Binocular Recommendation

[Nosferatu]

I always thought he was a saint, but what do I know

Likely more than I.

 

[K-22]

I'm not sure I follow the point of this thread...

To determine what/how much knowledge, and the source of that knowledge, a person has available, when making a recommendation.
Best,
Gary

 

[2gr8dgs]

My simple answer would be, get the best you can afford. I made do with "pretty good" bino's for years before I followed my hunting buddies advice & plunked down big $ for a pair of Swarovski's. I never had trouble spending money on rifles & scopes, but binoculars were always a budget item for me. The fact is, My binoculars have got me more big game than my rifle ever has.

 

[solv3nt]

To determine what/how much knowledge, and the source of that knowledge, a person has available, when making a recommendation.
Best,
Gary

Why ask on binos and not the countless other threads on which round is better for black bear protection, or what's better 9mm or .40 for stopping a hopped up drug addict, or is the XDs better or the M&P Shield better?

I will make a wager that only a minute fraction of a percentage has ever had to shoot a charging black bear with a pistol or a hopped up drug addict that answers the questions.

So I guess the question is, why does it matter?

 

[K-22]

Why ask on binos and not the countless other threads on which round is better for black bear protection, or what's better 9mm or .40 for stopping a hopped up drug addict, or is the XDs better or the M&P Shield better?

I will make a wager that only a minute fraction of a percentage has ever had to shoot a charging black bear with a pistol or a hopped up drug addict that answers the questions.

So I guess the question is, why does it matter?

I ask questions to gain knowledge, and understanding regarding things I find of interest.
It is part of a life long learning process.
I guess that if a person feels they have nothing to learn, or a desire to learn, questions they ask, and answers they are given, serve no useful purpose.
Best,
Gary

 

[American123]

The typical use for Binocs, at least related to hunting, is to allow for scanning areas without using the scope on the rifle. Novice hunters are often guilty of doing this, effectively pointing the rifle at everything they are looking at.

I'm happy with the on sale Vortex ones I have, I think they are 8x. I believe they were under $200. I don't use them except in rare instances, but if I was tromping around and needed to be able to see ahead, I'd pack them.

 

[solv3nt]

I ask questions to gain knowledge, and understanding regarding things I find of interest.
It is part of a life long learning process.
I guess that if a person feels they have nothing to learn, or a desire to learn, questions they ask, and answers they are given, serve no useful purpose.
Best,
Gary

It seems like you're asking about the qualifications of those making recommendations. Are you asking for getting recommendations on binoculars for you?

 

[K-22]

It seems like you're asking about the qualifications of those making recommendations. Are you asking for getting recommendations on binoculars for you?

I have Leitz, Nikon, and Swarovski.
Methinks my bases are pretty well covered.

And no, I am not looking for people's qualifications. I am inquiring about their reasons for recommending what they do.
Best,
Gary

 

[solv3nt]

I have Leitz, Nikon, and Swarovski.
Methinks my bases are pretty well covered.

And no, I am not looking for people's qualifications. I am inquiring about their reasons for recommending what they do.
Best,
Gary

Please forgive me then. From what I saw in the other thread, people were making recommendations based on the low budget of $150.

 

[Flopsweat]

I don't think I made a recommendation, but my cheap set is a 10x Leupold BX4, which are made in Japan, as opposed to the others that were made in China at the time. My recommendation is spend more, and get non China glass.

My current lineup is the Swaro ATX 65 spotter on a Swaro carbon tripod. My close in binoculars are 8x Swaro SLC.

View attachment 1290434

Grizz at approximately 400 yards through the spotter on a cellphone camera.


View attachment 1290435

Hawk at approximately 300 yards with the same setup.

I have a set of Leupold Yosemite 8X30. I like them because I can see targets at 100 yards without bringing a spotting scope to knock over, the glass is very clear, they're light enough to carry all day, they're reasonably rugged, and the manufacturer will stand behind them. And because they're not made in a Communist country whose leadership is bent on our destruction.

 

[P7M13]

I would give my recommendation because it's my opinion, backed by first hand experience.
Based on your current collection of glass, offering one is pointless.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Why?
If I had asked the same questions about motor vehicles, would you just say, Porsche, without utilizing the thought process?
Best,

I don't recall him answering in the other post. I'm In this post, I believe he just answered with what he uses.

The majority of the responses were right above OPs very low budget. The responses were overwhelming spend more than $150.

Buy once cry once

 

[mhayd93]

I've slowly climbed the tiers of glass over the years (I'm only maybe now scratching "mid-tier"), but more so out of curiosity rather than necessity. My primary use is for hunting, so here in the Pacific Northwest, any pair of binos I would recommend at least need to check these boxes:

-Fully Waterproof
-Fully fog proof
-Fully multi coated lenses
-Some sort of rubber armor/shell around the entire frame of the binoculars.

From there, I'd echo what others have said; get the best glass you can within your budget. Fortunately, we are living in an era where amazing glass can be found quite easily in the sub-500$ range (and glass that meets my minimum criteria can easily be found in the 150$ range).

My advice on binoculars always tends to be prefaced with the question, "Do you care if they are made in China?" That seems to be the primary hurdle to clear when people want solid glass on a tight budget.

 

[K-22]

I've slowly climbed the tiers of glass over the years (I'm only maybe now scratching "mid-tier"), but more so out of curiosity rather than necessity. My primary use is for hunting, so here in the Pacific Northwest, any pair of binos I would recommend at least need to check these boxes:

-Fully Waterproof
-Fully fog proof
-Fully multi coated lenses
-Some sort of rubber armor/shell around the entire frame of the binoculars.

From there, I'd echo what others have said; get the best glass you can within your budget. Fortunately, we are living in an era where amazing glass can be found quite easily in the sub-500$ range (and glass that meets my minimum criteria can easily be found in the 150$ range).

My advice on binoculars always tends to be prefaced with the question, "Do you care if they are made in China?" That's seems to be the primary hurdle to clear when people want solid glass on a tight budget.

Best answer yet!
Best,
Gary

 

[Jason Brown]

I can recommend the Vortex Crossfire 10X42 only because it suits my need to identify animal species at relatively short distances(100-150yards)and they are the best quality pair I have ever owned. Even though I got them for under $200 bucks(on sale) they are way better than what I had before, so to me they were a major upgrade.

I would definitely need to do a side by side comparison to sell me on spending more than a few hundred on a pair of binocs, but I can really appreciate the difference between a $20 and a $200 set.