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Kowa BDII-XD - september 2019 (2 Viewers)

From what I have read, I think I am going to skip the 6.5X42, and possibly look at the 8X32. At that price, I hope folks get a good sample. There is much discussion about this new Kowa glass, here and elsewhere. Besides the Meostar B1.1, the new Kowas are the only new ones in town, and they have not arrived yet.

Andy W.
 
I received an Email from Binoculars USA and they said the Kowa's aren't going to be released till 10/25/19. I told them I would wait but I hope this doesn't turn into a Leica Trinovid like fiasco where they will never will be delivered at all. Binoculars USA by the way seems like a great dealer. They sure keep you informed about your order!
 
I will be interested to know if the new Kowa BDII-XD series will actually have better optical performance than the old BD-XD Prominar series , or is it only an increase in the Field of View that sets the new series apart.

My wild guess is that Kowa have only changed the eye-pieces and kept the other optics and lenses from the old BD-XD series.

So the question is , if a person is satisfied with the field of view of the old BD-XD Prominar series will it be worth while to upgrade.

But the 6.5 x 32 does interest me .

I have an old series 8 x 42 BD-XD Prominar and I think that it is a very fine binocular.

Cheers.

When I spoke with Paul Kardos he assured me this is a completely redesigned optical system along with the nicer more ergonomic body style. The increased fov, close focus distance and a much faster focusing speed confirm this in my mind. Looking forward to receiving mine.
 
.... Can anyone tell me which way the focuser goes to infinity? :cat:

When I spoke with Paul Kardos he assured me this is a completely redesigned optical system along with the nicer more ergonomic body style. The increased fov, close focus distance and a much faster focusing speed confirm this in my mind. Looking forward to receiving mine.

Can anyone confirm focuser direction towards infinity ?? :h?:




Chosun :gh:
 
When I spoke with Paul Kardos he assured me this is a completely redesigned optical system along with the nicer more ergonomic body style. The increased fov, close focus distance and a much faster focusing speed confirm this in my mind. Looking forward to receiving mine.

We are an eager, curious bunch, and perhaps we're all suckers. We'll find out in about a month, eh?

At least we can return them if they fail in some fashion to meet our expectations.

The last 6x30 I ordered (and returned) was from Maven. Why did I return it? One reason was that I tested it at dusk sitting in the house looking out at the yard, including the birdfeeder. As a companion to compare it with, I used the Leupod Yosemite 6x30. The Leupold was visibly brighter in low light compared to the Maven. My wife observed the same result. Maybe that is just Porro vs. roof optics, both with decent coatings, I don't know. The Maven was a sweet little ergo/mechanical package, but it wasn't necessarily better optically, and it was 5x the price.
We'll see how the Kowa fares against the Leupold. At least it is only 3.5x the price... It'll most certainly have a wider field, and perhaps a much better focuser than the Leupold. But then there's dusk.... ;-)

-Bill
 
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We are an eager, curious, bunch, and perhaps we're all suckers. We'll find out in about a month, eh?

At least we can return them if they fail in some fashion to meet our expectations.

The last 6x30 I ordered (and returned) was from Maven. Why did I return it? One reason was that I tested it at dusk sitting in the house looking out at the yard, including the birdfeeder. As a companion to compare it with, I used the Leupod Yosemite 6x30. The Leupold was visibly brighter in low light compared to the Maven. My wife observed the same result. Maybe that is just Porro vs. roof optics, both with decent coatings, I don't know. The Maven was a sweet little ergo/mechanical package, but it wasn't necessarily better optically, and it was 5x the price.
We'll see how the Kowa fares against the Leupold. At least it is only 3.5x the price... It'll most certainly have a wider field, and perhaps a much better focuser than the Leupold. But then there's dusk.... ;-)

-Bill
Interesting. But not surprising. A porro almost always has better transmission than a roof. Less glass surfaces to absorb light. I observe the same thing with my porro's Nikon EII and Habicht's. Those little Leupold's are surprisingly good binoculars for $100.00. The Kowa's with their wide FOV will have a more complex ocular which will absorb more light also.
 
