binoculars

[elkoholic]

Lookin for some help on picking a good pair of binos, my typical hunting consists of deer huntin, and elk in Colorado and Montana, Been Doin some research on monarchs, celestron, zeiss, and the new Bushnell. Size I'm thinking 8x42. Lookin for some input. Thanks!!

[BoxMN]

I have a pair of Burris 8x42 that I really like. They are probably a discontinued model about 8 or so years old, but the glass is really good, and solidly built. A birder helped me buy them, comparing them to others, and he had me tap them on a table with the end, and to listen closely for springs. He said spring were fine, but the lack of a "boing" meant they are built better with no springs (Nikons had springs, at least at the time) and will last longer (forever...) and operate smoother even if dropped.

Is that all true? I don't know but I do like mine. At the time retail was about $500, so above low end, but not upper end. With Gander coupons and sale, I think I paid about $250, which is about the price of a "good" pair when looking at the spectrum. Good luck - I know this, like sunglasses, once you use a truly good pair you will never be satisfied with simply average ever again, so beware

[fishattacker]

I bought a pair of Vortex Talon HD 10X42 last year. I really like them. Very good glass. They have a lifetime warranty on them. If you are going out west you may want to consider a 10X42.

[leechlake]

I got some 10x Steiners for elk hunting years ago. They are auto focus and I love that feature more than anything. I have two other pairs of fairly nice binocs but the focusing drives me nuts since I got the auto focus. I believe there are some supposed draw backs of auto focus but I haven't had any and I've had various eye surgeries; lasik, PRK, and now I wear one contact only. They've focused perfectly even with uneven eyes.

[DonBo]

Yep, if you get 10 replies, you'll get 10 different opinions. FWIW, I've had my Nikons for a long time, and for the money you probably won't find a better set of glass. They have a great warranty also.

I agree you should probably at least consider the 10x.

[SmellEsox]

Yeah, a lot of elk guys recommend 10x42s.

[Scoot]

1) for whitetails it rarely matters a lot, but for out West buy the best glass you can afford.

2) if you're going to be hunting thick stuff and not glassing long distances, 8x are great. They're lighter, small, and less hassle. If you're going to be glassing more long distance stuff, 10x are the answer IMO.

3) Like DonBo said- lots of opinions. Bushnell Elites and Nikon Monarchs can be found used online for not a lot of money. Good glass for the money. If I was going to buy new right now I'd either be getting a set of Vortex or Zen Rays. Vortex is American made and rock solid. They stand behind their excellent warrenty, but make a really good product to start with. That's my plan for my next set of binocs.

[Ufatz]

Buy binoculars one time. Look for Zeiss 8X56 armored. All you'll ever need. There are newer models but they are not a bit better and I personally would not buy them.

[huntnfish]

I picked up a pair of Vanguard ED 8X42 last winter and have been happy with them. My previous pair were $150 pair of bushnell Trophy's. I did a lot of research with the main problem of finding somewhere that I could look through a bunch of pairs. Most of my use will be whitetails in MN and maybe other states and indoor archery during the winter. They have a lifetime warranty like most decent binocs these days.

[elkoholic]

Thanks guys! The advice is great, I think I will go with 10x. Anyone know anything bout celestron or hawke? Pretty good reviews and c that some of the huntin guess r usin Em.

[elkoholic]

Hey Scoot Thanks for the heads up on the Zen Rays! Can't find a bad review on em. I think I'm leanin towards the 10x43's!

[elkoholic]

Scoot, ordered my Zen Ray ED3's and received them today. So far great! Used them right til dark and gathered great light, very clear! Was very impressed.

Thanks for the info!

[Scoot]

Glad you like them! My brother has a pair and he loves his!

[eyeguy 54]

Cool, I got a pair of Zeiss 10 x 30 about a dozen years ago. 10 power is sweet.

[HooknHorns]

Picked up a pair of vortex10x42s for an up coming elk hunt. I really never felt like I needed a good pair of glass but this was affordable and a big difference over what I had. Great product.

[creepworm]

Picked up a pair of vortex10x42s for an up coming elk hunt. I really never felt like I needed a good pair of glass but this was affordable and a big difference over what I had. Great product.

Picked up a pair of these yesterday, if you are talking about the Diamondback model. Tried about everything Cabelas had and I felt by far these by far were the best for the money. Did a long scouting trip today and they are great. Not as good as Zeiss or Swarovski, but a great low to middle range set of glass.