Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Spotter..Kowa 66, Razor 65...something else?

I am starting to do research on spotting scopes. I plan to hunt with it, including packing it, so I think a 65mm is probably the way to go. I'd like an 85ish for it's low light performance, but the weight is probably just too much.

Also, I wear glasses, but I want more power than the Long Eye Relief eye pieces out there, so will be going with the zooms.

Budget wise, I am not in the Swarovski tax bracket. So I am looking at the Razor 65 and the Kowa 664 Prominar (I want a straight eye piece). But no one near me has either of these scopes, so it's going to be sight unseen for me.

I know that the Vortex warranty is the best, and that's a huge bonus, no doubt. I have also been told by one source that has both scopes that the Kowa is absolutely the best between these two, and that it is even brighter and clearer than the Razor 85. The only concern on his part was the eye relief on the Kowa. Its 2-3mm or so less than then Razor. But otherwise, he strongly recommended the Kowa as the best choice.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? The Kowa has 16.5 mm of eye relief according to the manufacturer, is this generally enough?

How about the comparison between these two scopes for resolution, brightness and low light performance?

And then there is durability/warranty. I am confident the the Vortex will be tough, or atleast be fixed if it is not. How does the Kowa stand up, and how do they treat folks with repair issues?

There are lots of reviews on the bigger scopes from both manufacturers, but not so many on the smaller, so anyone with experience with these (or other like priced alternatives), I'd love to hear it.

Thanks!

Leupold Gold Ring 12-40x60 is mighty tough to top for a glasses wearer.

Thanks for the reply!

I do see many folks using these. I gather from what I have read they they are loved for their light weight and awesome eye relief. These things are definitely considerations, but I wonder how it would otherwise perform verses the Kowa and the Razor?

So far, I suspect that the Kowa will outperform both in terms of image quality, but the Razor will have the stronger warranty and better eye relief...also be more economical...and the Leupold the lightest weight and the best eye relief.

Sure would be a lot easier if I could get behind these and test them out!