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Online pre-order now 10% no phone call needed = $359 USA

I forgot to mention in their Returns policy, there is a restocking fee of 20% :C . This kinda cancels out their easy guarantee 30 day return policy. This amounts to about $70 on a $359 discounted sale plus you have to eat the original free shipping. On top of that , the returnee pays the return shipping cost. I think I will wait to see, if Dennis with his 5% deal turns out to be a sour tasting Lemon :C or what I experience every time I take shots of my favorite sweet tasting honey flavor Irish Whiskey B :)
 
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I forgot to mention in their Returns policy, there is a restocking fee of 20% :C . This kinda cancels out their easy guarantee 30 day return policy. This amounts to about $70 on a $359 discounted sale plus you have to eat the original free shipping. On top of that , the returnee pays the return shipping cost. I think I will wait to see, if Dennis with his 5% deal turns out to be a sour tasting Lemon :C or what I experience every time I take shots of my favorite sweet tasting honey flavor Irish Whiskey B :)
If I knew they had a 20% restocking fee I don't think I would have ordered there. Too risky on a brand new binocular when there are so many dealers with easy returns like Amazon.com, B&H, Adorama and Optics Planet. I canceled my pre-order with USA Binoculars. Thanks, for that information.
 
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If I knew they had a 20% restocking fee I don't think I would have ordered there. Too risky on a brand new binocular when there are so many dealers with easy returns like Amazon.com, B&H, Adorama and Optics Planet. I canceled my pre-order with USA Binoculars. Thanks, for that information.

If Binoculars USA actually follows thru with what’s in their Returns Policy on a $359 deal, that would turn out to be around a $100 loss for me if purchased and returned. Maybe some forum member here that has had a transaction and return could verify this.
 
If Binoculars USA actually follows thru with what’s in their Returns Policy on a $359 deal, that would turn out to be around a $100 loss for me if purchased and returned. Maybe some forum member here that has had a transaction and return could verify this.
I think Binoculars USA is a start up so probably nobody has had any experience with them.
 
If I knew they had a 20% restocking fee I don't think I would have ordered there. Too risky on a brand new binocular when there are so many dealers with easy returns like Amazon.com, B&H, Adorama and Optics Planet. I canceled my pre-order with USA Binoculars. Thanks, for that information.

I have purchased Optics from all of the above retailers and never had a restocking fee. I always new I had to pay the piper in the form of return shipping for the privilege of returning the item. I admit I am veryeeee tempted to purchase the Kowa which I do not need. The possibility of having to pay a $70 restocking fee :C , plus to and from shipping :C:C:C ..... I will wait for one of the above sellers deals if and when it comes. I recently sold a 6.5x32 Japan made IF Very Good Binocular just because I really did not need it, but if this Kowa “ Center Focus ” turns out to be as Kowa advertises ? I probably will not be able to control my purchasing impulses.
 
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I have not encountered this 20% restocking fee in a long time so I assumed Binoculars USA had free returns just like all the other sellers. This sounds like a blast from the past. Anyway they cancelled my order and refunded my money and I will wait till the dealers with free returns get the Kowa in stock. It is too risky with a new binocular like this. It could turn out to be a dog!
 
I believe the dealer generally sells the returned item as new.

If I received a returned object as new-and knew it,
I would wonder/worry what was wrong with it to be returned;
and lose faith with the dealer.
I would expect a discount-justification for a restocking fee.

edj
 
If I received a returned object as new-and knew it,
I would wonder/worry what was wrong with it to be returned;
and lose faith with the dealer.
I would expect a discount-justification for a restocking fee.
edj

Hi,

if I can't tell that it's a return (as in being clean and fully working), I don't care. If it obviously has been handled (has fingerprints or other light dirt but is fully working) I would expect to have paid less for an open box/demo unit.

Joachim
 
I believe the dealer generally sells the returned item as new.

If there is anything wrong with it, he should not move it on, if he does, then that would be up to the seller to check what the dealer is trying to give him,err.. (hose him) to sell. I always check my products, always.

Andy W.
 
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