Another "What to buy" Spotting Scope thread.... with a twist

[McHaggis]

Hi Guys,

Here in New Zealand we don't have the range of spotting scopes that you guys have in the States so I've narrowed it down to what's readily available here, in a price range that I'm not comfortable with but have accepted as, you get what you pay for so suck it up. Here's the list that I need some help with...

Sightron Sll BL 20-60 x 85 HD-A NZ$1200
Vortex Viper HD 20-60 x 80 NZ$1500
Athlon Ares 20-60 x 85 ED NZ$1800
Hawke 56202 Endurance ED 20-60 x 85 NZ$1600
Vortex Diamondback 20-60 x 80 NZ$930
Celestron Regal M2 100ED 22-67 x 100 NZ$1800
Bushnell Elite HD 20-60 x 80 NZ$1900

If you throw in other options please realise that they are probably not available here so I can't consider them. I'm going to use this to spot shots out to 1000 or so.

I'd rather spend the extra bucks and get a decent scope that does the job or I'll regret it but I'd rather be spending $1000 so I'm stretching it with the above options as it is. I have no experience with spotting scopes at all so I need your help

If you were in my boots what would you buy?

Edited to show values are in New Zealand Dollars.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Well, you won't be able to see your shots at 1000 yards unless you're shooting a 50 cal or 20mm round. If you're just looking at seeing the shot indicator and the score during a match, anything with 15X and higher magnification will do just fine. I've seen a lot of Vortex Diamondbacks on the line and people seem to like them. I don't think there is really much optical difference between any listed here. Several have ED glass, but unless you want to use the spotting scope for birding, it's not worth the difference in price.

 

[McHaggis]

It'll be steel targets at that range. I'd never hope to see holes in paper much past 2-300.
Thanks for the advise. I threw the Diamondback in there as I have read good reviews on them for what you pay.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Meopta s2 or cabelas euro hd (same scope)

 

[McHaggis]

Meopta s2 or cabelas euro hd (same scope)

Thanks for chiming in Alex but those scopes would be approx NZ$4300 landed here if I could even get them.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Watch ebay, picked mine up for 1300

 

[sfldiver]

I'm currently using a Celestron M2 80ED with a 27mm Long Eye Relief eyepiece. I use it exclusively for reading mirage during FClass shooting. I've also used it with a 20-60 eyepiece, and the optics are excellent. Celestron is primarily a telescope manufacturer, but also makes sports optics, at reasonable prices compared to what some consider premium spotting scopes. Don't hesitate to seriously consider the Celestron - you won't be disappointed.

 

[McHaggis]

I'm currently using a Celestron M2 80ED with a 27mm Long Eye Relief eyepiece. I use it exclusively for reading mirage during FClass shooting. I've also used it with a 20-60 eyepiece, and the optics are excellent. Celestron is primarily a telescope manufacturer, but also makes sports optics, at reasonable prices compared to what some consider premium spotting scopes. Don't hesitate to seriously consider the Celestron - you won't be disappointed.

I've just spoken to the store and they have one left in stock. He also suggested an adapter for my iPhone to allow easy viewing when I'm behind the rifle. At NZ$189 it seems a bit of overkill but is this a good idea or more of a gimmick?

 

[TerryH]

I'll be following with interest. I just researched these same spotters quite extensively less the Celestron and Bushnell. Appears to me that the Sightron and the Hawke are the same or very, very close to it. I ended up ordering the Hawke 56202 Endurance ED 20-60 x 85. Should have it in a few days so we shall soon see if that was a good decision. I have other Hawke products and feel like they perform well above their pricing. I was able to get mine from my LGS who is a Hawke dealer for $500 US. Check out this review if you haven't seen it. It really sealed the deal for me.

http://www.bestspottingscopereviews.com/HawkeEnduranceED20-60x85SpottingScope-13.htm

 

[TerryH]

I picked up my Hawke Endurance ED 20-60x85 at my local LGS. So far I'm completely impressed but admittedly have no point of reference other than my old Barska. The Hawke seems like a lot of scope for $500.





Plus a free hat and tee shirt.

 

[JRS]

The Hawke and Celestron are the same spotting scope made in the same factory in China.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Hard to say with that list. They all leave a lot to be desired when the atmospheric conditions become less than perfect. But I completely understand that you have to work with what you can get your hands on. Of course first thing, if they are "readily available" to you, is go look through as many of them as possible. I think you'll find in the group you listed that the Vortex Viper HD and Athlon Ares ED stand a notch above the crowd optically and large leap above with warranty coverage.

Vortex and Athlon both have unconditional no fault lifetime fully transferable warranties. Warranty coverage is a major thing I consider when choosing an optic. I mostly hunt mountainous high country and I demand that my optics hold up to the foul weather and unintentional abuse I may put them through. However, if something goes wrong, I want to know the manufacturer will back me up 100% and have a new optic in my hands with minimal downtime. Vortex and Athlon will back you up in any situation. The ONLY thing they wont cover is if you lose the optic or it is stolen. So basically if it's in your possession, you are completely covered.

All I can say is good luck with the others on the list. They may support you if the optic experiences issues, but the service won't be like what I have personally experienced with a company like Vortex in the past. A lot of people don't take this factor into consideration until the day something goes wrong. Some of the other manufacturers on your list have great customer service and support, but their warranties will not cover damages like Vortex and Athlon.

