Spotting scope Opinions

HGHCOUNTRY · Oct 15, 2015

LAST EDITED ON Oct-15-15 AT 04:31PM (MST)[p]Looking for ideas, recommendations etc. I realize this is pretty much an apples to oranges comparison but want to leverage the collective wisdom of MM. I have 3 scopes I am contemplating purchasing one of hopefully in the next week or so. Problem is no one locally carries any of them.

Kowa TSN-663M 66mm/ with the 20x60 eye piece- can get it for about $1,300- great reviews mostly from birders (at the VERY top of what I am willing to think about spending as well)

Minox MD 62 W ED 2.4"/62mm with the 21x42 eye piece cost $1000ish. Some really good, and then some really bad reviews.

Pentax PF-65ED II 2.6"/65mm, seems there isn't a great pentax zoom eye piece, not sure I want a fixed. Cost with a 27X fixed around $800- alot of good reviews but most are using multiple fixed or aftermarket zoom eye pieces.

I have checked out leupold, vortex, nikon etc and have narrowed my search to 1 of the 3 above. Any feedback would be great!

Thanks!

IHuntNUtah · Oct 15, 2015

With optics you get what you pay for. I would rank them in the order you have listed them. I have owned a kowa and a minox, never looked through a pentax so I cant give you an honest answer there but the kowa is a better optic than the minox in my opinion. If I had $1300 though, I would wait for a used swarovski.

Fullrut85 · Oct 17, 2015

Well I am a vortex guy myself. I have the vortex razor spotter and for the money and the warranty cant beat it in my opinion. Sat side byside with my buddies Swarovski this archery season and excluding the owner of the swaro, because he refused to look threw my vortex. Myself and another buddy went back and forth from each scope looking at the same bull right at dark and it was hard to finally decide that the swaro was a little clearer than the vortex, but not a $1000 difference. Seems like a lot of the guys that swear by swaro glass have to much pride to say there are other options out there for half the price that are comparable. If I was rich I guess why not spend and the extra cash for the highest price optics and know you have the top of the line. In the end I know my optics are going to see just as much as the guy that spent that extra grand or more on his. Anyway if I was going to by the best spotting scope out it would the Leica not the swaro. That is my two cents. In the end get want feels and looks good to you. And take that extra cash you save and go hunt somewhere!

Kelco · Oct 18, 2015

You will never regret buying Swaro, They are the best.

swivelhead · Oct 18, 2015

Alpha glass is good if you can afford it. Buying used is the way to go provided the manufacturer extends the warranty beyond initial owner.

I have a Kowa 663 with a 30X fixed eyepiece. Very nice scope. Should you decide on Kowa, make sure your purchase product with a USA warranty or you'll have to send it to Japan for warranty service. Contact Kowa USA for clarification.

Willametteriveroutlaw · Oct 21, 2015

Kowa is the best scope besides Swaro on the market IMHO..

FF01 · Nov 12, 2015

i Have a brand new Vortex Razor HD 16x48x65mm spotter that im selling for %1025 TYD, i won the scope and im not in the market for one right now. best deal you can get they retail for $1200 plus tax. absolutely crystal clear.

HGHCOUNTRY · Nov 26, 2015

I ended up buying that exact scope locally. I know it isn't a swaro/leica/zeiss but it will do for the foreseeable future.

Camuleynut · Nov 26, 2015

another vote for kowa 66 series. They compare to non hd swaro. Pretty tough also. I just bought a 884 also.

fullthrottle · Jan 17, 2016

Well I just went through the process of buying a spotting scope. I read every review I could find, looked at many different models in the store and outside the stores. Finally decided to get a Vortex Razor HD 16-48x65. Took it out for some real world testing. It was clean up to about 30x but zoomed in more than that it really began to fall off in clarity. To be honest I was pretty dissapointed, I had much higher expectations after reading all the great reviews on this scope. Decided to bite the bullet ran down to Cabela's and picked up a Swarovski 20-60x65 HD so I could do some side by side real world testing and make sure my expectations weren't out of line. I have to say with all honesty there really is no comparison as far as optic clarity, the Swaro put the vortex to shame. Vortex supposedly has a great warranty, but there glass isn't in the same class as the Swarovski. If you think that you are kidding yourself. If you are wanting exceptional clarity save your money and buy the higher end glass.

Willametteriveroutlaw · Jan 18, 2016

>Well I am a vortex guy
>myself. I have the vortex
>razor spotter and for the
>money and the warranty cant
>beat it in my opinion.
>Sat side byside with
>my buddies Swarovski this archery
>season and excluding the owner
>of the swaro, because he
>refused to look threw my
>vortex. Myself and another
>buddy went back and forth
>from each scope looking at
>the same bull right at
>dark and it was hard
>to finally decide that the
>swaro was a little clearer
>than the vortex, but not
>a $1000 difference. Seems like
>a lot of the guys
>that swear by swaro glass
>have to much pride to
>say there are other options
>out there for half the
>price that are comparable. If
>I was rich I guess
>why not spend and the
>extra cash for the highest
>price optics and know you
>have the top of the
>line. In the end I
>know my optics are going
>to see just as much
>as the guy that spent
>that extra grand or more
>on his. Anyway if I
>was going to by the
>best spotting scope out it
>would the Leica not the
>swaro. That is my two
>cents. In the end get
>want feels and looks good
>to you. And take that
>extra cash you save and
>go hunt somewhere!

