Caribou Gear

Glassitup Digiscope Purchased & Reviewed.

N

ntodwild

Guest
I posted in another thread to see if anyone was using this system and thought I would go ahead and do a review as I had not found much on the net, youtube or much on forums. After doing some research I went ahead, pulled the trigger and hoped for the best. Now that I have the system and have used it (around the house, not in the field yet) I would take the time to post a comprehensive review in hopes it may help someone else on this forum. I have absolutely no loyalty or affiliation with Glassitup in anyway. Everything here is my honest opinion and .02

THE REVIEW:

I went ahead and picked up a 'Glassitup" digiscope and a cheap hard plastic case for my iPhone 10R ("Bogo" kit $35.95 that came with two sizes of eyepiece adapters of my choice, bands, 3m sticky strips, carry bag and instructions). If you purchase a single eyepiece the price is only $29.95. I had a cheaper digiscope I purchased from Amazon for about $16 and had been using that for a year (worked but what a pain in the a-s). WOW! As expected the Glassitup digiscope is absolutely what I was hoping for.

My buddy who owns a Phone Skope came over today and we did some comparison. Without a doubt the Glassitup gets my vote & my buddy's vote hands down for a few reasons. He has already shelled out $190.00 (purchased items on sale over the years) for his Phone Skope as he has replaced his phone twice now (total of 3 Phone Skope cases so far).

Here is our unofficial review and opinion:

1) Price! Absolutely a no brainer on this one. Phone Skope is priced 3-4 times as much as a Glassitup and even more as phones get upgraded with new adapter case required at $50ish each. The Glassitup just requires the purchase of a new cheap ($6.99 hard plastic phone case) if you change your phone.

2) After using both the phone Skope and the Glassitup, both are just as reliable to use. I was concerned about how the Glassitup would handle a larger phone like an iPhone 10R that is a bit heavy (not a wiggle or worry about it being secure on the scope). Glassitup gets the nod unless you just want to spend 4x the money for a very very very similar use product. Surely not worth 4x the $$$ in my eyes. My humble .02

3) Glassitup gets the nod for ease of use as there is no adapter ring to attach OR misplace!) Mounting the Glassitup is easier and faster (just press it onto the eyepiece). Once the bands are placed on the eyepiece for the initial fit you never mess with them or remove them again, at least I see no reason to remove them. The Phone Skope requires mounting the ring to the scope every time you use it (not a big deal but it is an extra step).

4) The Phone Skope gets the nod in the sexy department as it is much more likely to get the ooooh factor from outdoorsman in both packaging and looks. It does look cool! 3-4 x $$$ cool. I suppose this would be the question you need to ask yourself???

5) Phone Skope also gets the nod for customer service even though I have never contacted them for anything???? Ok let me explain: After emailing Glassitup twice in one week with no answer (still have not had my email answered) I ended up having to do my own homework, finding the correct size eyepiece for my Athlon Ares scope (which is not on their list of scopes). My ordered item didn't ship for a week and I never got a confirmation that my order was being processed aside from my initial receipt for the sale (I was in limbo just hoping it would ship) until it eventually shipped a week later (it did arrive two days later). Maybe I am just being a picky SOB??? Suppose I could have called??? In their defense this may have been a one time occurrence??? Im just a customer service guy so it's important to me but I wouldn't discourage anyone from ordering the Glassitup so I suppose I am just blathering on.

6) Marketing and information about the two items: The Phone Skope gets the nod for sure. Aside from the Glassitup web site, a few forum posts here and there and one or two videos from the vendor on youtube there is not much out there about the Glassitup system. Phone Skope is as common as Chevy these days in the digiscope market. This may be one of the major factors in price? The Glassitup system seems to be a "direct to consumer" business model and the Phone Skope is a "mass market big box" business model which surely jacks the price of an item by a minimum of 40%.

After using both side by side I would have to say that taking the chance on the Glassitup system was well worth it. Both perform flawlessly in my eyes and with similar/identical outcomes for digiscoping. The Phone Skope is a household name with a fine reputation as well as a much bigger price tag and I wouldn't hesitate to pay that price given a non comparable digiscope on the market. The Phone Skope's adapter ring allows it to fit a range of scopes and binos where as the Glassitup system makes 3 different size adapters that allow you to get the closest fit to your scopes eyepiece so this is something to consider. Both in my eyes are very well suited for the task but in the end it's about cost and I would have to say the Glassitup system is the clear winner for me.

Hope this helps someone looking for a digiscope setup going forward



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Last edited by a moderator:
I posted in another thread to see if anyone was using this system and thought I would go ahead and do a review as I had not found much on the net, youtube or much on forums. After doing some research I went ahead, pulled the trigger and hoped for the best. Now that I have the system and have used it (around the house, not in the field yet) I would take the time to post a comprehensive review in hopes it may help someone else on this forum. I have absolutely no loyalty or affiliation with Glassitup in anyway. Everything here is my honest opinion and .02

THE REVIEW:

I went ahead and picked up a 'Glassitup" digiscope and a cheap hard plastic case for my iPhone 10R ("Bogo" kit $35.95 that came with two sizes of eyepiece adapters of my choice, bands, 3m sticky strips, carry bag and instructions). If you purchase a single eyepiece the price is only $29.95. I had a cheaper digiscope I purchased from Amazon for about $16 and had been using that for a year (worked but what a pain in the a-s). WOW! As expected the Glassitup digiscope is absolutely what I was hoping for.

