after giving them some more use I continue to be impressed with the optics of the Sightron. The view is very similar to that of the Fury but the Sightrons are a wee bit brighter and there is that "something" about them that Frank likes to talk about, contrast or sharpness or whatever. The view just seems exceptionally clear, neutral, and vivid. They don't have the dazzling brightness of the ZR ED3 but (from memory since the ED3 aren't here now) they are pretty close.
the Fury's have an "easier" view with the lower mag and big exit pupils, and build quality seems to be superior. They feel more rugged and robust (although I'm not a fan of the diopter adjustment) with softer armor, that silky focus knob, and of course the eyecups are a million times better. But the Sightron build is definitely fine for the money.
That said, the weight/bulk difference is significant, the Sightrons feel MUCH lighter and when wearing them with my padded neoprene strap they practically feel weightless. They are basically the perfect hiking bins, ultra light with wonderful optics and none of the compromises of the super compact (sub 30mm objective) models. With a harness or a bandolier-style neoprene strap I feel like I could carry them all day without noticing the weight. Although I will say that the are SO light that it makes it a bit harder to hold steady than a heavier bin.
Optically again (other than the advance in contrast/pop) they are very, very similar. I think Frank said once about the Sightrons that they aren't superlative in any specific area but they just do so many things very well. Very nice sweet spot (60-70%) for the money, decent enough edge performance, not a ton of pincushion (less than the Fury and definitely less than the ED3 which has too much IMO), not the brightest or sharpest but plenty of each, not the widest FOV in an 8x but again it's plenty sufficient.
I did some test today on a white sign with black lettering, and the Sightron has slightly better CA handling than the Fury; both show moderate color fringing outside of the center but it's minimal, and the extent of the fringe is a bit thinner on the Sightron. I also noticed that the Fury renders the white sign a little "dingier" than it looks naked eye (perhaps a bit of warm/yellow bias?), whereas with the Sightron the sign renders a little brighter and whiter. Again, neither equal the superb brightness + whiteness of the Zen ED3 but the Sightron appears to be pretty darn close.
One point that I don't think has been made is that these may be the perfect budget-bins for WOMEN. With the ultra light weight, and compact, thin-barreled open bridge design they are great for small hands. My wife is very petite, she has small hands and most bins don't have sufficient minimum IPD for her. Even the Fury's with their huge oculars (much larger eyepiece than the Sightron) and extra 5-6oz are too bulky for her, but she tried the Sightrons and really loved them. You get close-to-alpha optics with a thin barreled open-bridge body style that is very easy to use for someone with a small face and small, delicate hands.