Swarovski vs Schmidt and Bender

PSE Composites Limited - The next level Rifle Stocks
owenlee

owenlee

Well-Known Member
I’ve got a Swarovski gen1 z6i 2.5-15x56 with br reticle I’ve got a chance to buy a Schmidt and Bender polar t96 4-16x56 first focal, my question is what Scope would be better for lowlight stalking which one has better optics I would love to hear some experience from people who has owned both. Thank you.
 
I am a big S&B fan and particularly of my T96 polar in low light. I started with a Gen i Z6i 50mm which I still use occasionally.

Swaro glass looks a bit greener to me, but I think it's different for everyone. Some people swear by Zeiss scopes for a crisp image.

Try and have a look through the S&B. That's a higher spec, I believe, due to the tube size, but you might find the glass isn't to your taste.
 
Bowland blades said:
Not really when the product was sold as a lifetime and that was heavily sold as such . Ok i wont be crying about it but neither will i deal with folks that do not " stand on " . Optics especially have been sold with Lifetime grantees from new and those firms would/ should have been accounted for at the time of pricing - Right ?
Click to expand...

Vortex, Leupold or Sig Sauer then
 
Bowland blades said:
Not really when the product was sold as a lifetime and that was heavily sold as such . Ok i wont be crying about it but neither will i deal with folks that do not " stand on " . Optics especially have been sold with Lifetime grantees from new and those firms would/ should have been accounted for at the time of pricing - Right ?
Click to expand...
Totally agree with this sentiment. Out of all the fly rod manufacturers I believe it is only Sage who honour (at a cost) the lifetime guarantee. With all the others the guarantee ends when they run out of spare sections.
 
Had both the scopes in question. The polar was slightly and I mean slight better in the last mins for my eyes. The S&B Also had very good depth of field but as mentioned above a little fussy in the eye box and slightly heavier compared to the Z6i.
I'd chose the T96 out of the 2.
 
Until you have a peek through one you’ll not know as mentioned earlier people have different experiences with the different coatings the different manufacturers use on their lenses giving colour perception and brightness.
 
Very much a personal decision. S&B and Swarovski both make very good scopes. There is not a lot to choose between them on overall quality, fit and finish, optics etc. S&B tend to be a bit heavier and feel a bit more robust. Buts a feel. To my eyes S&B tend to have a glossier image, Swaro a bit more matt (as in finish to photographs).

Personally if I had a good swaro on a rifle I would change it for a S&B and vice versa.
 
Hambone said:
Totally agree with this sentiment. Out of all the fly rod manufacturers I believe it is only Sage who honour (at a cost) the lifetime guarantee. With all the others the guarantee ends when they run out of spare sections.
Click to expand...
Well i still buy Sage myself , Realistically IF they actually make the blanks they should keep mandrels etc its no big thing and the Brand itself survives and lets be fair its worth doing , so long the maker stands on their promises
 
clue is in teh name
T96
96% light transmission
Nothing on the market beats it on transmission

Personally I like the all metal contruction of the S&B
The mag ranges work for me as do the wider reticule options, especially in the PM range
I have a 3-27x56 High Performance and a 2.5-10x56 Polar which is immense

Swaro are sometimes less fussy on teh eye box but i tend to find its the set up of the S&B that causes most of the customer relayed issues.
(scope mounted to close/far away etc)

lifetime warranty on a vortex is not enough to drop down the food chain in glass quality
 
I have both makes. I think S&B is a little brighter to my mk1 eyeball 👁️ however trying to get help from S&B is problematic where as Swarovski are just awesome with their customer service. Frankly either will be excellent.
 
I find the clarity better on the swaro’s when I’ve looked at them side by side with an S&B - but I think you’d be splitting hairs, both are very good…I guess it would be down to eye box, reticle, Adjustment increments etc…

Swaro have been probably the best customer service I’ve had for any product I can think of - I sometimes feel guilty for how much support and how many replacement caps and things they have sent me free of charge!

Regards,
Gixer
 
gixer1 said:
I find the clarity better on the swaro’s when I’ve looked at them side by side with an S&B - but I think you’d be splitting hairs, both are very good…I guess it would be down to eye box, reticle, Adjustment increments etc…

Swaro have been probably the best customer service I’ve had for any product I can think of - I sometimes feel guilty for how much support and how many replacement caps and things they have sent me free of charge!

Regards,
Gixer
Click to expand...
Wait on till you have a problem with a Swaroski ( a scope i personally brought ) Had one service previous no problem at , another fault found few yeats after and i get " we havent got the parts " So that is how they stand on promises "
if you sell with a lifetime warranty , you need to stand on ! And keep stock parts , so you can forfil promises.
 
I run S&Bs on my .308s and they are brighter to my eyes than the Zenith I had before. They hold zero unlike the others. Never had a Swaro but nothing I have seen/heard would make me change to them.
 
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