Vortex 15x56 Kaibab came in-finally

[catclaw]

I got a call from Eric at Jay's Bird Barn this morning telling me that the 15x56 Kaibabs that I ordered several months ago were here. I know testing in mid day is tough but tried anyway.

 

I set them up on tripod beside my 15x56 SLCs. Right away I decided I didn't like the head on the Vortex tripod but the legs were fine. I stuck a Vortex resolution chart up 60 yds away so I could make some meaningful comparison. The Kaibabs are very, very good- no handicap hunting with these. I found that the focus was much stiffer on the Vortex than the Swarovski and the depth of focus was a little better on the SLC as well.

 

The SLCs also had a little wider field of view- at 600 feet it was about 8' wider near as I could tell. Both were sharp edge-to edge. The resolution on general items was tough to differentiate. When looking at the chart though, the slight nod went to the SLCs. My SLCs are over 3 years old and the new ones may be even sharper- I don't know.

 

The Vortex would close a little tighter than the SLCs for those of you who have a tough time with some of the other big roof prisms. Physically, they were about the same size. The eye cups on the Swarovski are without competition and the Vortex was no different; the objective covers are similar but the eye piece covers on the SLCs are still the best.

 

The Kaibabs came with a two-piece tripod adapter that is very small. It has a quick-change feature that worked well.

 

For $1200, my first impressions are that it is a great glass for hunting whitetail. It gives up very little to the $2000+ Austrian optics. I will take them out next week and do some more comparisons in shadows and lower light conditions so I can compare brightness.

 

Vortex has the best warranty in the business- can't go wrong here.

[Couzer]

Nice to know! Let me know how they do in the field, im thinking about buying a pair!

[jonesface]

thank you for the info. Ive been seriously considering getting these. For Vortex being compaired to the top of the line binos, that aint bad.

[catclaw]

Wait until I do some more comparing and we'll see.

[jonesface]

Just curious to see how they hold up in low light?

[catclaw]

I have not had time to get them in the field yet. I am going out of the country for a couple of weeks and will test them when I get back. It's been a long week.

 

 

[wbyfireman]

Please let us, or me know how the field comparison goes!!!!! I'm starting the long saving process for a pair of Swaro's. I have the Vortex 15X50's and Pentax 12.5X50 sp's. The Vortex are nice but worth about what I paid for them (around 600$) The pentax I still consider better, the clarity is really good!! I should have gone with the old saying...."buy the first time what you are going to use forever" Let me know if the swaro's are worth the extra dough PLEASE

 

Thanks for posting

Stay Safe

[Red Rabbit]

I had a chance to look at the Kaibabs this evening at Bull Basin Archery. They appear to hinge/fold closer together than the Swaros and Leicas, so those of you with close eyes may appreciate this. The eyecups seemd slightly larger in diameter than my Leica, and they were rounded on the edges. Optics seemed sharp in the center, but did not do any comparison against a Swaro or Leica.

 

Catclaw,

any observations yet?

 

 

Doug~RR

[catclaw]

I brought the Kaibabs to the rendezvous at Marshall Lake (shame on all you who missed this event). I set up three tripods and we compared the Kaibabs, the 15x56 SLCs and Doug's 10-15x50 Duovids.

 

Until I put the Vortex resolution target out, we really couldn't find any difference between them, the Kaibabs that that good. With the resolution target out, the nod went to the Swarovskis, the Leicas second and a very close third to the Kaibabs. I doubt many people would be able to tell a difference between them. The best part is the the Kaibabs are able to accommodate more people as they adjust closer together than the Swarovskis by about 3/16" inch.

 

We also compared the 8x42 ZenRay to the 8.5x42 Swarovski EL. The main difference was in the color projected by each; the ELs having a bluish cast and the ZenRays were more yellowish. They were very comparable. Again, the Vortex resolution target was used to make the final decision. The ELs resolved one block smaller than the ZenRays but theoretically are 8.5X vs 8X so who knows how much that came into play. The focus knob on the Swaros is a little smoother.

 

My impressions are that the glass is very similar and the mechanics are better in the ELs Amazing that it takes an extra $1500 to get there!

