gr8fuldoug Report post Posted January 20, 2013 OK, Today SHOT Show kicked off and I started my day meeting with Vortex.After seeing their list of newproducts:Viper PST 2.5–10x32 FFP Riflescope with EBR-1 Reticle(MRAD) ETA Spring 2013Viper PST 2.5–10x32 FFP Riflescope with EBR-1 Reticle(MOA) ETA Spring 2013Viper HS 6–24x50 Riflescope with Dead-Hold BDCReticle (MOA) ETA Fall 2013Viper HS 6–24x50 Riflescope with V-Plex Reticle(MOA) ETA Fall 2013Razor HD 12x50 Binocular ETA Spring 2013Razor HD 10x50 Binocular ETA Spring 2013.These binoculars are ultra sleek for a bino with a 50mm objective. They feltgreat in my hands with the comfortable thumb indents underneath. They are madein Japan.Crossfire II 10x42 Binocular ETA early Spring2013Crossfire II 8x42 Binocular ETA early Spring2013Razor HD 16–48x65 Angled Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Razor HD 16–48x65 Straight Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Razor HD 11–33x50 Angled Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Razor HD 11–33x50 Straight Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Razor HD 18x/23x Long Eye Relief Eyepiece ETASpring 2013Diamondback 20–60x80 Straight Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Diamondback 20–60x80 Angled Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Diamondback 20–60x80 Angled Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013Diamondback 20–60x80 Straight Spotting Scope ETASpring 2013These spotters are on par with the old Vortex Skyline ED seriesat about 1/2 the price. If you are looking for a quality spotter at a greatprice this should be on your check list.I figured let's get over therefirst, put in the first SHOT Show order so we can be first to get a shipment(one likes to delude oneselves that this actually is the way it works. It isn'treality unfortunately). I was excited about some of these products and wanted tosee what the deal was. The Razor HD 11–33x50 was of particular interest as itwould be a nice line up addition to the Nikon 13-30x50 ED, and the Minox MD50 16-30x50 in the stable of quality compact spotters.I was anxious to see if the new Razor would be something as good, if not betterto offer. The first thing I asked and was disappointed to learn was that theeyepiece is not removable. OH well, no option to go with a fixed straight powereyepiece. That was the only down side to this very nice scope. I think it'squality will make it a winner (what one can tell in the basement of a conventioncenter). Their current Razor scope is a great optic and as this is it's smallerversion I see no reason why it would be less than.Vortex's home runwill be their Viper PST 2.5–10x32 FFP Riflescope with EBR-1 Reticle (offered inboth MOA or MRAD). What a sweet scope and at $799.99 I think this will be their#1 seller of their new products.BTW, Vortex discontinued their Vortex VMX3 Magnifier for Red Dot Scopes (PN# VMX3) w/ SwingMount so we bought their remaining inventory and are blowing these out at$219.99Leica was next on my list. I arranged it this way as aftereverything I had heard about their new Rangefinder I had to be the one of thefirst kids on line to see it. I have already done a post specifically on the newLeica Geovid HD-B 8x42 - Yards Model, #40047 and Leica Geovid HD-B 10x42 - Yards Model, #40049 so pleasesee it or my web site for the specs and info on it. I will saythat they did do a great job on it. It feels great in my hands, is as goodoptically as any binocular I have ever looked thru and it is, as promised, themost state of the art rangefinding binocular on the market.They also released the CRF-1000-R. This new and improved Rangemaster CRF1000-R replaces the existing CRF-1000, which presented the opportunity to purchase hundredsof their remaining inventory of the CRF-1000's and be able to offer them for only $469.99or $499.99 with a CRF Tripod AdapterAs usual we purchasedLeica's booth at the show so a crazy amount of "Certified Pre-Owned" productwill be arriving next week (NO there are none of the just released Geovid HD-B'sin that shipment as they have none for sale yet).Next was off to seeMinox over in the German Pavillion. I was pleased to beshown a host of new products.