Maven B2s or Swaro SLC’s

[KSBackCountryHunter]

Hey All-
Any input between the Maven B2s 11x45 vs Swaro 10x42. I can get the B2s for $660 or SLCs for $1250. Are the SLC’s that much better? Gonna sit behind them a lot. Thanks in advance!

 

[ShortMountain91]

Where are you finding B2s for $660? I have a pair in 9x45 and I would be all over those at that price. I'm sure you would love SLCs but for half price I'm going B2

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[TNKnoxville]

My B2 9x45's came in yesterday. I paid $1078 with shipping. I spent some time last week looking thru the Swaro SLCs and ELs and the Zeiss Conquest, only ones BP had. I currently have an old pair of Cabelas/Pentax 8x42 and Steiner HX 10x42, (Schott glass). I also read every thread on numerous forums (birding forums have some good stuff) and watched all the video reviews I could find. My findings were spot on with what the reviews and vidioes concluded.

I could not compare them side to side with the Swaros but I was not blown away by them. Just a note I was planning on going home and ordering the 10x42 Swaro ELs, but wanted to play with them one more time. Great brightness and clarity but to my old eyes not worth $500 to $1500 more. So I figured I'd take a chance with the Mavens and return them if I didn''t like them.

The B2 were significantly brighter and had more clarity/pop then the old Cabelas or Steiners. Based on my reviews it appears the Zeiss Conquest uses the same glass from Japan as the Mavens. They were nice and about the same price as the Mavens. The Mavens use an Abbe Koneig prizm and the Zeiss uses the other type, can't remember the name. I liked the ergonomics of the Mavens better. Fit my hand like a glove and the eye relief was very forgiving.

If you can pick up a pair for $660 run don't walk to get them!!!!!!!!

 

[CApighunter]

I’m in a similar dilemma, I’ve got a pair of 9x B2s that I absolutely love. I’d like to try some Swaros but I’m not sure that I’d be able to appreciate the difference. $660 is a steal for the mavens, used B2s usually go for $750-800ish and I think they’re more than worth that price.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Look at the Kowa Genesis 10.5x44's, which are on sale through this Saturday for only $999.00

 

[D.Rose]

A pair of used Mavens that are in great condition is the best value in the binocular world today in my opinion. I couldn't be happier with mine after comparing them side by side with several other alpha glass models.

 

[eltaco]

I owned a pair of B2 11x45 and honestly wasn’t very impressed. The depth of field was noticeably worse than other optics I’ve looked through. I was constantly turning the focus knob and when it turned to low light, I lost focus pretty easily. The ELs I picked up are absolutely better at focusing in low light, and I could keep watching deer at distance much longer after sundown.

The EL are a completely different pricepoint, so it’s not a super fair comparison, but I compared the B2 to my previous Optics, Japan built Razor HD and they were pretty comparable to my eye.

I have read many accounts of the B2 9x45 being a better choice for depth of field and wow factor. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t buy the 11s. There are better options for the money IMO.

The Swaro SLC at 1250 seems like a great price. I haven’t read many (if any) reviews from people regretting their Swaro purchase.

 

[Xlr8n]

I just bought some SLC's while they are still available. The differences between SLC's and other good glass I've used such as MHG's and Conquests and are subtle, but they are there. The more time you spend behind the SLC's the more you appreciate the details. Fully immersive.

Are SLC's twice as good? No. Not even close.

If you want good optics when hunting, then the Mavens are a good choice. On the other hand, if you view optics as an long term investment and truly appreciate fine glass while spending longer periods both hunting and scouting along with randomly observing life, then the SLC's may be worth the price.

 

[Dos Perros]

A friend just upgraded from the B2 9x45's to the SLC 10x42's. He says he can't tell that much of a difference.

I've compared side by side the B1 10x42's, the B2 9x45's, and the B2 11x45's. The 9's were the best for clarity, 10's had best depth of field, and the 11's were the best at last night when a sneaky buck stepped out at 500 yards (but ya the depth of field was annoyingly bad).

For $660 I'd buy the 9's.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

The depth of field was noticeably worse than other optics I’ve looked through. I was constantly turning the focus knob and when it turned to low light, I lost focus pretty easily.

This was the biggest problem I had with 11x45 B2s. I wanted to love them but they were too tedious to use.

 

[JakeSCH]

Yeah I would say depth of field is the only knock of my B2's (9x45) but I still absolutely love mine.

 

[Steve C]

I'd just got some 10x42 SLC's when I fell into a chance to review a Maven 9x45. It took maybe 15 minutes for me to know the Maven's were going to stay. At this point I was wiling to accept the price point of the Swarovski because I was looking for my last binocular. The SLC is really good, but even at 10x vs 9x the SLC could not best the Maven, and I tried them side by side at any condition I could find or invent. So I then made the single worst optics decision of my life. I decided to return the SLC for an EL SV in 10x42. Not to say the SV EL is not excellent, but when the flat field BS induces rolling ball like it does to me I was looking at a $2,500 paperweight. Even with static viewing from a tripod I could get no difference in image parameters, so even without the RB I don't know that I'd have kept them. I also went through the exchange process ade got the 8.5 EL SV and the 10x50 EL SV. Rolling ball killed all of them for me.

