Swarovski vs. Vortex or other?

Buckskin10

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Looking into buying a new spotting scope. I've heard how great Swarovski is - especially at first light and last light. The only thing holding me back from switching over is Vortex's warranty. Is it worth it? Or should I be looking at a whole other brand? If you've got thoughts/experiences I'm all ears.
 
Comparing a Swaro spotter (hot)to even the top Vortex (not) is like comparing these two....
hot_not.jpg

Totally worth the extra $.
I had a Meopta Meostar S2 20-70×82 which is way better than the Razor, and the Swaro is way better than that.
 
I have the swaro STX 95 and 65. A couple buddies have nightforce and I think the nightforce is a better scope. Just as clear as the swaro and easier to look through and handle. Just my opinion.
 
I have the swaro STX 95 and 65. A couple buddies have nightforce and I think the nightforce is a better scope. Just as clear as the swaro and easier to look through and handle. Just my opinion.
I always wondered if the NF was just a private-branded Meopta. Thoughts?
 
Swaro is the better optic. As for warranty/customer service on Swaro's end. Last summer while on a scouting trip I dropped my BTX 95 directly on the right eye piece from about shoulder height. They fixed it for free and made sure to have it back in time for my first hunt of the year. Obviously my fault.
 
Thank you for the thoughts...now is ATS good enough? Or is the ATX that big of difference? I would not be changing objective lenses....
 
The ATS HD is a great choice. The ATX does give you the option of switching eyepieces and using the BTX. The BTX is amazing IMO.
 
Thank you for the thoughts...now is ATS good enough? Or is the ATX that big of difference? I would not be changing objective lenses....
I used the ATS 80HD for a long time. Now I have the ATX/BTX 95. I would get the BTX before the ATX or ATS. 35x with two eyes is extremely nice. I pack the ATX eye piece also and hardly ever do I need to use it to judge something.
 
Vortex doesn’t even belong in the same conversation as Swarovski, Leica and Zeiss.... about all vortex fans can talk about is the “warranty” As far as swaro spotters go I would highly recommend investing in the ATX system because it allows to to upgrade to multiple different objective lenses or the btx eye piece. Along with the atx eye piece allows for a wider FOV than the ATS.

Coloradoboy
 
No experience with spotters, I do however have 15x56 Swarovskis and love them. I did own a pair of vortex kaibabs before, and it’s not even a slightly fair comparison. Again that’s Binos but I would totally spend the money in the first place.
 
Looking into buying a new spotting scope. I've heard how great Swarovski is - especially at first light and last light. The only thing holding me back from switching over is Vortex's warranty. Is it worth it? Or should I be looking at a whole other brand? If you've got thoughts/experiences I'm all ears.
Warranty? see Tommy Boy about that.
 
Swaro is better and will hold it's value better. How much you spend can depend on how much you use it. Not worth spending much if you dont use it much. I bet the cost of ownership with a swaro is less. Warranties are just a sales gimmick that people go bananas over if you ask me. For some reason it just gives people a warm fuzzy feeling to have a "warranty" even if it's a garbage product. Any decent company will stand behind it's product if something is wrong with it. I'm more concerned about the quality of the product. It's a hassle to have to send stuff in all the time to get fixed even if it is free.
 
There is a very noticeable difference in glass quality between Swarovski and Vortex. The Swarovski is the better of the two, but I also have a Vortex Razor HD and it is not a bad spotter. I would save up and pay for the Swarovski. One thing to note is do not go cheap on a tripod! A quality tripod will make a big difference for any spotting scope.
 
What other maunfacturer makes a similar eye piece?
I wouldn’t call them similar eyepieces but kowa has their highlanders Doctor has a set of big eyes also. I’m wondering if he compared the btx to these

if your into building your own set of twin spotters, swaro and kowa are the front runners
 
I for one cannot stand the btx from Swaro. So annoying that you cannot zoom in and out. Also super annoying when you put on the 70 zoom adapter. Thing is too long and it is unstable. They have certain things you can add on the tripod to make it steady but it is just not very convenient.
 
I would say it certainly is a comparison. Yes Swaro has the edge in low light conditions for sure. However other than that I can barely tell a difference. Vortex is plenty good even in low light conditions.
 
Zeiss and Kowa both make excellent spotters but my eye likes the Swaro spotter the best. I do also have a Vortex Razor and Nikons top spotter. I actually like the Nikon better than the Vortex. I'm not knocking Vortex, its just the reality as I see it.

All that said... you have to do what makes sense for you. If you're gonna put money into Swaros, make sure you get your money's worth using them. Any excuse to be in the field more!!!
 
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I'm late but will chime in with a vote for the Zeiss gavia 85. It's a great scope if you're hoping to avoid spending $4K (I think they're around half that now and I love mine!)
 

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