#66525 ZA 5i 3-15x50 SF w/ Illuminated PlexReticle @ $669.00#66515 ZA 5i 2-10x50 w/illuminated Plex Reticle @$679.00They also released a new, Made in Germany line of high endilluminated scopes:#66554 ZE 5i 1-5x24 w/ illuminated German #4 Reticle @$1399.00#66564 ZE 5i 2-10x50 w/ illuminated German #4 Reticle @$1599.00#66574 ZE 5i 3-15x56 SF w/ illuminated German #4 Reticle @$1699.00#66584 ZE 5i 5-25x56 SF w/ illuminated German #4 Reticle @$1799.00These seemed, when first presented to me, to be not such a greatidea as Minox is not perceived as a $1500.00 to $2000.00 scope player, however,after checking out the scopes (as best as can be under the circumstances) theydo have a quality product priced below the competition. "Equipped with a 30 mmriflescope tube, a 5x magnification and a red dot reticle with 11 brightnesssettings, the new ZE-i line offers the user maximum flexibility and precisionfor short and long range shooting distances."While there I, of course, asked about grabbing upsome deals and I hit it out of the park....Their ZA-3 3-9x50 Riflescopes have been discontinued as theyare going to focus on their ZA-5 (5x power) line. We jumped on this opportunityto buy their remaining inventory in Plex, BDC, XR-BDC and #4 reticles. The dealwe cut is allowing us to offer these to you @ $300.00 (your choice of reticle)including your choice of a BF 8x25, BF 10x25, BF 8x42 or BF 10x42 binocular.This deal is only going to last as long as our supply of scopes does but this ismore than half off. We're thrilled to bring you this dealNext on theagenda was Steiner who I was really looking forwardto meeting with. They had a hierarchy change since last SHOT Show and I wascurious to see if we could grow our offerings from them. They came to the tableready to really create some significant opportunities and I was more thanpleased.We are receiving a shipment of:Steiner 10x42 Police Binocular, #645 whichsells for $599.99 and we are now offering it for only $399.99Their Steiner Safari Pro 8x22 Compact Binocular, #231will be only $99.99 and if you want with with a new Steiner PredatorXtreme Riflescope (new not a demo) you can add it for a penny.In demos wegrabbed a bunch more of their Steiner 8x42 Predator Xtreme Binocular,#2481 @ $299.99 (reduced from $399.99), and their Steiner 10x42 Predator Xtreme Binocular, #2581@ $349.99 (reduced from $499.99).They are also going to be sending us show samples oftheir Military line of riflescopes:Steiner Military/Tactical 1-4x24mm (DM1 Reticle),#5142Steiner Military/Tactical 3-12x50mm (G2 Mil-DotReticle), #5312Steiner Military/Tactical 3-12x56mm (G2 Mil-DotReticle), #5356Steiner Military/Tactical 4-16x50mm (G2 Mil-DotReticle), #5416Steiner Military/Tactical 5-25x56mm #'s 5525 &5550 G2 Mil-Dot & MSR ReticlesThese scopes are as good as anythingoffered in this catagory but have not been marketed correctly, IMO. These demoswill allow an opportunity to grab them at a reduced price.I had alimited meeting with Meopta that will be followed up with an extensivemeeting in the next few weeks that I feel will be very productive.Ifinally met Charles from Zen-Ray . He did not have a booth at theshow, however, we arranged a meeting which was long overdue. He is a very niceguy who is interested in putting out a quality product at an affordable price.We chatted a while and are arranging a deal for the ZEN-RAY - ZEN ED2 - 20-60x82mm AngledSpotterWe discussed their binocular line and how their new PRIMEHD binoculars, in both 8x42 and 10x42, were being received. According toCharles, these binoculars have a total of 20 pieces of optical lenses, includingfew field flattener lenses. This is what he attributes how bright and edge toedge clear this new unit is.Additionally, I got a first look of their new32mm ZRS HD binoculars. It does appear to be another winner from the Zen-Ray stable of optics. According toCharles, the 32mm ZRS HD will be available for sale in April for about $220. Ithink this model will do very well if its optics performs as good as its 42mmsiblings.Day 2 I continued on mynever ending quest for information and deals. I stated the second morning atZeiss.This was an interesting meeting as they areintroducing a new line of binoculars as well as a new line of riflescopes. Theseare kind of a new optics area for them as they are priced for mass marketing.Not that there is anything wrong with this, just a new direction for one of theBig Three Euro's known only for top end optics.I checked out the two newTerra ED binoculars first. They seem to be made well and