 

[TerryH]

The Hawke and Celestron are the same spotting scope made in the same factory in China.

Do you mean Hawke and Sightron?

 

[McHaggis]

Good point Ledd Slinger. The warranty is now pushing me towards the Athlon. The scopes listed are readily available here in NZ but not where I am. The only one on the list that I've found locally is the Viper. The rest are all at the other end of the country, some 1050 miles away.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

In the states we have big retail stores like Cabelas and Bass Pro that will take any return, no questions asked, for up to 90 days after the purchase. If you can find retailers with similar return policies in New Zealand, you could order a few of the spotters on your list, test them all out in the field for a week or so, then just return the scopes you don't want. Not sure if that's an option for you, but that's what I'd try to do If I was in your situation...

 

[McHaggis]

In the states we have big retail stores like Cabelas and Bass Pro that will take any return, no questions asked, for up to 90 days after the purchase. If you can find retailers with a similar return policies in New Zealand, you could order a few of the spotters on your list, test them all out in the field for a week or so, then just return the scopes you don't want. Not sure if that's an option for you, but that's what I'd try to do If I was in your situation...

I don't think we have that luxury here but I'm going to ask them but I'm pretty sure I know the answer. Still, never hurt to ask.

 

[McHaggis]

Vortex and Athlon both have unconditional no fault lifetime fully transferable warranties.

Maybe in the USA but here the local Athlon importer is only offering a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Looks like I'm left with a Vortex option.

AND no chance of getting one to try as the seller has to order a scope from the importer who may or may not actually have it in stock. Most of the scopes are a 10-20 days delivery.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Maybe in the USA but here the local Athlon importer is only offering a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Looks like I'm left with a Vortex option.

AND no chance of getting one to try as the seller has to order a scope from the importer who may or may not actually have it in stock. Most of the scopes are a 10-20 days delivery.

Unfortunately sounds like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place with the optics on your list. We are a little spoiled with lots of optics options in the states no doubt. But I'm sure you would be perfectly happy with a Vortex scope, especially with their warranty support should you ever need it.

I personally use a Cabelas version Meopta MeoStar 20-70x82 S2 HD. If by some chance you can get your hands on one of those, I guarantee you won't be disappointed Even the lower priced Meopta MeoPro HD glass is no slouch when it comes to top notch optical performance. My buddy has the MeoPro HD 20-60x80. We compared the two this last year while scouting for deer in the high country. I'll tell ya, I was really impressed with the glass. There was definitely a difference between the MeoPro and the MeoStar glass with resolution at very long distances, but it was not very significant. The MeoPro HD held the resolution to a level where you could still pick out very small antler tines on a buck at over 2000 yards. The MeoStar HD just showed it all in a little more detail. Low light performance was almost identical. The MeoStar maybe gave an extra couple minutes over the MeoPro, but really nothing that I would even consider much of a difference. If I owned the MeoPro HD, I would not see a reason to buy the MeoStar HD. On the other end, I own the MeoStar HD and am not upset in any way that I spent the extra money because it is a little better. When you start approaching alpha optic levels, the smallest improvements in optical performance start costing a LOT more money for each tiny step. So it just depends on if a person is willing to pay for the best. Nice thing about Meopta is they hardly spend any money on advertising and they make all of their own glass in house from scratch. This helps keep the cost of their optics at a lower level and offer alpha level quality at lower price points than companies like Swarovski and Leica

Check out https://www.optics-trade.eu/au/spotting-scopes.html It seems they can ship to anywhere in the world and their prices are pretty fair. I believe you will find more options than what you have on your list

 

[McHaggis]

Well it pays to check things out. After being told the local agent didn't honour the manufactures warranty the shop went back to them to complain. I also contacted Athlon direct and let them know what was going on. Athlon told me that I was welcome to return it directly to them if I ever had an issue and they would repair or replace as per their unlimited warranty.
Then the shop came back to me and told me the local agent now provides the unlimited warranty.

Thanks Ledd Slinger for the link. All the Google searches I've done for scopes this site never come up. Their prices and options look promising. Cheers!

EDIT: I've just looked them up. They are based in Slovenija and most of the local posts on forums show that the delivery from them seems to be months not weeks with some of the guys not receiving items, but they were refunded. Add to the the duty and tax payable on entry into NZ and they're not an option. Pity as they have some great scopes.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Well it pays to check things out. After being told the local agent didn't honour the manufactures warranty the shop went back to them to complain. I also contacted Athlon direct and let them know what was going on. Athlon told me that I was welcome to return it directly to them if I ever had an issue and they would repair or replace as per their unlimited warranty.
Then the shop came back to me and told me the local agent now provides the unlimited warranty.

Thanks Ledd Slinger for the link. All the Google searches I've done for scopes this site never come up. Their prices and options look promising. Cheers!

EDIT: I've just looked them up. They are based in Slovenija and most of the local posts on forums show that the delivery from them seems to be months not weeks with some of the guys not receiving items, but they were refunded. Add to the the duty and tax payable on entry into NZ and they're not an option. Pity as they have some great scopes.

Yeah I believe that many of the optics are 'requested' from the manufacturer when you buy them. That's why on some of them you will see "ships in 2-4 weeks". I would only consider the optics they have in stock to be safe. Reviews seem very favorable when ordering items they have in stock.