The Rangefinding Binocular Battle | Swarovski VS Leupold VS SIG VS Leica VS Vortex

[Chad Dembinski]

In this video we compared the five 10x42 rangefinding binoculars, that we believe, are leaders in the market currently. These are the Swarovski EL-Range, Leupold BX-6 Range HD, Vortex Talon 10k, Sig Sauer Kilo 10k, and the Leica Geovid AB+. They were evaluated on the following criteria: Overall optical clarity, edge-to-edge clarity, bright light performance, ballistic functionality, display\reticle information, ergonomics, build quality\design, value, comparable models and personal recommendation. We graded each binoculars based on a rating system from 1-10. All scores are out of 100 possible points.


Which one of these Binos have you been able to try and what are your thoughts?

Chapters:
00:00 - 02:47 Overview of the Test
02:48 - 04:19 Thoughts on Inputting Wind Directly into the Binocular
04:20 - 09:18 Leupold BX-6 Range HD Evaluation
09:19 - 11:40 Sig Sauer Kilo 10k Evaluation
11:41 - 14:52 Swarovski EL Range Evaluation
14:53 - 19:33 Vortex Talon 10k Evaluation
19:34 - 23:19 Leica Geovid AB+ Evaluation
23:20 - 26:42 Kevin's Scores and Thoughts
26:43 - 30:43 Joe's Scores and Thoughts
30:44 - 33:13 Brody's Scores and Thoughts
33:14 - 33:39 Total Average Scores For Each Bino
33:40 - 34:58 Outro

Disclaimer: Digiscope footage may not accurately reflect performance of the binocular. We used a universal digiscoping adapter to acquire footage for informational purposes and could contain flaws.

 

[IrkedCitizen]

Have you played with the Revic BR10?

 

[waspocrew]

No Revic huh?

 

[JGRaider]

Thanks for posting. Would have loved to see the new Tract offering. I've asked this question to everyone, and nobody knows or bothers to answer......who makes the Leupold version now, and where are they made?

 

[IdahoJoe29]

great video! I would throw in the zeiss rf I know a few guys that are super happy with theirs.

 

[robby denning]

oh heck ya!

 

[Weldor]

Love to see the same tests on a rainy, foggy or snowy day. That will separate the men from the boys as far as range finding.

 

[YodaSends]

Surprised by the Leupold, but also surprised with the Leica in last - those that have them seem to love them.

 

[JGRaider]

Surprised by the Leupold, but also surprised with the Leica in last - those that have them seem to love them.

Never was impressed with the RF ability of my (3) Leica 3200.com's. Never did get a sample that worked properly.

 

[YodaSends]

Never was impressed with the RF ability of my (3) Leica 3200.com's. Never did get a sample that worked properly.

honestly not sure what I want to do - I have NL Pures - but want something that isn't on the rifle for range finding - and maybe 1400+ nm on the laser. Big plus if it work with the foretrex too...which kind of means AB for now.

The other test I'd like to see is a test of the compasses - most of them are beyond gimmick and the pins the generate are neither accurate nor precise... Being able to get a good pin to the foretrex without needing to futz with a smartphone would be money.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

I definitely enjoyed the review, I do wish there was the Revic RF Bino in it. The leupold was a surprise, but so was the Price @ $4K...

 

[dreamingWest]

I didn't have a chance to watch the entire review video, but I did tune in to see why Leica was last. I cannot believe the reviewers hated the ergos. The ergonomics of the Leica Geovid Pro is the number one reason I selected it. The unique shape due to the perger prisms fits in my hands so well. Maybe because they were very much focused on tripod ranging? They even went as far to say the ergos were poorly thought out. I think it's their best quality!

 

[elsb0048]

I didn't have a chance to watch the entire review video, but I did tune in to see why Leica was last. I cannot believe the reviewers hated the ergos. The ergonomics of the Leica Geovid Pro is the number one reason I selected it. The unique shape due to the perger prisms fits in my hands so well. Maybe because they were very much focused on tripod ranging? They even went as far to say the ergos were poorly thought out. I think it's their best quality!

I hear you on the leica geovids from a hand-holding perspective, I found them a bit comfier than the swaros in a 30sec optics counter experience. Although hand size could definitely play a big role there, I have XXLish size hands and the geovids felt great.

