Kowa coating (1 Viewer)

I am in need of a spotting scope and frankly I have a few in mind, one of them being a Kowa as for the price, it is a good deal and the optics are superb.

But....my main issue with Kowa scopes is the lack of body armor. I am looking for a 65 scope and because they have the new Kowa lineup for 65' coming out, the old ones are discounted, just a bit.

But wow....I have one now looking at it and it seems that any slight thing will mar it, dirty it up. Sure,that doesn't effect the optics but how does anyone clean this scope?

Kowa has a great product, great optics and glass, great little touches like the eye caps, the click of the eye piece for those who wear glasses etc...but their finish is just awful. Am I wrong or am I approaching this the wrong way?

I know you can purchase a case or a cover for the Kowa, Correct? But why should I have to? I have had Swaro's in the past and am looking now at an Opticron etc and neither of them needed cases due to they have body armor. Why did Kowa cheapen out in that aspect?

A great product but a fault .....

Ideas? jim

Jim,

I'm sorry to say this, but you are not wrong. The type of body armoring Kowa has been using in their 66x and 82x scopes, as well as a number of the smaller ones, really is pretty much as bad as you say it is. The metallic surface of the 77x/88x series is better, but even that will need a protective case to stay impeccable over years of use.

Old 823s are common here, and they typically perform brilliantly and look hideous. People buy them for the performance, though, and it is a matter of your attitude what to think of the appearance, and only you can make the call on whether it is wrong or not to mind the looks the scope will end up having afters years of use.

Kowa stay-on cases are pretty good, though, and they protect the scope also from minor bumps which can be a real scope saver in some instances. I urge you to get a case if you get a Kowa. With my previous Nikon Fieldscopes that have a pretty durable paint job over their metal bodies, and only limited rubber armoring, I always used S.O.C's. With my present ATX, with its full-body polyurethane armoring, there is no case on it, but with the understanding that the armoring will gradually wear somewhat and show signs of use. But since I buy scopes in order to use them, not in order to have them retain their maximum resale value, I don't mind.

Kimmo

A shame for Kowa puts out a good scope. The Pentax and Opticron 65-66mm range spotting scopes I am looking at are all good scopes and sometimes it does come down to the little things. I know I can put on a case but that adds the weight that was saved by not having any body armor to begin with and looks downright ugly.

So...it will all come down to optics which I am looking at now between the Opticron HR66, Pentax 65 and Kowa TS663.... jim

lmans66 said:

I know you can purchase a case or a cover for the Kowa, Correct? But why should I have to? I have had Swaro's in the past and am looking now at an Opticron etc and neither of them needed cases due to they have body armor. Why did Kowa cheapen out in that aspect?

A great product but a fault .....

Ideas? jim

Click to expand...

Maybe because the lack of rubber armoring saves a bit of weight,
which looks good in the specs sheet…

Personally I prefer just using a transport case,
but it might be well invested money to buy a SOC,
depending on your birding style…

I think they do it on purpose too to make the 'weight' look a lot lower than other scopes. That makes a huge difference and they advertise their scopes as being light. But, by the time you add on the 'case'...you are close to what others scopes weigh with their body armor. The Kowa is nice but why force someone to cover up such a nice looking scope with a case? jim

lmans66 said:

I think they do it on purpose too to make the 'weight' look a lot lower than other scopes. That makes a huge difference and they advertise their scopes as being light. But, by the time you add on the 'case'...you are close to what others scopes weigh with their body armor. The Kowa is nice but why force someone to cover up such a nice looking scope with a case? jim

Click to expand...

on the other hand,
if you are using a SOC,
rubber armor just adds unnecessary weight…

I agree with you on the esthetics
Kowa scopes look better without SOC:s,

Puzzled by the obsession to keep a scope body looking pristine as weight is more important feature IMO, but you can always wrap the lens in camo tape. Cheaper than the SOC and you can pick your colors.

yamasemi said:

Puzzled by the obsession to keep a scope body looking pristine as weight is more important feature IMO, but you can always wrap the lens in camo tape. Cheaper than the SOC and you can pick your colors.

Click to expand...

This was the way to go back in the 'old days' of Bushnell Spacemasters, Bausch & Lomb Discovers and Hertel & Reuss Televaris, when SOCs were just a pipedream! I covered my scope of the time with an 'undercoat' of of tissue paper before applying the all over topcoat of insulation tape. This kept the weight down while giving a little extra protection and prevented adhesive residue covering the scope body when the tape was removed. Another advantage was it could be replaced at very little cost when necessary.

Rubber armored scopes are nicer to the touch,but plastic material bodies,like the kowas 66 or older 82 ,are not too bad either..Kowa is not the only company that used "bare " body design..in fact when the original 66 was lauched non of its competitors had rubber clad scopes..Nikon fieldscopes,Swaro AT,original Zeiss Diascope or Leica Televid of similar vintage all were skinny..Then Yes,most of the newer designs were rubber armored.

Personally I don't care about whether it is dirty or not, as you should see my camera lens....but I like the idea of having a scope that has body armor as it is easier to grasp when damp or wet etc.

Kowa and other companies that do not have body armor suggest you purchase the case which if you do, will actually add to the weight more so than having body armor.

I sent the Kowa back....it wasn't as good as the Opticron HR66.... and optics should be what it is all about.