Sig Sauer Optics Zulu 9?

[ItemB]

Anybody have any experience or reviews they could share on the Sig zulu binoculars the zulu 9 11x45 in particular. I have been looking, waiting for a good deal on a pair of 12x50 binos or the maven b2 11x45. I can get a pretty good deal on pair of the zulu 9s, but just haven't seen much reviews or comparisons of this bino. I know sig makes a good rangefinder just curious about there binos.

 

[Matt Cashell]

The Sig and Maven are both versions of the same OEM binocular. Performance should be similar.

 

[DFB]

I have had both and liked them. I feel like the Zulu 9 is worth what you pay for them. It’s $1200 glass for $1200 and the Mavens are about the same. If you can get a deal on the 9s I would get them. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in either but it’s always good to save a little scratch. One caveat, in my opinion, as far as Sig goes, the Zulu 7 is the best value in optics. I feel like I’m getting $1000 glass for $700.

 

[ItemB]

Thanks for the responses I thought I had it narrowed down to three still kinda do if the maven and sig 11x45 are very similar. It is between them two or the gpo 12.5x50 that doug at camerland recommended or the cabelas euro when they go on sale. But I don't really need a pair until summer so may wait and shop around or see if I can get a good deal on something used.

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

I had a chance to pick up some new Zulu 7 HDs for $300 on eBay and hesitated and I’ve been kicking myself ever since. I also passed on brand new Swarovski SLC HD 10x42 for $1160 and I’m kicking myself bad for that. I didn’t need the binos but geez what a freaking deal.

 

[Middleofnowhere]

Old thread I know, but thought I would renew.
The Sig Zulu 9 11x45 binos are Abbe-Koenig prism, and have 95% light transmission while EL12x50s have 90% with their Schmidt-Pechan prisms.
Since this thread was started, has anyone tried the Sig Zulu 9s? I’m curious if they are a potential “low cost” contender for the 12X50 EL’s.

 

[pbcarch]

Well going to revive this again.
I got a line on a factory demo Zulu 9 11x45 atvs awesome price. Going to try them out and compare to demo run with Maven



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[Frank Grimes]

Following this. Interested in the 9x45. Anyone confirm if they are the same as mavens? Different coatings maybe!

 

[pbcarch]

Ok i got some time behind these binos now to give some of my opinions ($0.15 worth).
I currently own and my base line is Swarovski slc 10x42 and Swarovski ATX with 65m (have the 85 but use the 65 for backpack archery) also just added the me1.7 magnifier.

For here in the east i only able to tree stand hunt whitetail in our very longgggg archery season. The SLCs 10x42 are really nice in low light and in quick one hand verification thru thick areas to double check. Clarity and FOV are quite amazing.

Out west i have been lucky to hunt elk over the past coupe of years all archery and have taken the slcs and the spotter with me. I took the 85m lense for the spotter the first year and guess what I found out I needed to drop some weight. Thus i went to a 65m head this year and a new panning ball head. Dropped like 2 lbs but. Paid the $$.
The binos of course work very well but i wanted to get just a bit more magnification and didn’t want to lose the clarity and FOV i have with the slc 10x42 and i wanted to keep them on y Chest for hand use as needed. I was looking heavily into the slc 15x56 and all i heard was that you need to put these on a tripod, but i found some good demo pairs and i was still very tempted. The other Swarovski option was the 12x50 els but $$ and still wondering about hand use was on my mind.
So I started to look at other possibilities. After a lot of research In came Maven b2 11x45 and the B4 12x56 via their demo program. I also read a bit the SigSauer Zulu 9 11x45 and it was stated that people thought they were made in Japan in the same place (or at least the optics and components were from there). So i found a screaming deal on a demo set of Zulu 9 11x45 and pulled the trigger on them ( I am talking saving $300 !!) knowing i could return.
I tried all of them at night and during the day with my Swarovskis (will do some more though). I quickly feel i ruled out the idea of the b4 12x56 only because of the hand held use, these suckers are big and heavy. They are very good optically and the magnification is good but they really need to be on a tripod. FYI the good thing with both Maven & Zulu 9 is they can use the simple vortex like tripod attachment (which i hand from the past) .

So kept going back and forth with the Zulu 9 and B2.....I cant tell a single thing that is optically different between these to. Clarity , brightness FOV , etc...if there is one my eyes dont see it. They both feel very good in your hands it give you a very different feel. The Zulu 9 (they look like straight out of Star Wars) have a rubbery feel to them (like the Swarovski) and have angular cuts on the barrels that you can lock your hands on. They also have thumb indents just like my SLCs. Very comfortable for me but they do seem to lock your hand into one position as these are defiantly grips areas (again somewhat similar in feeling to my slcs minus the angular part). The focus knob has rubbery feel as well this indents in it. High and low points like a star knob. My fingers definitely grabbed onto these little high points to turn. It spun very smoothly.
The B2 are completely round. Your hands can go anywhere and your hands very comfortably wrap the entire barrel. Naturally my hands gravitated to the ends of the barrel. It felt good grabbing the hole tube but it did feel slick. Was wondering with gloves on and if its cold if it would be to slick. Not rubbery feel on these. The focus wheel on this is round with metal perfs but consistent throughout, i you feel like you can spin and spin easily. Wheel turns very smoothly and consistently. The demos came with the kryptic pattern on it with some black and dark green accents...man did it look nice.