felt nice in my hands.Good eyecups, smooth focus. They seem to be a good quality optic that fitsnicely into the sub $500.00 price range.Terra ED 8x42 @ $349.99Terra ED 10x42 @$399.99These binoculars give Zeiss a firm footing in this saturatedprice catagory with an optic that will do very well. Oddly (and I thought it wasweird but later someone commented the same thing to me) they smelled funny. Irealize this is not the an everyday thing to mention, but I noticed it so I ammentioning it.The new riflescopes seem nice, however, until they are outthere being used and proven for a few months I can only comment on what I canobserve in a convention hall. Going off of track history I would think they'llbe "Zeiss quality" as I cannot see Zeiss putting out anything sub-grade. Theyseem to be made well, however, time and use is the only way to know for sure.Again, getting into a price range out of the expected for Zeiss:Terra 2-7x32 Z-Plex #20 @ $349.99Terra 3-9x42Z-Plex #20 @ $399.99Terra 3-9x42 RZ6 @ $449.99Terra 4-12x42 Z-Plex #20 @$449.994-12x42 RZ8 $499.99These are expected to arrive in lateSpringThese all have the Zeiss Hunting TurretAs a personal note theywent with an acrylic packaging which may look nice on a display shelf but Ipersonally do not think it will travel well (shipped from the factory to Zeiss -Zeiss to us - us to you) That may result in scratchy or cracked plastic boxes ondelivery which kinda defeats the nice clean presentation this type of packagingis meant for. Just my $.02We, as usual, expect a delivery of demo goodsfrom Zeiss in the next week or so. As soon as it is in and received we will getit posted.For my next meeting I walked a few rows over to meet withSwarovski . First off let me say that inthe past few years I like what Swarovski has been doing. Not only with theirproducts but just the way they have been doing business. They had some regimechanges a couple of years back and I think these changes have turned out to be agood thing. They have made working together enjoyable as well smooth. When youwork with folks and need their assistance in order to provide customer serviceit's nice to know they actually care. We got a new Sales Rep a short time agoand I could not have designed a better choice. He knows the products, doestraining with our staff, and sincerely asks if there is anything he can do forus & for our clients. We had a productive meeting in which we discussed apossible local optics event day where training and product testing would beavailable to our clients for digiscoping as well as general binocular andspotter use.They went over their new 4W reticle in their Z6 & Z6(I) Riflescopes with me,which I think will be a popular addition to their offerings.We discussedshortage of popular product and they do feel that the supply of their Swarovision 10x42 EL Range will improvethis year as well as the supply of their Swarovision 12x50 EL ( which in that poweroptic is the one to get, IMO).I did comment to them that their new line ofATX/STX Modular Spotting Scopes have been extremelywell received, especially for photography applications. We can hardly get the95mm Objective in quick enough. Good newson that system is that they are now beginning to receive the STX Straight Modular Eyepiece forit.I then went to to meet with my friend and Rep Roger Bushnell. He's been our Rep going backlonger than I can remember. A great guy. Even though we really not do all thatmuch with Bushnell he is very attentive and manages to get us demos and refurbs.He'll be sending a list soon enough that we'll share with you.I thenwent to a meeting with Leupold .This was a first for me as we have never handled their products. A month or soago a Leupold Rep came in the store and met briefly with me. We had a discussionthat went very well. He arranged for us to meet at SHOT to discuss Camera Land becoming an authorized dealer. We had aboutan hour long meeting with a great guy from Leupold, just discussing our businessmodel and theirs and if we'd be a good fit. We have scheduled another meeting,and it looks like we should be moving forward. I think this will be a greataddition to the optics lines we now offer.From Leupold I went to meetAnnie from ScopeCoat. We started selling ScopeCoatriflescope neoprene covers a few months ago but other than emails and phonecalls I never had the pleasure of meeting Annie. Glad I had