New Glassing Setup

[SwampMan19]

I’m looking to upgrade my glass this year. Looking for opinions. I currently have a pretty subpar system. Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42’s sittting on my knees.

I’m all for “buy once cry once” buy also, this is a hobby and I do not have unlimited funds.

Couple of questions. I mostly hunt southeast Idaho muley, elk, and bear.

1) Would I be okay for Maven B series or Vortex Razor HD series Binos vs. alpha glass (I can buy Swaro EL for $200 more than Razor UHDs right now) plus a compact gen 1 razor spotter?

2) is the outdoorsman standard tripod and a wiser pan head worth it? They’re made in USA with lifetime warranty. Or will a simpler/cheaper SLIK or SIRUI or Field Optics Research setup do just fine and last 10+ years?

3) Would Swaro EL 10x42’s be worth it (as opposed to the maven and razor setup?)

Any input appreciated. Throw your two cents out there.

 

[Ecampbell25]

IMO the swaro el glass is still better than razor or maven glass.

I have owned all three and if I had to pick one of them it would be the swaro el 10x42…

The low light visibility in the swaro el 10x42 was second to none until they came out with the pure line up.

 

[Kylemgf]

I run a wiser pan head which is great and very smooth. You can shoot a rifle off it as well. Killed an antelope from it this year with a 6.5 creed. Currently have the tricer tripod works well, light and sturdy. I’m a fan of the Swarovski glass it’s hard to beat for long days behind them. Sounds like any type of tripod system is going to improve your hunting. Might as well double its use for a gun rest too. Keep that pack lighter.

 

[Valumpessa]

Never tried the Swaro EL, Outdoorsmans tripod or gen 1 mini Razor, but I can recommend the new mini Razor 56mm spotter and the Wiser pan head.

I had the 10x42 Razor HD's for a season and liked the lightweight and large FOV but the eyecups were too loose for me and I was constantly adjusting them back into position. Also recently sold my Outdoorsmans bino adapter and plan to replace with a Wiser Sparrow for simplicity.

I gravitate toward lightweight gear. Currently running a Slik 634 with Wiser panhead, Kowa 554 and Zeiss SFL 10x40.

 

[Jake Larsen]

Swaro SLC HDs will outperform any Maven or Vortex my a wide margin, and can typically be had for $1200 ish. The ELs will be another step up in glass.

I’ve been running outdoorsman tripod & pan head for years. They’re an awesome company with an awesome product. The clamp style legs are be best feature, and after having used them, will not even consider a twist lock tripod. Their bino adapter is the best on the market IMO. You could probably pick up an outdoorsman pan head on here for a pretty good deal. I’ve seen them periodically show up in the classifieds.

That being said, there’s some other good options out there right now. Tricer is making some neat stuff that’s really lightweight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cwitt]

This isn’t the romantic answer but you will be significantly better off and happier in the long run by going with a Sirui ST124/VA5 combo off amazon over the Outdoorsman’s/Wiser and putting that money towards upgrading your glass to whatever the next level up is that you decide on.

The glass is the more important investment and coming from glassing off your knees, that tripod and head will be more than sufficient. Once you’ve spent enough time with that system, you’ll begin to know if a different head or tripod is worth the upgrade or if that combo works fine for your needs. Either way, that’s an easier swap then reselling and upgrading optics.

FWIW.. I have multiple Outdoorsman’s tripods and heads, as well as Tricer heads and way too many others. They’ve all got their niches where I use them. But the combo I turn to most and that is my workhorse is a Slik 733 and a VA5X head. It just plain works.

 

[Jake Larsen]

OP what’s your budget? This would be a lot easier to prioritize and give you good answers if we know what you’re looking to spend in total.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[diverc18]

If you are on a budget, Zeiss Conquests Hds are hard to beat. Don’t have any alpha glass to compare. Don’t forget to browse the classifieds for optics. Lots of good deals to be had. It can save you hundreds off some of the higher tier glass

 

[NealS02]

I upgraded last year to Swarovski EL 10x42 and am so glad I did. Used SLCs were something I also strongly considered. Most of my glassing is with binos on a tripod so I felt the upgrade was worth it despite the cost. I cannot speak to the rest of your questions as I don’t have experience with those products. Good luck!