hideandseek
New member
10x40 Burris. For about a hundred bucks, have been very good, clear and durable for the last 5 years or so.
Who uses Binoculars calling? What kinds?
- Thread starter crowpopper
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coyotenut
New member
10x42 Leica Geovids
Glass is awesome and it is nice to have a rangefinder in one. Expensive, yes but I figure how long these will last and how many pairs of "inexpensive" binoculars I won't buy and they aren't that bad. I bought a pair of Nikon Monarchs for my wife and I can't believe the difference.
Glass is awesome and it is nice to have a rangefinder in one. Expensive, yes but I figure how long these will last and how many pairs of "inexpensive" binoculars I won't buy and they aren't that bad. I bought a pair of Nikon Monarchs for my wife and I can't believe the difference.
RTLOF18918B
New member
Selsi 10X50s. About 40 years old and still haven't found a pair I like better. They are beat up and falling apart after
to many rough miles on the quad and dropped and whatnot. I'm looking to get some new Lupy's in the not to distant future.
Tony
to many rough miles on the quad and dropped and whatnot. I'm looking to get some new Lupy's in the not to distant future.
Tony
canislatrans54
New member
I admit it, I'm a cheapie.
And, maybe someday, they will let me down.
But, over the past 15-20 years, mine have hung in there.
When I'm on a stand, I carry a pair of Bushnell "Perma-Focus" 8 x 25 compacts.
And, I generally keep a pair of "Perma-Focus" 10 x 50's in the truck.
Why do I use these two?
Simple, #1) I can't afford the nice Nikon's; Leupold's; ect.
And #2) I hate fumbling with focus. I like the fact that when I put them to my eyes, I can see clearly, w/o the fuss.
Hahaha
And, maybe someday, they will let me down.
But, over the past 15-20 years, mine have hung in there.
When I'm on a stand, I carry a pair of Bushnell "Perma-Focus" 8 x 25 compacts.
And, I generally keep a pair of "Perma-Focus" 10 x 50's in the truck.
Why do I use these two?
Simple, #1) I can't afford the nice Nikon's; Leupold's; ect.
And #2) I hate fumbling with focus. I like the fact that when I put them to my eyes, I can see clearly, w/o the fuss.
Hahaha
Okie Hunter
New member
10x42 Vortex Viper HD Binoculars is what I use. here is a review;
During my 2011 elk hunt in Colorado I happened upon a couple of hunters from Ohio. While we visited and exchange strategies someone noticed an elk on a ridge about a mile away. Of course we all unhinged our bino’s to get a closer look. As I was giving that elk the once over, my new found friend was providing a detailed description of the bull. “Nice 4x5, good mass and nice whale tails.” he began telling me. Now I could tell the elk was a bull and suspected it was a nice bull but really, could he see all that? My new friend allowed me to peek through his Swarovski binoculars and slap-me-naked, I could count the points and see the mass and whale tails. What a difference good glass makes. At that moment, I knew this would be my year to upgrade my trusted Nikon’s. Just to be clear, I was happy with my Nikon’s, but that experience made it evident, their long range performance had gaps that I wanted to fill. As I told my wife, “I need an upgrade”.
While driving home from the 2011 elk hunt I pre-determined my upgrade was going to be either a Leupold Mojave (around $400) or a Nikon Monarch (around $300). Vortex was not on my radar.
After hunting season I began researching binoculars. I knew two things about binoculars. First, I knew that good glass cost more than not so good glass. Second, I knew I could not afford to spend a mortgage payment to get new binoculars; I could not bust my hunting budget.
Spending quality time on the internet (Google is your friend) and you will find more information about binos than the average mind can absorb. To be sure, entering into a discussion about which brand or model binocular is best would be akin to entering a debate about which truck is the best, Chevy, Dodge or Ford. During my research, there was one brand that kept coming to the forefront, Vortex.
Vortex has been providing quality hunting optics for eight or so years and seem to have taken market share from a marketplace dominated by names like Leupold, Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, Swarovski, Bushnell and others. This review is not intended to influence your optics suppler of choice, rather to provide you with my experience from looking at dozens of brands and models. At the end of the day, the Vortex HD Viper 10x42 out performed dozens of binoculars I studied and look through.
My initial research lead me to Vortex Diamondback’s ($230), their mid-range offering. When I compared the Diamondbacks to the Mojave and Monarch I was astonished at the verdict. In my view, no pun intended, the Diamondbacks produced better performance than the Monarch’s, for less money. To my untrained eye, the Diamondbacks performed as well as the Mojave’s for almost half the price. Vortex had gripped my attention, these guys deserved a closer look, again no pun intended.
If the Diamondbacks were this good, could the Viper HD be in the same class as the Swarovski or Zeiss? Back to Google and spending time in front of the optics counter at BassPro, Cabela’s and my local gun shops comparing looking glasses. It took little time to surmise that, for all practical purposes the Viper HD was not only in the same class as the top end binoculars, the Viper HD was close to the head of the class. When looking through the Swarovski SLC 42 10x42’s ($2,140) compared to the Viper HD in 10x42 I admitted the Swarovski was somewhat clearer and provided somewhat better lowlight performance. But for the $1,500 difference, I could easily sacrifice the marginal improvement in overall performance.
I sure do like my Viper HD's.
