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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steve C" data-source="post: 1313222" data-attributes="member: 56622">Kevin has it correct when he says that the view in the Hawk is incrementally better in several parameters from his less expensive binoculars.  The Promaster is the same deal.  The major reason I have always stuck to the mid price glass, from the <$300 Monarch to the <$500 Viper is because the premium glass, to my eyes, was only incrementally better in several parameters from these.  That small incremental difference was never worth it to me to fork out an extra $1,000.Now we have, for the mid price level @$500, two binoculars in the Promaster/Hawke that show the same incremental improvement over the Monarch/Viper that the premier glass does.  No, they do not yet have a solid product longievity/durability/customer service/warranty record.  But on the other hand, the Monarchs have lasted without whimper for seven years, some $40 per year of use.  The Promaster seems every bit a solid and well built as the Monarch, so unless one typically beats up theur binocular with extreme usage, I feel pretty confident that these new glass will hold up at least as well as the Monarch.  Now that I have said that, it is likely an objective lens will fall out when I next remove them from the case <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />.What will interest me is what will happen with updated versions of the Promaster/Hawke by the time Swarovski gets off of top dead center with their new $4k new deal wonder.  I really wonder what the new guys will be able to accomplish with an offering of a $1k improvement.  Swarovski may be at the ultimate price tipping point.  Swarovski will only be able to offer an incrementally better binocular than what the havw and for that price?  Me, I doubt there is very many people now who would fork out that sort of $$$.  Certainly I'm not one.  I ntend to use my $500 Promaster and see what happens. There is likely some real change on the horizon.  We just now see the first of it with the Promaster/Hawke.</blockquote>

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