As far as Spectre II vs. Sparrow why the debate? I see Silencershop sells the "quieter" Specter II for a lot less money than the Sparrow... go cheaper and quieter!
Where did you determine the Spectre II is quieter?
I had to go to Silencerco's site to get DB specs, and it's a toss up - their published specs show the Sparrow quieter with 22LR, the Spectre II is quieter with 17HMR and 5.7mm. This assumes you can believe a manufacturer's published specs, but as long as they're for products from the same company, I'm a little more inclined to believe them.
AFA DB readings, it's been said it has to be at least a 3DB difference before the human ear can detect the difference.
Can't tell you which one I'd get, but off the bat, here's the differences I see:
1. The Sparrow monocore is advertised as easier to clean (but I've questioned that earlier based on my experience).
2. I'm guessing the Sparrow would be easier to take apart due to its clamshell design, although the stacked baffle design of the Spectre II looks like it might come apart easier than the Element 2 due to the different design of the baffles (they almost look like they have a "built in" clam shell?).
3. The Sparrow is around an inch shorter, .3 oz. lighter.
4. I see they say the Spectre II has the quietest FRP of any 22 suppressor, but I'd have to compare it to the Element 2 (my baseline) before I'd believe the advertising.
There's no reason it should not have less FRP than the Sparrow, as it's a stacked baffle design. There's no reason to believe it should not have the same or less than the Element 2 since they've got more internal space to work with (larger silencer, room for more baffles, etc.). Don't forget - the Sparrow is almost an inch shorter than the Spectre II.
AFA price, I'd shop around - there are actually sales on silencers these days, which was rare when I bought mine. The more expensive MSRP silencer might actually be found cheaper since it has been out a while (I think the Spectre II has been redesigned, so they may hang a higher price on it because it's new?).
Don't quote me on the Spectre being redesigned as I'm not familiar with it.
I paid MSRP $554 for my first Sparrow - when I got my White Sparrow I paid $425 for it, and found it for $396 right after I ordered mine! :banghead:
You also have to figure storage / transfer fees, if any.
Our local dealers charge nothing if you buy the silencer from them, but if you buy elsewhere and ship to your local dealer, one local dealer charges $100 - the other charges $45.