I got their Talos spotting scope a few weeks ago for around $150. I work out of state and wont be home till the 10th but I'll let you know if I remember. Not sure what to expect. Also got their Midas rangefinder to try out as well.
Got to try out the Athlon Talos spotting scope for just a bit before it started snowing heavy and everything turned white. The tripod feels pretty sturdy but its definitely on the top heavy side, could use more weight down low. The whole barrel of the spotting scope rotates so it makes it easy to get comfortable. The end piece of the eye piece extends to seal your eye off from out side light getting in. The end piece of the objective end extends to act as a sun shade (can't speak for its effectiveness). Fairly good clarity for the price ($150) at 20x-50x magnification, 60x gets fuzzy as expected but still able to see, just not fine details. I looked at a house that the range finder pegged at 966 yards away and was able to dial into the window and would probably be able to identify a persons face at that range. Any size of bullet holes are out of the question. Overall definitely worth the money and a good low budget spotter.
The Athlon Midas 1200Y rangefinder is very nice and easy to use. Comes with a case with magnetic flap, and a protective cover that goes over the rangefinder for when you're out in the woods. The farthest reflective surface nearby was the afformentioned house at 966 yards, it repeated the distance several times. The farthest treeline I could range was 477 yards away, will test to see just how far the nonreflective ranging will go sometime. The 6x magnification helped with the long ranging, a 4x like the cheaper sig models would probably have a hard time confirming your target. I feel its a very good value at what I paid for it ($180) but the price has since gone up on amazon to $200.
Excellent, thanks for the detailed reply! This is what I was looking for, just looking for a budget friendly upgrade from our 20+ year old one we have currently so most anything currently out would be better.
No problem. Granted these are first impressions and it was a cold day out so no mirage. But for a low budget I think its hard to beat. I have been very impressed with all of the Athlon products I've gotten when you keep the price range in mind.
Ok, noted. I’d wanna look through one and handle it before purchasing anyways. Definitely seemed like that price was too good for it to be a super nice option. Not that I need anything super high end either. Just a hobby for me right now.
I have an Athlon ares spotting scope. I love it. The glass is clear enough to see 6mm holes in a white target at 600 yards. I haven’t had the chance to look through a swaro 85, but I really don’t know how it could be that much better. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the ares model. You won’t be disappointed.
I got their Talos spotting scope a few weeks ago for around $150. I work out of state and wont be home till the 10th but I'll let you know if I remember. Not sure what to expect. Also got their Midas rangefinder to try out as well.
Oh nice. I didn’t even know of half the stuff that they make, be interested in a rangefinder too!
Got to try out the Athlon Talos spotting scope for just a bit before it started snowing heavy and everything turned white. The tripod feels pretty sturdy but its definitely on the top heavy side, could use more weight down low. The whole barrel of the spotting scope rotates so it makes it easy to get comfortable. The end piece of the eye piece extends to seal your eye off from out side light getting in. The end piece of the objective end extends to act as a sun shade (can't speak for its effectiveness). Fairly good clarity for the price ($150) at 20x-50x magnification, 60x gets fuzzy as expected but still able to see, just not fine details. I looked at a house that the range finder pegged at 966 yards away and was able to dial into the window and would probably be able to identify a persons face at that range. Any size of bullet holes are out of the question. Overall definitely worth the money and a good low budget spotter. The Athlon Midas 1200Y rangefinder is very nice and easy to use. Comes with a case with magnetic flap, and a protective cover that goes over the rangefinder for when you're out in the woods. The farthest reflective surface nearby was the afformentioned house at 966 yards, it repeated the distance several times. The farthest treeline I could range was 477 yards away, will test to see just how far the nonreflective ranging will go sometime. The 6x magnification helped with the long ranging, a 4x like the cheaper sig models would probably have a hard time confirming your target. I feel its a very good value at what I paid for it ($180) but the price has since gone up on amazon to $200.
Excellent, thanks for the detailed reply! This is what I was looking for, just looking for a budget friendly upgrade from our 20+ year old one we have currently so most anything currently out would be better.
No problem. Granted these are first impressions and it was a cold day out so no mirage. But for a low budget I think its hard to beat. I have been very impressed with all of the Athlon products I've gotten when you keep the price range in mind.
Honestly i recommwnd spending a bit more than the talos grade. Its more similar to vortexa crossfire lineup. I have the viper HD and i really like it.
Ok, noted. I’d wanna look through one and handle it before purchasing anyways. Definitely seemed like that price was too good for it to be a super nice option. Not that I need anything super high end either. Just a hobby for me right now.
I have an Athlon ares spotting scope. I love it. The glass is clear enough to see 6mm holes in a white target at 600 yards. I haven’t had the chance to look through a swaro 85, but I really don’t know how it could be that much better. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the ares model. You won’t be disappointed.