I have to call BS on this one. Maybe the lower line of Kowa's but no way will it compare to a Prominar. I have the Kowa TSN-884 and have now spent a good 300 hours or so behind it Elk, Deer, and Pronghorn hunting and besides my rifle, it is hands down the best thing I have ever purchased for hunting. Before I purchased this scope, i spent over a year evaluating what scope I was going to purchase as i was saving up the money. I had it narrowed down to the Zeiss. I felt it was the best scope on the market for my eyes. Then Scott talked me into trying out the Kowa with a guarantee that if I wasn't 100% satisfied in what I got, he would take it back and send me the Zeiss because he felt the Kowa was a better scope. After getting the Kowa i took it to Utah and compared it with the Zeiss, Leica, and Swaro at the same time and it was simply hands down the best of the four. The focus is so precise it seams you think it is in focus and then you can fine tune it to just amazing clarity. I felt the color was the most accurate of the four as well. All four are suppurb scopes and it seamed the other three had one thing that they did very well and the rest was just good. the Kowa just seamed that it did everything well and had no real shortfalls. The day I did this, it was bright and sunny outside in the morning, but that afternoon it clouded up and was raining on and off, so I got to try the comparison in a good variety of conditions. I will say the Kowa is not perfect, I hate the lens caps, and the sunshade slides out too easily but other than, I would not give up this scope for any other, no way!
Before narrowing it down, I had compared the Pentax, Bushnell ED, Brunton, Vortex (not HD as it wasnt out yet), Leupold, Nikon ED ( I own the 65mm ED actually), Sightron, and Burris. The Pentax is a good scope and the best of the list above, but it is NOT in the same class as the Zeiss, Swaro, Leica, and definitely not the Kowa. My opinion, take it or leave it.
