New spotter

Jmort1754

WKR
Joined
Aug 17, 2018
Messages
1,649
I can buy-

Kowa- 883/884- with the TE 11WZ II eye piece 2499
Kowa 99A for 3550

or the

ATX 85 for 4400

is the swaro that much better?
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
1,292
Location
Texas
Kowa 883 weighs less (I think). Kowa 883 costs less. Kowa 883 is never described as being inferior to the Swaro. Some guys will like one more than the other. It's always going to come back to your personal preference.

Swaro has the BTX option. Only you can decide if it's worth the cost.

You can also check this old Rokslide article.
 

gr8fuldoug

WKR
Rokslide Sponsor
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
5,413
Location
Old Bethpage, NY
I can buy-

Kowa- 883/884- with the TE 11WZ II eye piece 2499
Kowa 99A for 3550

or the

ATX 85 for 4400

is the swaro that much better?
FWIW, during our Labor Day Sale our to your door price is less than that on the Kowa's Please give a call to discuss.

The Swarovski does give you the option of 65/85/95/115 objectives with the ATX so as a system, if you'll use it as a system, it offers a bit more flexibility
 

brushape

WKR
Joined
Nov 13, 2013
Messages
905
Location
rohnert park, Ca
FWIW, during our Labor Day Sale our to your door price is less than that on the Kowa's Please give a call to discuss.

The Swarovski does give you the option of 65/85/95/115 objectives with the ATX so as a system, if you'll use it as a system, it offers a bit more flexibility

Less than $2400 for the Kowa 88mm? I’m very interested in this


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Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
657
Location
Colorado
FWIW, during our Labor Day Sale our to your door price is less than that on the Kowa's Please give a call to discuss.

The Swarovski does give you the option of 65/85/95/115 objectives with the ATX so as a system, if you'll use it as a system, it offers a bit more flexibility
I'm also very interested in this. Details?
 

alaska_bou

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Aug 9, 2020
Messages
240
I have owned and used each of those scopes. The 88 kowa, to me, was a bit better than the 85 swaro. The bigger question is to ask if the 99 is worth the extra cost and weight over the 88. I currently own the 99 and it is incredible, but I sold my 88 before I could compare them side by side.
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
Messages
1,137
Location
Colo Spgs
Buy somewhere you can test or return. Where I live I get them to take me outdoors to test during day / evening so I can judge via my eyes.


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Matt G.

WKR
Joined
Aug 17, 2017
Messages
549
Location
Ohio
i an also curious what the difference in performance with the new kowa 88 vs current old 88?

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jjjones7

FNG
Joined
Mar 26, 2022
Messages
82
Unless you plan on using the atx as a system I’d suggest an ATS 80 over the ATX 85. Price is much better, optically they’re both excellent, and the 80 is lighter. Ergonomics are a little different and individual preference comes into play. I wouldn’t discount a ATS 80HD though.
I’m my eyes the kowa WA eyepiece is the best there is, but the Swarovski WA isn’t far behind.
You won’t go wrong with either the kowa 88 or Swarovski 85 or 80. Just depends on your budget, preferences, and intended use(s)
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
937
I picked up a used kowa 884 on the classifieds and got it out this weekend to play with my tripod set up, and it was amazing. I did some digiscoping with my cell phone and a cheap adapter and got some good pics. There are isually some used kowas in the classifieds and i would highly recommend the 88 series. If the price from cameraland is cheaper than 2500 you will get a great scope at a great price. I paid less than that used, but i got a smoking deal.
These pics were taken at sunset. Mostly cloudy at about 300 yards while I was sitting in my kawasaki mule and the tripod was more a monopod than a tripod (not incredibly stable). I had visibility of these deer well beyond the naked eye after dark, though didn’t try shooting any pics at that time. Temp wa falling from mid-90’s so Mirage was very real as well. The pics dont do the actual view any justice at all. Being a spotter newb, i do not recall the details of mag for these pics. 580403E3-3570-4C4E-99F6-7723ABB0692C.jpeg51AB72A6-8344-4613-A0E6-DB1F2A5468E9.jpeg
 
Joined
Feb 15, 2019
Messages
937
I also used the kowa at night to watch the night sky, its decently dark at my ranch and had some amazing views of the half moon from last night, then turned to jupiter and then neptune. I could aee neptunes ring through the scope. Way cool. These lics didn’t show up anywhere near as good as the actual view, but maybe with a better digiscope adapter it wouod look better.
First pic at 60x, second at 20x if i remember correctly.
ED1E48C0-76D5-4CC2-99B2-D271E83B66F3.jpegDFF25DF6-CDA0-48E2-8957-2DFE0E1F2433.jpeg
 
Joined
Dec 22, 2022
Messages
11
I have owned and used each of those scopes. The 88 kowa, to me, was a bit better than the 85 swaro. The bigger question is to ask if the 99 is worth the extra cost and weight over the 88. I currently own the 99 and it is incredible, but I sold my 88 before I could compare them side by side.
Please let me know if you ever compare the two. I love my 88, but that 99 has to be incredible. How much more does the 99 weigh?
 
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