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Vortex Razor VS Minox HG

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rotorhead

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Does anyone have any experience with the Vortex Razor 10x42 or the Minox HG 10x43? I have heard good things about both, but I don't know much about either one! I went to sportsmans warehouse and looked at the Vortex Razors. I was really impressed, but would like somebody who has actually hunted with them to let me know what they are like in actual conditions.
I don't know anyone who carries Minox optics in southern utah, so I can not see what they have to offer! So if anyone has experience with the Minox hg 10x43 I would like to know how they are! Thanks
 
They are certainly comparable. I recently had the HGs, razors and a set of Els on tripods side by side for a few days. I think that is the best way to compare and decide.

As far as packaging goes, Minox beats them all with the fancy finished wood presentation style box. Seemed like overkill and a waste to me but it is nice.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-07-09 AT 01:01PM (MST)[p]I have used the Minox HG and the Minox HG APO, they are both great optics, I like how lightweight they are when carrying them around all day. They have the magnesium frame which makes them lightweight. I would put the HG APO's right up there with your swaro's and leicas without batting an eye!

I know Sportsman's in St. George has had the Minox HG's in stock before, check with them, they should be able to get a pair in for you to see if they don't have any on hand now.

Let me know if you have any other questions I can answer for you on the Minox.
 
I disagree. When I compare them side by side on tripods I see a distinct difference between tier 1 and tier 2 glass. I put the APO HGs in tier 2. They are good and maybe very good but not great.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
That's cool, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I have had many people look at both swaro's and the APO's side by side and most have chosen the APO's.
 
hco im kind of surprised myself. im in no way affiliated with minox, but chose them over the swaro's after a side by side comparison. as did most my friends, not that they were better just to comparable to justify the price difference.
 
If you are choosing the Minox over the Swaros based on price then I understand but he said that he would put them right up there with Leica and Swaro without batting an eye. Since they are not comparably priced I concluded that he must have been talking about image quality and that dog won't hunt.

Hey, nothing wrong with flying the flag and pumping your product up a little but I think his affilitation with the brand is relevant and should be disclosed. It took me about 10 minutes on Google and a phone call to find out that he was a rep.

No big deal.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
I spent a good deal of time looking at Minox glass, even when they were a division of Leica. To me they dont cut it. They are a fancy packaged nikon monarch. For the money I would get the cabelas euro, it is the only glass I have ever seen mid-priced that performs better than a nikon monarch.
 
>I spent a good deal of
>time looking at Minox glass,
>even when they were a
>division of Leica. To me
>they dont cut it. They
>are a fancy packaged nikon
>monarch. For the money I
>would get the cabelas euro,
>it is the only glass
>I have ever seen mid-priced
>that performs better than a
>nikon monarch.

I'd suggest you call and schedule an eye exam...
 
already did that this year...13/20 both eyes.


Thats the problem with guys like me, have better vision than 90% of the people and can call a spade a spade.


I get a kick out of everytime I hear a comment "the vortex can hang with the big 3...or the razor easily surpasses the monarch...no they dont. But if it makes you feel good go for it!!!
 
You can argue all day about image quality and I certainly have my opinion but I don't think that there can be any dispute that the Razor build quality is a notch higher than the Monarch and the boys at the shop tell me that the Vortex customer and warranty service is among the best in the business. Nikon, not so much.

Wade
www.HardcoreOutdoor.com
 
And....the image quality far surpasses the Nikon Monarch. I haven't looked through the new Monarch X, but they are supposed to much closer to "that group" of glass.

When I bought my Razors, I was upgrading from a "pre ashperical lens Minox BD10x42BR. Without any question I was successful in doing so. Those older Minox's hands down beat out any Nikon Monarch that I had looked through. To say that the Nikons are in line with the Minox HG (or BDBR ASPH for that matter) or the Vortex Razor, is seriously misguiding. Maybe to one person's eyes they are, but to make a general blanket statement like that is not correct. I have not found a single person who thought that.

Good luck

FH
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-13-09 AT 02:23PM (MST)[p]most people think when they drop $500- $800 glass they are getting something closer to a swaro or leica, when they are reallty getting something more comparable to a nikon monarch...

some people cant wrap thier mind around that fact and will continue to believe there glass could hang with the big 3.

Ignorance is bliss!!
 
Hookup,

That statement ...

"most people think when they drop $500- $800 glass they are getting something closer to a swaro or leica, when they are reallty getting something more comparable to a nikon monarch..."

...makes much more sense. In reality, there isn't alot of difference between any of them, except for the things that make them easier to use, nicer to use, etc. Only that person can decide whether the extra dough is worth it for the increment of improvement they receive.

I definitely saw an improvement moving to the Razors. To me, it was worth it. It was not worth it to move to the Big 3 because of cost. To me, I can see "well enough" without putting a 2nd mortgage on my house to get to the "next increment". To my eyes, there is a difference between the Razors and the Swaro EL and Ultravid HDs. If money was no object, I would own the Leica in a heartbeat. The swaros weren't as sharp and were very similar to my Razors....but still better, just not $1000 better.

I have a friend that thinks his little Nikon 9x24 binos are the "cat's meow". I can't stand them, but he is happy. I believe that that is the most important thing. As long as he uses them that is.

FH
 
>I spent a good deal of
>time looking at Minox glass,
>even when they were a
>division of Leica. To me
>they dont cut it. They
>are a fancy packaged nikon
>monarch. For the money I
>would get the cabelas euro,
>it is the only glass
>I have ever seen mid-priced
>that performs better than a
>nikon monarch.

The Minox BV line is as close to identical as you can get to the Nikon Monarch line. Put them side by side and you'll see this to be fact, not opinion.
A step above in the Minox line would be their BR ASPH line which would be, IMO, around the new Nikon Monarch X, above that would be the Minox HG which is squarely in a class with the Vortex Razor and Pentax DCF ED.
The Minox APO-HG would be a stepping area between the HG's and the Euro Alphas, however, Minox is revamping their line. Terry Moore, former VP of Leica Sports Optics, is now in charge of Minox USA and he is striving to re-create Minox into a top player. Production of the HG line is being moved to Germany as I type. Be ready for some exciting changes from Minox in the next year. New product, revamped product. Very exciting stuff.

If there is anything else that I can assist you with please let me know.
Doug
Camera Land
212-753-5128
[email protected]
www.cameralandny.com
 
Thanks for the clarity on how the Minox line steps up from the low end bino to the high end Doug. There are now so many brands of bino's out there with each name brand having thier owne stepping stone advance that its hard to keep them all straight. Minox has been around for awhile and thier line has been consistent to the point of boring, never changing for years until they recently split from Leica. Its good to see them jumping into the competition and striving to improve. I recently bought two pair of BD 10x42 BR ASPH from Cameraland because of the great deal you had on them. I got them for people to use while hunting with me who do not have bino's and for borrowing bino's. I'm not lending out my Swaro's. Since then several people have bought Minox's from you after using mine. Several years ago they were a great bino at $600.00 but as the competition improved they were just keeping up with the new products coming out. At $350.00 they are a great deal and well worth the money.
Nowadays I see people comparing low end bino's with high end or medium level bino's and not getting an accurate comparison. If your gonna compare Monarchs with Minox then you have to compare the same level. Or Monarch X's with the Minox HG would be more accurate assesment. Thanks again for the clarity. fatrooster.
 

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