Which top end binocular?

[NWmissouriman]

Well unfortunately I live two hours from anywhere that stocks the listed models and the reality of me being to look through all of them and make some sort of solid conclusion in the store is highly unlikely, thus the reason for this post.

 

[dana bodnar]

I have owned my Swarovski 10x42 for 20 years and my 15x56 for 15 years pretty hard to beat and I cant remember how many times I have dropped them or rolled down the hill with them. The only problem I ever had with them is I made the mistake of wearing them around my neck all the time while driving my Quad around hunting and scouting and after years of that the focus bar roller started jamming up because of the dirt so I sent them in to Swarovski warranty and they ended up replacing everything but the frame and sent me a note saying always brush your lenses off with a soft lens brush before cleaning with an alcohol wipes If you don't brush them first the alcohol wipes just scratch the hell out of the lenses. So 2 weeks later I had a new set of Swarovski at no charge they even paid for shipping. After that I bought a enclose cover for them and life is good. Good glass is worth it's weight in gold and once you open up your eyes you will see what everyone else is passing up. And thank you Swarovski for taking care of my mistake.

 

[dana bodnar]

I have owned my Swarovski 10x42 for 20 years and my 15x56 for 15 years pretty hard to beat and I cant remember how many times I have dropped them or rolled down the hill with them. The only problem I ever had with them is I made the mistake of wearing them around my neck all the time while driving my Quad around hunting and scouting and after years of that the focus bar roller started jamming up because of the dirt so I sent them in to Swarovski warranty and they ended up replacing everything but the frame and sent me a note saying always brush your lenses off with a soft lens brush before cleaning with an alcohol wipes If you don't brush them first the alcohol wipes just scratch the hell out of the lenses. So 2 weeks later I had a new set of Swarovski at no charge they even paid for shipping. After that I bought a enclose cover for them and life is good. Good glass is worth it's weight in gold and once you open up your eyes you will see what everyone else is passing up. And thank you Swarovski for taking care of my mistake.

 

[NWmissouriman]

That's good information. I'm really glad to hear that about the warranty. It's great to know they'll take care of you. I've generally spent my funds on getting high end scopes and settling for low end to mediocre binoculars. After hunting the other day and seeing a buck near dark and not being able to determine it's size I've pretty much convinced myself to upgrade.

 

[Wedgy]

My go to pair is the Swaro EL 12x50 but the Meopta is a very close 2nd and there's a pair here;

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/meopta-12x50-hd-1200-obo.192692/

 

[NWmissouriman]

I've heard the Victory HT is the brightest you can get, but I've also heard that it doesn't have quite as good of contrast as the swarovski models. It makes me wonder if even though they are brighter you might not be able to pick up animals in thick trees as well or make out a deer rack as easy as you could with the contrast of the swarovski. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[dana bodnar]

For the money in good glass and if you also need a good rangefinder the Lica 10x42 is a great buy with the 1600-yard range finder built in. I'v seen these on sale as low as 1300 dollars. The Swarovski also makes them but for alot more money.

 

[Wedgy]

I've heard the Victory HT is the brightest you can get, but I've also heard that it doesn't have quite as good of contrast as the swarovski models. It makes me wonder if even though they are brighter you might not be able to pick up animals in thick trees as well or make out a deer rack as easy as you could with the contrast of the swarovski. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Not quite but I had Nikon Monarch 5 16x56 and Swaro SLC 15x56 and while the Nikons had better color saturation the SLC's would see about 13 minutes later at dusk at objects ~ a mile away, making them the winner. If you can't see it you can't score it.
Incidentally I sold the SLC's and kept the Nikons as I didn't use them often enough to justify the cost, and the Nikon's are very close and a really great bino for ~$500 on
Ebay.

 

[dana bodnar]

Wow Nikon over Swarovski ? That's funny just goes to show you theirs something for everybody.

 

[dana bodnar]

Try the longrangehunting store on this site

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

Everyone's eyes behave differently and they don't get better with age

You really need to get out and try a few.

 

[Wedgy]

Wow Nikon over Swarovski ? That's funny just goes to show you theirs something for everybody.

I'm not saying the Nikons are better, I'm saying for the 2x a year I use SLC's I'd rather have the extra $1,600 in my pocket by selling them and using the Nikons. The color is better on the Nikons but not the low light performance.

The EL12x50's I use are the best all around for the open space I hunt most of the time. The exit pupil on the 12x50(50/12 = 4.17) is more or less the same as the 10x(42/10 =4.2mm) so for me there is no less light and the size is almost identical to the 10x42 Leica HD-B's
https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hunting/new-15x-monster-binos#page-2

 

[dana bodnar]

I'm not saying the Nikons are better, I'm saying for the 2x a year I use SLC's I'd rather have the extra $1,600 in my pocket by selling them and using the Nikons. The color is better on the Nikons but not the low light performance.
View attachment 82459 The EL12x50's I use are the best all around for the open space I hunt most of the time. The exit pupil on the 12x50(50/12 = 4.17) is more or less the same as the 10x(42/10 =4.2mm) so for me there is no less light and the size is almost identical to the 10x42 Leica HD-B's
https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hunting/new-15x-monster-binos#page-2

The thread starter on this topic is High end binocular comparisons not low end, Everyone buys products to meet their demands and to stay in their budget. I hunt alot and long range hunting and shooting are my hobbies and I have learned along time ago if you use anything alot to buy good equipment. If Nikon glass makes you happy then I'am happy too. Good Hunting and remember all good tings come to he that can shot straight.

 

[Smokepoles]

I have a pair of the victory sf on the way, when they show up later this week I'll do a side by side between what I have here and post my opinion for you op. I'll compare-
Vic ht
Vic sf
Razor hd

The sf has a new version of the fl glass with some other changes over the ht. The ht is 95% with the sf at 92% light transmission but the contrast in the sf is said to be noticeably better. I'll let you know what I think if any of those models are on your short list