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Could now be down to 2 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter LW1959
- Start date
Steve C
Well-known member
I have the Viper and the Promaster ELX ED. Believe me when I tell you that the Promaster/Hawke glass is superior to the Viper. What the Viper has is a smaller size, different feel, a faster focus rate, and a somewhat better depth of focus. Other than that the Promaster is noticeably better in resolution and anything else. I am going to have a hard time justifying keeping the Viper. Having said that, the Viper is a very good binocular, just not quite up to the other.
Kevin Purcell
Well-known member
Well, Sheltered Wings has been around a while now. But who's to say any bin company will be around in the future to stand by their warranties (Minolta anyone?).
In this case it's a wash though Hawke is a British company and Vortex isn't (so you can personally find the blokes a bit more easily). In ten years I'm pretty sure he'll have either moved up or given up
As I keep saying you have to look through one but failing that take SteveC's word for it.
SteveC: How well does the Viper deal with stray light? That seems to be the one Hawke Frontier weakness.
Vortex/Eagle Optics was started in 1986 (http://www.vortexoptics.com/pages/about_us), so they have been around for over 20 years. They have also developed a solid reputation in that time--both as a retailer and optics company. I personally do not know anything about Hawke Optics.
Best,
Jim
Hi Steve, thanks for your reply,is the Promaster ELX ED the same as the Hawke frontier ED ? or two diff bins ?
Thanks.
LW
Steve C
Well-known member
It appears that the two binoculars are at leat very similar. It is likely the same basic design, with the same glass and broadband coatings. The hawke does not have the oil repellent coating of the Promaster. The Hawke has a slightly larger FOV. See Frank D's comments in his review of both of the binoculars. They are likely similar enough for me to make the same comparison between the Viper and both Hawke and Promaster.
Hawke isn't an unknown brand, they're just getting fresh attention here because of the ED binoculars.
They do have a great reputation for their rifle scopes' durability and performance for the price, particularly among the spring airgunner crowd. Matter of fact when I was talking to a dealer last week about an air rifle, and which scope he thought would best suit it(and without price being part of the discussion-actually I'd already suggested a Leupold he carries that cost $200 more), he immediately recommended a Hawke scope.
I realize this doesn't mean much when we're talking about the binoculars, a totally different product, but it's not BAD, either:t:
Here's an example of a discussion on the scopes:
http://www.straightshooters.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=5379
They do have a great reputation for their rifle scopes' durability and performance for the price, particularly among the spring airgunner crowd. Matter of fact when I was talking to a dealer last week about an air rifle, and which scope he thought would best suit it(and without price being part of the discussion-actually I'd already suggested a Leupold he carries that cost $200 more), he immediately recommended a Hawke scope.
I realize this doesn't mean much when we're talking about the binoculars, a totally different product, but it's not BAD, either:t:
Here's an example of a discussion on the scopes:
http://www.straightshooters.com/chat/viewtopic.php?t=5379
Ok steve, thanks for your views so im now dropping the vipers. SO YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE ANYONE......
Im going to see the Hawke frontier 8x42 ED but i want to compare it with another bin. would it be fair to compare it to Swarovski EL 8.5x42 ?
The frontier has 36ft more fov than the EL,s Close focus is better on the frontier by 1.5 ft, and frontier is £ 750.00p cheaper than EL,s
What should i see for the extra £ 750.00p ?
Also the shop is in the high street so no birds about what could i focus on other than birds to get an idea on both bins ? buildings etc ?
Thanks LW.
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Kevin Purcell
Well-known member
One thing to consider with the Vortex is if you destroy the bin Vortex will replace it on their VIP warranty. Hawke won't.
That may or may not make a difference.
BTW, it's so difficult to compare bins in a shop (or just outside the front door).
For targets try stuff with detail and color (both primary (kids clothes though you may get an odd stare!) and subtle (flesh tones and dogs/cats fur). Try away from the sun and towards the sun (though in the UK at the moment that might not be an option).
Though to be honest I wouldn't think it too fair a comparison.
I suspect you may not see a difference initially, not because they're the same but because ifyou haven't looked through a decent to good bin recently the effect is usual "Wow, these are good" even when later you look back on them as start to enumerate their defects ("poor stray light control in difficult situations).
Plus the shop test doesn't tell you much about how they'll survive. I suspect (given the way roofs are built today) they can both survive some rough treatment but I suspect the Swaro has actually been tested to see if it could survive that sort of treatment. How much this matters depends on what you are doing: in a jungle in Peru on a birding trip where is bucketing down, you trip and stop your fall against a tree root with the bins which end up in a mud puddle. I think I'd rather have the swaros then. But the Hawkes might survive. But they might not. But dropping them down a cliff on a Sunday day trip is not such a big deal.
I suspect you should go for the Hawkes (though really you should try others not just eliminate them unseen!). Use them for a couple to a few years then reevaluate. You will know what you want then. It may be nothing. It may be the "Leisswarovski".
That may or may not make a difference.
BTW, it's so difficult to compare bins in a shop (or just outside the front door).
For targets try stuff with detail and color (both primary (kids clothes though you may get an odd stare!) and subtle (flesh tones and dogs/cats fur). Try away from the sun and towards the sun (though in the UK at the moment that might not be an option).
Though to be honest I wouldn't think it too fair a comparison.
I suspect you may not see a difference initially, not because they're the same but because ifyou haven't looked through a decent to good bin recently the effect is usual "Wow, these are good" even when later you look back on them as start to enumerate their defects ("poor stray light control in difficult situations).
Plus the shop test doesn't tell you much about how they'll survive. I suspect (given the way roofs are built today) they can both survive some rough treatment but I suspect the Swaro has actually been tested to see if it could survive that sort of treatment. How much this matters depends on what you are doing: in a jungle in Peru on a birding trip where is bucketing down, you trip and stop your fall against a tree root with the bins which end up in a mud puddle. I think I'd rather have the swaros then. But the Hawkes might survive. But they might not. But dropping them down a cliff on a Sunday day trip is not such a big deal.
I suspect you should go for the Hawkes (though really you should try others not just eliminate them unseen!). Use them for a couple to a few years then reevaluate. You will know what you want then. It may be nothing. It may be the "Leisswarovski".
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FrankD
Well-known member
What you will see is slightly better edge sharpness and less field curvature in the ELs. Color rendition and apparent sharpness actually favor the Hawke EDs and the Promaster EDs in my opinion. The easiest way to put it would be that if you favor a bin with a wide "sweet spot" then the EL would be the way to go. On the other hand if you prefer better centerfield sharpness and a brighter image (at the expense of edge sharpness and flatness) then the Hawke ED is certainly the way to go.
I didn't go into color fringing or price as I think both heavily favor the Hawke ED.
