Swarovski EL - Overhyped?

[Tl15]

i was more coming from a thought process of, “These are supposed to be the reference standard bino. Why would someone sell them unless there is something they didn’t like?” Admittedly, this is my first dabble into the good stuff. I’m pretty ignorant of the whole lane.

 

[Bubba85]

It’s all subjective when you get to that price point. I tried them all SF’s, El’s and Nl’s and to me my eyes liked the color and sharpness of the noctivid 8x42 so that’s what I went with. They are all very exceptional and can’t really go wrong with any in my opinion.

I agreed with what was stated above folks that have been in the El’s for a while are selling to upgrade to the pures or just want the latest and greatest.

 

[jimh406]

I think overhype depends on what you plan to do with them and how much money you have. Any binoculars are better than nothing, and there is nothing better than the best. There is a huge difference in price from the best vs very good.

Plenty of people have killed a lot of game and hunt with inexpensive equipment. However, if I was going to buy Els or NLs I think I would just spend the extra to buy the NLs.

Fwiw, I just visited the Swarovski site and they have a 20% off offer if you give them your email. I don't know how that compares to normal price.

 

[desertdog15]

I think a lot of people are probably selling ELs to get NLs. I have had both and the NLs are the best in the world. Don’t regret buying them for a second

 

[MT_Wyatt]

The swaro 20% off thing is for their “gear” or accessories - unfortunately not for the glass. But you could get a sick eagle buff thing

I think the topic of over hyped gear, in general, is somewhat personal and dependent on your preferences, how you hunt, what you value, etc. Do you like glassing or does seeing animals closer bring you a little joy? I’ve got friends that 100% wouldn’t grab alpha glass, and I know people that have it for “status” or whatever and primarily road hunt. My answer to it has really changed over time. It’s all relative, and it’s good to have some vices and joy in life.

 

[tdhanses]

Only reason I sold my EL’s was to get bino/rangefinder combo, went with Leica and don’t regret it. I would say swaro is good but so are many others.

 

[pirogue]

Like said above, after hunting season, a one and done “out West” hunt, etc, generates more sales of all used optics. I have Swaro ELs and the Swaro NL Pures and have thought of selling my ELs, just for the purpose of offsetting the cost of upgrading, not because of any dislike. Some correlate Swarovski optics to Yeti coolers,….if you can’t afford it, you bash it.

 

[Mojave]

I have a pair of EL Range TAs. I have also owned EL 12x50, and an older 8.5x42 back in 2005. I have also owned Swarovski SLCs in 8x56, 7x42, and 8x42. From Ziess I have owned 10x56 T Series.

Optics are an individual situation. Just because someone likes one thing, doesn't mean it works for everyone. I have written long winded complaint articles on these pages many times about eye-relief and for an older guy, or a guy with really bad eye sight, eye relief is a problem.

NL's have eye relief issues for me. I get nothing gained out of them. Yes they are immersive, but not really with the lack of eye relief.

The EL 10x50 is amazing and so is the 8x42. I wish there was a 8x56 version of the EL or NL.

Truth be told I do not like my EL Range TA's 100%. They are among the most expensive binoculars available and I don't like the digital computer functions, think the eye relief is ok, but they are almost NL in viewing. As the TA's have upgraded to NL glass.

 

[Tl15]

I snagged a pair of Zeiss SF’s. Assuming I didn’t get ripped off, I’ll have them here to b2b with the EL and NL’s. Hopefully I don’t end up blowing my bonus on a set of pures….

 

[Spiral Horn]

Own quite a few binoculars, and back in 2017 set out to buy a new alpha. At that time I was pretty much convinced it was going to be a 10x42 EL. After all, I’d spent some time admiring my buddy’s EL and read all the glowing online recommendations. However, even back then I noticed there was something about the SV view that didn’t quite 100% agree with me. Then I sampled the Zeiss SF and forgot all about the EL. The highlights were an equally sharp but much easier view with wider FOV, obviously better handling and much lighter feel, and superb focus mechanism.

So, to me the EL is still a stellar optic for those comfortable with the Swarovision view, but I prefer both the SF and NL to the EL.

 

[roosiebull]

I have never owned EL but have compared them different times to other makes/models ever since they were introduced.

I actually prefer the Vortex UHD to the current EL and was surprised that a fairly well known dealer stated the same. He said that the UHD is superior optically in his opinion, but he cannot change customers' brand loyalty and simply doesn't bother.

If I told you his name, you would probably know who it is, and he's a hunter and not just a salesman. Sells both brands and doesn't care what people buy. We agreed that the biggest issue with the UHD is the build quality. Obviously the AK design adds bulk compared to the SP design too.

I still really like the old non-SV 8x32 EL and currently use the last version of SLC so am not anti-Swaro. I'm just posting all this to state that just because you buy an EL or NL it does not mean it's the best for everyone, optically or otherwise.

Good luck shopping! It's a lot of fun figuring out what you like.

I am at the far other end of that, to my eyes, the uhd were the biggest letdown I’ve experienced in optics, and I spent a bunch of time behind them for a year… that was coming from older slc’s at that time. I hated them, and it was a nice touch their little decal fell off the first day, haha.

Hard to sell too, I got a really good deal on them and still lost money

I wanted to like them but I hated them, everything looked gray through them, contrast sucked. Kowa gennies replaced them and I loved those (my wife uses them now and I have NL’s)

I thought I was going to like the uhd, sold my slc’s to get them, but like I said, huge letdown for my eyes and trying to fall apart.

