First off thank you Athlon for working with AYOU Inc. to provide a scope for our students to use during a tour of Yellowstone. At first glance I was skeptical of a new optics company, but I laid that aside after calling to speak with the staff.

To compare this scope with notable competition I tested sided by side with a Vortex Viper 20x60-80 (NIB). Through varying light conditions up to and including complete darkness both scopes had their advantages. However, when the final minutes, and I mean minutes, of light began to fade the Athlon won out.

From a optical standpoint the ARES 20x60-85 showed exceptional sharpness throughout the focal range, and above 45x began to shine. At this point the Viper couldn't keep up, especially as the light changed. My subject was a white metal sided barn ranged at 1049 yards. I chose white to help differentiate color representation with warm and cool tinting. The Athlon showed better color production and presents warm hues against the white back drop, opposed to the very cool blues on the Viper. I also had the chance during this testing to offset the sun angle to check glare control. With the sunshade extended the Ares preformed excellent with no flaring present. Focus is smooth and easy to use. Power adjustments on the eye-piece were smooth with an excellent FOV. Clarity, depth, sharpness, and brightness all get high marks.

Features and build quality are well above what one should expect and perhaps more. The overall construction of the Ares felt good in hand, easy to focus, and rigidly built to withstand rugged use. Eye relief between 20-45x is excellent, but appears to tighten to what I would rate "very good" above 45x. The eyepiece offers excellent build with smooth adjustment for eyeglass wearers. The spotter is, at a glance, very resembling of the high end euro build. (Good marketing choice)

Between the two the Athlon gets my complete nod for overall build quality, easy of use, and optical standout. Price positioned just below the Viper and I must admit it is well worth it. I recently spent countless hours observing wolves, bears, and some monster bulls in YNP. Ranges, at time between 2-4 miles, set this scope in a very comfortable zone for me. To preform in tough atmospheric conditions (summer heatwaves) and hold it own against all the euro glass makes the spotter an excellent choice. Sure its not $2k, but with that kind of performance vs. savings one can afford more outdoor time where we all long to be anyways.

More than worth the money. I work in Yellowstone National Park and I have had the opportunity to look through pretty much every kind of scope there is. I own 4 different scopes and way more binoculars than one human should ever have. This scope is an absolutely incredible value.

This spotting scope is amazing! I was looking to purchase a spotter for awhile and after looking at videos, specs, and prices, Athlon was the one that stood out. This is the start of an Athlon collection. The crisp clear glass in all of their optics are amazing as well as the price. You can't beat their warranty either! Athlon has got a customer for life!