Swarovski or Vortex

[deadwolf]

My contacts, my astigmatism, several floaters and some light early stages of cataracts make the edge to edge clarity of the swaros semi useless to me. I would also assume a lot of people have one or more eye limitations like I do and the swaro glass can not be fully utilized in their instance as well as mine.

Is that better?


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I would counter that since your eyes are that messed up you need all the help you can get!! And I’m in the same boat : )


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[WRO]

you definitely need to look through both to make that decision for yourself. As others have said Swaro are the king of the hill but if your not a huge hunter and find justifying the additional cost for edge to edge clarity is not worth the extra 1000$ then it would be an easy decision. I know I wouldn't of owned Swaros if I didn't get a crazy deal on them.

Its not just edge to edge clarity or useable FOV, its colors, textures, detail at distance, that all make a difference.

 

[CRAGGAR]

I have the Vortex and while they are very good i do wish i had SLC's or el's.

 

[Historybuff]

I spent many years and a lot of money trying to find the best deal without breaking the bank. Lots of Nikon, vortex and others. Finally bought some swarovski El 10*50. Glad I did. No comparison. I liked the zeiss too but everyones experience with Swarovski customer service is what made me lean that way. Great for birdwatching as well.

 

[2blade]

I had a set of vipers made in Japan, and razors now made in china, for a while, now I own swaro slc's. Everytime I look thru em the thought comes to mind, "where have you been all my life". There is No comparison, swaro is hands down better glass. If you look around a bit you can get demo swaro slc's for the same price as a chinese razor, I did.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

i'm still trying to figure out why so many people are trying to decide between vortex and swaro. There are a handful of others that compare much better to swaro than the vortex razors, for about the same $ as the razors. Conquest, Meostars, Trinovid, older used swaros, mavens, etc. Vortex's marketing team has got to be the best I've ever seen.

 

[1signguy]

i'm still trying to figure out why so many people are trying to decide between vortex and swaro. There are a handful of others that compare much better to swaro than the vortex razors, for about the same $ as the razors. Conquest, Meostars, Trinovid, older used swaros, mavens, etc. Vortex's marketing team has got to be the best I've ever seen.

Where I think Vortex has exceeded peoples expectation is in their warranty department. It is awesome! The Vortex product also has a lot of bang for the buck IMO. I am sure the others are all very good too but in those two areas Vortex has done a very good job!

 

[wannakillabigbull]

i'm still trying to figure out why so many people are trying to decide between vortex and swaro. There are a handful of others that compare much better to swaro than the vortex razors, for about the same $ as the razors. Conquest, Meostars, Trinovid, older used swaros, mavens, etc. Vortex's marketing team has got to be the best I've ever seen.

I honestly think that the difference between the Razors and those others in their price range isn't enough for a very large percentage of people to notice, especially while glassing off hand which is what a majority of people do. Couple that with the fact that Vortex's warranty sounds better than the others you listed (except Maven) and you can see why people choose them.

 

[h20fowler]

vortex's marketing team has got to be the best I've ever seen.

Your right. Vortex tries to sponsor just about every hunter out there just like Under Armour. That, coupled with their pro-deals and its a no-brainer why so many people use and promote them. They have a good business model in that sense.

Everyone uses "warranty" as a reason to choose Vortex over Leica, Swaro or Zeiss but I've never met a single person that switched from the "Top 3" to any other brand. Personally I choose Zeiss, but wouldn't mind upgrading in the future.

It took me a few years to be convinced to buy high-quality optics but I came to the realization that I spend 99.9% of time looking through glass and .1% pulling the trigger...

 

[WRO]

I honestly think that the difference between the Razors and those others in their price range isn't enough for a very large percentage of people to notice, especially while glassing off hand which is what a majority of people do. Couple that with the fact that Vortex's warranty sounds better than the others you listed (except Maven) and you can see why people choose them.

Have you actually done a side by side test of the razors vs the meostar or Leica, the only thing vortex wins in is warranty and fan boy numbers. They lose in every optical factor that matters.