Rick Nolan
NolanOutdoors
During my 2011 elk hunt in Colorado I happened upon a couple of hunters from Ohio. While we visited and exchange strategies someone noticed an elk on a ridge about a mile away. Of course we all unhinged our bino’s to get a closer look. As I was giving that elk the once over, my new found friend was providing a detailed description of the bull. “Nice 4x5, good mass and nice whale tails.” he began telling me. Now I could tell the elk was a bull and suspected it was a nice bull but really, could he see all that? My new friend allowed me to peek through his Swarovski binoculars and slap-me-naked, I could count the points and see the mass and whale tails. What a difference good glass makes. At that moment, I knew this would be my year to upgrade my trusted Nikon’s. Just to be clear, I was happy with my Nikon’s, but that experience made it evident, their long range performance had gaps that I wanted to fill. As I told my wife, “I need an upgrade”.
While driving home from the 2011 elk hunt I pre-determined my upgrade was going to be either a Leupold Mojave (around $400) or a Nikon Monarch (around $300). Vortex was not on my radar.
After hunting season I began researching binoculars. I knew two things about binoculars. First, I knew that good glass cost more than not so good glass. Second, I knew I could not afford to spend a mortgage payment to get new binoculars; I could not bust my hunting budget.
Spending quality time on the internet (Google is your friend) and you will find more information about binos than the average mind can absorb. To be sure, entering into a discussion about which brand or model binocular is best would be akin to entering a debate about which truck is the best, Chevy, Dodge or Ford. During my research, there was one brand that kept coming to the forefront, Vortex.
Vortex has been providing quality hunting optics for eight or so years and seem to have taken market share from a marketplace dominated by names like Leupold, Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, Swarovski, Bushnell and others. This review is not intended to influence your optics suppler of choice, rather to provide you with my experience from looking at dozens of brands and models. At the end of the day, the Vortex HD Viper 10x42 out performed dozens of binoculars I studied and look through.
My initial research lead me to Vortex Diamondback’s ($230), their mid-range offering. When I compared the Diamondbacks to the Mojave and Monarch I was astonished at the verdict. In my view, no pun intended, the Diamondbacks produced better performance than the Monarch’s, for less money. To my untrained eye, the Diamondbacks performed as well as the Mojave’s for almost half the price. Vortex had gripped my attention, these guys deserved a closer look, again no pun intended.
If the Diamondbacks were this good, could the Viper HD be in the same class as the Swarovski or Zeiss? Back to Google and spending time in front of the optics counter at BassPro, Cabela’s and my local gun shops comparing looking glasses. It took little time to surmise that, for all practical purposes the Viper HD was not only in the same class as the top end binoculars, the Viper HD was close to the head of the class. When looking through the Swarovski SLC 42 10x42’s ($2,140) compared to the Viper HD in 10x42 I admitted the Swarovski was somewhat clearer and provided somewhat better lowlight performance. But for the $1,500 difference, I could easily sacrifice the marginal improvement in overall performance.
I sure do like my Viper HD's.
Rick Nolan
NolanOutdoors
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venatic
Well-known member
I also have the 10X42 Swaro's... At the time I bought them they seemed outrageously priced at 900.00 but hey they threw in a nice rifle strap.
Anyhow that was 1992 so now 20 years later they seem like a bargain. I had a customer accidentally break them completely in half and yes I was sick but I returned them to Swaro and I got back my glass but in the new updated ergonomic designed body (NO CHARGE)so it was like getting new Bino's and these same bino's now cost double what I paid.
What Old Turtle is saying is what most don't realize that if you buy good glass (not necessarily the most expensive) it should last your entire life and probably your children's as well.
A couple of years ago ran across a pair of Bushnell Custom Elites which normally cost about 900.00 and I grabbed them for 500.00 and then found out they had a 150.00 rebate and they are without a doubt so close in quality to my Swaro's that I and several others who have compared them cannot pick a winner.
I tried the cheapie route back in the 80's and after buying 3 pair and being disappointed I decided to save and go to something that I could count on and I have not regretted that decision.
Anyhow that was 1992 so now 20 years later they seem like a bargain. I had a customer accidentally break them completely in half and yes I was sick but I returned them to Swaro and I got back my glass but in the new updated ergonomic designed body (NO CHARGE)so it was like getting new Bino's and these same bino's now cost double what I paid.
What Old Turtle is saying is what most don't realize that if you buy good glass (not necessarily the most expensive) it should last your entire life and probably your children's as well.
A couple of years ago ran across a pair of Bushnell Custom Elites which normally cost about 900.00 and I grabbed them for 500.00 and then found out they had a 150.00 rebate and they are without a doubt so close in quality to my Swaro's that I and several others who have compared them cannot pick a winner.
I tried the cheapie route back in the 80's and after buying 3 pair and being disappointed I decided to save and go to something that I could count on and I have not regretted that decision.
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scottmilk9
New member
I use the bushnell 6400's, they're a laser/binocular all in one. I bought these instead of a laser and another pair of bino's. They are super clear and i lasered a cow elk at 1200 yards with it two seasons ago.
lyotehunter
New member
COMPACT ZEISS 8x
spotandstock
Member
Vortex diamondback very clear.
I've got the Vortex Viper HD's in 8x42 and I also have the Swaro SLC 10x42. I bought the Vortex earlier this fall because I wanted something in the 8 power range for archery elk hunting and I like'em so much that I've been carrying them more than I've been using my SLC's for coyote calling. Mostly because the Viper's are so much lighter, but I also don't feel like I'm missing much with them. I'm actually thinking about selling my SLC's now..
