I am looking at purchasing my first set of 15x binos, and even though I love my Swarovski 8x56 glass I plan to give Vortex a try on this purchase. Great warranty, good reviews, and low price points. What I'm having a hard time deciphering is the difference between the Viper and the Kaibab. The latter has a somewhat bigger objective, and one would assume better glass since it is about twice the price. But they both feature low dispersion glass, so what is the real difference? And is the performance advantage of the Kaibab worth paying double?
Vortex Viper vs. Kaibab
- Thread starter harleymc
- Start date
digger11
Member
You might want to wait and look at their new Vulture model.It was introduced at Shot Show and will sell for about $550.
To answer your orginal question the Kaibabs have a much bigger objective that gathers light better.
Also take a look at Minox,,,I have thir BL 16x56.Great glass at a really nice price point.
Just my 2 cents worth.
To answer your orginal question the Kaibabs have a much bigger objective that gathers light better.
Also take a look at Minox,,,I have thir BL 16x56.Great glass at a really nice price point.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Good question harley, I have considered these two myself. I to use 8x and want to upgrade for my Arizona hunting. It seemed having an 8x as well as 15x would be a good combo. Sorry I don't have any advice, just found this thread interesting. Eager to see what folks think.
mnhunter
Active Member
You can find the old model Zeiss Conquests in 15x56 out there for less than a grand if you look. Might be a better option.
Where would you look for these? There is always eBay, but are there other options? Zeiss makes excellent products, but Vortex comes with a lifetime unconditional, transferable warranty. That is pretty nice.
To answer this question I decided to go to the source and gave Vortex a call. Their response is that both models have low dispersion glass, multi coated optical surfaces, etc. It is simply that the components that they use on the Kaibab are better. Not all low dispersion glass is the same, not all coatings are the same, etc. So it is a difference in degree, not in kind.
Whether the performance difference is worth the price difference is a matter of opinion. It would be nice to look through both in order to see for oneself the difference. Does anyone know of retailers who might carry both?
clacklin009
Active Member
There are different grades of HD glass and the Kaibab has a high grade of HD. The Kaibab is very nice and you will have to see it is as comfortable to hold and use as the Viper. I think the eye piece of the Kaibab is very large and I don't find them as comfortable to use however I prefer the image of the Kaibab over the Viper.