That said I found it super helpful that they commented on the challenges getting them in and out of a bino harness as I didn't think to bring my harness to the store.

I'm honestly glad they brought up the tripod specifics as that is a huge factor for me. I refuse to buy a bino that doesn't accept a stud and the fore/aft balancing issue they noted with the leupold on a fluid head is a big priority for me, it drives me nuts to not be able to get my optics balanced on a head.

The one thing that I think could help a review like this would almost be for the folks participating to more clearly state their use case and preference or to put a specific hat on from a user standpoint. I feel they did a decent job noting the trade-offs between the top glass and top ranging/ballistics but I think most of these guys have pretty similar use cases and priorities. If you had one reviewer put on the competetive shooter hat and another the mid-long range (600 and in) hunter hat and really structure their preferences around that to contrast the differences in scores would be kinda helpful. I'm picturing the Form vs. Robby Denning opinions there.

Last thing that would be interesting but maybe hard to fit into a video would be a little more details on how the apps work and what their particulars are. I'm envisioning a similar level of user experience persnicketiness to the tripod interaction stuff.

 

[Axlrod]

I have had the Leica Pro's for about a year. Spent a lot of time hunting with them. I like the Ergonomics of them, maybe because I have a bunch of time on them I don't know. I don't remember them being a problem when new.
My other binos are 12x NL Pure's. I don't feel the optics in the Leica RF binos are much of a step down from the Swaro's. I will continue to use the Swaro's for scouting and for archery season. As I much prefer a one handed stand alone RF for archery.
But the Leica's will be used for most all rifle hunting.

I use a Marsupial bino pack. It is a little harder to take them out of the pack, but my 12 year old has had no issues using them.

The one thing I like most is the simple display, all I want is a solution in the screen. It is my favorite display of all I have seen.

He mentioned you need an aftermarket adapter to use a tripod. This isn't true. I bought an adapter made by (or sold by) Leica, from Eurooptic when I bought the Bino's. It is a small platform, with a rubber strap. That clips into an Arca. While it may not be as well recieved by some as the Outdoorsman stud, it is very useable.

The Leica ballistic app is very user friendly. I also have the Leica pro RF, so I can use one app for both.

Really enjoyed the comparison video. RF Bino's are the best hunting equipment I have purchased in a very long time.
The only thing I would change is, get your ass out of bed and test them at daybreak!

 

[Chad Dembinski]

Have you played with the Revic BR10?

Most of us here have had a good amount of time behind them to give an opinion on them. While the display and ballistics is great, I think I can speak for most of us, if not all, that the glass quality just does not match up to the ones we tested here. I will post a review we did with western hunter here and its a written article.

The biggest surprise for me on this list was the Leupolds though. They come with the bigger price tag but I think they can compete with that market price range.

Revic Acura BR10 Review

Uncover the enhancements in the Revic Acura BR10 Review, including improved optical performance and usability for shooters.

westernhunter.net

 

[Chad Dembinski]

great video! I would throw in the zeiss rf I know a few guys that are super happy with theirs.

Thanks we really appreciate that! Most of us have had quite a bit of time behind the Zeiss RF and they are a great binocular. I will say personally I am not a fan of where the ranging button is and the reticle is pretty big compared to the others in their price category.

Quite honestly though, we wanted to have some in all different price ranges and the newer offerings to test for people. Zeiss makes a great binocular especially in their upgraded SFL line which could be for a different video. The RF are a great bino, I just think when you get into that price point you really start to nit pick some things that make a difference in feel and performance.

 

[Chad Dembinski]

Thanks for posting. Would have loved to see the new Tract offering. I've asked this question to everyone, and nobody knows or bothers to answer......who makes the Leupold version now, and where are they made?

Great questions! To be honest we just do not sell the Tract so thats why it is not in our video, but I have heard some decent things about them. I guess I am a little confused on the first part of the Leupold question, but these binoculars are a HUGE step up in glass quality from any of their other binos they have produced that I have looked through.
I mean its a big step for them, I am not saying these are Swarovski type glass, but they are extremely comfortable to sit behind, and really clear edge to edge glass.