 

The Kaibabs were just as good in low light as the SLCs- again the slightest edge going to the SLCs.

 

You can't go wrong with the Kaibabs.

 

Jay's Bird Barn in Prescott has them in stock as well as the Swarovskis.

[Couzer]

I just picked up the Vortex 15's from Bear Mountain in Mesa! Went out and did some glassing in the evening and I am very pleased with them. I give them an A+++. I glassed up a small mulie buck and at low light and was very impressed.

 

The warranty is a unconditional warranty, you do not have to have any paperwork filled out!!!! Very pleased

[Red Rabbit]

I was very surprised at the Vortex 15x56 Kaibabs and how sharp they were. Until we looked at the resolution chart, one could hardly tell a difference between the three binos by looking a clusters of pine needles on a distant tree about 100 yards away. While jumping from one bino to the other, once I would prefer the Leica 10+15x50 Duovids and the next time the Swaro 15x56. Another viewer preferred the Swaro, and a third preferred the Leicas. The main difference was the bluish cast of the Swaro which some may prefer and others wanting a more neutral tone offered by the Leicas and Vortex. The Vortex had equal contrast and brightness withe the Swaros and Leicas. As Dennis noted with the resolution chart, the Swaro was about 1/2 block better than the Leicas, and the Vortex was about one full block behind the Leica. looking at the edge of a skylined tree trunk, all had the same amount of a greenish color fringe to my eyes. The Kaibabs also held sharpness to the edge the same amount as the Swaros and Leicas. The Kaibab's lens tubes could be folded closer together than the Swaros or Leicas (a consideration for those with closely set eyes), but the eyecups themselve were larger in diameter that those of the Swaros and Leicas. For $1200, the Kaibabs are a best buy for 15x binos, imo.

 

The big surprise to me was how the Zen ED 8x43 compare to the Swaro 8.5x42 ELs that Kevin/Peloncillo brought. Handheld, there was little apparent difference in view. Tripod mounted looking at the resolution chart, the Swaro was able to resolve only one block better. The Swaro had a smoother focus wheel and eyecups that moved in/out with a higher tolerance. $360 vs $1699.

 

I did not check for flatness for field in these comparisons.

 

Dennis and Kevin, thanks for lending your binos for comparison.

 

Doug~RR

[AZbowhntr]

Wow, I have been waiting for this post to complete. Now I have some thinking to do. I had almost been set on paying the extra but I will have to think about it some more now. I like the idea of saving some cash. Thanks for the updates.

[CouesWhitetail]

I too was very impressed with the Kaibab's and those Zenray's Doug brought. It was great to be able to check out these binos side by side. Thanks to all who got their optics out!

 

I spoke with Jim White about Vortex and he says they have shown him amazing customer service. So really, I can't see how you can go wrong saving some money and still getting some great glass and customer service. I am one of those people with narrow eyes and I have always had a little trouble getting the swaros close together enough...not so with the Kaibabs.

 

Amanda

 

[DubTee]

Great review everyone. I too have close set eyes and looking through swaro 15's absolutely drives me nuts, settled for the 10's in EL because of that. Nice to know I have a reasonable option for quality 15's.

[daryl_s]

Another thing to consider is the warranty. Everyone has raved about Swaro's customer service but I think they are starting to slip up. My dad had a problem with his 15's and was told that he was going to be charged because it appeared that the problem was from the binos being dropped. These binos are his BABY, he takes very good care of them, has never dropped them and does not lend them to ANYBODY. He emailed customer service back letting them know that they have not been dropped and one of the reasons he spent the extra money on the Swaros was because of their reputation and history of taking care of their customers. They responded in a very snobby way but eventually agreed to fix the problem. They fixed the focus problem but sent the binos back with a tiny scratch on the lens. I'm not trying to sway anyone away from the Swaros because they are still the best glass out there, but when you start to factor in the price difference and better warranty of the Vortex Kaibabs it definitely becomes worth considering.

 

After seeing the Kaibabs next to the Leicas and Swaros and seeing how good the Vortex warranty is I would have to say that I would definitely go for the Kaibabs. The larger eyecups of the Kaibabs also accomodated my eyes a lot better than the Swaros.