Anyone used the Leupold BX-5 Santiam HD 15x56??

[Hatchet Jack]

Unless I get a ringing endorsement that the Leupolds are the cats meow, there is no way I am passing up Meopta or Zeiss in favor of them. I haven't tried the Kaibabs, but I ran razors for years and I don't miss them. I think the other options at that price point are better. I own a pair of SLCs in 10x42. They cost twice as much as meoptas... are they twice as good? Nope. Are they awesome? Yup. As shallow as it sounds, I love picking them up and looking through them and knowing that I have the best binos that money can buy... and that just one time, I splurged to get something I didn't need. I honestly don't think I find animals with my SLCs that I wouldn't find with Zeiss or Meopta. Then again, I wouldn't change my decision to buy them. The problem is, once you get used to that feeling, it is hard to go back to cheaper glass, regardless of how minuscule the differences and how large the price disparity! So maybe I will save an extra year for the SLCs...

Smart move. I've never ever heard somebody say they wish they wouldn't have gotten the swaros.

 

[Agar426]

Unless I get a ringing endorsement that the Leupolds are the cats meow, there is no way I am passing up Meopta or Zeiss in favor of them. I haven't tried the Kaibabs, but I ran razors for years and I don't miss them. I think the other options at that price point are better.

I agree 100% on both the Meopta and the Zeiss. Let me throw you a curve ball....what if you could get the Leupold's for $950? Not if their price was $950 straight up.....their price is $1,400-$1,450 from most vendors. If you could "get a deal" on the Leupolds for $950, does this now change their status as a viable option? In other words, barring any better information (as their aren't many reviews out there....), does this model need to be had at a discount to be considered?

 

[TheCougar]

I agree 100% on both the Meopta and the Zeiss. Let me throw you a curve ball....what if you could get the Leupold's for $950? Not if their price was $950 straight up.....their price is $1,400-$1,450 from most vendors. If you could "get a deal" on the Leupolds for $950, does this now change their status as a viable option? In other words, barring any better information (as their aren't many reviews out there....), does this model need to be had at a discount to be considered?

I can get all three (Zeiss, Meopta, Leupold) at a substantial discount through their military program. Swaro has no such offer, which means the price disparity is even greater. I don't think I am allowed to say what the price is, but I still think I would choose the other over the Leupolds even if they are a bit more expensive. I'm not dropping a pile of money on something that is unproven and unknown. Leupold is seriously dropping the ball on their new "flagship" bino. Why would anyone buy it if there is no literature, reviews, marketing, etc?

 

[Agar426]

I can get all three (Zeiss, Meopta, Leupold) at a substantial discount through their military program. Swaro has no such offer, which means the price disparity is even greater. I don't think I am allowed to say what the price is, but I still think I would choose the other over the Leupolds even if they are a bit more expensive. I'm not dropping a pile of money on something that is unproven and unknown. Leupold is seriously dropping the ball on their new "flagship" bino. Why would anyone buy it if there is no literature, reviews, marketing, etc?

My question is.....what if the Leupold was the only one you could get on a discount? Does it then become appealing at a $500-$600 difference in cost compared to the Zeiss or Meopta?

I've always held Leupold in high regard with their rifle scopes. With Binos, they seem to have always been a second tier product in their gold ring line, and a third or fourth tier product in their green ring/wind river lines. I have a pair of the original Mojaves in 10x42. Not the BX-3, BX-3 HD, Mojave Pro Guide.....just the plain old original Mojave. They have served me well for nearly 10 years. I am intrigued by their new BX-4 Pro Guides to replace my current Mojaves, which I would pass to my son. I would like to believe the post above wherein it's stated that Leupold is looking to compete with the big boys. I know the Viper HDs would probably compete with the new BX-4s, but there is something about Vortex that freaks me out....I don't know what it is. I haven't looked through their Razor line of scopes, but their Viper line left me thinking they were no comparison to my Zeiss Conquests as far as image quality goes. That being said, their binos have always intrigued me. They are a marketing machine, no doubt about that, but I am constantly seeing Vortex products up for sale. I realize they are a "stepping stone" brand and their warranty is great, but why don't people hang on to their Vortex products long term? I know I am over thinking things, but.....even the Kaibabs, at $1,000 - $1,200 are expensive....expensive enough that I don't want to be buying a "good enough for now" pair of 15x. I am absolutely considering the Meoptas and the Conquests....it's just a matter of finding the right price. I might be able to get a deal on the Leulpolds, but I have been unsuccessful in finding a "deal" on the other brands. I am working on that....

 

[hwy1strat]

My question is.....what if the Leupold was the only one you could get on a discount? Does it then become appealing at a $500-$600 difference in cost compared to the Zeiss or Meopta?

Only you can decide if the additional cost is worth the better glass for your situation.

 

[TheCougar]

I think that yes, if the Leupold is the only one you can get a deal on, they would be a player. I have a very narrow IPD, so I can't use other binos in the $1000 range (kaibabs, nikons, etc). Never having look through the Leupolds or the nikons, I can't say which is better.

 

[Agar426]

I think that yes, if the Leupold is the only one you can get a deal on, they would be a player. I have a very narrow IPD, so I can't use other binos in the $1000 range (kaibabs, nikons, etc). Never having look through the Leupolds or the nikons, I can't say which is better.

That's what I am thinking.....