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[luke moffat]

Except price

Been perfectly content selling my swaro el and zeiss victories and both my wife and I running razor binos. I just can’t justify the price difference for what I saw between the the swaro and zeiss to the vortex for me. Still able to put in all day glassing sessions on bear hunts and such with no eye strain.

No vortex fan boy as my safe has leupold, Leica, zeiss, kowa, vortex, kahles, Bushnell and Minox in it. If I felt I am lacking or a product failed me I would and will sell it. But I certainly don’t feel handy capped with the optics I have.

 

[deadwolf]

I wrote and have since retracted a post with my opinion on which is good, better, best. The fact of the matter is that you have to use what’s “affordable”, or fits your budget, what works for you, your eyes, your hunting style, the weight you want to carry, your peace of mind, etc. We could debate to death which is better/worse and why, and it’s all down to too many individual variables to really have a clear answer. Some may never buy a Swaro even though they can afford it, simply because the price puts them outside of their frugality. And some might mortgage the farm because they need the latest and greatest. Others might get Vortex because they know they can light that f*%ker on fire and still get it replaced for free. Get in where you fit in is the best thing I can offer as help

 

[mfllood3800]

Find a tree about 200 yards away, lift the Swarovski to the bark near the trunk. Study that image, notice the grain, shadows, and the detail. Then count to 15 and do the same with the Razors, you will see the tree, the bark, but you will notice the definition around the shadows created by the bark, blurs with the Vortex .

Now imagine scaling that up out to 600 yards looking at a deer under a shaded tree trying to stay cool.
The Swaro will see it easier, not that the Vortex wont see it, it just wont be as easy to see it.

I have both the Razor and Swaro in the 10x42.
Love em both, but the Swaro gives you more as it gets you there.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

Have you actually done a side by side test of the razors vs the meostar or Leica, the only thing vortex wins in is warranty and fan boy numbers. They lose in every optical factor that matters.

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Yes I have with all the best brands and every model, at the Outdoorsmans as I live in Scottsdale. I drop by often. Just checked out the new GPO glass this past Monday. And yes you're right, Vortex isn't as good as those brands. Go back and read my post. It outlined exactly why that doesn't matter to a very large number of people and hence why they sell a bunch of optics and have oodles of fan boys.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

Yes I have with all the best brands and every model, at the Outdoorsmans as I live in Scottsdale. I drop by often. Just checked out the new GPO glass this past Monday. And yes you're right, Vortex isn't as good as those brands. Go back and read my post. It outlined exactly why that doesn't matter to a very large number of people and hence why they sell a bunch of optics and have oodles of fan boys.

What are your thoughts on the GPO stuff? Did you get to look thru the 12.5x50?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

What are your thoughts on the GPO stuff? Did you get to look thru the 12.5x50?

I went to specifically check out the 12.5x50s. They were definitely well built, and lighter feeling than I expected. I didn't personally notice that they were higher mag than a standard 12x. And their FOV was pretty solid for a higher mag bino. I definitely didn't feel like I was restricted on FOV which I've found to be kind of subjective. Free handing them didn't seem any harder than the 12x50 Razors. 12x50 ELs on the other hand, wow, best binos I've ever looked through.

I had talked to the Outdoorsmans guys on the phone before about the GPOs and they all told me the same thing, which is that they are "in the same class" as Razors or Conquests or Trinovids. The guys I talk to there seem to believe that they're all close to the same performance and that personal preference mattered more at that price range. I tried to get them to tell me what they thought was best and they wouldn't. I have also asked about Meoptas and every guy I talked to there doesn't like them (is that because they don't carry them? Idk). And one specific guy hates Razors, but only since they moved production to China.

