Kowa 553 vs ATS 25-50x65

[HighVoltageHunter]

I have one for sale for $1,400 w/Kowa brand cover in the classifieds.

 

[david2duck]

We have two of the kowa 553, 1 swaro 65, and one swaro 80. The 80 is our go to when weight isn’t an issue or if we need to really pick something apart whether that be a drainage or knowing the exact score of an old muley buck. We don’t use the 65 much anymore and will more then likely end up selling it sometime. The 553 is amazing as a backpack spotter. We absolutely love ours and happily care that over the 65. If you do a good amount of backpack hunting get the 553 and enjoy the awesome glass and crazy lightweight.

 

[sneaky]

I have one for sale for $1,400 w/Kowa brand cover in the classifieds.

There you go @fatrascal

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[fatrascal]

HighVoltageHunter, I actually saw your ad but I don't know how my work situation will hold out due to Corona. And I don't have Paypal. But I'll keep you in mind. Fatrascal.

 

[brsnow]

Any tripod sets up the Kowa you all would recommend?

 

[tdhanses]

Any tripod sets up the Kowa you all would recommend?

Any of the normal ones will do but I like the KDC granite peak, but like anything lightweight there are trade off. I added an outdoorsman panner attachment to mine, makes a big improvement.

https://kramerdesignscorp.com/Granite_Peak_Tripod.html

 

[passinggas33]

Just wanted to tell everybody thank you for your votes, insight and opinions. Ultimately I went with a Kowa 125 anniversary edition (I like black) with the neoprene cover. I then took the 900 dollars I had saved and bought some other stuff I had been eyeing/needing for some time. Now I'm off to buy a new shelter...

Thank you again to all!!

 

[fatrascal]

Let us know how you like the Kowa when you get it. Fatrascal.

 

[Peaks&Creeks]

I am literally in the same spot, and I think I will be going with the Kowa 553. Just curious, since the Kowa doesn’t have the ability to rotate left or right, do some of you prefer straight over the angled?


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[tdhanses]

I am literally in the same spot, and I think I will be going with the Kowa 553. Just curious, since the Kowa doesn’t have the ability to rotate left or right, do some of you prefer straight over the angled?


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The rotation hasn’t been an issue for me, but this just depends on how picky you are, personal choice.

 

[eaglemountainman]

I am literally in the same spot, and I think I will be going with the Kowa 553. Just curious, since the Kowa doesn’t have the ability to rotate left or right, do some of you prefer straight over the angled?


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I prefer the straight 554 for various reasons.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

guys if any of you have ever had a chance to compare the 20-60 ats hd vs the 25-50 wide then you'll know the 25-50 wide isn't really a serious hunters eyepiece, just a searching, if not recreational, tool at best, there's a ridiculous amount of curve in that image to get that massive fov, but it's not even a consideration for judging anything when you compare head to head against the 20-60x swaro which I did and put it agains the kowa 664 at the same time (I had all three scopes together, the review is on here somewhere), the 25-50 for me exited the race very quickly, it also mirage and grainy very early in the zoom up compared to the 20-60's. Of the remaining two 20-60's, the kowa was the superior judging instrument with most accurate reproduction of the image at hand and the finest resolution at highest mag...hope that helps the 20-60's both whipped the wide angles azz in that regard also, the swaro guys like for the curvature in image for scanning comfort and reducing rolling ball effect, some like the warmer hue, it was a close race but I'm kowa all the way after that comparison, I need maximum judging capability, regardless of price

 

[Western Hunter270]

We have two of the kowa 553, 1 swaro 65, and one swaro 80. The 80 is our go to when weight isn’t an issue or if we need to really pick something apart whether that be a drainage or knowing the exact score of an old muley buck. We don’t use the 65 much anymore and will more then likely end up selling it sometime. The 553 is amazing as a backpack spotter. We absolutely love ours and happily care that over the 65. If you do a good amount of backpack hunting get the 553 and enjoy the awesome glass and crazy lightweight.

Just wanted to tell everybody thank you for your votes, insight and opinions. Ultimately I went with a Kowa 125 anniversary edition (I like black) with the neoprene cover. I then took the 900 dollars I had saved and bought some other stuff I had been eyeing/needing for some time. Now I'm off to buy a new shelter...

Thank you again to all!!

I had a swaro 25-50 80hd, now have a Kowa 553 and 773. The Kowa 553 is always in my pack when hunting. The 773 is more for range use, scouting and just off season use.

Interesting, I've never had that issue with the 553/554 series. It has a smaller FOV which is to be expected with a 55mm objective, but it isn't "painfully small". It's also a lot lighter than the Swaro and you can find them all day for $1400 or so. To each their own I guess.

