Swarovski ATC vs. ATS vs. Kowa 553…Updated 4/26/23!

[Steve O]

You guys are asking for a lot. Those three are like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. They aren’t a direct comparison and the 65 should be better BUT it will be a great comparison I’m sure.

I picked up the new ATC because when you compare the 65ATX and the 95ATX, I’ll carry the big boy every time. So I got rid of the 65mm objective and picked up the ATC for when I want ultra compact. It isn’t the 95 but it is damn fine for such a small package. The ATC only weighs 6oz more than the ATX eyepiece and with it I can read the price tag on my 100 yard targets…that’s pretty good. Matt will have much better data I’m sure!

 

[survivalistd]

Beautiful set up

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

 

[Nolan_]

not sure how you could do it but it would be interesting to see these compared to 15X binos... for me, I debate using 15x vs smaller objective spotting scopes.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

not sure how you could do it but it would be interesting to see these compared to 15X binos... for me, I debate using 15x vs smaller objective spotting scopes.

In my mind those have two different jobs, 15x for finding game, spotter for evaluating

 

[eamyrick]

Really looking forward to this comparison for real world hunting scenarios.

 

[nobody]

I’ll take the little Kowa and sell the ATC to a Swaro fanboy to recoop my losses I’ll take immersive colors in the Kowa over the smeared/varying shades of blue/green my eyes see in the Swaro glass any day of the week

 

[Mojave]

I’ll take the little Kowa and sell the ATC to a Swaro fanboy to recoop my losses I’ll take immersive colors in the Kowa over the smeared/varying shades of blue/green my eyes see in the Swaro glass any day of the week

Yep, hate my Swarovski STS HD 65

 

[nobody]

Yep, hate my Swarovski STS HD 65

The blind loyalty to their product is nauseating. I acknowledge they make good stuff, but if people would open their minds a little and look around and look through other optics, they might be surprised at what they see. they’re not the ONLY ones making top tier glass anymore, but people don’t seem to want to entertain that fact.

 

[HuntWyld]

The blind loyalty to their product is nauseating. I acknowledge they make good stuff, but if people would open their minds a little and look around and look through other optics, they might be surprised at what they see. they’re not the ONLY ones making top tier glass anymore, but people don’t seem to want to entertain that fact.

The entire point of us doing these comparisons and side by side review articles is to give people an objective and honest take on our experience with multiple optic manufacturers including your Kowa. I assure you that neither Matt Cashell nor myself have any “brand loyalty” whatsoever. We are simply trying to find the best in class glass regardless of color or brand. You are the only one in this thread that is coming off as closed minded sir.

 

[nobody]

The entire point of us doing these comparisons and side by side review articles is to give people an objective and honest take on our experience with multiple optic manufacturers including your Kowa. I assure you that neither Matt Cashell nor myself have any “brand loyalty” whatsoever. We are simply trying to find the best in class glass regardless of color or brand. You are the only one in this thread that is coming off as closed minded sir.

On the contrary, I know you guys do a great job of being objective about things, which is a big reason I am active on rokslide and trust info from this site more than from every YouTube personality you see a video from.

When I mentioned the blind brand loyalty, Im talking more about guys at a gun counter or on a YouTube channel or writing an article and talking about how in order to be successful as a guide or western hunter the ONLY option is Swaro. As an example, I was looking into guides Aoudad hunts for my cousin in law with cancer, and I found a website where in the “About Us” section, the guides stated “We have been guiding aoudad for many years, and have a high success rate due to our experience and the optics we use. We only use Swarovski, which are the best you can get.” Statements like that drive me nuts, sheerly because it’s super narrow minded of guys to say things like that, and it reinforces the mentality and perception that western hunting is a rich man’s game.

Swaro makes great stuff. So does Leica, Zeiss, Meopta, and Kowa. I wish more people would admit that and do their research to realize it, and on here lots of people do. But that’s not the case in the rest of the industry. I’m excited to see your final results.

