Sig Sauer 18x50 Zulu6 HDX Pro review

[Russ]

So I went to Scheels to buy some new glass, and a friend told me to check these binos out........and damn! These things are amazing!

Hand held, these 18s feel like they are on a tripod when glassing. When added to a tripod, the wind, and bumps on the pod are non existent. When switching back to zeiss 15x56s on the tripod it was exhausting to the eye after looking through the stabilized Sigs. Although they may not be swarovski glass, they definitely have high quality glass, and you pick up more detail without all the vibrations.

I can imagine that many back pack hunters such as myself will use these because its makes the need to carry a tripod not necessary. Or my Mexico hunts in the high rack when bumpy roads, and running vehicles under a high rack make for vibrating views through high powered glass.

The only thing I would say is that the stabilization turns off like every 10 minutes, and I am not sure if you can adjust that or not. Its not a big deal you just have to turn it back on again......but would be nice if it was every 30 minutes to one hour instead.

I hope they come out with a higher powered scope with a larger objective, because I will be in line for it for sure!

Give these bad boys a try, I do not think you will be disappointed.

 

[V-TRAIN]

I went on a hunting trip several weeks ago and a guy in camp had some and I got to play around with them.
The stabilization mode was amazing.
I thought they were pretty slick, however for looking pretty far off say 700 to 800 yards at deer, I still wanted more mag. At first I kind of thought about getting some, however I still prefer having my 8x Swaro NL's and my Althon Ares 15-45 65mm spotter, that covers all the bases for me.

 

[Russ]

I went on a hunting trip several weeks ago and a guy in camp had some and I got to play around with them.
The stabilization mode was amazing.
I thought they were pretty slick, however for looking pretty far off say 700 to 800 yards at deer, I still wanted more mag. At first I kind of thought about getting some, however I still prefer having my 8x Swaro NL's and my Althon Ares 15-45 65mm spotter, that covers all the bases for me.

Man I used the 18s on a tripod and it reduced eye fatigue greatly. Zero shakes or vibrations in windy conditions at 1-2.5 miles while glassing for elk in Nevada. I never used my 15s I liked it the sigs so much.

 

[HookUp]

the SIG IS are completely sold out at my local sportsmans both gens. I picked up some 16x50 mm and love them.

 

[Greenbelt]

Just got a pair and it's game changing. I've been messing around with them at work in preparation for an upcoming hunt and they blow me away everyday. Spotters tend to wear me out quick so I always stuck to my 12 or 15's but these essentially solve all my problems. I can glass in these for much longer without the fatigue. I can ditch the spotters completely, and also the tripod if I choose to (still deciding on that), which is a good 5-6 pound weight savings. I ended up going with the 14x50 hd pro's, and I think I made the right choice. Honestly for the glass quality and stabilization the price wasn't that bad. I have a feeling that the bino world is about to change greatly in the next 3-5 yrs. I think we're gonna start seeing a lot of swaros go up for sale.

 

[swavescatter]

If you buy the newest PRO versions of the Sigs, do yourself a favor and never look through the gen 2 HDX versions. You'll likely find that the Pro stabilization isn't as good, the glass isn't as clear, they're heavier, bulkier, require twice as much batteries.... But hey - at least they cost $700 more!?

They are slightly better at low light, and that's where the benefits end. I run the 10's and 16's in the Gen 2's and love them. Bought THREE different pairs of the new Pros to verify they are a garbage deal compared to the cheaper gen 2's and posted results here on Rokslide as well.

Yes - I'm salty that Sig Sauer told me to pound sand when I told them their advertised new and improved "Next Gen" glass sucked and they were within spec. Sig rep told me that I should expect lower resolution with larger objective lenses.