So it looks like maven, swaro, kowa and maybe vortex?
Unless you plan on selling them soon, I would go with kowa over used slc’s, unless you’re looking at EL’s
I think the kowas are in a different category than vortex uhd, I had both at one point
Sounds like maven is putting out some good stuff, but I have only been behind a pair one day, don’t know the model, so that’s probably not relevant to your search
I will say, kowa are the only binos I’ve looked through that I thought they performed well above their price point
Meopta is another good option, they make nice stuff in that price range, but I wouldn’t pick them over the kowas
At the end of the day, 1000$ glass will serve you well, it’s just about getting the most out of your money, and wanting to make the best choice, but you do have some good choices with your budget.
Had the NL pures not come out, I would still be using the kowas and perfectly content, they hang with anything I’ve looked through before the NL’s, if they came out with some 18x, I would buy a pair on preorder… might get the 8x, to use in September, and the only other option for 8’s would be NL, but I’d probably opt for the kowa and be happy. They are a kick ass optic for the price