Sorry if I came off that way, my frustration from a recent interaction with a gun counter “expert” came out in my original post.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

On the contrary, I know you guys do a great job of being objective about things, which is a big reason I am active on rokslide and trust info from this site more than from every YouTube personality you see a video from.

When I mentioned the blind brand loyalty, Im talking more about guys at a gun counter or on a YouTube channel or writing an article and talking about how in order to be successful as a guide or western hunter the ONLY option is Swaro. As an example, I was looking into guides Aoudad hunts for my cousin in law with cancer, and I found a website where in the “About Us” section, the guides stated “We have been guiding aoudad for many years, and have a high success rate due to our experience and the optics we use. We only use Swarovski, which are the best you can get.” Statements like that drive me nuts, sheerly because it’s super narrow minded of guys to say things like that, and it reinforces the mentality and perception that western hunting is a rich man’s game.

Swaro makes great stuff. So does Leica, Zeiss, Meopta, and Kowa. I wish more people would admit that and do their research to realize it, and on here lots of people do. But that’s not the case in the rest of the industry. I’m excited to see your final results.

Sorry if I came off that way, my frustration from a recent interaction with a gun counter “expert” came out in my original post.

Will preface this by saying there are viable options other than Swarovski out there. I have a Kowa 554 and love it; if I didn't already have a STX 65/95 then I'd be looking really hard at the Kowa 88x or maybe the 99x.

I completely understand the outfitter referencing that they only use Swarovski. This gives their prospective customers some sense of the quality level of their gear. Would they draw in as many folks if they did not reference it at all? If they proudly boasted they only use Tasco optics, how many potential customers would they turn away? I know first hand it sucks going on a guided hunt to see the guide(s) having garbage gear; worse when those guides have been around a long time.

With that said, I completely agree that folks should expand their optics horizons.

 

[MightyWhitey]

I just sold a 554 after having it for 6months. It was the first high end spotter I’ve ever owned and I was a little disappointed. Now I’ve got my eye on the STC. Looking forward to the comparisons.

 

[nobody]

Will preface this by saying there are viable options other than Swarovski out there. I have a Kowa 554 and love it; if I didn't already have a STX 65/95 then I'd be looking really hard at the Kowa 88x or maybe the 99x.

I completely understand the outfitter referencing that they only use Swarovski. This gives their prospective customers some sense of the quality level of their gear. Would they draw in as many folks if they did not reference it at all? If they proudly boasted they only use Tasco optics, how many potential customers would they turn away? I know first hand it sucks going on a guided hunt to see the guide(s) having garbage gear; worse when those guides have been around a long time.

With that said, I completely agree that folks should expand their optics horizons.

Love this, and totally agree with what you’re saying. And I agree with the perception, Swaro has become synonymous with high end optics the way Kleenex has become the mainstream term for all forms of tissue. So in my example, I get it from a marketing standpoint. But like you said, the market has changed and if people will expand their horizons, they’ll see there’s more options out there than forever before.

I’m very interested in this Kowa, so I’m really excited to see the results!

 

[Steve O]

At some point I will try the Kowas. I’ve never used one or seen one in the field. I also don’t use them or anything else I’ve not used in any comparisons I make. That would be stupid. I do know that many love them so I would always keep an open mind towards them. At this point in life, my spotters have evolved into all Swarovski products. This is more thru pleasant circumstance than want. I’ve had Zeiss and Leica spotters and would be incredibly happy with any of those. The BTX is a unique beast that I truly love and it makes incredible sense to leverage that versatility with other eyepieces and objectives. And I have no complaints. My criteria is to see a LONG way CLEARLY and they do that in spades. Color is pretty low on my list.

My binoculars and rangefinders are pretty equally spread among those three as well and I have NO desire to try and find something in a lower tier that allegedly compares.

I understand how hard it is to objectively compare optics and Matt does an excellent job with that.

Publish the article already

 

[mtwarden]

I own the bottom model; purchased for an upcoming Dall hunt (a once in a lifetime hunt for me). It's a great spotter, but outside of this one hunt, a smaller spotter would most likely be sufficient for me.

