Kowa BD-XD 8x42 vs. Viper HD 8x42? (1 Viewer)

Hello,
I’m new to this website and am not sure whether to post this on the Kowa or Vortex forums. I’m hoping for advice. I’m looking for new, better 8x42 birding binos. With my glasses, I need very long eye relief, typically greater than 18 mm (I’d love to have Zeiss Conquest, but the eye relief was not sufficient when I tried them), though it seems that listed eye relief specs don’t always accurately predict differences among brands/models. Possibly related to the long eye relief, I’m sensitive to glare/”washing out” when bright light comes (into the eyepiece?) from the side or rear. Two models that seemed work well when I’ve briefly borrowed them while on bird walks with friends are the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 (optics seem very nice, field of very only modest) and the Kowa BD-XD 8x42 (which I’d not seen nor heard of until this past weekend). Has anyone tried both who could compare them? Thanks

cder, I have the 8x42 Viper HD and have tried the Kowa BD Xd 8x42 several times. I find the view through these to be quite similar. The Kowa has a wider field of view which is nice because my only dislike of the Viper is it's narrow view. The Kowa is also a bit lighter and smaller and has little better close focus. I do not wear glasses and have no problem with eye relief with either one. I have not noticed any excessive glare problems or CA with either one, although that could be a matter of eye placement. I am looking forward to trying the BD XD 8x32. The Vortex warranty is much better. Eagle Optics carries both models so you can try both and decide for yourself. Jim