Unless something changes there, I’ll never buy another vortex product, nothing I’ve owned from them has been decent… but they have a good warranty, haha

I am surprised there are people that prefer them to EL, I have directly compared them on the mountain and it just made me regret my decision more, I didn’t think they were even in the same conversation side by side

 

[roosiebull]

I’m on the fence between the EL’s and the Zeiss SF in 10x42. On paper and from reading reviews, I’m liking the Zeiss, but it’s a lot easier picking up a lightly used pair of EL’s and saving a good bit of coin. SF’s come up every once in a while, but not like the EL’s. I just can’t find anywhere with examples of both to demo so I’m picking blind.

You can’t go wrong there, both are awesome

 

[Mojave]

You cant compare "best" or "overhyped" based on what you see or dont see in the classifieds.

Thats like saying "I have seen more Tacoma's broken down in the mountains than I have seen VW Passat, therefore the Passat is a better vehicle." Yes, I have seen a Passat on one of the worst FS roads I have ever driven.

I sold optics for a long time. People buy way more Swaro then they do Zeiss or Leica. Based on sheer numbers alone, there will be more Swaros for sale on the used market because there are so many out there.

Like all optics, the best thing you can do is look through them and pick the pair that works best for you.

Here in Germany, Germans buy Ziess.

Outside of Germany Europeans buy Swarovski.

The country rivalry between Germany and Austria is the only thing pushing people toward Swarvoski.

 

[Mojave]

I am surprised there are people that prefer them to EL, I have directly compared them on the mountain and it just made me regret my decision more, I didn’t think they were even in the same conversation side by side

People that live in the 30mm or 42mm objective world get really tied to trying to tell themselves that their Vortex is the equal to the Germans. Even Meopta's higher end stuff is better than anything sold by Vortex. I am a firm believer that Kowa makes a decent set of binoculars, they are near ultra, at least in the range of the best Meopta.

Of course for spotting scopes Kowa has few peers.

 

[StupidLightweight]

No matter the company, alpha-level glass is never overhyped. However, the prices are getting insane. With a wife and kids now, it would be financially impossible to upgrade my 8x32 EL or 15x56 SLC. But if something happened to my optics, I wouldn't replace them with Vortex/Leupold/Maven/Meopta/Kowa. Instead, I'd sell a few guns and get the best Swaros. Top quality binos are so much more important than the rifle you're packing.

I've said this before, but it really stuck with me, so I'll pass it along in case it helps anyone. A few years ago, I chatted with a guy who once sold all the top brands of optics. According to him, optically speaking, a person might prefer Zeiss or Leica or Nikon over Swarovski. He said they're all that good. However, he added that the Swaro warranty was so much better than everyone else that, for his money, they were his only pick.

 

[Mojave]

The warranty issue is a really hard one to work out.

I think we all want 100% coverage for everything that is wrong.

Sometimes it is our fault, and then you have the morality issue if you think you should have to pay for a mistake you made or not.

My kids have been breaking Christmas decorations when they fall off the shelf this year a few times. Mostly it gets caught on their coat. I have went directly to the counter and tried to pay every time, and not once did they let me.

For an Alpha level optic we are talking about $3000 and up. You drop them, that is normally on you.

 

[2five7]

I bought my first pair of Swaro binos 10 years ago, a never really used set of 8.5x42 SV EL. Today they are worth about what I paid back then. I don't know of any other brand of bino that would hold value that well.

 

[StupidLightweight]

The warranty issue is a really hard one to work out.

I think we all want 100% coverage for everything that is wrong.

Sometimes it is our fault, and then you have the morality issue if you think you should have to pay for a mistake you made or not.

My kids have been breaking Christmas decorations when they fall off the shelf this year a few times. Mostly it gets caught on their coat. I have went directly to the counter and tried to pay every time, and not once did they let me.

For an Alpha level optic we are talking about $3000 and up. You drop them, that is normally on you.

If you drop a 20-year-old Swaro, you'll likely pay to have them fixed. It might even cost $400, but then you have like-new optics ready for another decade of service. Now, if you drop a pair of Leica or Zeiss, how much it run to have them fixed? I have no idea, and after speaking with a wise man who sold optics and dealt with the various warranty programs, I don't plan on finding out.

 

[Steve O]

If you drop a 20-year-old Swaro, you'll likely pay to have them fixed. It might even cost $400, but then you have like-new optics ready for another decade of service. Now, if you drop a pair of Leica or Zeiss, how much it run to have them fixed? I have no idea, and after speaking with a wise man who sold optics and dealt with the various warranty programs, I don't plan on finding out.

Excellent point. I have a very bad used pair of older 8x32 in at Swarovski right now. They quoted me $100 to fix everything and I fully expect them to be good as new or actually better when I get them back.

 

[Marshfly]

Swaro ELs and similar level optics can't be appreciated with a quick "look through."
They earn their keep when doing detailed glassing at distance and into/through brush. The increased detail that is available when glassing under trees for bedded animals or into timber from the opposite side of a canyon is simply amazing. That's where they shine. Until you see that first hand, you simply can't appreciate them really.

That said, all of the alpha glass manufacturers have a different feel when looking through them and your eyes will absolutely like one more than the rest. If you have the room on your credit card, order the Swaro, Zeiss, and Leica and return the two you don't want.