A great binocular on the used market are the older Nikon/Nippon Kogakus from the mid-late 60s. These are old style porro prisms, no armor, but are light and typically very sharp. I have a couple pairs of 8x30s and a 9x35, all three excellent, have traveled many miles afoot with them around my neck.
For comparison, my standby binoc is a 10x40 Swarovski I bought new in 1983 in Austria - these are very close to the old Nikons, and I have yet to look through glass better than my old Swaros. All of the Nikons of which I speak here cost less than $150, one less than $100, on Ebay several years ago. Prowl Ebay for these, they are worth the trouble. Yeah, you probably can't take them scuba diving, and non-armored porros today are like wearing bell bottom pants. But if you want good glass cheap that will last, look through a pair.
