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Old 09-18-2018, 04:23 PM
tatonka2 tatonka2 is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 151
Default Binoculars: Swarovski 10X42 EL vs Leupold 10X42 Gold Ring HD

I recently bought a pair of Swarovski 10X42 EL's.. I usually narrow my choices down to 3 or so, compare them, and then buy the one that stands out. I found a used pair of Swarovski's that were in mint condition for over $1,000 less than they can be purchased for new, so I bought them. I have a pair of Leupold Gold Ring 10X42 HD binoculars I've had for a few years now.. So, I took both pairs out as soon as I got the Swarovski's to compare them.

I was fully expecting the Swarovsk's to blow the Leupolds out of the water. That was not the case. I tried both pair at different times of the day from bright daylight until it was too dark to see. After a couple of weeks of trying to convince myself that the Swarovskis were better I finally came to the conclusion that they were not. I challenge anyone to try both pair and tell me which one is better. To my eye, they are equal. I had my son try them and he had to admit he couldn't really see any difference either. We both agreed that the colors might be slightly more vibrant with the EL's, but the difference was very, very slight. Clarity and brightness were the same.

I don't recall what I paid for the Leupolds. I think I paid $600 or $700 about 7 or 8 years ago. I don't even know if Leupold makes the same binocular any more. The Swarvoskis sell for $2,626.99 new, but I paid $1500 (US) for the ones I bought.

So, I pretty much spent $1,500 for nothing. I'm selling the Swarovskis. I have a lot of other places I can spend $1,500! By the way, they are already sold.

Swarovskis are obviously a great optic...no doubt about it, but based on my experience I firmly believe a lot of people are buying the name. IF I can find another pair of Leupold Gold Ring 10X42 HD's, I'm going to buy them as a backup.

Side Note: I was hunting caribou in Manitoba about 5 years ago. I had the Leupolds and the guide had a pair of Zeiss binocular (I can't recall which model). We were watching some bulls at a fairly long distance and he hands me his binocular and said, "Here, try these". I tried them and thought at the time (to myself) "My Leupolds are sharper than these". I was not impressed by his Zeiss at all, but I didn't tell him that as he'd just bought them and was pretty proud of them.
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Old 09-18-2018, 06:58 PM
Wrongside Wrongside is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
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The Leupold GR HD were/are great binos. Shame that Leupold quit making them.
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