But back to the GPOs. The guys at Outdoorsmans whose job it is to look through optics seemed generally impressed with them, as was I. Binos for me personally in that price range would come more down to ergonomics, and their eyecups felt a little bulky and just didn't fit my face well. Apart from that they're very nice. But like anything south of $1800, I just didn't feel they were on par optically with Swaro SLCs (GPOs marketing claims to be of that quality range). I keep trying to find a pair that are and I just can't. I asked Mark Denham if he would choose any of those 12ishx50s in the $1000-$1500 price range over 10x42 SLCs and he would take the Swaros even though he loves 12x50 binos (him and damn near everyone else at the shop ran the 12x50 ELs this year). Having looked through them all I agree. To tie it back to the original post: if you can afford SLCs or can wait long enough to find a good deal then you should buy them. The HD glass models at least (58210 or 58310).

 

[Hatchet Jack]

I went to specifically check out the 12.5x50s. They were definitely well built, and lighter feeling than I expected. I didn't personally notice that they were higher mag than a standard 12x. And their FOV was pretty solid for a higher mag bino. I definitely didn't feel like I was restricted on FOV which I've found to be kind of subjective. Free handing them didn't seem any harder than the 12x50 Razors. 12x50 ELs on the other hand, wow, best binos I've ever looked through.

I had talked to the Outdoorsmans guys on the phone before about the GPOs and they all told me the same thing, which is that they are "in the same class" as Razors or Conquests or Trinovids. The guys I talk to there seem to believe that they're all close to the same performance and that personal preference mattered more at that price range. I tried to get them to tell me what they thought was best and they wouldn't. I have also asked about Meoptas and every guy I talked to there doesn't like them (is that because they don't carry them? Idk). And one specific guy hates Razors, but only since they moved production to China.

But back to the GPOs. The guys at Outdoorsmans whose job it is to look through optics seemed generally impressed with them, as was I. Binos for me personally in that price range would come more down to ergonomics, and their eyecups felt a little bulky and just didn't fit my face well. Apart from that they're very nice. But like anything south of $1800, I just didn't feel they were on par optically with Swaro SLCs (GPOs marketing claims to be of that quality range). I keep trying to find a pair that are and I just can't. I asked Mark Denham if he would choose any of those 12ishx50s in the $1000-$1500 price range over 10x42 SLCs and he would take the Swaros even though he loves 12x50 binos (him and damn near everyone else at the shop ran the 12x50 ELs this year). Having looked through them all I agree. To tie it back to the original post: if you can afford SLCs or can wait long enough to find a good deal then you should buy them. The HD glass models at least (58210 or 58310).

Cool, thanks for the update. Yeah 12x50 el are my dream bino but I'm not ready to give up my 15s yet, they are my baby.

That's funny about outdoorsmans not liking the meopta, they told me the same thing, I'm sure it's because they don't carry them. I have since compared meopta to every 15x you can think of and the only bino it takes a back seat to is the swaro hd and it's not by much. Next time I'm in phx I need to stop in and look at some 12s to see what all the buzz is about.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Look at it this way,
With swaro- you are getting 2k$ pair of glass with a pretty darn good warrantee for 2k.

With vortex razor hd. You are paying 1,000$ for a 500$ pair of binos that you will break and they will replace it for free.
Vortex has to make money somehow.

I’d rather buy once cry once and not be stuck in a hunt without optics because they broke.

 

[h20fowler]

Look at it this way,
With swaro- you are getting 2k$ pair of glass with a pretty darn good warrantee for 2k.

With vortex razor hd. You are paying 1,000$ for a 500$ pair of binos that you will break and they will replace it for free.
Vortex has to make money somehow.

I’d rather buy once cry once and not be stuck in a hunt without optics because they broke.

Like I said, Vortex has a GREAT business model.

 

[luke moffat]

Look at it this way,
With swaro- you are getting 2k$ pair of glass with a pretty darn good warrantee for 2k.

With vortex razor hd. You are paying 1,000$ for a 500$ pair of binos that you will break and they will replace it for free.
Vortex has to make money somehow.

I’d rather buy once cry once and not be stuck in a hunt without optics because they broke.

But what if I broke my SLCs while on a hunt...or my buddy’s EL ranges quit giving accurate ranges on a black bear hunt a little over a month ago.

Stuff breaks all the time. Vortex break more than many others certainly. Link me to the $500 equivalent to the Razors.