My buddy who owns a Phone Skope came over today and we did some comparison. Without a doubt the Glassitup gets my vote & my buddy's vote hands down for a few reasons. He has already shelled out $190.00 (purchased items on sale over the years) for his Phone Skope as he has replaced his phone twice now (total of 3 Phone Skope cases so far).

Here is our unofficial review and opinion:

1) Price! Absolutely a no brainer on this one. Phone Skope is priced 3-4 times as much as a Glassitup and even more as phones get upgraded with new adapter case required at $50ish each. The Glassitup just requires the purchase of a new cheap ($6.99 hard plastic phone case) if you change your phone.

2) After using both the phone Skope and the Glassitup, both are just as reliable to use. I was concerned about how the Glassitup would handle a larger phone like an iPhone 10R that is a bit heavy (not a wiggle or worry about it being secure on the scope). Glassitup gets the nod unless you just want to spend 4x the money for a very very very similar use product. Surely not worth 4x the $$$ in my eyes. My humble .02

3) Glassitup gets the nod for ease of use as there is no adapter ring to attach OR misplace!) Mounting the Glassitup is easier and faster (just press it onto the eyepiece). Once the bands are placed on the eyepiece for the initial fit you never mess with them or remove them again, at least I see no reason to remove them. The Phone Skope requires mounting the ring to the scope every time you use it (not a big deal but it is an extra step).

4) The Phone Skope gets the nod in the sexy department as it is much more likely to get the ooooh factor from outdoorsman in both packaging and looks. It does look cool! 3-4 x $$$ cool. I suppose this would be the question you need to ask yourself???

5) Phone Skope also gets the nod for customer service even though I have never contacted them for anything???? Ok let me explain: After emailing Glassitup twice in one week with no answer (still have not had my email answered) I ended up having to do my own homework, finding the correct size eyepiece for my Athlon Ares scope (which is not on their list of scopes). My ordered item didn't ship for a week and I never got a confirmation that my order was being processed aside from my initial receipt for the sale (I was in limbo just hoping it would ship) until it eventually shipped a week later (it did arrive two days later). Maybe I am just being a picky SOB??? Suppose I could have called??? In their defense this may have been a one time occurrence??? Im just a customer service guy so it's important to me but I wouldn't discourage anyone from ordering the Glassitup so I suppose I am just blathering on.

6) Marketing and information about the two items: The Phone Skope gets the nod for sure. Aside from the Glassitup web site, a few forum posts here and there and one or two videos from the vendor on youtube there is not much out there about the Glassitup system. Phone Skope is as common as Chevy these days in the digiscope market. This may be one of the major factors in price? The Glassitup system seems to be a "direct to consumer" business model and the Phone Skope is a "mass market big box" business model which surely jacks the price of an item by a minimum of 40%.

After using both side by side I would have to say that taking the chance on the Glassitup system was well worth it. Both perform flawlessly in my eyes and with similar/identical outcomes for digiscoping. The Phone Skope is a household name with a fine reputation as well as a much bigger price tag and I wouldn't hesitate to pay that price given a non comparable digiscope on the market. The Phone Skope's adapter ring allows it to fit a range of scopes and binos where as the Glassitup system makes 3 different size adapters that allow you to get the closest fit to your scopes eyepiece so this is something to consider. Both in my eyes are very well suited for the task but in the end it's about cost and I would have to say the Glassitup system is the clear winner for me.

Hope this helps someone looking for a digiscope setup going forward

I ordered this and wanted to let everyone know, it will not work on a Leupold GR HD and a iPhone SE. There is not enough eyepiece on the Leupold for the bands to fit with the focus adjustment. This will be true for all of the GR. You can make it work but the bands will be overlapped on the focus ring and they kept falling off. The next problem may just be my phone but I am guessing not. With a standard elcheapo case and the Glass It Up adapter there is no adjustment for eye relief. My camera would not get a whole picture until I was 1/4" or so from the adapter even touching the bands. I jumped on Leopold's site and they sell one that has about 3/4" to 1" eye relief away from the lens, that's the same distance I needed with the Glass It Up so I don't think it is the phone. This is a neat product, just appears it will not work with Leupold GR spotters. I found Leupods online for around $50 which isn't too much more and it clamps on the eyepiece groove.
 
Good to know. I never thought about those scopes that the adjuster is up on the eyepiece but makes sense. I can see where you wouldn't have enough room on the GR series scopes.
 
As the inventor of the Glassitup system I am flattered by your review. I can't speak to the customer service issues since I sold the product to another company. Sorry to hear it.
 

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