Hi again Adam.
Yes sounds like you've got a lot to take on board. Try and stay calm but I know it's hard
Another one to think about is a used Leica maybe. Seems that there will be quite few HD+ coming up for sale soon as people upgrade to the new Noctovid so it might be possible to pick up something at a good price there over the next year or so but I assume they will be expecting to sell them for well over 1k but you might get a bargain on a quick sale? Kowa Genesis does seem to be a bargain but I've never actually tried one myself. If it's much better than my SV then it must be good. Same with the Vortex in that never tried one but there are a lot of fans. You seem to have better opportunities to try the options where you are so just keep looking out for something and trying things until you can no longer resist.
To be honest I am quite happy with the Sapphire no matter what other models there might be. I can't really imagine others are going to be that much better if any but will cost a lot more and I have owned a Leica HD, Swaro EL and Zeiss FL so I have some idea of these brands. I have no intention of replacing my Sapphire for a very long time or possibly ever. The brightness, contrast, colour, sharpness and handling are all really good, also close focus usage and the wide fov and Hawke service is excellent.
To be honest a lot of time I take my £30 Carson Scout 8x22 along and I get almost as much enjoyment with that as I got with the best binocular I have ever had and it weighs only 170g. I had it out the other day and got some wonderful viewing yet again. Get one of those to keep you going meantime. You might be surprised by it. I also have the 7x18 version and it's brilliant too. Just a thought. Not waterproof though so not for standing out in lashing rain all day but I try and avoid that. My 8x22 I just hang on a long lanyard I got with a monocular and if it's showery I just slip the pouch over it while still around my neck. It only has one strap lug so it hangs lengthways and so rain doesn't fall directly onto the lenses but of course they can still get wet. All I'm saying is after all these years and many bins these Carson impress me a lot, time and again, and shows that you don't need to spend a lot and obviously can easily replace them. I still wouldn't be without a proper larger bin but you might want to try one of these small bins to see what I mean. Easily pocketable also of course. I'm definitely going to be looking at more options in that area in future.
So did you get to try the Hawke Sapphire or have you gone off that idea now? Will have to take mine out soon for some pleasure with autumn coming.