Worth the money or not !

[White Pass Outfitters]

Questions on Swarovski EL range 10 x 42 wb Binoculars
How do they compare to the others and are they worth the money? There running around $3600 right now. Thanks

[trophyhunt]

Can't believe how much they are new, wow.  I shopped around a lot before I bought my slc's 10x42.  Everyone see through binos a bit differently, I'd go look through a few before I decided.  I found the slc's just as good as the EL's, I believe the only difference is the EL's (extra light) are lighter?  I eventually found a great used pair on the internet, paid 1,100.  With the serial number you can call Swarovski and find everything out about the binos you may purchase.  Obviously if money was no obstacle I'd buy new and go with the EL's, but with my budget the slc's are perfect!

[bearpaw]

I had my swarovski binoculars and numerous other items stolen from my truck two years ago. My homeowners insurance came through for a good portion of the value, I could have replaced the binos with any bino on the market, but I bought another pair of swarskis. I spend hours at a time, days, months looking through that glass, cheaper optics used to make my eyes sore and even have caused headaches! I love swarski glass. I got a good deal through one of their TV show sponsors because I'm an outfitter, you might contact them and see if you can get an outfitter discount, many manufacturers are giving outfitter discounts to get their gear in the hands of clients, I'll send you a pm to help you get many different discounts on gear.

[elkaholic123]

I have EL Range and love them, I got them used for $2300.00 and sent them in to get serviced for just the cost of shipping. 👍👍👍

[trophyhunt]

Great point Dale, I can look through my glass all day without any issues. 

[high country]

The swarovision and edg use the field flattener that screws with some pretty bad. It's best to try some and pan with them to see if it's for you. Some love it, some throw up.

The engineers from nikon split off to form an optics company. It's worth looking at tract toric binos. I have the new slc 15x56 and like them, but to me my 12x50 leica produced a better image to me....but not to some of my friends.

Optics are truly a personal opinion.

[bearpaw]

When mine were stolen we called swarovski, they had the new pair delivered to me at the ranch I was hunting in Montana the very next day! There is no better service than that. Mine aren't the EL's, they are the 15x56 SLC, I also have a smaller pocket bino, and my wife has an older 10x42 slc, but I don't think you can go wrong with any swarski glass, at least none that I've ever looked through. The EL's are super nice but last time I checked they weren't available in 15x which I like having.

I agree with you high country, different glass for different people!

[high country]

The 15x56 are tough to beat!

[Nash]

I was pretty set on buying a pair of the EL ranges. I recently listened to a podcast though talking about the Swarovski BTX eyepiece. Now I'm thinking I'm gonna go with the vortex razor hds to save a few bucks and buy the BTX for my long glassing sessions. I do like the idea of the rangfinder built in to the ranges though.

[DeathMarch]

I love mine. I bought a used pair for $1000. I would love to have a set with the range finder. In the early morning I am able to glass across the canyons without any effort or strain minutes before my hunting buddies. I swear I would miss some of those bucks laying in the brush if I didn't have a great pair of glasses.


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[meatwhack]

The ranges don't have the same glass as the EL's with swarovision. So if you're strictly looking for the best glass I'd get standard EL's.

[White Pass Outfitters]

Thanks guys for all the input, I have look through them and pretty sure Im going to go with the EL's  with the built in range finder.
I like the idea of only carrying one thing. Now its time to shop around and find the best deal. If anyone here's of a good sale it would be much appreciated. 

[Reidus]

I know a guide with them that loves them. He can range and watch for the client at the same time. They are not ideal for archery.

[high country]

Something to consider is the quickly changing rangefinder technology and it's effects on the binoculars value /optics. I think with the sig 2200 coming to the plate @ +/-$350 it's obvious that there's some serious electronics being developed. The swarovski rangefinder is already not up to the level of the sig, and the sig has already been improved upon. The optics suffer when the rangefinder is built in.....so you're essentially settling on both fronts.

I'd give strong consideration to a separate rangefinder if you plan on keeping these for very long.

[Bob33]

Something to consider is the quickly changing rangefinder technology and it's effects on the binoculars value /optics. I think with the sig 2200 coming to the plate @ +/-$350 it's obvious that there's some serious electronics being developed. The swarovski rangefinder is already not up to the level of the sig, and the sig has already been improved upon. The optics suffer when the rangefinder is built in.....so you're essentially settling on both fronts.

