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binoculars

B

Bernie

New Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2018
Messages
29
What's the best all around hunting binos under 200? theres several to choose from. What do you guys like?
 
Hard to find a good set under 200, vortex makes great optics for the money though and I think the diamondback comes in around that price point.

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I’m pretty sure camofire has a vortex bino fairly often for 99. That’s worth the wait imo.
 
Vortex crossfire. I had them for one season. Much better than nothing and under 200. I upgraded to the vortex viper HD, absolutely love them, so clear. Worth the investment to get higher quality. Lifetime warranty from vortex.
 
Vortex Diamond Back 12x50 is what I have. Awesome binos!! Your going to like the 12x50s
 
I have the Viper HD 10x42 and they are awesome. I’ve had them for 7 or 8 years now. They are not in the price range mentioned however. For that range, the diamondback 10x42 are pretty tough to beat. Several of my friends have bought them per me recommendation and are very, very happy with them. I think 10x42 is the perfect size for deer hunting applications and have also suited my well out west. I use mine almost year round and consider them money well spent. They go with me every time I’m shed hunting. They are in the car during the summer for glassing velvet bucks. I use them during the winter when at the range to better observe my hits on paper targets. I’d highly recommend the Sitka harness for them as well. It’s a good balance of stretch and non stretch material so they are easy to pull up but don’t bounce too much when walking in.
 
I love my vortex diamond backs, can get them for $130 sometimes on sale

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Hands down the best binoculars under $300 will be the new Optika's by Meopta out of the Czech Republic. They will not be available until June but will be the only binocular under $300 coming out of Europe, all others at that price point are from China, no matter the company. The Meopta Optika bino's (only 8X42 and 10X 42 this year) will also be the only bino,s under $300 with magnesium frames and aluminum eyecups, all others at that price or below are made of plastic or some form of it. Meopta is a high end optics company that employs over 2,500 people and they make either glass or parts for, Leopold, Swarowski, Leica, Nite Force and Zeiss. All the sighting systems glass in USA Abrahms tanks are also made by Meopta as is the glass in over 90% of the digital projectors in theaters across the country. They also make binos in the $500 to $1,500 range as well as scopes and dot scopes.
 
I get the love for Vortex, courtesy of their customer service... but I was at Cabelas last weekend picking up an AR lower (which was sadly, promptly lost in a boating incident, sniff sniff).. and while waiting for my turn at the counter I tried out both the Vortex 10x42 and Nikon Prostaff 3s 10x42. The Nikons were hands-down clearer/brighter. I found the same thing when I was comparing scopes last year and ended up choosing the Nikon over the similar Vortex. So my birthday is in 2 weeks and I'm thinking those $129 nikons would make a nice gift. Anyone know a good reason I should reconsider the Vortex - something I may not have thought to look at like looking into glare, theft coverage..etc?
 
JBDaddy said:
I get the love for Vortex, courtesy of their customer service... but I was at Cabelas last weekend picking up an AR lower (which was sadly, promptly lost in a boating incident, sniff sniff).. and while waiting for my turn at the counter I tried out both the Vortex 10x42 and Nikon Prostaff 3s 10x42. The Nikons were hands-down clearer/brighter. I found the same thing when I was comparing scopes last year and ended up choosing the Nikon over the similar Vortex. So my birthday is in 2 weeks and I'm thinking those $129 nikons would make a nice gift. Anyone know a good reason I should reconsider the Vortex - something I may not have thought to look at like looking into glare, theft coverage..etc?
Click to expand...
I have a set of vortex furys, I looked through the Nikon monarchs and in my opinion the vortex are clearer, focused alot easier, quicker and just felt better in the hands.. different strokes for different folks, that's why Baskin Robbins has so many darn flavors.

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I have the original viper hd’s and love em. I am not a fan of the new vortex line. They feel like I’m using my kids toys. Great glass but I hate the bodies.
 
Follow-up...

After a ridiculous amount of searching, here, the beast, and cloudynights.com, I settled on these things as truth (eh, enough for me anyway):
  • I hunt in the midwest, so 10x(whatever) may be overkill. I already have bulky 10x50s anyway. I'll look for more compact 8x42s.
  • The Nikon Prostaff 3s for $129 or so probably aren't that good. Experts say they have glass problems and/or they're left out of all the "top X" lists.
  • The Vortex Crossfires aren't great either, glass-wise, but the warranty is. A lifetime transferable warranty is getting rare.
  • The Nikon Monarch line is entirely better glass at any level than the Nikon Prostaff line, but the Prostaff 7s may be ok, though the price is close enough to higher quality that why not go for it?
  • The Nikon Monarch 5s are definitely better glass. You pay for it, but not bad, but get iffy non-transfer warranty service/speed feedback.
  • At these assumptions, "low-mid entry", quality binos appear to cost $250 or so.
  • If you read too much of this crap, you begin to favor ED glass even though you're in the 150-yard view woods in a DIY saddle, and may in-fact be a moron, but that's never stopped you before.
  • Cabela's Intensity HD 8x42's look like an ED glass bargain ($180) BUT Bass Pro has bought Cabelas and neutered the lifetime warranty. The policy on what they'll cover and how-long isn't in writing, and customer service was offering "opinions".
  • Celestron Nature looks good, but the warranty not as much. I intend to pass these to my son/grand kids someday. Bah, they'll probably just use their 50x zoom phone cameras by then. Still, good warranty is better than not.
  • The Vortex Diamondback's ($218 Amazon) look good but still aren't ED glass. Vipers get ED glass, but $489. Ow.
  • Bushnell Legend M's are reputed to be amazing quality at price with a vortex-like warranty, but discontinued.
  • Carson VPs are supposed to be good. And Leicas, and Zeiss, and Swaro's, etc. But there's got to be a limit to your wasted time, man.
Apparently the Bushnell Legend M's got clearanced and rebated down to $129 last year, and that was Christmas for glass geeks and they all got snapped up. Now they're on Ebay for $175 or more, slightly higher on Amazon. BUT: There's a lot of references to them on cloudynights.com that mention getting them at "Rogers". That's RogersSportingGoods.com - where I got a great deal on a range finder last year.

And lo, there the Bushnells appeared, for $159. https://www.rogerssportinggoods.com/bushnell-8x-42mm-legend-m-series-binoculars

And so I have twitched and lost my self control and bought my first pair of binos that cost more than $20 and weren't located in a clearance bin at Wal-Mart.

In case you want to see some of the rabbit-hole I was down...
https://www.allbinos.com/315-binoculars_review-Bushnell_Legend_M_10x42.html
https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/625475-need-8x42-binocular-recommendations/

And now you have an idea of what my wife puts up with.
 
@JBDaddy my wife says I don’t half #$$ anything... I go down a rabbit hole in just about every subject I’m interested in!


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