Now don't get me wrong, Swarovski is the maker of excellent premium glass. As far as I'm concerned the SLC is their best hands down. It comes down to what you personally value. If you tend toward brand prestige and reputation and have the disposable income, go Swarovski. With the Maven you get more optical quality for your dollar and a superb glass. However you have the perception that any relatively new company is suspect, that will include Maven. However Maven has been around for a number of years now, and selling optics like they have for sale, I have a hard time seeing where they won't make it. So if the extra money is a significant stress, get the Maven.

 

[KSBackCountryHunter]

Appreciate all the insight everyone! I pulled the trigger on the Maven 11x's - I know the 9x's are probably more popular but I have some 8x Japan glass Bushnell's that are decent (I know probably not comparable to Maven's 9x but they do well in lowlight ) but really want something w/ more power and will be glassing off a tripod most of the time so not really worried about stability or weight. Based on what I've seen - IF I end up not liking them I don't think it'll be to tough to resell and get more than what I paid for out of them. Worse case I will just keep saving and get by w/ the 8x's this year -- you all rock w/ your input! This is the info I was looking for!

 

[Xlr8n]

Appreciate all the insight everyone! I pulled the trigger on the Maven 11x's - I know the 9x's are probably more popular but I have some 8x Japan glass Bushnell's that are decent (I know probably not comparable to Maven's 9x but they do well in lowlight ) but really want something w/ more power and will be glassing off a tripod most of the time so not really worried about stability or weight. Based on what I've seen - IF I end up not liking them I don't think it'll be to tough to resell and get more than what I paid for out of them. Worse case I will just keep saving and get by w/ the 8x's this year -- you all rock w/ your input! This is the info I was looking for!

Good purchase. Enjoy and report back your review!

 

[rekkr870]

I’ve been behind quite a few high end optics including the Maven’s. Glass quality is so subjective and may vary from person to person.

That being said, I own the SLC’S after comparing to other optics at and above it’s price range.

When you start getting into the 20 minutes before dawn and dusk is where one starts separating the wheat from the chaff.

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[Elk_Guapo]

My B2 9x45's came in yesterday. I paid $1078 with shipping. I spent some time last week looking thru the Swaro SLCs and ELs and the Zeiss Conquest, only ones BP had. I currently have an old pair of Cabelas/Pentax 8x42 and Steiner HX 10x42, (Schott glass). I also read every thread on numerous forums (birding forums have some good stuff) and watched all the video reviews I could find. My findings were spot on with what the reviews and vidioes concluded.

I could not compare them side to side with the Swaros but I was not blown away by them. Just a note I was planning on going home and ordering the 10x42 Swaro ELs, but wanted to play with them one more time. Great brightness and clarity but to my old eyes not worth $500 to $1500 more. So I figured I'd take a chance with the Mavens and return them if I didn''t like them.

The B2 were significantly brighter and had more clarity/pop then the old Cabelas or Steiners. Based on my reviews it appears the Zeiss Conquest uses the same glass from Japan as the Mavens. They were nice and about the same price as the Mavens. The Mavens use an Abbe Koneig prizm and the Zeiss uses the other type, can't remember the name. I liked the ergonomics of the Mavens better. Fit my hand like a glove and the eye relief was very forgiving.

If you can pick up a pair for $660 run don't walk to get them!!!!!!!!

Zeiss Conquest also use Abbe-König prisms.

ZEISS Conquest HD 8x56 | Compact and with high definition

The Conquest HD 8x56 with the classic lens diameter are ideally suited for twilight and moonlight observation.

www.zeiss.com

Zeiss Victory SF uses Schmidt-Pechan prisms.

ZEISS Victory SF 8x42 | The most versatile

With a field of view of 148m / 1000m, the 8x magnification offers the widest, most natural view and leaves nothing hidden.

www.zeiss.com

 

[handwerk]

swaro is rarely the wrong answer.

 

[snopro176]

All year I've been sitting behind ultravid 8x50s on a tripod and recently added slc 10x42s to the mix. Each had subtle pros and cons but it was a toss up what ones I wanted to keep. Last week I ended up finding a pair of B2 9x45s for my father in law and before he picked them up I took them outside at last light and put them up against the slcs and ultravids and...damn....they're impressive. The slcs dropped off in low light first and after a while I stopped picking them up. The mavens gathered as much if not more light than my 8x50s and the view was easily as sharp. I'm going to borrow them again and spend some time behind them on a tripod to make sure they're as good as they seemed and if so, I'll gladly swap mine out for some b2's

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[Wassid82]

Hey All-
Any input between the Maven B2s 11x45 vs Swaro 10x42. I can get the B2s for $660 or SLCs for $1250. Are the SLC’s that much better? Gonna sit behind them a lot. Thanks in advance!

I have the maven 11x45. My bro in law has the SLC 10x42. We spent all deer and elk season comparing. Legitimately I don't think there is any difference. Mavens might be a tag nicer when glassing at distance because of the extra magnification. Other than that no difference in clarity or crispness. I'm a value shopper and so I think I would stick with the Mavens at half the price.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

If you can get a 10x42 SLC for only $1,250.00 don't hesitate to grab it. At that price you can use it for a season and if you are not thrilled with it you can always resell it and not lose $$$$