For my general western hunting use here in CO and WY, the Leupold Gold Ring 12-40 seems about perfect. Several hunting friends have Swarovskis, leicas, and kowa, and I will admit that the clarity is better on some of them toward the top end. Occasionally I get tempted to buy a Swaro for the image improvement, but then remember how compact, light, and user friendly the Leupold is and put the wallet back in my pocket. It all comes down to best for your application. I am usually just trying to find critters, size up antlers, etc... this year with a sheep tag in my pocket I have had a few instances where it would be nice to have a better spotter to age the rams, but I can still judge their horn size just fine with the Leupold....even a long ways away.
