Swarovski or Hawke (1 Viewer)

Thanks everyone for all the replies. I can afford the Swars if I hold off for a few months. But then again I do not have 20 pound notes falling out my arse either and there is always something else that money could be used for. Badge only interests me in so much that it is a sign of quality and I very rarely meet anyone where I go watching birds so nobody will see them. I am also considering the 10x40 Habicht porros at half the price. A very interesting option.
The Hawkes are very tempting though. However, being made in China does put me off. Not going to lie, I cant think of anything of quality that comes from their, so how will these binoculars stand the test of time?

Thanks.

Andy Bryson.

Well all the top brands go wrong as well. In by time I've had binoculars by Bausch and Lomb, Swarvoski and Nikon all go wrong as well as a Bushnell Discovery scope (then, amazingly, highly rated and a Zeiss scope. You can 6 pairs of Hawkes for the price of the Swarvoskis. Buy the Hawkes then get on line and book a plane ticket with the savings.

Steve Babbs said:

If you're a serious birder, spend the money seeing the birds. Buy the Hawkes and a plane ticket to Brazil.

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+1

And I'd rather be carrying £300 worth of bins than £1200 worth when travelling.

Graham

I know alot of people who have had problems with swarovski and have always rated their repair/after sales service but as someone has already said,that itself tells the story,I have had a pair of £350 opticron for 5 years now,never had a problem with them and when I have looked through a pair of swarovski I have only noticed very slight differences,certainly not 7-800 quids worth

andrew bryson said:

I am also considering the 10x40 Habicht porros at half the price. A very interesting option.
The Hawkes are very tempting though. However, being made in China does put me off. Not going to lie, I cant think of anything of quality that comes from their, so how will these binoculars stand the test of time?

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The Habicht 10x40 porros are optically very good indeed, they're tough, they're lightweight and reasonably priced. And they're porros ... If I were to buy a pair of bombproof 10x40's today, the Habicht would in among the running, because I'm not prepared to pay well over 1500 euros for an alpha roof. The only other contender would be the Zeiss Victory FL which is almost a bargain among the alpha roofs today.

However, before you buy one, make sure you like the handling and the eyecups. The Habicht are "old-fashioned" in some ways, and you may not get on with the eyecups in particular.

Hermann

I've noticed the Habicht 10x40 porro's come in a leather clad housing as well as in a rubber armoured housing ( 10x40 GA), and the rubber eyecups are a little different in both. There may well be a difference in comfort on the eyes, so best to try both models,
I guess.

Best regards,

Ronald