Anybody else have Maven testimonials? I've looked through the B.1 10x42's in the field and really liked them. Considering getting a pair, but am curious to hear others experience. Relatively new company has me a little gun shy.
Complete Leupold Loadout or save up for Swarovski?
- Thread starter roberte65
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Anybody else have Maven testimonials? I've looked through the B.1 10x42's in the field and really liked them. Considering getting a pair, but am curious to hear others experience. Relatively new company has me a little gun shy.
TXLonghorn
Well-known member
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- Nov 29, 2020
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Second that statement
i looked through a buddies 15’s and they seemed pretty decent. They appeared to have a little bit of a blue tint to my eyes if I remember correctly though.
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longbow51
Guest
If you don't get the Swarovskis now you'll just buy something else and then buy them a few years later. As someone mentioned, closing out SLC line and top of the line now NL so bargains are out there.
MTLabrador
Well-known member
The B2s are a noticeable step up from the B1.
npaden
Well-known member
Sample of one here, but my experience with Leica with my 2nd hand optics was good. The original owner did not fill out the warranty card, so that made things much easier, but I didn't really have proof of purchase or anything like that and they didn't bat an eye. Just sent them in with the filled out warranty card and they fixed them and returned them. Even sent me a loaner pair when it looked like they might not get them back to me in time for the hunt. Issue was a known problem with the HD-B 2200's where they didn't range if the temperature got below freezing so that might be why they worked with me so well on it. Only thing I paid was shipping to get the binoculars to them the first time.
Brad W
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I think it all comes down to what species you are hunting and what your goals are. For elk and mule deer I think the Leupold’s would be fine for most hunts. If you want to hunt Coues deer or someplace like Nevada for mule deer where you may need to pick apart every shadow then the Swaro’s are invaluable. I started with a pair of Vortex and got a good deal on a pair of used EL 10x42s. Hunting Coues with the ELs was literally a whole new world. You can’t understand the “wow” factor until you take them into the field. I relocated a nice buck in a thicket of mahogany that my brother ended up arrowing because I saw a branch gently shaking at 1000 yds that the buck was rubbing. With his mid-range binos my brother was having trouble distinguishing different bushes at that range. Pick glass over magnification any day.
Ithoennes20
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I run the bx-5 santeim hds in a 10x50 and absolutely love them. That being said I've never looked through swaros glass. But for elk unless you want to be real picky about quality id say find a nice set of 10x50 binos and put the money towards them over a spotter. Cuts weight and allows you do get deeper into elk country
Schaaf
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The SLC line was discontinued but rebranded as a Kahles Bino
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Deleted member 16014
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Good info. Was it kinda more recent or a while ago? I’m not that familiar with when their models came out but it seemed like the biggest service complaints I heard were getting to be a few years ago now.
npaden
Well-known member
That was this year. Took about 3 months which I thought was decent turnaround with all the covid stuff. They said they had to ship them back to the factory for the repair and that's why it took so long.
Boarmaster
Well-known member
I used to be a real gear junkie. So I have bought many items upgraded over and over and shelled out for much I didn't use long or just didn't work out or I just wasnt satisfied with. But several things I bought over 15 years ago that I never questioned or regretted was my Swaro EL Binos and my Leica rangefinder. They have been great for me to use for the last 15 years and at 58 I reckon I will use them for another 15 if I live that long. even at 15 -20 years use that is pretty inexpensive annual cost for quality optics. Note that the type of hunting I do only requires one set of binos so Im not faced with the purchase of multiple optics. I dont buy much gear these days but if I do buy I buy top knot quality stuff that I feel
i will use the rest of my hunting lifetime.
If I had to do it all over again and had the purchasing resources we do today I would definately look to buy quality in second hand items with lifetime transferable warranties. I have a few scopes I have bought second hand and they are great.
i will use the rest of my hunting lifetime.
If I had to do it all over again and had the purchasing resources we do today I would definately look to buy quality in second hand items with lifetime transferable warranties. I have a few scopes I have bought second hand and they are great.
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Thank you all for the insightful responses! I think will plan to happily hunt with my current set up, but save for some top end 8x42 binos. On that topic, does anyone have any experience with the "rolling ball" effect from the field flattened Swaro EL's? The 8.5x42 ELs seem to be the perfect all-purpose bino for me, considering the SLC 8x42 are discontinued and i cant afford to grab a secondhand set of those at this time.
Schaaf
Well-known member
How do you figure you’ll be able to get the 8.5x42 EL if secondhand SLC are too much?
save up for quiet a while or wait until I finally get my money from that Nigerian prince haha!
My assumption is that in X years when I want to drop that much on binos, a good pair of secondhand SLCs will be much much tougher to come by. Though I will obviously explore it
HandgunHunter
Well-known member
I use a mix of gear. Leica range finding binos, leupold scopes, leupold 15-30 spotter.....just use what you like....you don’t have to appear like a sponsored hunter in the field.....
I mix and match brands of hunting clothing too.....
I mix and match brands of hunting clothing too.....
agreed, the VIP discount and great experience with various products keeps Leopold at the top of my list though.
Schaaf
Well-known member
My opinion, the Meopta Meostars, Kowa Genesis, and even Zeiss Conquest are 99% of the Swaro’s and you can usually find them for 800-1k. Unless your changing a name they’re very similar in quality.