I'd give strong consideration to a separate rangefinder if you plan on keeping these for very long.

That is my perspective. A friend of mine has a Leica rangefinder/binocular that is several years old. It ranges to about 800 yards. At the time it was state of the art. They're also heavy. It's nice to have a single unit but it does have drawbacks: heavier, more expensive,  and it locks in technology on two fronts rather than one.

[White Pass Outfitters]

Can someone tell me the difference between the EL and the SLC
the price difference is quite a bit. Is the glass the same ? Now I'm thinking going with the EL 12 X 50 or SLC 15 X 56 The price difference is $634 and the slc weighs 7oz more. Thanks for any input !

[Reidus]

Slc hd are really good. I''ve heard a lot of people swear by the 12x50 el's.  15×56 are pretty big. Mostly for tripod Mounting. If you're packing them around a lot and that's the only pair you bring, I'd go 12x50. I'd imagine some 12x50 el's on a tripod would be amazimg.

[Skyvalhunter]

Love my SLC's but last year purchased some 15X Vortex. Personally believe if you can get your hands on an older pair of SLC's at a decent price your are good to go as the glass hasn't gotten any better but the shape and style has.

[high country]

El with swarovision are like the nikon edg, they use field flattering to produce a crazy image BUT it's too much for some. Google "roling ball image " and it will help. The slc is like a traditional lens on steroids. If you've looked through leica/zeiss /swarovski in the past, this is what you will get. Neither is a dissapointment.

[jjhunter]

I bought the 12x50 EL and the 15x56 and packed both for a year to determine my preference between the two.  What I found was that the 12x was very close to my 10x and the 15x provided a significant increase in horsepower for the intermediate range glassing.   The 15x provided a "different view" of the same world.

I would 100% recommend a 10x and 15x first.  After that, a guy could go to a 12x or a BTX, Kowa, Doctor, etc to fill those niches or to use in specific terrain/hunting areas.

[jjhunter]

I went back and read the initial question...

The most important piece of gear that I own is my 10x rangefinding binoculars.   If a guy can afford a pair, this should be the first optics purchase.

I currently pack the EL Range in 10x, but have owned and hunted with the Zeiss RF and both Leicas (HD/R and HD-B).   They are all amazing and worth every penny - there are subtle differences in features, ergonomics and image.   Your decision will most likely come down to how they fit your hands/face or ride your chest.

   

[bearpaw]

Can someone tell me the difference between the EL and the SLC
the price difference is quite a bit. Is the glass the same ? Now I'm thinking going with the EL 12 X 50 or SLC 15 X 56 The price difference is $634 and the slc weighs 7oz more. Thanks for any input !

We've had some original SLC's for 20 years, my new 15x56 SLC's are a noticable improvement, but they say the EL's are higher quality, I can't see much difference in the glass myself. I love my 15x for sizing up game and long range spotting, but I don't like carrying them around my neck all day hiking or riding, then I prefer to carry 10x42's which are much lighter weight and less bulky. I don't have any 12x but want to compare them someday.

[high country]

Can someone tell me the difference between the EL and the SLC
the price difference is quite a bit. Is the glass the same ? Now I'm thinking going with the EL 12 X 50 or SLC 15 X 56 The price difference is $634 and the slc weighs 7oz more. Thanks for any input !

We've had some original SLC's for 20 years, my new 15x56 SLC's are a noticable improvement, but they say the EL's are higher quality, I can't see much difference in the glass myself. I love my 15x for sizing up game and long range spotting, but I don't like carrying them around my neck all day hiking or riding, then I prefer to carry 10x42's which are much lighter weight and less bulky. I don't have any 12x but want to compare them someday.

The difference between the SLC & SLC-NEU is absolutely worth going NEU, the difference between the EL & SLC-NEU is subjective to the viewer IMO.

[JDHasty]

Can someone tell me the difference between the EL and the SLC
the price difference is quite a bit. Is the glass the same ? Now I'm thinking going with the EL 12 X 50 or SLC 15 X 56 The price difference is $634 and the slc weighs 7oz more. Thanks for any input !

I wrote a bit on it in and earlier thread here

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,208187.0.html