something but couldn't find your ad
They 10x42?

 

[TxLite]

Might have missed something but couldn't find your ad
They 10x42?

Sure are. If you’re interested shoot me a PM. Happy to answer any questions

WTS - Meopta Meopro HD 10x42

Moved to 10x50’s and no longer need these. Functionally perfect but have some dirt/dust on them from riding in the marsupial gear harness. Thought I had the original box but can’t seem to find it. $400 shipped

rokslide.com

 

[Gbrecka]

I really like my meostars, but I don’t know that I would qualify them as light and compact. They are very well built, robust and steady, but that comes with a weight penalty.

I won’t get rid of them, because optically I love them.

 

[DMTJAGER]

Can you please tell me other than price, what the difference is between your Meopro HD and the Meostar HD?

 

[TxLite]

Can you please tell me other than price, what the difference is between your Meopro HD and the Meostar HD?

The Meostar is the next model up and has better glass. I haven’t played with them to see the difference but I think there is a thread somewhere on rokslide describing the two. I believe the Meopro is a little lighter

 

[SIR_34:16]

I have a pair of 8x42 Toric UHD and would recommend them. I've never looked through Meostars outside of the store so can't speak to those. If you keep an eye on the Tract outlet you can find them for a lot less than your budget. At that price they can't be beat.

 

[Fatcamp]

I really like my meostars, but I don’t know that I would qualify them as light and compact. They are very well built, robust and steady, but that comes with a weight penalty.

I won’t get rid of them, because optically I love them.

Same. Great glass, but not lightweight.

 

[ghostrider272]

Grabbed the same Meoptas you are talking about here in the Classified. I feel that for the money, you won’t get any better. They are close in image to my Swarovski 8.5x42 ELs in image quality to my eyes.

Grab them!

 

[hunterjmj]

I have the Meostar 10x42's and the 15x56's. They are built like tanks. They are heavier than others but I wouldn't trade them for anything else. I rented the Swaro SLC 15's prior to buying and chose to go with Meopta. It's hard for me to see a difference between the two. I'm sure a trained eye could break it down but the clarity in the Meostars seems incredible.

 

[w.travis]

In the market for a reasonably light and compact 10x42 binocular and have read awesome reviews of the new Tract Toric UHD with the Schott glass. I likely should have bought the previous model Toric when on close out to make room for the new model but I missed that sale.
My can not go over budget is $700 and I am wondering which is the better buy a NIB Tract Toric UHD W/Schott glass or a ULNIB set of 10x42 Meopta HD's.
Use is 100% for deer and turkey hunting.

Kind of late to respond here, but thought I'd give my opinion. The Meostar will be slightly better optically, mainly in having less CA. Meostar are known for having some of the best CA control even besting some of the "alphas". CA control in the Toric is by no means bad. I have the Toric 10x42 and for various reasons, overall I like it just as much as my SLC and UVHD+.

The toric is very compact for a 10x42, which for me makes a huge difference in usability and with it having basically same quality view as Meostar (other than Meostar exceptional CA control), it is a great option. Optically you wouldn't be disappointed with either. Weight and ergonomics (personal preference) go to the toric imo.

 

[Falconian]

I thought I would share my experience as I have been down this road too. The short answer is that both are excellent and you cannot make a bad decision.

Optically, I think the Meostars are a little better. They have better CA control and better resolution. The Torics are completely color neutral. The newer Meostars have a more neutral image than the older ones, but may still have a slight warm bias, IIRC. Optically speaking, my biggest issue is that the Torics image feels farther away for some reason. Twisting the eye cups down one notch helps, but then the eye relief is a little too short for my eyes. This was the main reason I bought a pair of Meostars. It might not be an issue for anyone else because I don't recall seeing this criticism anywhere else. It's not enough of a problem that I won't use them, just an area for improvement.

Both have good build quality. The meopta is legendary for it's tank like build, but that comes at the expense of more weight. My 8x toric has the smoothest focuser of any binocular I've ever used. It's buttery smooth and a joy to use. Admittedly, this does seem to vary from sample to sample in both brands, IME. They focus in different directions, if that's important to you. The Meostars focus clockwise toward infinity.

Here is where the Meostars start to separate themselves. The eye cups on the Meostars are removable for easier cleaning and more comfortable to my face. While both are perfectly serviceable, I can use the Meostars for much longer with out discomfort. I've noticed that this issue grows with objective size. I cannot recommend the 15x56 Torics for this reason alone. Someone with a wider IPD, might be ok with them, but I can only use them for a couple of minutes at time. The toric 15x eye cups are huge! All sizes of Meostar eye cups are comfortable for me. Tract eye cups are less comfortable in general, but become increasingly uncomfortable as objective size increases, at least for me.

Customer service is fantastic from both companies. A message sent from the tract website will elicit a response from one of the owners within a few minutes, even after hours. Meopta is equally impressive. They sent me some free lens covers when I asked where I could buy them, though they only respond during normal business hours.

At the end of the day, you will be happy with either. I give the edge to the meopta Meostars, but most of the differences I've noticed are relatively minor. There is nothing that can be seen with one that can't be seen with the other. I feel like the most significant differences are ergonomic and subjective. I prefer Meostars, but if you can't afford a meopta, or just want to save save some money, get a Toric and don't look back (except for 15x56). As others have noted, watch Tracts outlet section for a discount on demo models.