These are both great binos and other than the cosmetic differences i cant tell them apart. I am going to go with the Zulu 9 11x45 in this case because of the $300 saving i got on them and the rubbery feel. But i can say if cost wise it was the other way around i would chose the B2. Performance wise there is no loser here. The feel is completely a personal thing.

Ok so comparing these to my Swarovski slc 10x42. The SLCs i feel i can actually focus a hair more with , as in i can get a tad more detail on them. We are talking splitting hairs here. Will it be the difference in seeing and elk vs not ? I dont think so. I did notice the 10x42 have a slight more FOV (lists 330 vs 314(5) ) so its real close. It’s not much and you can barely tell. Something like a 12x or 15x you start to get to under 300 and close to 200 feet at 1000yards. I do feel the Zulu/B2 are brighter than my SLCs in the day and i think i see a bit more in low light. I also did notice the extra magnification , sight but it was there if you were looking for it.

I have to say that if one was to go with the Zulu 9 or Maven B2 11x45 over the Swarovski slc 10x42 you would not be losing much if anything. From my personal tests i would say the SLCs are lighter and “easier” in single hand held use, the Zulu9/B2 are nice with the extra magnification and a hair more brighter, the SLCs provide a hair more detail.

So i will be keeping the Zulu 9 11x45, got a great deal, still have an easy to use by hand , added a hair more power and brightness and the FOV and clarity is still real close to my Swarovski SLC.

Hope that help anyone looking The Sig Sauer Zulu 9 11x45 the Maven B2 11x45 are both great choices


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[pbcarch]

So one last test tonight with the Zulu 9 11x46 vs SLC 10x42. To my eyes i can still see with the Zulu 9 a bit longer into the dark light than with the SLC. Now with the ATX spotter with 65m lense i can still see beyond the Zulu 9 .
So based upon my eyes and review i would believe the maven b2 11x45 would perform the same


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[jfs82]

Hopefully the favorable reports on the Zulu 9 ring true. Just bought a pair of the 11x45 with a scratch on the body (can return also) for about 650$

 

[Frank Grimes]

thanks for the review/comparison. Makes me think maybe 11x45 might be the way to go over the 9x.

 

[jfs82]

Just got my 11x45 in yesterday. They look really good. A nice step up from my previous binos. Being that they are apparently the same as Maven B2, those would be excellent choices as well. An aside, I was afraid they wouldnt fit in my Adak harness, but they fit fine.

 

[pbcarch]

Clarity and detail aside from my 10x42slcs....I was using my zulu9 11x45 while shooting this weeking.
At 50, 60 yards my 10x42s would struggle in seeing the arrows landing point, well let's say my eyes.
With the 11x45 I could see much easier.
Now this isnt a direct link to the zulu but the 11x vs 10x for me shows a difference.

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[pbcarch]

JFS,
so what do you think with more use of your Zulu 9 ? aside from less detail/clarity vs my SLCs they seem pretty good. I paid 740 for mine.

 

[jfs82]

I think they're pretty fantastic for the money, lots of reports they're the same as Maven B2 which get pretty consistent reviews as great for the money so that would add up. I've never looked through Swaro level binoculars, but I'm very happy with the purchase and really like 11x as my main optic power.

I was worried I would need a new harness as reports of them being big and bulky seem pretty overblown to me. My Adak harness says 10x42 to some small 10x50 max, but they fit no problem.

 

[pbcarch]

They didn’t fit in my Alaskan guide creation cub max harness, had to go up to the standard version , the Zulu 9 are very tall


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[Bmac87]

Ok i got some time behind these binos now to give some of my opinions ($0.15 worth).
I currently own and my base line is Swarovski slc 10x42 and Swarovski ATX with 65m (have the 85 but use the 65 for backpack archery) also just added the me1.7 magnifier.

For here in the east i only able to tree stand hunt whitetail in our very longgggg archery season. The SLCs 10x42 are really nice in low light and in quick one hand verification thru thick areas to double check. Clarity and FOV are quite amazing.

