Vortex Razor 65HD 22-48 vs Swarovski 65HD 25-50

[CPAjeff]

There's a reason why most optics are compared to Swaro. If a person wants Swaro performance, they just need to pay the price!

 

[jkrfox2011]

You pay for good glass, and get the benefit of good glass. If you are shooting out past 500 yards, you will ultimately benefit from the investment.

 

[Jamen]

i was in the same boat last year. I almost bought the vortex but after looking through both them and Swaro the answer is pretty clear which is better. i ended up with the Swaro i found a good deal on!

 

[Irrelevant]

I will provide an alternative perspective, but I'll keep it Mid-range vs the BEST as I've never sat and compared these two side by side, but like many here have gone through this same decision.

Is the Swaro better? Absolutely.
Can you actually tell it's better? Yes
Will it help you find more game? Maybe
Will it help you better judge game? Yes
Will it help you kill more game? No, with very rare exceptions

And for the cost difference you can go actually hunt and kill an elk in WY and pay for some of the gas to get there.

For all those reasons I went with mid-tier.

 

[WNC2500]

I asked these same questions a year or so ago on this very HT forum.
I ended up having Razor spotter (65 22-48) that you talked about. I also had Razor HD binos.
I switched to Swaro 10x42 EL's, as well as a pair of the SLC 15x56.
Both worked perfect for me in NM and I could see things miles away that in previous times, I could have never seen as clear with my Razor's.
I won't end up changing from Swarovski.

 

[Markusco]

They have two models in 65HD including their wide 25-50 and their 20-60, however both are priced at least $1,000 dollars more than the Vortex Razor

Swaroski going to be better, but the question is : are you willing to pay 1000 for 5-10% better product relatively. Eventually when you enter high-end optics it's diminishing returns per $ spent. Still going to be better ofc, but it's not gonna be a a huge difference.

 

[GBrokx]

Swaroski going to be better, but the question is : are you willing to pay 1000 for 5-10% better product relatively. Eventually when you enter high-end optics it's diminishing returns per $ spent. Still going to be better ofc, but it's not gonna be a a huge difference.

That is kinda what I was wondering - is the Swaro worth $1000 more? I guess I need to look through both side by side to see if it is really that much better

 

[CPAjeff]

That is kinda what I was wondering - is the Swaro worth $1000 more? I guess I need to look through both side by side to see if it is really that much better

Honestly, the question of "is the swaro worth $1,000 more?" totally depends on you and your hunting style - only you can answer that question. I know guys that have thousands of dollars wrapped up in optics and shoot the first mule deer buck they see from the road, it's all about the perception of them having the top-of-the-line optics. There is a difference between Vortex and Swaro, but it all depends on how you want to spend your time and money. For example, if you're a person who is wanting to ensure a mule deer is 180"+ instead of 170", then the answer is Swaro. If you're the type of person who wants to ensure the (enter animal here) is big enough to hike (enter miles here), then the answer is Swaro.

If neither of those situations apply to you, then the answer is Vortex. My $0.02

 

[TheGrayRider]

Life is too short for cheap, budget spotting scopes. Just bite the bullet and buy the Swaro. You will not be disappointed! Live a little…

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Honestly, the question of "is the swaro worth $1,000 more?" totally depends on you and your hunting style - only you can answer that question. I know guys that have thousands of dollars wrapped up in optics and shoot the first mule deer buck they see from the road, it's all about the perception of them having the top-of-the-line optics. There is a difference between Vortex and Swaro, but it all depends on how you want to spend your time and money. For example, if you're a person who is wanting to ensure a mule deer is 180"+ instead of 170", then the answer is Swaro. If you're the type of person who wants to ensure the (enter animal here) is big enough to hike (enter miles here), then the answer is Swaro.

If neither of those situations apply to you, then the answer is Vortex. My $0.02

Exactly, I rarely take a spotter (borrow) but when I do it's backpack hunting where I really want to make sure about a critter before I spend the time and effort.

For a lot of my hunting a spotter is overkill, and just unnecessary weight. To @neffa3 graph I'm actually amazed how much value there actually is in a $200 window mounted scope for pronghorn

All depends on what you're doing.

 

[CPAjeff]

Another thought - you can always rent Swaro stuff (optics4rent.com) and decide if you really want to spend the money.

I rented an ATX for a week when comparing it to my ATM. Well worth the money to actually get to try something before putting the cash down.

 

[Markusco]

That is kinda what I was wondering - is the Swaro worth $1000 more? I guess I need to look through both side by side to see if it is really that much better

Best way it to try 'em out, but yeah. Personally, I never found difference to be 1000$ more between high-end scopes. But there are some people that won't settle for anything but the best and that fits the niche for 'em

 

[wytex]

Look through both side by side and you'll see the diff. pretty easily.
Buy what you can afford but for us why have to upgrade again later. We have a Swaro and a Leupold, Leupold is nice but the Swaro blows it out of the water for clarity.
The Leupold GR is a nice spotter too though.

 

[Boarmaster]

If you divide the cost difference between the two over the 15-20 years that you enjoy and will be very satisfied with the swaro you will find its about the cost of one dinner out a year. Unless you buy the cheaper brand and upgrade three times over the 15-20 years then the swaros are less.

 

[PrairieHunter]

If you want to really learn about optics go over on some of the birding forums. They have forgotten more than most hunters know about optics. Hunters are easily influenced by branding and influencers. Most hunters could not actually judge optics and simply look at the name not realizing that there are only a few factories who make optics and the company name on the optics is not the actual manufacturer. Just US based importer/resellers.

Other groups who are more knowledgeable on optics are photographers and star gazers, there are lenses for cameras that cost 10x what a swaro scope body costs. Their forums are a lot more than people arguing about swaro vs Vortex, they will mention brands you have never heard of in hunting opics. Pentax, Baader, Explore scientific, Televue, etc..

One really interesting thing I learned a long time ago as the eye pieces are removable and can be swapped out on a lot of spotting scopes.

Hunters are not aware that the adjustable eye pieces limit view, light, and are a compromise. If you really want the best FOV and most light go with a fixed eye piece.

Better optical quality

Fixed eyepieces beat comparable zoom eyepieces in optical quality every time.

Because of their complexity, zoom eyepieces have more lenses and mirrors inside, which always introduces optical imperfections like reflections.

Fixed eyepieces have also been optimized and quality tested specifically for their focal length, which means they will generally beat zooms on a direct comparison when using the same magnification. Beginners might not even notice these small differences, but expert stargazers looking to get the highest quality images definitely will.



The reality is a mid level scope with a good fixed eye piece will have better FOV, clarity, light transmission, etc than the swaro with an adjustable eye piece. Hunters are easily duped, Vortex is a great example as they are cheap optics sold at outrageous prices knowing they will give a lot away as returns, much like the business model of cabelas and cheap optics.


You will notice the people who are experts on optics won't buy the same brands as hunters, hunters go for the marketing and influencers, birders just go for the best glass.

 

[brymoore]

Swaroski going to be better, but the question is : are you willing to pay 1000 for 5-10% better product relatively. Eventually when you enter high-end optics it's diminishing returns per $ spent. Still going to be better ofc, but it's not gonna be a a huge difference.

Swarovski is more than 5-10% better than anything Vortex has made.