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Where premium quality meets exceptional value. ZEISS Conquest HDX.

Swarovski prices going up 7%? (1 Viewer)

I agree that the excellent (expensive to run) customer service is the final sweetener to the deal when buying swaro. That said, for me personally the swaro beats zeiss hands down for the view I am happy with - I actually discussed this with a local retailer who was also of the opinion that swaro optic outplayed zeiss to the point they hardly ever sell a zeiss (much to the chagrin of the zeiss rep who complains about the poor sales)
 
I have found another example (again, look at the right FieldPro attachment):

What a ridiculous over engineered effort.... to solve a non existant problem.
In all my years, conventional binocular straps have NEVER made me pause to think...'this is a problem, how can it be improved'
Perhaps they think it helps justifies the prices.

All this thread is only making me think.....
I love my BNs..... and at £600 odd quid.... even more!!!!!
'Cos they push Ultravid HD+ very close indeed.... and those HD+'s have also rocketed up in price lately.
I am in the fortunate time in my life where, for the first time, I actually can afford an 'alpha' bin.... but the value for money just isn't there for me.
And these £1000 bins currently being churned out are really exceptional.
No one 'NEEDS' more than a Conquest/MHG/Genesis.
 
I agree that the excellent (expensive to run) customer service is the final sweetener to the deal when buying swaro. That said, for me personally the swaro beats zeiss hands down for the view I am happy with - I actually discussed this with a local retailer who was also of the opinion that swaro optic outplayed zeiss to the point they hardly ever sell a zeiss (much to the chagrin of the zeiss rep who complains about the poor sales)
And Leica beats the S and Z hands down for the view (imo), and sells the least. 🤭😆✌🏼🙏🏼
 
What a ridiculous over engineered effort.... to solve a non existant problem.
In all my years, conventional binocular straps have NEVER made me pause to think...'this is a problem, how can it be improved'
Perhaps they think it helps justifies the prices.

All this thread is only making me think.....
I love my BNs..... and at £600 odd quid.... even more!!!!!
'Cos they push Ultravid HD+ very close indeed.... and those HD+'s have also rocketed up in price lately.
I am in the fortunate time in my life where, for the first time, I actually can afford an 'alpha' bin.... but the value for money just isn't there for me.
And these £1000 bins currently being churned out are really exceptional.
No one 'NEEDS' more than a Conquest/MHG/Genesis.
Having a nice little collection of some mid level, upper mid level and the top of the line alphas , I can’t agree with you More. These $1000 options (Conquest, MHG, Trinovid HD, Genisis etc. etc.) imo offer the most value and bang for the buck. We get magnesium bodies, excellent fit and finish, great focusers, and optics that are almost indistinguishable from the best of the best to a novice, or many people. Think about it , these upper mid level binos referenced here are better than anything made twenty years in almost every area.

Imo there is no true value for the money in the alphas, we’re paying a premium to have the best of the best, but that usually goes with the territory. That being said it goes for most things in life. I have some pistols that cost $1000, comparing them to their $3000 (Wilson Combat, Ed Brown and Nighthawk to name a few) high end custom models doesn’t really make much of a difference, but you pay the premium for that last inch of quality. There’s no better example than with cars, what’s a better value , a Toyota Camry or a Bentley?

Paul
 
What a ridiculous over engineered effort.... to solve a non existant problem.
In all my years, conventional binocular straps have NEVER made me pause to think...'this is a problem, how can it be improved'
Perhaps they think it helps justifies the prices.

All this thread is only making me think.....
I love my BNs..... and at £600 odd quid.... even more!!!!!
'Cos they push Ultravid HD+ very close indeed.... and those HD+'s have also rocketed up in price lately.
I am in the fortunate time in my life where, for the first time, I actually can afford an 'alpha' bin.... but the value for money just isn't there for me.
And these £1000 bins currently being churned out are really exceptional.
No one 'NEEDS' more than a Conquest/MHG/Genesis.
I totally agree
 
And Leica beats the S and Z hands down for the view (imo), and sells the least. 🤭😆✌🏼🙏🏼
I picked up 8X25 swaro CL recently and happened to look through a Leica 8X30 iteration whilst deciding swaro/zeiss - I can certainly see the appeal but knowing the price I put them down very quickly before I was tempted too much. Now you are making me think about maybe, just maybe, selling my swaro SLC and trading up to Leica… damnation, we are all doomed!
 
Whispered during a conversation with the same reliable source yesterday...

We can expect another Swarovski price increase in January, a smaller one, something like 3-4%. I didn’t get the precise date this time, although it'll take a while to filter through to reflect in the shop prices.
The price increases are now beginning to filter through in the UK...

NL's:
8x32 - £2,280
10×32 - £2,340
8x42 - £2,720
10x42 - £2,770
12x42 - £2,810
 
Unfortunately I think they will price themselves out of the market, and the demand just won't be there.
Trinovids, Conquests, Kowa Prominars etc are all so good for the 1k mark..... generally people just won't justify it.
I certainly wouldn't.... and I've been into optics for years.
And Alpha's from a few years back, FL's BN's, SLC's are still so very good.
These top end optics are a 'bit' better..... but the price is more than double.
 
Unfortunately I think they will price themselves out of the market, and the demand just won't be there.
Trinovids, Conquests, Kowa Prominars etc are all so good for the 1k mark..... generally people just won't justify it.
I certainly wouldn't.... and I've been into optics for years.
And Alpha's from a few years back, FL's BN's, SLC's are still so very good.
These top end optics are a 'bit' better..... but the price is more than double.
These prices are more than what I paid for each of my first two Brand New Cars, both full size Chevy (Chevrolet) sedans …. I know it was back in the early 1970’s but these are just binoculars !
 
These prices are more than what I paid for each of my first two Brand New Cars, both full size Chevy (Chevrolet) sedans …. I know it was back in the early 1970’s but these are just binoculars !
Inflation plays with my mind similarly. Today an average American car purchase is about $46k, ten times these binocular prices. Yet in 1970 a car could be had for about $3k, as you say. Adjusting for inflation, that $3k would be upped by about a factor of 8 to $24k in today's dollars. Cars pack in a lot more electronics these days compared to 1970. Digital interaction with the car is gaining on the analog.

The rise of electrical devices over analog continues!
 
Yes really !!!... and the release of these AX Visio at around 4500€, adds further to this madness... a really strange commercial world, and a brand which would almost become 'disgusting' 🤮
But birders are not going to purchase this instrument in the worldwide numbers that befit the EL and NL range. It is purely a concept instrument at the moment. Irrelevant really.
 
Am I missing something, or are the prices on the current Swarovski website considerably cheaper than what was shown last year, for example, I remember $3,800 on there for the 12X42 NL last year, the amount shown currently is $3,549.
 
These prices are more than what I paid for each of my first two Brand New Cars, both full size Chevy (Chevrolet) sedans …. I know it was back in the early 1970’s but these are just binoculars !
I was a kid those days and my parents had their first house built. Is costed them 7.500,00 euro and was sold not so long ago for more than a million.
Am I complaining????
 

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