The Binocular Site

Kowa Binoculars

Overview

Kowa Company, Ltd., was founded in 1894, and is the fifth largest trading company in Japan. The company's optics division came about in 1946, and has been producing high quality binoculars and other optics continuously since then. In 1980, the company created Kowa Optimed, Inc., to establish a presence in North and South American optics markets. For nearly 30 years, Kowa has built a reputation in North America as a provider of high-end binoculars and other optics. The company also places a heavy emphasis on strong customer service.

To maintain their high quality, Kowa has combined electronics, mechanics, and optics into unique, new technologies. All of the company's research and development is takes place at their Hamamatsu and Chofu factories in Japan. Both product development and testing are conducted on an ongoing basis. They take great pride in their lens manufacturing, which entails grinding and polishing some of the most difficult types of lenses in the world. All lens production takes place at another factory, located in Gamagori, Japan. All Kowa's factories, and their employees, are dedicated to producing the most cost-effective and innovative optics possible.

There are over 70 products and accessories available from Kowa. Their products are high-end, but also offer great value for the money. The company offers a wide range of binoculars, from compact models, to full-size waterproof binoculars, to commercially focused coin-operated models. Kowa's binoculars offer a variety of features including roof prisms, fully multi-coated lenses, phase coating, nitrogen-purged bodies, and twist-up eyecups comfortable even for those who wear eyeglasses. Their other sporting optics products include spotting scopes and eyepieces, along with accessories such as tripods, and cases. With such a wide selection of products, you are sure to find what you need for whatever activity you enjoy.

Ranges:

Kowa binoculars offer several models to meet your sporting needs. All their binocular products are not only waterproof, but fog proof, thanks to their nitrogen-purged barrels. The Genesis line, in both 33mm and 44mm models, have a focusing distance of just five feet, making them ideal for several purposes. The High Lander line provides high quality 82mm astronomy binoculars with fluorite crystal lenses that eliminate color blur that can occur when viewing the night sky. Their product line is completed by compact, mid-size, and full-size binoculars with 25mm, 32mm, and 42mm models, respectively.

Magnification:

Kowa offers binoculars with the following magnifications: 8X, 8.5X, 10X, 10.5X, and 32X.

Objective Lens:

The objective lens sizes available from Kowa Binoculars range from 25mm – 82mm. This covers everything from the smallest compacts to full size models with different lens sizes available in all ranges.

Field Of View (F.O.V.):

The field of view provided by Kowa binoculars ranges from 315 feet to 420 feet at 1000 yards, depending on which model in which range you choose.

Product Offering:

Kowa offers 12 binocular models, from compact hand held binoculars, to large, coin-operated models. Kowa binoculars are ideal for outdoor activities, and most of them are easily portable. One coin operated model is available without the coin box if you choose it for personal use.

Kowa also offers a complement of spotting scopes, eyepieces, digiscoping optics, and accessories.

Price Range:

As a higher end brand known for high quality and numerous features, Kowa binoculars range in price from around $310 for compacts all the way up to $9,225.

Warranty:

Kowa offers a limited lifetime warranty to be free from defects in workmanship and material on all its binoculars. This does not cover any binocular that has been abused, disassembled, or tampered with. If you need to return a product under warranty, you must call the company directly at their toll free number for instructions on how to return the product. If they determine the existence of a manufacturer defect covered by the warranty, their standard turnaround on repair is two to three weeks. The warranty remains in effect for the life of the product, regardless of whether it is still owned by the original purchaser, or has been sold to another buyer. Kowa also offers non-warranty repairs if you damage your binoculars.

Popular Kowa Binoculars:

One of most popular Kowa binocular models is the Kowa BD42-10 High Performance waterproof binocular. This high-end roof prism model with C3 prism coating boasts professional-level specifications that make them perfect for bird watching. They are designed to be compact and light without sacrificing performance. The prism has phase correction coating, as well as a highly reflective aluminum coating, both of which provide sharp, clear images and accurate color interpretation. They're ideal for any activity, in all weather conditions, and have a list price of $660.


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