My wife gave me a Swarovski 80mm 20 X 60 ED for Christmas a year ago. The
scope came with a Swarovski tripod which I'm very pleased with. I don't
hike much with the scope, it lives on it's tripod in my living room where I
use it many times a day, (water view). Even after a year I am continually
impressed with the image quality, light gathering ability and color
fidelity. I believe my wife bought direct from Swarovski and the tripod was
included as a promotion. One suggestion, if you're going to use the scope
outside consider purchasing the straight rather than angle, otherwise you'll
continually be wiping rain off the lens. I also purchased the cordura
protective case that comes with a carrying strap which really helps when
packing the scope/tripod around. Bottom line, you can't go wrong with the
Swarovski, although I have to admit I haven't had the opportunity to compare
with other scopes.
Hope this helps,
Chris