the opportunity asit makes working together so much more pleasant when you've actually met thepeople you are doing business with. To give credit where credit is due she spenta year contacting us before we moved forward with her products. Not for anyother reason than I was always so busy when she would call that it kept gettingpushed to the back burner, however, she never gave up on me and now we sell aton of these great protective covers. A shame we waited so long as these coversare an inexpensive way to protect your scope investment.We became aKowa dealer a few years ago. They work with independantsales reps and the guy who called on me was a nice guy. The kind of rep you wantto work with so we opened with Kowa. I have always known that their SpottingScopes were awesome but was not very familiar with the rest of their line. We'vebeen selling their spotters fairly consistantly but never really got into theirbinocular line. I think that 2013 may bring an expansion deeper into the Kowaline. Ray, our rep, is coming in soon to further this so stay tuned.Onemore meeting on day 2 and I'd be done (to be honest I was already done. Draggingat this point, lots of coffee and water, no food and talking non-stop since 8:30in the morning gets very exhausting). My last meeting of the day was with Vero Vellini. My Steiner rep also reps this line of hunting slingsand straps and he wanted me to check out their product. It seemed like a fairenough request so I made an appointment to check out their offerings. Glad I didas their products seem to be top quality, priced well and something that is anice fit for us.From their web site:"The Vero Vellini line includes afull range of rifle and shotgun slings and binocular straps and harnessesdesigned to meet any hunter's preference and taste. Every Vero Vellini slingfeatures leather end panels for a classic look and non-slip rubber backing for asuperior carry. From Wide-Top Rifle slings to Tactical and Shotgun slings, frombinocular and camera straps to the Bino-Pal™ binocular harness, Vero Vellinitakes European craftsmanship and combines it with modern materials to achievethe ultimate in balance, comfort, flexibility and dampening."We opened upwith them and as soon as our web builder can get the info on our site we'll bein business. Very exciting product, IMO.Day 3 arrived to a huge breakfast and only 3appointments. Today would be a fine, low pressure day. I had already seen mostof what I had come to SHOT to see and left 3 appointments for my last day, Brunton, Nikon & PentaxMy first appointment was withBrunton who, quite honestly, I knew nextto nothing about. As you may or may not know last year I opened an OffShoreTackle Shop, Pelagic Outfitters, with my buddy Chris.Our Daiwa Rep Eric is now with Brunton andrequested that I come and check out their optics. He's a good guy so if hehonestly thought it was worthwhile what could I lose other than an hour of mylife I could never get back.Having not really known anything about theirproducts I asked around. Basically I was informed that they made a better thangood optic but had little if any presence on the optics end of the business dueto poor marketing, however, they are a huge player in Outdoor Gear, SolarPortable Power Mats, etc.With little expectation I went to their booth(small in the back of the lower level) and asked for the VP of sales as Eric wasnot at the show. I was introducted to Joel, a very personable guy who is VERYexcited about his product line. We chatted about Brunton and about Camera Land.While chatting he showed me some different binoculars, which, IMO were superiorto what I had expected (how do they have such great glass and nobody knows aboutit?) and then we discussed pricing. I thought for a relatively unknown theirprices were a bit high. Not that the optics were not worth what they were pricedfor and then some, as they were. Just that everything is perception and how doyou get a guy to spend $500. - $2300 for a name they do not know. Havingmetioned this I again saw how VERY enthusiastic Joel is about the product andthe company.He explained that they have, as other companies these days do, ano fault warranty, however, theirs was put into place out of need to be able touse your optics as you desire rather than as a marketing tool. He explained thathe wants the Brunton user to use their optics in the field