Out west i have been lucky to hunt elk over the past coupe of years all archery and have taken the slcs and the spotter with me. I took the 85m lense for the spotter the first year and guess what I found out I needed to drop some weight. Thus i went to a 65m head this year and a new panning ball head. Dropped like 2 lbs but. Paid the $$.
The binos of course work very well but i wanted to get just a bit more magnification and didn’t want to lose the clarity and FOV i have with the slc 10x42 and i wanted to keep them on y Chest for hand use as needed. I was looking heavily into the slc 15x56 and all i heard was that you need to put these on a tripod, but i found some good demo pairs and i was still very tempted. The other Swarovski option was the 12x50 els but $$ and still wondering about hand use was on my mind.
So I started to look at other possibilities. After a lot of research In came Maven b2 11x45 and the B4 12x56 via their demo program. I also read a bit the SigSauer Zulu 9 11x45 and it was stated that people thought they were made in Japan in the same place (or at least the optics and components were from there). So i found a screaming deal on a demo set of Zulu 9 11x45 and pulled the trigger on them ( I am talking saving $300 !!) knowing i could return.
I tried all of them at night and during the day with my Swarovskis (will do some more though). I quickly feel i ruled out the idea of the b4 12x56 only because of the hand held use, these suckers are big and heavy. They are very good optically and the magnification is good but they really need to be on a tripod. FYI the good thing with both Maven & Zulu 9 is they can use the simple vortex like tripod attachment (which i hand from the past) .

So kept going back and forth with the Zulu 9 and B2.....I cant tell a single thing that is optically different between these to. Clarity , brightness FOV , etc...if there is one my eyes dont see it. They both feel very good in your hands it give you a very different feel. The Zulu 9 (they look like straight out of Star Wars) have a rubbery feel to them (like the Swarovski) and have angular cuts on the barrels that you can lock your hands on. They also have thumb indents just like my SLCs. Very comfortable for me but they do seem to lock your hand into one position as these are defiantly grips areas (again somewhat similar in feeling to my slcs minus the angular part). The focus knob has rubbery feel as well this indents in it. High and low points like a star knob. My fingers definitely grabbed onto these little high points to turn. It spun very smoothly.
The B2 are completely round. Your hands can go anywhere and your hands very comfortably wrap the entire barrel. Naturally my hands gravitated to the ends of the barrel. It felt good grabbing the hole tube but it did feel slick. Was wondering with gloves on and if its cold if it would be to slick. Not rubbery feel on these. The focus wheel on this is round with metal perfs but consistent throughout, i you feel like you can spin and spin easily. Wheel turns very smoothly and consistently. The demos came with the kryptic pattern on it with some black and dark green accents...man did it look nice.

These are both great binos and other than the cosmetic differences i cant tell them apart. I am going to go with the Zulu 9 11x45 in this case because of the $300 saving i got on them and the rubbery feel. But i can say if cost wise it was the other way around i would chose the B2. Performance wise there is no loser here. The feel is completely a personal thing.

Ok so comparing these to my Swarovski slc 10x42. The SLCs i feel i can actually focus a hair more with , as in i can get a tad more detail on them. We are talking splitting hairs here. Will it be the difference in seeing and elk vs not ? I dont think so. I did notice the 10x42 have a slight more FOV (lists 330 vs 314(5) ) so its real close. It’s not much and you can barely tell. Something like a 12x or 15x you start to get to under 300 and close to 200 feet at 1000yards. I do feel the Zulu/B2 are brighter than my SLCs in the day and i think i see a bit more in low light. I also did notice the extra magnification , sight but it was there if you were looking for it.

I have to say that if one was to go with the Zulu 9 or Maven B2 11x45 over the Swarovski slc 10x42 you would not be losing much if anything. From my personal tests i would say the SLCs are lighter and “easier” in single hand held use, the Zulu9/B2 are nice with the extra magnification and a hair more brighter, the SLCs provide a hair more detail.

So i will be keeping the Zulu 9 11x45, got a great deal, still have an easy to use by hand , added a hair more power and brightness and the FOV and clarity is still real close to my Swarovski SLC.

Hope that help anyone looking The Sig Sauer Zulu 9 11x45 the Maven B2 11x45 are both great choices


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Do you still run the zulu9 11x45? Thinking about a pair but curious how they are off hand. I know everyone says anything over 10x42 should be on a tripod & I don't glass often off a tripod. I feel one more power shouldn't make much difference but just curious if you use them for all around hiking/hunting and how they are off hand. The other option I've considered is the swaro slc 19x42 or vortex razor hd. Also am a wondering if I'd have to up my bino harness size. I have a small marsupial gear. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[pbcarch]

Hey bmac,
Yes I still have the zulu9 11x45s....i actually sold off my SLC 10x42s to get back some money.
I now only own the 11x45s and use them solely in the offhand mode. Most of my bino use here in NJ is from a stand to peer into the dark underbrush in the dusk or dawn hours or just trying to spot them just before them come in. They also come in very handy to follow deer after you hit them .
I did use them off hand in Montana this year and the extra 1x was very nice.
That said i find them very easy to use in one hand, not much different for the 10x42 but yet they gather more light and the 1x better sees a bit more.
On other thing i noticed is the rubber coating on them glides in and out of my AGH without any noise. The SLCs had a different rubber coating and they squeaked coming in and out


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[Bmac87]

Hey thanks for the feedback pbcarch. I went ahead and bought them because it seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. They're on sale at midway for $739 if anyone else is looking at these. The only thing I don't care for so far is they are pretty bulky and heavier but I imagine that shouldn't be a big deal compared to packing around 10x42's. About (8 oz.) Difference