I'm a little late getting in on this, but when I was looking at spotting scopes I ordered 3 from Cabelas to try out. I told them I wanted to compare them and send back whichever ones I didn't want. They had no problem with me doing that. So, ordered a Zeiss, Swarovski, and Leupold Gold Ring. I took them out at different times of the day and in different weather, etc. and evaluated all three. I paid a few bucks in return shipping, but it was well worth it. For what it's worth, I kept the Swarovski. The Zeiss was close, but I didn't like the focusing and both my son and I agreed the Swarovski was just a shade better. The Leupold wasn't even close.
I'm looking at some high end binoculars right now and I plan to do the same thing. I'm going to order 3 or 4 different models and compare them, keep what I feel is the best, and return the others. Comparing optics in a parking lot doesn't give a very good indication of what they'll be like when hunting. You need to look through them at different distances, different times of the day, etc.
I spend a lot of time looking through binoculars and a spotting scope....A LOT OF TIME! For me watching deer, elk, etc. is as much fun (well almost as much fun) as pulling the trigger. For me it's not just a matter of being able to count points and evaluate the size of a critter....it's about the whole hunting experience and top end glass really adds to that for me.