So very much looking forward to the results!

 

[mcseal2]

not sure how you could do it but it would be interesting to see these compared to 15X binos... for me, I debate using 15x vs smaller objective spotting scopes.

I have a Kowa 554 and Swaro 15x56 SLC's. I agree with the comment that they serve different roles. The Kowa is very clear, but it's not what I'd call a comfortable spotter for finding game. The eye relief is a little bit limited, and the field of view is a little small for that use for me personally. I feel like the Kowa excels at evaluating an animal, keeping track of one already found, etc. It's a great optic for looking at an animal, just not for finding one. For comparison I've owned a Swaro STM65 and a ATS80HD in the past. I decided that packing the small spotter and 15x binos was better for me than packing a big spotter often enough I sold the big spotters.

The 15x binos in comparison are the best tool I've tried for finding game. Mounted on a tripod the big field of view lets me catch little flickers of movement I'd miss with something less steady or with a smaller field of view. They are a significant advantage over my 10x Leica binos from a tripod for some hunts. Mule deer during October rifle seasons are a great example. Deer are not easy to locate and having the binos on a tripod helps me thoroughly check each shadow when glassing a hillside.

Downside of the 15x is that I can't see the same detail at distance I can with the spotter. It just does not have enough magnification for my eyes to replace a spotter for evaluating game most times. I hunt elk late in rifle season when there are a lot of broken tines, and that spotter can save me a long walk to a broken bull as an example.

My optics currently consist of Maven B3 8x30 binos, Leica Geovid HD-B 10x42's, and the ones mentioned above. I do not currently bow hunt, just muzzle loader and rifle.

Scouting trips I'm generally taking the Mavens 8x, Swaro 15x, and the spotter. 8x around my neck, the others in the pack. I don't need the rangefinding binos for this.

Hunting elk, caribou, moose, antelope I'm generally taking the Leica 10x and the spotter. I don't need the 15x to locate these animals most times. My 10x are capable of locating, my spotter for evaluating. There are exceptions but this is what I do more often than not.

Deer I'm almost always taking the 10x Leica, 15x Swaro, and the spotter. I'll be glassing enough with the binos on the tripod to justify the weight.

My interest in going to the Swaro instead of my Kowa is primarily the larger field of view. I hope that it will be better for scanning, locating game than the Kowa for me. It may or may not be enough different to change my current system for some hunts.

Hope that makes sense and helps.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I’ll take the little Kowa and sell the ATC to a Swaro fanboy to recoop my losses I’ll take immersive colors in the Kowa over the smeared/varying shades of blue/green my eyes see in the Swaro glass any day of the week

I’m loyal to myself. The Kowa 553 I owned was like looking though a paper towel roll, only the paper towel roll let more light in.

 

[InteriorAKPopsicle]

I own the bottom model; purchased for an upcoming Dall hunt (a once in a lifetime hunt for me). It's a great spotter, but outside of this one hunt, a smaller spotter would most likely be sufficient for me.

So very much looking forward to the results!

If you don't mind me asking, what tag did you draw? I also drew a tag - and I'm looking at all the spotter options too. I'm also looking at the bottom model - ATS/STS 65MM.

 

[mtwarden]

I'm in Montana, it's an outfitted hunt in the Brooks Range- hence the once in a lifetime

I'm very happy with the ATS 65; but outside of this particular hunt- I wouldn't be overly surprised if a smaller spotter would work just as well (deer/elk).

If I was lucky enough to be hunting sheep more frequently, I think the ATS 65 would be a solid choice backpack hunting.

 

[Westy35]

I’m very interested in this review also. I really like my little Kowa 553 for solo backpack hunting. I primarily glass with binos on a tripod and use the spotter for confirmation. I’d love to have a spotter that was still very light with good glass and excellent FOV that would lend itself better to scanning for critters than the Kowa does. The ATC seems to have come out with lackluster enthusiasm, and for the weight penalty, not sure if it’s worth it. To be clear, I haven’t put my hands on one yet - just musing about what’s on my brain there.