One of the best parts I think about them is that, if needed, They are warrantied and repaired right here in Oregon at their HQ! That is huge IMO, Swaro has great customer service but Electronics are sent back to Austria and can take months to get back. Leica has okay customer service, but I have seen repairs take way too long honestly. That is a huge step for Leupold in their binocular line and hopefully something they can build on in the future.

 

[Chad Dembinski]

I didn't have a chance to watch the entire review video, but I did tune in to see why Leica was last. I cannot believe the reviewers hated the ergos. The ergonomics of the Leica Geovid Pro is the number one reason I selected it. The unique shape due to the perger prisms fits in my hands so well. Maybe because they were very much focused on tripod ranging? They even went as far to say the ergos were poorly thought out. I think it's their best quality!

I totally get where you are coming from and I think we both can agree that the ergos are such a personal preference thing, and I personally do like the contour they put on these as well. Of course for us here the tripod attachment is always gonna be something that we would gripe about cause we are so used to our bino adapters haha. For hand holding though they do have some ergonomic thought built into these.

 

[Chad Dembinski]

I have had the Leica Pro's for about a year. Spent a lot of time hunting with them. I like the Ergonomics of them, maybe because I have a bunch of time on them I don't know. I don't remember them being a problem when new.
My other binos are 12x NL Pure's. I don't feel the optics in the Leica RF binos are much of a step down from the Swaro's. I will continue to use the Swaro's for scouting and for archery season. As I much prefer a one handed stand alone RF for archery.
But the Leica's will be used for most all rifle hunting.

I use a Marsupial bino pack. It is a little harder to take them out of the pack, but my 12 year old has had no issues using them.

The one thing I like most is the simple display, all I want is a solution in the screen. It is my favorite display of all I have seen.

He mentioned you need an aftermarket adapter to use a tripod. This isn't true. I bought an adapter made by (or sold by) Leica, from Eurooptic when I bought the Bino's. It is a small platform, with a rubber strap. That clips into an Arca. While it may not be as well recieved by some as the Outdoorsman stud, it is very useable.

The Leica ballistic app is very user friendly. I also have the Leica pro RF, so I can use one app for both.

Really enjoyed the comparison video. RF Bino's are the best hunting equipment I have purchased in a very long time.
The only thing I would change is, get your ass out of bed and test them at daybreak!

Great points here and yes there is the platform adapter you can get from Leica or there is some you can find on amazon that fit these. I know we can be a bit biased on that due to having our stud and adapter system and so used to using it that the binos without that set up seem foreign on a tripod to us.

Love the last comment and I told them to stop being lazy asses next time! haha

 

[Chad Dembinski]

I hear you on the leica geovids from a hand-holding perspective, I found them a bit comfier than the swaros in a 30sec optics counter experience. Although hand size could definitely play a big role there, I have XXLish size hands and the geovids felt great.

That said I found it super helpful that they commented on the challenges getting them in and out of a bino harness as I didn't think to bring my harness to the store.

I'm honestly glad they brought up the tripod specifics as that is a huge factor for me. I refuse to buy a bino that doesn't accept a stud and the fore/aft balancing issue they noted with the leupold on a fluid head is a big priority for me, it drives me nuts to not be able to get my optics balanced on a head.

The one thing that I think could help a review like this would almost be for the folks participating to more clearly state their use case and preference or to put a specific hat on from a user standpoint. I feel they did a decent job noting the trade-offs between the top glass and top ranging/ballistics but I think most of these guys have pretty similar use cases and priorities. If you had one reviewer put on the competetive shooter hat and another the mid-long range (600 and in) hunter hat and really structure their preferences around that to contrast the differences in scores would be kinda helpful. I'm picturing the Form vs. Robby Denning opinions there.

Last thing that would be interesting but maybe hard to fit into a video would be a little more details on how the apps work and what their particulars are. I'm envisioning a similar level of user experience persnicketiness to the tripod interaction stuff.

Great points here and appreciate the well thought out comment! I did mention that we should go over the different app set ups as they are all a little bit different and pros and cons to all of them. Especially with some being applied ballistics or 4DOF or even their own ballistic software. Thanks for pointing that out.