"So far I really do like the new CL. I like the focuser position up top where it belongs."
Amen, brother! You must have a high forehead like me.
One clarification. At the beginning you say that "I had the SLC Neu and was very happy with them but I did sell them to make room for the new CL." To me, this sounded like you sold the SLC
before you bought the CL, but then you go on to compare the two.
Is the comparison from memory or did you have them side by side? I just want to make sure you don't become a "marked man" by our resident Alpha Cop, because he's a stickler for stuff like that, with his "hands-on comments only" policy. You saw the way Ed praised and then backed off on Stephen B's excellent armchair analysis (which echoed my own earlier comments) after our alpha cop posted his
dictum absolutum.
What hard-nosed empiricists seem to always lose sight of is that there's more to a buyer's decision than "just the facts, mam". Except for Joe Friday, of course.
The marketing of the bin, the company's past history of design changes and model introductions, and the prestige of its "badge" -- all those things play an important role in most buyers purchase decisions at this price point, and Stephen's post did a good job at explaining those.
The only way he could be "off the mark" was if Swaro was thinking "out of the box" with the CL design, which in some regards, it was. As the promo video made mention, the CL's were made to give buyers who can't afford their top of the line SV EL and SLC-HD a way to enter the "Swarovski family of optics".
Accordingly, Swaro may be making a thinner profit on the CLs than the SV EL and SLC-HD, hoping to later recoup when the entry level CL buyer moves up the socio-economic ladder or his kids get jobs and he can afford the higher ticket optics.
However, the fact that most buyers on this forum who bought the CLs already own an SV EL or another alpha, shows that perhaps that strategy was a bit ill-timed for today's economy. Once the economy picks up and demand for the 'latest and greatest' NOW decreases, and we start seeing the CL for a bit over $800, the CL might see more penetration of that alpha entry level target market.
From reading Optics Talk and 24hrcampfire, more fiscally conservative hunters seem to be waiting for reviews from the birders who are more quick to respond to new market trends before they decide to trade or sell their old SLCs. In fact, one thread from 24hrcampfire has links to two discussions of the CL on BF!
Overall, I think Swaro has developed a smart strategy with the CL. Let's say a young birder or hunter buys a 8x30 CL who has to put food on the table for his kids has a chance at high end optics, and if he likes what he sees, he may become a lifelong customer and be back to purchase optics at the high end later when his nest egg is grown and one or two "birds" have flown out on the nest (as long as they aren't in college!).
That's admirable long term thinking on Swaro's part. Something you don't find as much of in the US, where the next quarter's profits are at the top of the agenda. "Sell them trinkets from Malaysia if you have to, but just make sure the shareholder's profits don't drop next quarter".
So this company which started out serving hunters, is trying to market more and more product to birders, who are willing for fork out more money since they don't have to also by the guns, ammo, tree stands, rangefinders, turkey callers, etc., etc.
I think it might go even deeper. Perhaps Swaro came to the same conclusion that that I did a while ago, which is when alpha prices hit some benchmark ($3,000?), and wages don't keep pace with inflation, even loyal Swaro birders are going to start holding onto their old Swaros like hunters.
Thus, the CL gives them a new market segment to help offset the potential "drop outs" from the top. If this does happen, we might see the CL line expanded to full sized bins, or another under $1K line added.
While the "Ghost of Christmas Future" remains to be seen, my armchair speculation about the SLC and CL being "very similar optically" turned out to be true, despite someone's hyperbole about the CL's being mini-me SV ELs.
They might have changed the package and the size, but for under $1,000, I wasn't expecting them to "reinvent the wheel" since the SLCNeu was already very good and showed less CA than any midsized roof I've tried, although I didn't have the 8x32 EL in my hands long enough to test it properly in that regard. But compared to the 8x32 HG, the SLCNeu does a very good job with CA control.
Here's one hunter's armchair comments (he owns an old 7x30 SLC and would have preferred a 7x30 CL - me too) on this same subject.
"That does make sense as far as the repackaging; as it looks like this new offering from Swarovski has the same glass, and all the same coatings as the SLC NEU and the EL's. Even the body material is the same as the SLC NEU. They were not going to come up with something new and special and then sell it for less than the full retail price of the old SLC's."
Here's the full thread:
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/5196845/2
Got a question for you about the CLs but I will PM you.
Ron's going to get on me for being "verbose" so I'll stop here.
Brock