Swarovski NL Pure Binocular Review

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Let me tell you a story about how good the Swarovski NL Pure binocular is. On a combined elk and deer hunt in Montana, a fellow writer, two guides, and I were glassing a bedded whitetail buck from long way off, trying to figure out if he was worth a stalk. I was looking through the NL Pure, and the other guys were peering into various other high-end binos, none costing less than a grand and some costing much more than that.

Studying the deer, I said, “He’s got decent mass but isn’t super tall or wide. He might go 130 inches.” The other guys asked how I’d surmised all this from so far away. I handed him the NL Pure, and one after another, they said, “Oh!” and “Ah!” and “Holy sh*t!” Finally, they all agreed that the buck was somewhere between 125 and 130, and we tromped off to go look for another.

That’s what next-level resolution does for you. It doesn’t come cheaply, of course, but it makes a real difference in the field. And so, with that in mind, let’s take a close look at the Swarovski NL Pure, how it performed in my testing, and why I think it is the best hunting binocular you can buy today.

Swarovski NL Pure 10×42 Specs

Swarovski NL Pure

Pros

Perfect scores in resolution and image quality
Unique styling and feel
Excellent low-light performance

Cons

Expensive
Not especially weather-resistant

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Specs

Magnification: 10x
Objective Lens Diameter: 42mm
Exit Pupil: 4.2mm
FOV: 399’ @ 1,000 yards
Size: 6.2 x 5.1 inches
Width: 5.1 inches
Weight: 30 ounces

Swarovski NL Pure Overview

Swarovski NL Pure 10x42 sitting on a mossy piece of wood with green field in background — The NL Pure is nothing short of astounding. It makes everything look bigger, brighter, sharper, better. (Photo/Dave Hurteau)

The NL Pure is not new. Not by a long shot. The first models in the series hit shelves way back in 2020, one of the few good things to happen in a no-good, rotten year. All the more impressive then that now, six years later, the NL Pure is still as good a binocular as you can find.

Not long after those first NL Pure offerings debuted, I awarded the 10×42 model our “Best Binocular at Any Price” award in F&S’s annual binocular test—and it has not relinquished that distinction since. Every year, I test the latest and the greatest glass, and I keep a 10×42 NL Pure handy to compare to the newest contenders. And for now, at least, it is still at the top of the heap.

I have written before that the gap between good and great binoculars is closing. That’s great news for hunters. But a handful of models still stand totally apart, and the NL Pure is the finest example of that. My 10×42 test model notched perfect scores in the resolution and image quality tests. With lots of binoculars, you have to look and look and strain your eyes to detect small differences in resolution. Not with these. The NL Pure’s advantage in resolving detail is immediately obvious, and the picture is as clean and bright as you could want, with virtually zero color shift, field curvature, or stray light. But it’s not enough to say that the binocular’s optical performance is the best or even perfect. It’s more like a revelation. You peer into it, and the world looks like a better place.

Meanwhile, the NL Pure’s innovative hour-glass, open-bridge design saves weight and balances perfectly in the hand, making it easy to stabilize the binocular on long glassing sessions, and an available forehead rest adds to the comfort. The focus wheel is large, precise, and silky. The diopter and eyecup adjustments are positive and exact.

Swarovski NL Pure Test Results

A man holds the Swarovski NL Pure binocular in his hands — The NL Pure’s hourglass shape feels good in the hand.

If you want to see exactly how I tested the NL Pure, you can go to our annual binocular test and look at the section called “How I Tested and Score Binoculars.” In a nutshell, I used a 1951 USAF Resolution Test Chart to test resolution in daylight and low-light conditions. I used a color-artifact chart to test for chromatic aberration. I also tested for edge-to-edge clarity, feeling of immersion (which we’ll get to), overall image quality, handling, ergonomics, build quality, and weather resistance.

In all of the optical categories, the NL Pure set the standard. Resolution was nothing short of astounding. But world-class glass like this offers more than just stunning detail; it immerses you in the image. An optics professor I used to test binoculars with calls this “feeling of immersion.” With the NL Pure’s huge field of view and field-flattening lenses, you get the sense that you’ve stepped into the picture and that everything there is brilliant and vivid and free of the little imperfections that otherwise distract you from the experience.

The quality of the construction is obvious the second you put this binocular in your hand, and everything from the focus wheel to the diopter functioned just as it should. All of that said, the NL Pure is not flawless. To my surprise, it pretty much bombed my weather-resistance test, which involved a half-hour submersion in a creek and then a half-hour visit to the deep freeze. After the submersion portion, the image was usable but not especially clear, and it was close to unusable coming out of the freezer. I should be clear that my test is obviously tougher than what most hunters will face in the outdoors. Still, it provides an apples-to-apples comparison, and only one binocular out of about 10 tested did worse.

Final Thoughts on the NL Pure

A hunter holds the Swarovski NL Pure binocular in his hands — The NL Pure did not handle our very tough weather-resistance test as well as some other models, but that aside, it stood well above the competition.

That, however, is the NL Pure’s only flaw. In every other way, this binocular is spectacular. The other thing that is spectacular—as in breathtaking—is the price. The NL Pure now comes in seven configurations, from 8×32 to 14×52, and ranges in price from $2,799 to $3,849. For most of us, that’s a whole lot to spend on a binocular. But some hunters are willing to pay top dollar to own the best of the best. And the NL Pure is exactly that. Give it a little extra protection in rough weather, and it will show you things other hunters will never see.

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