SikaSeeker
FNG
- Joined
- Feb 16, 2023
- Messages
- 99
View attachment 718869
Managed to obtain a set of Highlanders, I’d also considered the 884 paired but that’s on the long finger for another day.
The highlander eyepiece eyecup is compatible with other kowa eyepieces , I had to replace the rubber pieces as they’d went a bit gummy. I’d hazard a guess UV exposure did this.
Thus far I’ve not gotten ideal conditions to test but already the Highlanders are impressive, they give a depth of field you don’t have with one eye.
The optics in the highlander differ to the Kowa 824 which is a straight forward porro arrangement. The highlander uses a Schmidt pecan arrangement, a 45 degree prism and a rhombus prism for the IPD adjustment mechanism. Also has a neutral density filter. The tubes have more girth Vs the 824 and subsequent filter thread of 95mm(same as 884). It seems the main reason for this is manufacturing process designed for robustness.
I was lucky the example I found for sale is mint condition throughout as it has sat indoors looking out across a port.
The major downside is of course the weight, they are brutes. 6.2kg
The little aiming spike is useful enough.
I am on the lookout for Docter 40x 80 Aspectum ED as well, had a swap deal (for the non ED version) fall through this week.
Kevin at Montour County Rifles still makes them on occasion.Out west the only two I know of currently are Wells Sports in the Prescott Valley, AZ and AdamsAdapters in San Manuel, AZ. Montour Rifles used to make some. Swarovski sold a set for awhile but no idea who's bracket they used. There were quite a few back east but I don't know who they were or are.
Well, Adams Adapters came out with a mini Razor adapter and got the minimum IPD down to 2.5” with some armor trimming. I just bought one and a second Razor from a member.I took some measurements on my 13-39x56 Razor that I have on hand. Max diameter is on the focus ring at 2.800". Accounting for clearance to turn (unless I'm missing something), that would leave a pair mini Razors too wide for budget big eyes. Oh well! Maybe a pair of STCs will work for my eyes.
Cuz it’s a monstrosity to carry. BTX-95 done.. carry it everywhere.Why don’t I see more folks creating their own big eyes? Am I missing something? It seems like you could throw together a couple older razors and have a solid value “BTX like” set-up. Please school me on what I’m overlooking, other than weight.
The big eye setups with small scopes are changing that.Cuz it’s a monstrosity to carry. BTX-95 done.. carry it everywhere.
Sounds like you could use some more protein in ur diet haha.. JK,, but I don’t care about a little extra weight I’m takin the BTX everywhere,, for me NL 12x and BTX-95 is perfect for just about any hunt..The big eye setups with small scopes are changing that.
I'd much rather carry a pair of Swaro STC, Kowa 55S, Maven S.2, or Vortex mini Razors since they're more compact. The comparable (or lighter) weight for less bulk, zoom, competitive price, and straight scope body give the BTX some serious competition.
I own BTX, a pair of Swaro Twin 65’s and NL 12’s. Nothing wrong with the BTX but at even greater weight and bulk I prefer the Twins and use them almost exclusively now. I’ve posted mby in this thread or another on why I prefer them. Friends have BTX and we glass side by side and we all do pretty well with both. I think I do better but that just might be my opinionI’m takin the BTX everywhere,, for me NL 12x and BTX-95 is perfect for just about any hunt..
Haha! While I loved the clarity and convenience, the angled bulk of the BTX combined with the fixed magnification increasingly bothered me. I couldn't scan an area as effectively as I would have liked and found I was likely missing deer in certain scenarios due to the (comparably) limited FOV.Sounds like you could use some more protein in ur diet haha.. JK,, but I don’t care about a little extra weight I’m takin the BTX everywhere,, for me NL 12x and BTX-95 is perfect for just about any hunt..
Optic | Mag | Max FOV | Min FOV | Max Area | Min Area | Max Area % of Vortex |
BTX 65/85 | 30 | 112 | 112 | 9852 | 9852 | 44.4 |
BTX 95/115 | 35 | 96 | 96 | 7238.2 | 7238.2 | 32.7 |
NL 8x42 | 8 | 477 | 477 | 178700.9 | 178700.9 | 806.2 |
NL 10x42 | 10 | 399 | 399 | 125036.2 | 125036.2 | 564.1 |
NL 12x42 | 12 | 339 | 339 | 90258.7 | 90258.7 | 407.2 |
NL 14X52 | 14.7 | 279 | 279 | 61136.2 | 61136.2 | 275.8 |
Vortex Mini Razor | 13-39 | 168 | 89 | 22167.1 | 6221.1 | 100 |
Maven S.2 | 12-27 | 173 | 110 | 23506.2 | 9503.3 | 106 |
STC | 17-40 | 186 | 102 | 27171.6 | 8171.3 | 122.6 |
Kowa 55S | 17-40 | 192 | 105 | 28952.9 | 8659 | 130.6 |
CL 8x25 | 8 | 357 | 357 | 100098.2 | 100098.2 | 451.6 |