I did it side by side with one of my clients Razor 85, and my Swaro Z series. I could see 5 elk with mine, I could see 2 with his. If they are standing in the wide open on a sunny day, most scopes will work. When you get into digging bedded critters out of the shadows on overcast days. The Alpha glass is significantly better.

nvhunter · Jan 18, 2016

+1 ^^^ I used to believe in Vortex also, until I sent back 2 or 3 scopes, a spotting scope that wasn't clear, they said there was nothing wrong with it. When I finally got tired of that I put the new Vortex and Swaro side by side, took a little bit of looking to see the difference but the Swaro was a little clearer. With that in mind and my bad experience with Vortex I bought the Swaro. Never a regret, especially when counting the points on a deer at a mile as opposed to wondering how many points he has. Even on 60x it's still clear, the Vortex not so much! Everyone seems to buy into Vortex because of the warranty and the "Almost as clear as Swarovski". I'm sure of a couple of things; you will be using their warranty, and in 5 years they will be selling the Vortex and looking to upgrade.

desertpointbrian · Jan 25, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Jan-25-16 AT 08:41AM (MST)[p]Is anyone out there using zen ray spotters if so how do you like them

Mallards_Only · Feb 6, 2016

+2^^^ Everyone thinks they look comparable in the store where the lighting is good and you can't see more than 100 yds. The proof is in the field in low light. Most guys end up with Vortex or one of the B Grade brands because they couldn't see a difference in the store. They never know what they're missing.

SheepHntr83 · Jun 14, 2016

85 mm vortex razor ! spend the cash and snag it. As for saying it competes with the Swaro it def does and then some. I have 15/20 eyesight in each eye and it is extremely difficult for me to see a big difference in optics, but when I put the two side by side there was no difference even in the last bit of light we had glassing rams. But to stay on point I don't think you will go wrong with any of the glass you mentioned. The Kowa is pretty solid

bertha · Jun 16, 2016

If I was you I'd hold out for a used ats/atm Swarovski. I've had several vortex scopes, nikon scopes, and spent a few hours behind the zen Ray ed2 and a few kowas. Vortex definitely makes a solid scope for the money and has a great warranty, but that's their selling point. Opitcally koda and Swarovski are on a completely different level than vortex, Nikon, leupold, etc. I've spent hours at both low light conditions to mid day at noon looking through both swarovskis kowas and vortex all side by side. Swarovski and kowa beat vortex hands down everytime in low light especially. Vortex in the middle of the day is almost as crystal clear zoomed out as my Swarovski. But with a little zoom on it the swaro holds its clarity better. But in low light is where the swaro really shines. The animals seem to stand out better through the Swarovski. And you get a few extra minutes of light to glass that much longer. Which is crucial in western big game hunting. Unless you have to buy brand new I would definitely hold out for a good used swaro in the price range. You'll never be disappointed or regret it, you'll have the best glass on the market, and they have a great fully transferable warranty and their customer service is excellent.

Chacoblue777 · Jun 25, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Jun-25-16 AT 10:29PM (MST)[p]Of the three scopes you have listed, the Kowa is clearly the better scope. If you are set on one of those three, then I would go with the Kowa.

Having said that, I have settled on Swarovski. After having purchased and used an embarrassing amount of other "more affordable" brands, I finally came to my senses, quit throwing away money, and bought a Swaro. No regrets on buying a Swaro! I do regret that I didn't just buy the best glass I could from the beginning. I would have been money ahead to just buy the dang Swaro!

There is absolutely no comparison to Swaro and Vortex. Those who claim that they are comparable, have not used them side by side enough in actual hunting conditions to recognize the huge difference. Or, they may just be too caught up in the strange cult-like following that Vortex seems to have created. And yes, I own several Vortex.

Anyway, of the three scopes you mentioned, the Kowa is the best option. If you can manage another couple hundred, and look for used scopes, you will be much happier with a Swaro.

Good luck

mulebuck · Jun 26, 2016

>85 mm vortex razor ! spend
>the cash and snag it.
>As for saying it competes
>with the Swaro it def
>does and then some. I
>have 15/20 eyesight in each
>eye and it is extremely
>difficult for me to see
>a big difference in optics,
>but when I put the
>two side by side there
>was no difference even in
>the last bit of light
>we had glassing rams.

I think you might need to back to the eye doctor...

broomd · Jul 2, 2016

I've had them all except the Zen ray and Swaro's new x series.
The Swaro is king all things considered, the ats/sts/stm/atm *HD* just because it is their best, but the non HD is stellar.

Best scope FOR THE MONEY is the discontinued Leica 62mm APO series, absolutely fantastic. THE high country optic when trophy details and pack weight matter.
The Kowa in their prominar configuration is awesome as well. Great glass for the money.

The Zeiss are very good, but aren't quite in the same league, imho. I've had a couple serviced due to dust in the scope body.

I've had many high end spotters, (what can I say I have an obsession with alpha optics--fortunately my wife puts up with me) of all of the above, just my experiences....

sambo3006 · Jul 4, 2016

LAST EDITED ON Jul-04-16 AT 10:46AM (MST)[p]I just recently picked up a Kowa 663 with 20-60x eyepiece used. It came with a Manfrotto tripod and micro fluid head. This the first high quality spotting scope and tripod/head I have owned and so far I am impressed. The image is in sharp focus all the way out to the edges even on 60x. This set up is light years ahead of what I was using. I bought it based on reviews I read on this site and others. I'm glad I did as there is no way I could afford a Swaro, nor could I justify it for one out of state hunt a year. Not much need for it back home where most of my critters are spotted at under 400 yards.

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