 

[Agar426]

My buddy is on distribution for The Outdoorsman's email list. Last night he go an email from them where one of their staff reviewed the Santiam, and, while the review wasn't long, and it was based on only one day in the field, the review was positive.

 

[TheCougar]

I talked to the guy who wrote the article on the phone a couple of weeks ago. He basically said the same, but he ranked it above the kaibab and below the Zeiss for optical clarity.

 

[WRO]

I spent a little time behind them the other day, nothing to write home about when compared to the meopta/swaro's.

 

[Agar426]

I spent a little time behind them the other day, nothing to write home about when compared to the meopta/swaro's.

What about from a "value added" standpoint? In other words, if you're going to compare to the Swaros, which are $2,300, vs. $1,400 (typical vendor prices), which would put the Santiam's at 60% the cost of the Swaros.....are they 60% the quality? Especially for the "hobbyist" as opposed to the professional. To play extreme devil's advocate, what if the Leupold's could be had for 40% the cost of the Swaros? What I am looking for is "value added." I am damn close to literally taking out a small loan and getting the Swaros, but....I have to ask myself, is it because they are NEEDED, or because I want to be able to claim I have the best product out there, which I don't actually have a problem with, although my family might.

Now....once you throw in the Meoptas, then the argument changes. The Leupold's would have to be had at a pretty good discount below the Meoptas to be a good value.

 

[Agar426]

I talked to the guy who wrote the article on the phone a couple of weeks ago. He basically said the same, but he ranked it above the kaibab and below the Zeiss for optical clarity.

I checked out the Kaibab, SLC, and Conquest over the weekend. Honestly, I liked the Swaros best, but....I felt the Zeiss were actually more comfortable against my face, and at least within the confines of the in store conditions, I felt the glass was comparable. What I liked better about the SLCs was the focus. The Conquest, while having a great image....was harder to focus. It was easy to "go past" the sweet spot. Both the Kaibabs and the SLCs had a "longer" interval on the focus wheel as to when it was in focus. What I didn't like about the Kaibabs was 2 things....while the image was crisp to my eye, it wasn't as bright; and they weren't comfortable on my face.....in order to get a good single image, I had to adjust the IPD to be pretty tight, which caused a less than ideal "fit" to my face.

 

[mcseal2]

I went through this whole process a few years ago. I tried 15x Vortex and 13x Minox, and ended up returning the Vortex, using the Minox for a season and selling them at a loss. I saved up and bought 15x SLC's after that. It cost me more than if I'd just done that the first time. I feel like the higher magnification binos really benefit from the better glass and coatings. To be fair I never tried Meopta or Zeiss, after I tried the other two I just said screw it. I know the Swaro's will be great and I'll never wonder if I could have seen what a buck was at last light with better glass. I will just know it was to dang dark to see him and not be stewing over it. It's worth the extra in peace of mind to me. If the technology gets enough better in 10 years to justify upgrading again my Swaro's will likely still be worth a decent amount when I sell them.

 

[WRO]

What about from a "value added" standpoint? In other words, if you're going to compare to the Swaros, which are $2,300, vs. $1,400 (typical vendor prices), which would put the Santiam's at 60% the cost of the Swaros.....are they 60% the quality? Especially for the "hobbyist" as opposed to the professional. To play extreme devil's advocate, what if the Leupold's could be had for 40% the cost of the Swaros? What I am looking for is "value added." I am damn close to literally taking out a small loan and getting the Swaros, but....I have to ask myself, is it because they are NEEDED, or because I want to be able to claim I have the best product out there, which I don't actually have a problem with, although my family might.

Now....once you throw in the Meoptas, then the argument changes. The Leupold's would have to be had at a pretty good discount below the Meoptas to be a good value.

Value added in optics is probably not a good thing for me to discuss, as I think having the best or damn near is more important than just buying a set.

I've literally bought 5 spotters in the last 15 years, if I just would have nutted up the first time, I'd have only owned 2. Same with bino's, I've gone through so many pairs, I've literally lost count. I'd definitely have been money ahead to just buy the right ones in the first place.

IMHO, buy the Swaro's or the Meoptas and be done with it.

They're closing out the Euro's right now and you should be able to find a set instock somewhere for under 1200.00.

 

[mcseal2]

Got a text from a friend last night who will be getting a pair of the Leupold 15x in September. He had Leupold 10-17x switch power binos he had to send in for repair. They told him they would no longer repair those binos, and sent him a pair of their best 10x42's, and will be sending him a pair of the 15x56 also in September. Can't beat that for customer service or standing behind your product. The switch powers were no where near that amount new. I hope to get to look through them while he is back for muzzle loader season.

 

[hwy1strat]

Wow, that is pretty generous of Leupold!

 

[SawtoothShooter]

Anything new in regards to the Santiams? I can get the BX-5s, Conquests, or MeoStar B1 HDs for within $100 of eachother, and I have access to the conquests and Meoptas at work. However I still cannot find any info on the Leupolds... Hopefully some of you guys have some new insight now that they have been out a while.

 

[timberbuck]

Swaro SLC HD
Zeiss
Meopta
SLC NEU
Lepold/Maven/Styrka S9,kaibab


In that order IMO

 

[Agar426]

When people rank the Meopta's, does that also include the Cabela's version?

 

[Hatchet Jack]

When people rank the Meopta's, does that also include the Cabela's version?

Yup same thing