Bryce,
Join the club, the Swaro Deniers Club, that is.
If I received $10 every time Nikon has been touted on BF as having the best focusers in the biz over the past two years, I would have enough money to pay retail price for an EDG II!
You've been on BF since 2008, you must have read at least some of those comments. I can't remember any posts touting Swaro as having the best focusers in the industry.
On the contrary, since the SV EL came out, I've read a number of complaints about how slow the focuser is at close distance. So add that to the list.
At least you admit that your focuser turns harder in one direction. Some won't even admit to that who have bins with that issue. But for you, it's just not a problem.
You're are not alone in that, others find it's not an issue for them either, however, you are the first person that said the focuser turning harder in one direction is actually advantageous for right handed birders. I'm going to need to create a new category in my poll!
I think one's degree of tolerance to this characteristic (which, mind you, is not found in all Swaro samples) might not only depend on one's sensitivity to it, but also on one's birding style.
I do a lot of close-in birding, so I need a focuser that turns smoothly and not at a pokey pace (though not too fast either).
Pulling or pushing hard on the focuser makes close-in birding a lot more laborious. For longer distances, where less focusing is required, it's not as bothersome.
However, it's not just that harder to turn in one direction characteristic that is a problem with Swaro focusers, there are also reports of " freeplay, slack, gritty or ratchety" focusers too. Fortunately, those reports seem to be less common.
I think the overall point that I made and others have made still stands. At this price point, alpha focusers should be more consistent and should turn equally smooth in both directions.
If Nikon can do it and Zeiss can do it, the Wizards of Absam could certainly do it. Why the don't is the question. Maybe lefties are rare in Austria.
Brock