Kowa vs Swaro

[SneakyThunderCat]

I'm in the market for a new spotter. Been looking at the Kowa 773/774 and Swaro ATS/STS 80. Nearest Kowa dealership is 5 hours away and I've never looked through one, and don't foresee a chance to in the near future. Has anyone ever compared the two?

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[Jardo]

i have the 883. best glass i’ve looked through but it’s a big scope. 773 is not fluorite so can’t say if it’s as good.


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[Matt G.]

Check out the backwoodspursuit.com optics review. They compare it to the ATX system as well as 18 other spotters. I debated this one to death myself and think we are splitting hairs. The eye piece, zoom and brightness go to the kowa while compactness go to the swaro. At the end of day will 11 ounces and less then half inch in length bother you.

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[SneakyThunderCat]

Check out the backwoodspursuit.com optics review. They compare it to the ATX system as well as 18 other spotters. I debated this one to death myself and think we are splitting hairs. The eye piece, zoom and brightness go to the kowa while compactness go to the swaro. At the end of day will 11 ounces and less then half inch in length bother you.

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That was about the only review I found on them comparing them to 80s and 85s. If I remember correctly it did pretty well against the competition. But just about every other review I see they compare the 77 to 65s. I've tossed around the idea of getting the 883 also, but it's a tad large for what I want.

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[sneaky]

The Swaro is 11oz heavier than the Kowa, just so we're clear on that point. Kowa is 12.5" long with eyepiece, Swaro 80 is 15.8". The Kowa is a lighter, more compact scope than the Swaro 80, and has a better eyepiece. These numbers are from a 773 with TE-11WZ eyepiece compared to an ATS-80HD with 25-50WA eyepiece, since the Kowa is a WA eyepiece that's the most direct comparison.

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[Matt G.]

Swaro STS 80 is 58 ounce vs kowa 774 is 59 ounces. Thought his original post was asking about the 65 mm then it is 11 ounces lighter and half inch shorter.

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[Rent Outdoor Gear]

Wouldn’t it be better if you could take both out in the field for several days hunting or scouting to compare and just keep the one you wanted and send the other one back with a prepaid shipping label?

We actually made that a real thing... and we have both the Kowa and Swarovski’s in stock for rental. It gets better... You can apply 100% of the rental for both scopes toward buying whichever one you keep. Or just send them both back and keep your existing gear. No commitment needed.

Check out details of our keeper program here: https://rentoutdoorgear.com/keeper-program/

Looks like we still need to get the TSN-773’s and 553’s listed on the rental page - I’ll get them up on the website later tonight.

Coop
https://www.rent outdoor gear.com


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[Seeknelk]

I've looked thru both the atx 80 and the kowa 883 side by side at the same sheep in the shadows. The kowa slightly brighter to me...not necessarily better but brighter. Both were incredibly clear. Both r awesome. Sorry , no comparo with the 773 but thought I'd throw that out there.

 

[chasewild]

Not familiar with the 80, but I had the ATS 65, ATM 65 HD, and now a Kowa 774. The Kowa is outstanding and I'd buy the Kowa 774 10/10 times against the 65 but I think you'd do well to get some side-by-side time.

 

[tdhanses]

I had a Swaro ATS 80 HD with WA and currently have the Kowa 773 with WA eyepiece, I’d take the Kowa over that swaro anytime.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

Definitely not a fair comparison against the ATS 65 or 80. Kowa all day every day there.

Kowa 773 vs ATX 85 will give you something to think about.


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[Spiral Horn]

I've looked thru both the atx 80 and the kowa 883 side by side at the same sheep in the shadows. The kowa slightly brighter to me...not necessarily better but brighter. Both were incredibly clear. Both r awesome. Sorry , no comparo with the 773 but thought I'd throw that out there.

Did the same comparison about 18 months ago with pretty much the same result. The view through both are exceptional - to my eyes the Kowa was slightly brighter with very neutral color, while the ATX was very sharp and more color saturated. At first glance I thought the ATX resolved a hair better but after further study it might have just been the color. If forced to choose on view alone I’d say the Kowa may have been a smidge better, but by a razor. However, I really liked the Swaros ergonomics and housing and really had a tough time dealing with that non-armored finish on the Kowa. I know one can buy a neoprene cover but the naked metal finish would feel ghoulish on a cold, misty mountain.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

The Kowa 77 and 88, and Swaro ATX/STX are close enough in image quality that the objective size difference will tip the scales. For example, in order of best to worse image, it pretty much goes:

ATX/STX 115
ATX/STX 95
Kowa 88
ATX/STX 85
Kowa 77
ATX/STX 65

ATS/STS are a step down from these.

Then, there are the other differences like modularity, focus mechanism, color tint, armor, and cost.

 

[brettpsu]

I had both Swaro ATX 65 and Kowa 663. Yes the ATX was better but it wasn't good enough for the price difference. Ergonomics was a heavy Swaro lean and the glass was a slight lean Swaro but all could be forgiven for the price. Sold the ATX and kept the 663. I keep a Meopta S2 for my big eye

 

[Matt G.]

I wonder where the meopta s2 stacks up on the list

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[AkMtnRunner]

I wonder where the meopta s2 stacks up on the list

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IIRC, people who've been behind both the Meopta S2 and Kowa 77 usually say image quality is comparable.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

I had both Swaro ATX 65 and Kowa 663. Yes the ATX was better but it wasn't good enough for the price difference. Ergonomics was a heavy Swaro lean and the glass was a slight lean Swaro but all could be forgiven for the price. Sold the ATX and kept the 663. I keep a Meopta S2 for my big eye

One thing to note on the kowas 60M series is this isn’t same eyepiece as 77 or 83. The 663 is not on same par as 77 due to lesser eyepiece.

 

[Outwest]

One thing to note on the kowas 60M series is this isn’t same eyepiece as 77 or 83. The 663 is not on same par as 77 due to lesser eyepiece.

I haven’t looked through the 77 series but I will agree the TE 9 zoom eyepiece with the 66 is decent but not on swaro x level in my opinion. However, the fixed 30x eyepiece (TE 14 I believe) on the Kowa 66 is very impressive.


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[Jeff Bouton]

Of course, I'm biased BUT the 773 is no slouch and next to the lower grade ATS/STS (as compared to ATX/STX), I think all would absolutely give the nod to the Kowa TSN-773. Again, look to the independent reviews. Backwoods Pursuit ranked the 773 as Rank #1 in "Best in hunting" here https://backwoodspursuit.com/best-s...owa_TSN_773_-_Best_Spotting_Scope_for_Hunting in the 85 mm under $2,500 class

 

[SneakyThunderCat]

Of course, I'm biased BUT the 773 is no slouch and next to the lower grade ATS/STS (as compared to ATX/STX), I think all would absolutely give the nod to the Kowa TSN-773. Again, look to the independent reviews. Backwoods Pursuit ranked the 773 as Rank #1 in "Best in hunting" here https://backwoodspursuit.com/best-s...owa_TSN_773_-_Best_Spotting_Scope_for_Hunting in the 85 mm under $2,500 class View attachment 320546

That was my main source of info for this predicament. Ended up with the 774 after talking with the S&S guys. Super happy with it. Wish there was decent neoprene case for it though.

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