Hawke Spotting Scope Comparison Test

Attend any official range, where shooters are sitting at benches or lying prone on a covered firing line, and you will invariably encounter the humble spotting scope. These optical devices are designed to give feedback to the shooter as to exactly where the shots have landed. The spotting scope, of course, has many more applications and can be the perfect aid when taking to the countryside for hunting or varminting purposes, or just to enjoy seeing mother nature and the beauty of the landscape - up close and personal. Just what level and quality of equipment will suffice, is as usual, up to the individual, and as an interesting exercise, I have three spotting scopes here, in a comparison test. All are supplied from the Hawke range, but what adds interest is that they all sit at different price points. So, let’s see what we get for the money and how they compare in the field.

Vantage 20-60x60

Let’s start with the more entry-level Vantage, and this is confusing since, whilst it’s the cheapest model here, retailing at £189, it actually comes supplied as a kit all stowed inside a large, robust padded hard case. Open the case and there’s an adjustable, short-legged tripod complete with a fixing bracket to receive the scope. There is also a zip-up soft case and rubber lens caps, with the larger cap including a small compass set into it. It all feels comprehensive, is well presented, and certainly belies that RRP.

Hawke Endurance ED 15-45x60

This model comes in the smallest box and the modest-sized unit comes fitted with a removable, zip-up waterproof jacket. There are Velcro flaps that open up so that the scope can be operable whilst in the jacket, and it’s neat and effective, doubling up as a knock resistant carry case too, when on a hike. Rubber lens caps and a strap are also included.

Hawke Endurance ED 20-60x68

This model is the largest by far and feels like a beast alongside the other two. Again, it follows its ED stable mate and comes fitted with the removable, waterproof, velcro-flapped protective jacket. Again, there are loose lens caps, although on my test model, the front lens cap, whilst still made of rubber, proved too loose to be a push fit and kept falling off in the dirt - not a good start.

The 2-stage test

OK, now I’ll start by stating that my test is real world and an indicator of performance, rather than a scientific tick list comparison. That said, I felt it left me with a good idea as to what was on offer by the end of the session. A camera tripod was used and is necessary, and mine incorporates the wedge-style, screw clip base mount to hold each spotting scope in place. The test comprised two stages. Firstly, viewing a farmhouse roof at 300 yards, to ascertain the crispness and sharpness of the image and level of detail etc., whilst the second stage was to view a technical resolution chart, set at 70 yards.

Hawke Vantage 20-60x60

Out of the box, the rubber-clad waterproof body feels incredibly practical. The kit tripod, given its short legs, is really aimed to be used range side, resting on a table, to either view a target when shooting or for resting on an object that happens to be the right height. Not so useful in the field then, but hey, look at the price for this starter scope and see what you get all-in compared to the other two more upmarket models. As a range scope, and wound down to 20x, it works beautifully, plus the clarity and image are sharp and impressive. In our test, viewing the building at 300 yards showed fair clarity on the maximum 60x magnification and plenty of detail. The single focus control worked well and was very smooth in operation, and before I viewed the same with the other spotting devices, I was fairly content. This is a theme that runs through this test. Viewing the clarity/definition chart, set out at 70 yards, revealed a fair image. It was perfectly usable and the diagrams around the chart were all discernable, yet it was a strain to see fine figures. Shots on a target at this distance, were, however, clear and defined. I’m viewing on 60x for comparison purposes. Wind down to lower mags and as usual, the device becomes easier to use and in theory, a bit brighter.

Hawke Endurance ED 15-45x60

Viewing the building at 300 yards instantly showed a jump up in quality between this Endurance model and the basic Vantage kit. ED Glass is specified, and I couldn’t deny the image was vibrant, bright and alive by comparison. I was wound to the maximum 45x mag here, and remember that compares to 60x max on the Vantage. Returning to the Vantage and dialling down to 45x for a direct comparison, seemed fair, but there was no real difference on the brightness front. Moving onto the clarity/definition chart with the Endurance showed the jump up in quality again, with a crisp image and all figures actually readable, once the fine focus had been tweaked. Here, with the Endurance, we get a 2-stage focus that’s best described as crude and fine. Twist the rear section first (crude) to get the subject quickly into a state of almost clear, then use the front knob to finely tweak the image for optimum clarity. In use, it works well, but the fine tweak knob does turn very easily. Here, a better-quality tripod will always help to keep things stable while focusing. My fairly lightweight tripod isn’t overly sophisticated and it picks up tremors very easily. Get focussed as well as settled and all is fine. The trouble is, the more rigidity in the tripod, the more weighty it can be, which is a problem if you have to carry it!

Hawke Endurance ED 20-60x68

And so to the effective Rolls Royce of the three optical devices on test here. The Endurance ED 20-60x68 is a real beast alongside the other two scopes and as a result, there is a lot more weight that needs to be possibly humped around on a trip. Get past that and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. On test, viewing our building at 300 yards, the tacks in the roof and the texture of the wood could be seen. To make it a meaningful and fair test, I first wound down to 45x magnification, and still had a great image. Again, the ED glass shows why it costs the money. A clamp adjuster on the side is a neat feature too, as it allows more flexibility with the viewing angle, largely dictated by the eyepiece. The image was vibrant, vivid and bright, with great detail. Twisting up to 60x mag gave some more detail, obviously, but I was left thinking - do you really need 60x magnification when 45x mag can be bought in a cheaper, much lighter device with the same image quality? As a technicality, I completed the clarity/definition chart test and viewed this both on 45x and 60x mag. Both returned full detail of the diagrams and the fine figures were easily readable. Silky smooth operation of both the focus, and everything else, is what you get with this top-of-the-range Endurance ED model, and the level of detail in the presentation and build quality is impressive. However, that big question remains.

Conclusion

No surprise then for which model emerged as the technical winner, and with that bucket-sized 68mm objective lens, gathering in light, the Endurance ED 20-60X68 is a pleasure to use. However, the smaller, lighter Endurance ED 15-45X60 still offers terrific performance in a much lighter and more portable format. What about the Vantage 20-60x60? Well, it is hard to fault it for the money, and away from our possibly unfair comparison test, where it didn’t fair badly when used at 20x, it reigns supreme as a range/target spotter, with all the clarity you will need. A wry observation is that if I hadn’t viewed through the Endurance ED models, I would have been perfectly happy with the Vantage. Not knowing any better is clearly the way forward! All three of these spotting scopes come with standard reassurances too. So are nitrogen-purged, waterproof and fog proof. In addition, there’s the Hawke No-Fault Lifetime Warranty to consider.