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I have owned and used both. The Kowa 553 was too close to the Swaro 65 for me to keep the Swaro.
Yes, it has a smaller field of view but the glass is second to none and because it’s lightweight, it’s always in my pack when I need to take a closer look.
For me, in less than ideal viewing conditions/light, I struggle to get a clear image with both the 55mm Kowa and 65mm Swaro out past 750-1,000 yards.
If you’re planning on looking out well past that distance, I would recommend going with a 80mm+ objective spotter.
Depending on personal hunting style and physical ability, weight may be a concern. If your always on the move or hiking/packing in/out greater distances, the Kowa 553/554 is very practical. Also saves a lot of room in your pack.
The great thing about Kowa and Swaro is their resale value. If you buy either one and it’s less or more than what you want, you can sell it for nearly what you initially paid.

Every piece of gear has its trade-offs. The most common one on this site is for weight. From our clothing to our tents, bags and pads. What can get the job done, while being durable and comfortable. I first owned the Nikon ed50, then the swaro hd65 w/25-50 eyepiece. Now I own the Kowa 553. I actually had the swaro,kowa, and a vortex 50 at the house for a week while I decided. The vortex was out of its league compared to the other two. I consistently liked one and then the other. Go figure. Sometimes for no rhyme or reason could I figure out why I liked the view of one over the other. In the end, I did like the build quality of the swaro and overall, I think the view was a teeny bit better. At the time of the test, I had spent two hunting seasons with the swaro. I ended up keeping the Kowa. No regrets after one hunting season. It’s definitely good enough to do everything I need it to do. I don’t usually use the spotting scope to scan to find Game. Only to verify what I’m looking at. I use my Bino‘s on a tripod for scanning. That’s my two cents. They’re both great. By the way, you can find a Swaro for $1850 used. Just be patient.


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Curious, if you guys had the option to get either for the same exact price, would most of you still opt for the kowa 553? I have a friend with a helluva sportsmans discount and could pickup the swaro ats 20-60x65 for the same price as one of the kowa 553s on the classifieds. If I was paying normal prices I would go with the kowa but since I can get either for the same price, I'm stuck on what I should do. I do alot of backpack hunting.

 

[passinggas33]

Curious, if you guys had the option to get either for the same exact price, would most of you still opt for the kowa 553? I have a friend with a helluva sportsmans discount and could pickup the swaro ats 20-60x65 for the same price as one of the kowa 553s on the classifieds. If I was paying normal prices I would go with the kowa but since I can get either for the same price, I'm stuck on what I should do. I do alot of backpack hunting.

I guess my question back would be, is it going to be his only spotter he owns? And what is his purpose behind the spotter? I would say the swaro as a one and done spotter is pretty darn nice. Good balance between weight, power, and clarity. But it lacks what a nice 80 power scope has. And weighs more than the 553 for sure. The 553 doesn’t give up much to the bigger swaro, but there is a difference. If I was truly counting ounces the Kowa is the answer everyday. If all I was trying to determine was if the animal was a shooter or not, the Kowa. If you are worried about specific details then I might start pushing you towards the higher mag of the swaro. But if I was really that concerned I’d be carrying something even bigger. So many variables into this question.

I personally love the dual focus knobs of all kowa scopes. The barrel knob on a swaro is hard, for me, to fine tune like a Kowa. But personal preference goes into a lot of my decision making. Good luck with decision.

 

[tdhanses]

Curious, if you guys had the option to get either for the same exact price, would most of you still opt for the kowa 553? I have a friend with a helluva sportsmans discount and could pickup the swaro ats 20-60x65 for the same price as one of the kowa 553s on the classifieds. If I was paying normal prices I would go with the kowa but since I can get either for the same price, I'm stuck on what I should do. I do alot of backpack hunting.

For hunting only yes but I also have a 77, come hunting season the 55 is the only spotter I take with.

It has amazing optics for it’s size and it is half the bulk packed, takes up hardly any space.

Personally if the 65 was really on my mind you would be better off moving up to the Kowa 77.

 

[PHo]

So what about using a spotter for scanning? After I do some preliminary glassing with my binos I’ll spend most of my glassing time behind my 773 scanning for game the same way I do with my binos. Is the 553/554 easy to look through for extended periods like the 773 is, or does the smaller FOV make it a little more tedious to glass with? I love my 773 but I’m seriously considering the 553 for the weight savings.

 

[passinggas33]

To me…the 553 is not designed to be a “scanning” spotter. Though I have used it for that numerous times, it’s not ideal. My 883 on low power is way better at that. FOV is good on the 553, just not great.

 

[tdhanses]

So what about using a spotter for scanning? After I do some preliminary glassing with my binos I’ll spend most of my glassing time behind my 773 scanning for game the same way I do with my binos. Is the 553/554 easy to look through for extended periods like the 773 is, or does the smaller FOV make it a little more tedious to glass with? I love my 773 but I’m seriously considering the 553 for the weight savings.

The 553 isn’t great for that, to small of fov.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

The 553 isn’t great for that, to small of fov.

Would not knock the small FOV. With the way some folks "glass", having to slow down would not necessarily be a bad thing.

But then some folks must enjoy looking like Stevie Wonder while they "glass".

 

[tdhanses]

Would not knock the small FOV. With the way some folks "glass", having to slow down would not necessarily be a bad thing.

But then some folks must enjoy looking like Stevie Wonder while they "glass".

Very true