I came home from work and found a box on my front porch. I opened it and found my new pair of Vortex 15x56 Kaibab's. As I unpacked them and got ready to look through them I had no idea what I was in for. I looked through them and I suddenly smiled and was speechless. What I seen was a bright, clear, sharp and wow factor image that I could not get to come out of my mouth. I was beyond impressed and the expression on my face said all I need to say. This was my first impression of the binoculars I had been intently trying to get my hands on to compare with my much favored and much loved Minox BL 13x56 BR and Swarovski 15x56SLCnew. They already showed they had beyond WOW factor but the testing was just beginning. The big test would be a field test on an anticipated javelina hunt.
The second day I had the Vortex binoculars, I ran them through a mid day stack test against my Minox and my Swarovski optics. The hill I was focused on from my back yard is 200 yards away. The hill comprised of a barrel cactus, some prickle pear cactus, rocks, mesquite trees and other desert vegetation. My main object would be the barrel cactus and the prickle pear cactus.
All three optics were focused for the barrel cactus and stacked for quick viewing and comparison then all three were side by side on tripods for a different look besides just the stack. All three optics performed very close. Of the three, I found the Minox to be the brightest. The 2x magnification that the 13x Minox lack allows them to gather light a little better over the two other binoculars in the test. When I looked at image quality, the Vortex blew me away. They showed detail identically to the Swarovski 15�s and were as clear. However the Vortex felt easier on my eyes than the Swarovski. One thing to remember is not all eyes are the same and what my eyes like better might not be what your eyes like better. The one thing I can say is the Swarovski and the Vortex are seemingly identical and it is hard for me to choose one over the other in terms of optical quality.
The binocular case that binoculars come in to me is very important. I feel the case that comes with the Swarovski�s is poor. It lacks protection from accidental drops or from simply being in a day pack. The Minox have a nice leather type case that would do a better job protecting the optics from accidental drop or daypack damage and looks more professional. The Vortex comes with probably the best case of all three. It is a heavy duty outer with a nice soft protective inside layer.
Overall when I compared the optics, I felt the decision to pick from the three would be difficult. However when you look at quality and price it would be a no brainer to go with Minox or Vortex over Swarovski. They are considerably less expensive and optical quality is very similar. I still love the Swarovski 15x56�s, but if I had to buy a pair now, I would not be able to do so. I think the Vortex offer a better image than the Minox and allow for longer glassing without fatigue during the middle of the day. The Minox are brighter so during the day they can cause some fatigue, not much but more than the Vortex. I find the Vortex 15�s to be a better all around product than the Swarovski and Minox big eyes. Though I would not hesitate to buy either I would still have to say the Vortex 15's are my pick in initial comparison and value.
The Minox are the lowest priced binocular in the field. At $829 they are a great buy for the cost conscience person. The Vortex come in at $1199 and the Swarovski are the highest priced binocular tested at $2269. All prices are from cameralandny.com which has a reputation of great prices and excellent customer service.
And as for the field test on the Javelina hunt. I�ll let the picture my hunter in 36C speak for itself.
The second day I had the Vortex binoculars, I ran them through a mid day stack test against my Minox and my Swarovski optics. The hill I was focused on from my back yard is 200 yards away. The hill comprised of a barrel cactus, some prickle pear cactus, rocks, mesquite trees and other desert vegetation. My main object would be the barrel cactus and the prickle pear cactus.
All three optics were focused for the barrel cactus and stacked for quick viewing and comparison then all three were side by side on tripods for a different look besides just the stack. All three optics performed very close. Of the three, I found the Minox to be the brightest. The 2x magnification that the 13x Minox lack allows them to gather light a little better over the two other binoculars in the test. When I looked at image quality, the Vortex blew me away. They showed detail identically to the Swarovski 15�s and were as clear. However the Vortex felt easier on my eyes than the Swarovski. One thing to remember is not all eyes are the same and what my eyes like better might not be what your eyes like better. The one thing I can say is the Swarovski and the Vortex are seemingly identical and it is hard for me to choose one over the other in terms of optical quality.
The binocular case that binoculars come in to me is very important. I feel the case that comes with the Swarovski�s is poor. It lacks protection from accidental drops or from simply being in a day pack. The Minox have a nice leather type case that would do a better job protecting the optics from accidental drop or daypack damage and looks more professional. The Vortex comes with probably the best case of all three. It is a heavy duty outer with a nice soft protective inside layer.
Overall when I compared the optics, I felt the decision to pick from the three would be difficult. However when you look at quality and price it would be a no brainer to go with Minox or Vortex over Swarovski. They are considerably less expensive and optical quality is very similar. I still love the Swarovski 15x56�s, but if I had to buy a pair now, I would not be able to do so. I think the Vortex offer a better image than the Minox and allow for longer glassing without fatigue during the middle of the day. The Minox are brighter so during the day they can cause some fatigue, not much but more than the Vortex. I find the Vortex 15�s to be a better all around product than the Swarovski and Minox big eyes. Though I would not hesitate to buy either I would still have to say the Vortex 15's are my pick in initial comparison and value.
The Minox are the lowest priced binocular in the field. At $829 they are a great buy for the cost conscience person. The Vortex come in at $1199 and the Swarovski are the highest priced binocular tested at $2269. All prices are from cameralandny.com which has a reputation of great prices and excellent customer service.
And as for the field test on the Javelina hunt. I�ll let the picture my hunter in 36C speak for itself.