Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leica Ultravid 8x32 HD or Swaro EL 8x32 WB?

Everyone’s eyes are as different as fingerprints.
I have compared the two several times.
To me;
Ergonomics and warranty go to the Swarovskis, no question..
Optically, the Leicas win.

Totally agree. Only thing I’d add is the Leica build is also more robust.

Will also add that Leicas have smaller dimensions than other comparable glass. A Leica ultravid 8X42 is just a tad bigger than most other companies 8x32.

Spence

True that. I'm a backpack hunter, and have no need for an obnoxious "bino harness"... I tuck the 8x32's under my left arm and go. KISS

I would pay full retail for some EL ranges with angle compensation in the 8x32 for bow hunting.

Break them both and then say that... Swarovski’s customer service is second to none. Leica is basically none.

I’m under 40(barely) I figure I will need some factory support in the next 30 years of my hunting career

Good news about Leica, you likely won’t need service. You’ll definitely need service with the more lightly built EL’s.

I've tried a slew of 8x32's including the one's mentioned by the OP. Swaro outsells Leica probably 20:1 for good reason.........CS, warranty, ergonomics, superp optics, and the most generous eye relief of any 8x32 that I'm aware of. Just my opinion.

Yessssss.........

Sigh..........

Casey, not talking about the SLC’s (which I’ve owned)... talking about the EL’s which have somewhat flimsy eyepieces.

The rolling ball 35% of us experience using Swarovision can’t be called “superb optics.”

If they work for you, they’re great. But for a lot of us they suck. I do like the EL’s ergonomics and Swarovski’s easy customer service. However, Leica is improving their service slowly by all accounts.

Like I said, they outsell Leica 20:1, so it must not be that much of an issue. Leica still needs to update their pathetic warranty as well.

They outsell because of their pro-deals, product placement, and grandiose aesthetics. That’s called brilliant marketing, which no one would accuse Leica of.

For actual hard use bino’s, pass the Leica and leave Swarovski to making crystal for well heeled Saudis...

Glad they work for you. Leica has a repair department like everyone else, for the same reason. They outsell because Leica can't make a better product. Case in point, he new Swaro Pure NL has killed the sales of Leica's newest wonder bino, the Noctovid, and it has killed the Zeiss' SF sales as well. Everyone plays catchup with Swaro in the premium glass department. Just the way it is. Ask any retail optics seller and they'll confirm that Swaro outsells all the other "alpha" makers combined, quite easily. If I were in the market to day I'd personally take the meostar HD over all of them. I feel it's the best combo of toughness (easily as tough as the Leica Trinovid I carried for 15 years), optics, customer support, and warranty.

Lol, there’s nothing quite like a true believer.

Brad I like them both but like you feel Leica is the bino king all round but swaro and Zeiss are right there as well.


Remember all the Zen Ray true believers back in the day. On and on about how great they were for the price, as good as the alphas Blah blah, Lifetime warranty and then poof that company was gone in a flash.

I bet they lost their religion. Be safe all. Spence

That’s all about marketing not the better product. Every large scale sporting goods retailer has a fancy and devoted Swaro display and a decent selection of products. It’s hard to even find a pair of Leicas for a guy to check them out.

I have 8x30 SLCs, a million hours on then I'll bet. 3 years ago I switched to some 42mm glass because I wanted ranging ability. I sure wish Leica or someone else made ranging binos in 30-32mm size

The Leica is definitely more compact. I do not have the 8x32’s, but do have the Leica 7x42 HD. The reason I chose the Leica was the size.
But on the flip side, I picked the Zeiss 8x32’s over the Leica for my wife. I actually thought the Zeiss being a little large were more user friendly.
Durability and optical “best” can be subjective to the handler and viewer. But, my 7x42 Leica still amaze me in both areas.
I am not brand biased, I have a few Swarovski scopes that I like Lots.