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Binoculars?

S

Saddleback

New Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2020
Messages
2
Just wanted to see what others on here are using as far as binoculars? Vortex seems to be the brand I see most— but I’m wondering if there are equally good brands for a little lower price tag?


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Try the search function. It seems a thread like this pops up once a month. Or better yet, spend some time reading bino reviews on birding forums, Rokslide optics forum etc. Vortex has an awesome warranty but so does a bunch of other companies. They're REALLY good at marketing towards hunters. That's all I'll say about Vortex.... I would recommend trying as many different binos as you can in your price range and seeing what looks and feels best for you. You'll want to test them outside, preferably while the sun is setting so you can get an idea of their low light performance. Everyone's eyes are different. My eyes love Japanese glass. European alpha glass can't be beat, but some of the "mid-range" European glass (meopta meopro's) doesn't jive well with me. Most made in China glass I've used gives me a headache when glassing for extended periods of time.
 
I have Leupold Cascade and Vortex Crossfire 8x42’s and Vortex Diamondback 10x42. For me, the 8x are easier to use while hunting. The 10x stay in the truck or living room table for wildlife/bird watching. I don’t spend hours looking through any of them.
Just my opinion.
 
Vortex/Leupolds I tried didn't work well with glasses so I got a pair of Vanguard Orros 8x42, the 21mm eye relief felt much better.
 
Vortex is the most popular because they are in the hands of the most TV personalities that get paid to endorse them and they are the most profitable for the stores that sell them. Vortex would not make my top 10 list of good optics companies as they are a sourced glass from the orient and the orient definitely doesn't make the best glass, not even close.

If you want great bino's that you can see right up to dark, Meopta (made in the Czech Republic) and Swarovski are the best by leaps and bounds and are made differently as well. Meopta may be hard to find in stores because they haven't sold in the US for very long but they are an 85 year old company that actually imports German glass and raw metals to make their products. Their Optika series of 8X42 or 10X42 are the best glass for the money and are the ONLY bino for $350 that has magnesium frames and aluminum eye cups, all other are some form of plastic at that price point. My favorites because of their size and weight is there 8X25's. I've never ever seen a pair of 8X25's that were worth $1 before I came across these. You can see great through these because they use premium glass. Meopta also makes all the glass for the sighting systems in out Abrams Tanks and their is no way the USA would use inferior glass in those multi million dollar tanks.
 
John Eberhart said:
Vortex is the most popular because they are in the hands of the most TV personalities that get paid to endorse them and they are the most profitable for the stores that sell them. Vortex would not make my top 10 list of good optics companies as they are a sourced glass from the orient and the orient definitely doesn't make the best glass, not even close.

If you want great bino's that you can see right up to dark, Meopta (made in the Czech Republic) and Swarovski are the best by leaps and bounds and are made differently as well. Meopta may be hard to find in stores because they haven't sold in the US for very long but they are an 85 year old company that actually imports German glass and raw metals to make their products. Their Optika series of 8X42 or 10X42 are the best glass for the money and are the ONLY bino for $350 that has magnesium frames and aluminum eye cups, all other are some form of plastic at that price point. My favorites because of their size and weight is there 8X25's. I've never ever seen a pair of 8X25's that were worth $1 before I came across these. You can see great through these because they use premium glass. Meopta also makes all the glass for the sighting systems in out Abrams Tanks and their is no way the USA would use inferior glass in those multi million dollar tanks.
Click to expand...
I had a pair of the optika HD 10x42's for a couple days before returning them. The one I received had bad glare issues/ halo effect if your eyes strayed off center at all, especially in low light. Maybe it was a quality control issue (wouldn't surprise me at the price point). I would bet there's a good bit of outsourcing going on to get the price as low as it is...
 
Vortex Crossfire 8x42 for this poor Georgia Boy. This will be my second season using them. I am 100% happy with them. They are clear don’t fog up and I can see good early morning and up until late evening. One thing I especially like is how smooth the focus is on them.
 
I highly recommend going in and checking them out in the store. I have been searching lately for a mid range pair ($900-1200). I'm looking at 10x42.

I looked at the ones just below this price range. The one that worked the best for me were the Zeiss Terra 10x42. I could not see anything out of the Nikon's (monarch 5). The Vortex (viper hd) were ok. The Leupold bx4 pro guide were great. Out of this group, I would have bought the Zeiss.

I am still trying to find a Meopta to look at as well.

You need to try them in person though. Each person's eyes are little different and binos have to fit you perfectly or you won't be happy.


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