without concern thatthey may be damaged. I was now a bit more interested as he was showing that theymay actually care about the end user rather than corporate headquarters.Hethen started going over the line with me and to say I was impressed would be anunderstatement. Not your average optics, in the standard sizes and all opticallysuperior to what I was expection.8x45, 11x45, 15x51, 10.5x43, 8.5x43, 8x44& 11x44....Interesting. Also shows these are not the generic binocularsthat, without mentioning names, can possibly be all coming down the sameassembly line with different mfg packaging while all being the same. Theirbinoculars are priced from $99 - $2299 which is bold, however, in a plain brownwrapper test I can see many people picking out these optics vs similar pricedoptions.We then went over their Spotters ($149 - $4395) which were asimpressive.Next we moved onto their riflescopes (BTW, the "Do Eric a favorand stop by this booth" seems like Eric was doing a favor for me by suggestingit). They have a very broad selection from entry level thru $1695 highend.We discussed the line and I was told that even their ECHO® 3-9x40, BDC Reticle is an impressive scopeand @ $149.99 can't be beat in it's price range. I was intrigued and proposedbringing these in and offering them with a "Buy it, try it and if you do notlike it send it back" offer would they agree. Surprisingly they did.Sometime in the next couple of weeks we will be an official Brunton dealerand our first "sale" will be to offer their ECHO® 3-9x40, BDC Reticle @ $149.99, with a "loveit or return it" offering.Stay tuned for this company as I think this is onehour of my life not wasted.My next appointment was a total comfort zoneappointment, Nikon . Camera Land has been an authorized Nikon dealer since 1957 and everyone there is like family.It's like going to a meeting with your buddies. Short of them having thismeeting in one of our back yards during a BBQ I could not feel more relaxed.I was shown their new Aculon A211 Binocular Line which seems a nice andrefreshing addition for them. They have phased out the Action line, whilekeeping the Action Extreme's. I was impressed with the new Aculon A211 10x42 which @ $99.95 should be a bestselling unit for anyone. In a Porro Prism binocular this, for sure, is a grandslam.We discussed the constant shortage of their ED 50 13-30x50 Spotting Scope and I was happily informed thatthey are on top of it and that should not really be an issue thisyear.Overall Nikon's line is a strong, dependable line for us. The Monarch3's and 5's that were released last year have been great sellers and they saythat the backorder problem on their Monarch 7's should ease somewhat thisyear.It was a nice relaxing meeting with friends. A nice change from thehectic atmosphere in some of the other booths.Last, but not least, wasPentax . This meeting is something I lookforward to as well as dread. I look forward to it as two people at Pentax, Patand Allen are two of the greatest folks in the industry and we have workedtogether for more than 25 years. Finishing the show (I had to be back in CameraLand so this was it for me) with them was a great plan. Day 3 was a wind downday and what better way to do it than with them. I dread going to the Pentaxbooth because as a general rule their line is stale. Corporate Pentax hastreated their Sports Optics division as a step child for so long I think theyforgot that it exists. I did order 20x60 PCF WP II's and in spotters their PF80-ED's & PF65-ED II's as these three items are great quality andconsistant sellers.I was informed that 2013 would be an exciting year atPentax as they have new people at the top who plan to totally revamp the lineand add life to it. Can't wait for SHOT 2014.This wraps up my report. Iam back in the store so please feel free to contact me with anyquestions.Yes, we picked up loads of demos and deals and those goods shouldarrive and be checked in by the end of the month I would think.Thanks fortaking the time to read this I hope it was informative. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Redman Report post Posted January 20, 2013 thanks for the info, glad to hear you will be carrying Leupold..... still no Nightforce? Also cant see me spending $2K on Bruton... Will you be getting demo of the New Zeiss HD Conquest? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites