Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

upgrading my binos

I was in your shoes 20 years ago. I went thru a bunch of upgrades and when I was done I had a nice collection of glass that I ultimately resold or gave away after I bit the big bullet and bought Leica Ultravids. I have weak eyes and need all the help I can get. Looking into shadows in brush or under rock ledges it's like having a spot light. I never would have believed the difference. I ended up spending as much of even more than what I payed for the Leicas. FWIW. GJ
 
Leica Trinovid HD
Zeiss Conquest HD
Used Swaro SLC


If I'm spending $1000 on glass, its going to be one of those choices. FWIW, i have had the Trinovids for several years and have been very happy with them.
 
Another one that is right there with the Swarovski SLC and similar optical profile, and maybe the only glass I regret selling for the price I did: Zeiss Victory T* FL
They can be found used for $700-$900, and if in good condition leave very little to be desired. At least in my case I sent in a second hand pair with a factory blem and they took care of me 100% with no warranty paperwork or proof of purchase on my part.
 
I recently added a pair of higher power binos to my gear and looked through a set of Meopta 12x50, Meopta 15x56, and Leupold Santium bx5 15x56. In less than 5 minutes I knew I was going to be boxing up the leupolds to and them back. I like Leupold but compared to the other brands in the same price range, their binos are garbage.

As others have said, it’s tough to beat a pair of swaros. Meopta and maven will get you close but they’re not the same. Only you can decide if the extra money is worth it.
 
Fudge for the swaros and get it over with...great no questions warranty when I dealt with em on a used pair with a compromised tube w/no provenance.
 
As if you needed any additional convincing, I bought a used pair of SLC’s a couple years ago and have loved them. I use the vortex uni-adapter on them for a really simple and light tripod setup.
 
As if you needed any additional convincing, I bought a used pair of SLC’s a couple years ago and have loved them. I use the vortex uni-adapter on them for a really simple and light tripod setup.
I spent $1500 I absolutely could not afford on my SLCs as a college graduation present to myself. Best money I’ve ever spent.
 
if i buy swaros they would have to be used, so what is the warranty on 2nd hand swaros?
Like stated the warranty is transferable. There are 2 options to the warranty.
Either the seller of the product can call in and remove his name from the serial number of the product and then the buyer calls in and can register the product in his name. This options is usually the best choice.
The second is they buyer calls in but will need the owners name, address and phone number to match what’s on file with Swarovski and tell them you purchased the product from the buyer. They will verify this and then register the product in the new buyers name.

I’d definitely recommend saving a few more $ and getting some used SLCs. They are fantastic glass and Swarovski will take care of you.
 
really appreciate all the feedback guys. thank you. now wheres a good place to look for some nice used binos?
 
I bought a pair of SLC’s a couple years ago........I’ve wasted every dime on others before these. Really only a few hundred more than Vortex Razors, and worth twice as much.
 
The vortex viper has great glass for the price as well as mentioned by someone above the warranty is awesome. Mine fell off the 4x4 then got run over by someone following me and Vortex replaced them without any hesitation. I don’t have any experience with the other brands but that’s my two cents. Good luck!
 
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You could buy those.
 
You could always use an app called Qapital. You can set rules for rounding up purchases and it puts it into the account. Slowly save money and you won’t even notice it. This is what I do when I want to make a big purchase. I use the round up +$1 and the 52 week rule. Then when I have enough money to purchase what I want, I just transfer the money into my main account and buy it. Just an option if you don’t need the binos right at this exact moment.
 
I have the meopta and vortex in HD 10X 42. I can't speak to the other brands. I'm very happy with both, but prefer the meopta.
 
I got a pair of 10x50 slc for 900$ on ebay ended up paying 1002$ For great condition binos glass is perfect
 
Am a cheap person by nature and the thought of buying Swarovski glass was insane to me over 2 decades ago. But then the comparing started and once using the swarovski glass there was no going back. Have the SLC 10x42's and have had them in for service once over two decades and their customer service was great imo, but have only needed it once for an eye cup issue that was operator error over time. Hear all the time how great vortex's customer service is, yet many people have to use it regularly, that's a tell. Have one vortex scope on a kids rifle and use a pair of vortex bino's as a backup in the truck because I've gotten really sick of people wanting to use the SLC's. Vortex glass is good and haven't been to unhappy with it, but it's just not as good in low light and the ergonomics are just nowhere near as comfortable in hand. But I like a heavier, steadier bino to help eliminate shake. Really like Zeiss glass but the build of the body just doesn't feel good to me, but they are definitely light if that's important to you personally. Leupold needs to up their game in their binos on a lot of levels, they aren't really even worthy of discussion in that price range. Bino's need to feel good in your hands and more importantly be crystal clear for your eyes or you're not going to be as apt to use them frequently. And that is different for everyone and even how your eyes adjust to them, that's a big deal. After all this time love the build of the swarovski's and how easy they are on my eyes, there's little to no eye fatigue even after hours of using them in low light. Vortex's build and bodies just feel awfully to me, they don't cradle well at all in my hands and my eyes struggle with them. Have left the SLC's in the bottom of a duck boat fully submerged in water that froze, have dropped them countless times, left them out in all day rains in the fall, they have a lot of identifiable scars on the rubber coating, but the glass is still clear as brand new. Have wanted a spotting scope for years and have a cheap one that I use but it's terrible in low light. If you look at not just avid hunters reviews and opinions, but avid bird watchers, most end up with higher priced name brand glass after being disappointed with cheaper glass, thanks to people letting them use their glass. Can't pull the trigger on a spotting scope for that kind of money and justify it for the amount of use it'd get currently, bino's fit 90% of the optic needs. Would highly suggest finding some retailer that will take you outside and test them all in low light if possible. It's a big purchase and a personal one. We are all different and like different things. Good glass is an investment that's worth it in the long run. Good optics don't loose much in value in the used market, so even if you don't like what you go with, selling and going a different direction usually isn't to hard. Sorry for the long winded, very biased slant, but after taking the advice I got years ago, am still thrilled with the SLC's with a lot of hard miles on them.
 

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