Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold Mojave 8x42 Binoculars

I decided that I needed a set of truck binoculars because if my Leicas were stolen out of my truck, it would take me 20 years to convince the wife that I needed another set. After some research, the Nikon Monarchs seemed like a good choice. A business trip had me traveling to Phoenix and like the rest of us, I had to research the perks of the trip. That was when I discovered that Cabelas was in the neighborhood in Glendale AZ. Day one of my trip found me completely confused at the optics counter in Cabelas. I bounced from one brand to the next in my efforts to drive the sales associate crazy. All binoculars look good in a brightly lit store. I ruled out the Nikons for the Leupold Mojaves in 8x42. One thing is for sure; no all of Leupolds Green Rings series are created equal. The Mojaves and the Pinnacles are far superior to the others. Two nights later, I found myself back in Cabelas looking through the meca of the store. THE BARGAIN CAVE. That was when I located a set of the Leupold Katmai binoculars that had been returned. The Katmai's were not available in the store due to being a close out item. The Katmai's that I looked through were very impressive and bright for 8x32 binoculars. This inspired me to order a set from Bear Basin Outfitters in California.

The true test without 20 trillion candle watts of fluorescent lighting. A weekend of deer hunting in Tennessee. The comparison was the Katmai and the Mojave binoculars compared to my Leica 8x32's and my buddy's Swarovski 8x30 SLC binoculars. I understand that the 42 mm objective isn't close to the other objectives.

The Katmais were very bright but the sweet spot for the adjustment was very limited. I could not get both tubes adjusted to my eyes which created eyestrain only after a few minutes. It may have been the set that I received but I did not like these binoculars. They were shipped back to Bear Basin yesterday.

The Mojave binoculars were an incredible surprise. They were bright, clear, and easy to adjust. They were as good, if not better than the Leicas or Swarovskis that we had with us. The light gathering ability was incredible. We were able to glass deer by moonlight in the open fields. Could not distinguish antlers but the deer were easy to see so the 42 mm was a big plus in low light conditions.

Bottom line:
For $329, the Mojaves were an excellent buy that I am well pleased with. Am I going to be selling my Leicas? Not anytime soon, but I would not hesitate to buy another set of the Mojaves.

For $381, the Katmais were a big disappointment. They have a solid feel but that is the extent of my recommendation.

The Pinnacles are a very good set of binoculars but the retail price is getting very close to the gold ring binoculars. I couldn't justify spending $500 for a set of green ring binoculars. My hunting partner had a set of these on our last Alaska caribou hunt and compared to my Leicas, they were very good if not excellent.

Warranty: the green ring series has the same warranty as Swarovski and the Leicas. It is a "limited lifetime" warranty that applies only to the original purchaser. You must fill out the warranty card by serial number and send it in. Keep this in mind if you decide to buy a set of used ones. Don't confuse this warranty with the Leupold Gold Ring series that have a lifetime warranty regardless of where you got them.

Happy hunting and I hope this helps those in search of great optics at a bargain price.
Gary

I guess all eyes are different. FWIW I have the Pinnacles and find them ok. Size and weight are great but mine are finicky to a bothersome degree. I later picked up a pair of same sized (8x42) Bushnell Legend porros for a around $120. Yes they are heavier but somehow steadier, need far less tinkering, are definitely brighter with a better overall view + rainguard. From now on I am strictly going Porro and suggest to friends they can buy two different sized pair, such as 6x30 Yosemite and 8x42 Legends (throw 7x50 or 10x50 options into that mix) for a good deal less than a single roof offering a comparable view. As for size I think 7x35 is hard to beat for an all around hunting binocular for our area -so recommended the Nikon Action Extremes to a friend for his son. He remains impressed.

Just in image clarity, and that's inside the store but at better than 50 yds., I found the Katmai's noticably sharper than the Mojave. That's hand held, BTW.
I had no problem with barrel spacing which apparently you did. That alone can make the difference.
I've found both to be better than the latest in the Nikon Monarchs, FWIW.
My "truck" and general "oh well if they get lost" binocular is a Pentax SP, 8X43 which are still very good.
With 8X binoculars, I've found the really light ones, and the Katmai's are very light, the harder they are to hold steady enough to see the finest details. That's one of the big reasons why I haven't bought a Katmai even though they test really well. E

The Katmais that I tried in Cabelas were outstanding. The ones that I purchased were very disappointing. Could have just been the set that I received but we had 5 hunters compare all binoculars present, and the Katmais came in dead last.