"Kahles 10x42...is it up to par with the Swaros, and what is their warranty like? "
I own a pair of Kahles 8x42's and am thrilled with their performance. Bright with excellent contrast and firm, solid controls. I can set the length of eye relief for those times when I'm wearing glasses and they stay pretty much where I set them. At other times when I'm not wearing my glasses, I can quickly set the ocular distance and enjoy them as well.
Their warranty is for the life of the binocular for the original owner. I've talked with their customer service department about obtaining a warranty card, buying a bag, getting a Kahles brand baseball cap, etc. and they've always been quick to respond and true to their word.
Are they as good as the Swarovski's? Good question... I've only used the 8x30 SLC's and thought that the Swarovski's were fabulous quality, lightweight, and bright--but not noticeably brighter than the Kahles 8x42. It could be that comparing a 30mm objective with a 42mm objective at the same power gave an unfair advantage to the Kahles, but for double the money, I wasn't sold on the upgrade.
The only binoculars that I've picked up and used for any length of time that I immediately felt were better than my Kahles were a pair of 10X40 Zeiss Victory II's.
That glass is B-R-I-G-H-T!!! To my eyes, I could easily distinguish a gain in light with the Zeiss; having said that, I also felt like the Victory's tended to add a blue-ish hue to everything that I looked at. It's probably just me, but when I picked up my Kahles, I felt I had returned to a more true color tone than the hour or two I used the Victory's.
I've tried Bausch & Lomb Elite's (fine glass, exceptional sharpness, but the controls felt more 'finicky' than the Kahles), Bushnell Legend's (good glass but not in the same image class as the Kahles), Pentax DCF SP's (brighter than the Bushnell's and good value for the money, but not as sharp as the Kahles), the aforementioned Zeiss Victory's, Eagle Optics Platinum Rangers (very compact, quality glass, didn't care for the handling or the controls), Leupold Pinnacle's (not as bright as the Kahles, but a good binocular--didn't like the way my glasses 'klinked' against the ocular lenses), and Smith & Wesson's Premium Optics (very similar to the Leupold's and the Eagles) during 'bird walks' with my Audubon Society group. I've used all of those binoculars in the 8x configurations (that seems to be the favored magnification of birdwatchers everywhere) and have to say, the only ones I'd consider trading my Kahles for are the Zeiss.
Of course, the Zeiss cost a thousand bucks.
One of our members is in the process of purchasing a Nikon Venturer LX so I have high hopes of being able to 'swap' for an hour at our August walk--I've heard great things about that glass and price-wise they fall between the Kahles and the Zeiss in 'street' cost. If I get a chance, I'll leave a comparison here as well...
"...is Kahles up to par with the Swaro's?" I'll try one more stab at an answer--the Swarovski's might win a side by side comparison of equal size versus equal size but my experience would say that the margin of victory would be less than most Swarovski owners might be willing to admit to.
Just my two cents.
Take the long way home...
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