I tried the new CLs a couple of weeks ago at a birdwatching fair in Hamburg.
In my opinion they are on par with the Zeiss Conquests but definetily not so good as the alphas in terms of contrast and color.
They are meant as a cheap alternative to the alpha-Swarovskis and not more. So they don't have HD/ED glass and, according to the salesperson in Hamburg, a composite housing instead of the usual magnesium.
It sounds like they succeeded in competing with the Conquests, and that was very likely the idea-- to make a "second tier" series of bins to compete with Zeiss.
The problem in doing this for both companies is that Zeiss and Swarovski are names that are synonymous with "the best". So for those who already have alphas or can afford them, the CL might not have much appeal unless the buyer really wants a compact and lightweight alternative to their full sized alphas.
Then again, the Leica 8x32 HD is already relatively lightweight and compact, so the deep pocketed need not sacrifice FOV if they want "compact and lightweight".
But there is brand loyalty to consider. Some people are Swaro fans, some are Zeissites, and others are Leica devotees. Some will buy based primarily on brand.
From the CL video, it seems that the market these new bins are targeted at are those who want to buy a full sized Swaro, but can't afford one. To me, this sounds like they might be aiming for younger birders and hunters and journalists of all ages.
However, until the 8x30 SLCneu is discontinued or the price is raised substantially, I think it's going to be difficult for the 8x30 CL to compete with the SLC. It's not as compact as the CL, but at 20 oz. it's almost as lightweight. The long close focus on the SLC might be a turn off for some birders as might the objective side focuser.
For those who have no brand loyalties or don't care about the brand's "snob appeal," there are other $1,000 bins out there in the second tier, some with ED glass, that can compete well against the CLs optically. And even the mid-price segment keeps getting better and better.
But I'm sure Swaro studied the sales of Conquests and determined that it was worth the R & D to make the CLs. Of course, marketing research isn't correct 100% of the time - remember "New Coke"?
What to look for next is initial quality reports. People who bought them and within the first few months to a year had problems develop. That's the true test of any bin, but particularly one that costs a grand. Sure Swaro will fix the problem for free, no questions ask, but who wants to be a bin that you know is going to have problems? That put me off to the EDG 1s.
In particular, look for tight focusers or ones that turn smoothly in one direction but harder in the other direction. That seems to be Swaro's Achilles Heel.
Let the deep pocketed chasing the latest out of Europe be the guinea pigs.
Brock