My 11 year old son is looking to get himself a decent set of binoculars. Rather than go cheap, he is going to spend a bit more (a ton for him), to get quality. He only has 300 max. We spent the day looking at Vortex Diamondbacks, Nikon Monarch 3's and 5's, Zeiss Terra's, and Leupold...can't remembers. It's hard to tell in Cabelas, but it seemed the Nikon Monarch 5's were the sharpest and brightest of this bunch.

Any other recommendations we should also consider? Obviously, sharpness is important, but low light is also really important.

And if anyone has experience with all of these (Muledeer, Doug!), please feel free to share!

Thanks!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141034607320

These are quality made Japanese optics that would last him for many years

I haven't tried them yet, but I hear good things about the Vanguard Endeavors. They'd be near the top of my list of binos to try in that price range. Tons of good reviews around, and well under $300.

Jason

I too am interested in this topic

I have a pair of Leupold Mojave BX3 8x42 that I have only looked through them in the yard and would take $300 shipped. Cant beat Leupold's warranty

I have the Vanguard Endeavor EDs and the Zen Ray ZRS and would recommend both.
Used them side by side with Swaros and Leicas and they compared much better than I figured they would.

I think my Nikon Monarchs are excellent for the price and beat the Pentax I was using by miles. I've side-by-side compared the Nikons with Zeiss and Swaros and found they compare favorably in sharpness and brightness, as well as contrast. I've not compared them to Zeiss in dim light, but have with Swaros, and the Nikons did well.

Just buy these!!! I couldn't find a deal on them anywhere so I settled for the Grand Slam version, they are VERY nice, the Super Slam is NOTICEABLY better.

I have the diamondback 10x42's. I've used them for hunting for several seasons now. Have spotted caribou from 1600+ yards with them. For the $200 they cost I find them hard to beat. To be fair I've not had the chance to play with a lot in that price range. So take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Those Weavers look heavily discounted, from what I can see. I'll have to read up on them.

I saw some nice Meopro's on CLNY, they also had some Minox, but there are so many models there, I don't know much about them.

Anyone have any idea on Meopro's vs Monarch 5's?

Take with a heaping of salt, but here's a bino comparo...

Bino Link

I had an opportunity most don't get in a field situation.. We were on a bear hunt on a boat in PWS in Alaska and had a number of different optics all in the 8x24 range some 10s and 9s from cabelas (mine)to monarchs to ziess to swaro and even had two pair of Leicas!!! we had "low light" conditions for an extended period of time and sat all the glass out and kept comparing... I didn't see a HUGE difference in most any of them except the Leicas.... they were amazing, but the monarchs were just as clear as swaro as far as I was concerned.... now after a LONG day of glassing would say swaro, ziess and Leicas were by far better!!! for the money your talking I would worry about warranty type issues before anything... Leupy would be a SAFE bet!!!!

This is my experience also. Several years ago comparing my Zeiss Classics 10x42 to my friend's Monarchs. The Monarchs compared very favorably and I can only imagine they have gotten better.
Good for your son for spending a lot of money (for him) on good glass. They will last him a lifetime. I still have my UltraVision Bushnells my dad bought for my 12th birthday (almost 50 years ago).

I have the Vortex Talon HD 8x42 and continue to be impressed with the view. They are sharp and have good image contrast. I like them a lot more than the Vortex Diamondback. I think Doug at Cameraland has some demo or open box specials that are worth looking into.

Good luck and happy viewing.

I love my Monarchs. I also bought a pair of Bushy Legends and although the pair I bought were close to the Monarch 3's I like the Monarchs better and they are lighter than the Endevors. The Monarch 5's are impressive for the money.

My friends have had the expensive green ones stolen out of the truck two different times. Once while sitting in the restraunt, once at a rest stop. Expensive loss + windows!

Another quality Japanese made bino

http://www.cdnnsports.com/8-5x45-northfork-black.html#.U1wxYqKsrlc

When I looked at Cabelas, they had an eye chart on a far wall. Pretty good idea, it was as far off as you could be in the store. What I noticed is that with all of the ones I looked at, I don't think I could read any farther with any one over the other, not really. Sometimes one would look better than the other, then on second glance, it would switch.

What was different was the apparent brightness. The white paper 'popped' better with some over others, and the room seemed a little' brighter. So I assume, in lieu of actual low light testing, the brightest one is the one to choose. Under those conditions, three or four of us all thought the Monarch 5's were the brightest of the ones we tested in that price range.

I wish they had some Minox and Meopro's there, or those Super Slams. That would have been nice to try for comparison's sake.

Which Monarchs were these?

Vanguard Endeavor ED would be my pick.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...odsysAfQ&is=USA&Q=&A=details

Skane,

Thanks for the response, are there any stores that you know of that carry this brand? I would like to have a look through for comparison.

Dunno if you have a Cabelas in your area but they handle them.
You may have to order a couple of brands to compare them side-to-side.

Doug @ CLNY has some open box Zen Ray ED3 8x43 for $329 shipped. I'd give him a call and see if he can work a deal for your boy. Those are very good binos.

I have reached out to Doug via PM. He helped me with my last scope purchase, so I definitely hope to work with him again on this.

So lets throw this out there. Which of these, in order, with low light and clarity being the most important things, assuming cost is the sameish, all 8 x 40ish:

Meopta Meopro
Zen Ray ED3
Vanguard
Nikon M5
Zeiss Terra

Oh, tell me about Minox's too!

Cant believe no one has jumped on the Super Slams.New ones retail over a grand, yes they are slightly used but bargain priced better built and more rugged than any of the others mentioned in this thread.They are a top of the line bino while all others are bottom or mid level IMHO.

If I hadnt just purchased another Meopta Meostar, I'd jump on Super Slams in a heart beat

You probably will never assemble all these side by side in a test in low light without a large expenditure and multiple returns, and if someone else did, the results would likely not match your or your sons eyes anyway.
I would either order a pair that tested high in a binoc test, a model recommended multiple times here, or just go to Cabelas like you did and walk out with the pair your son likes the best.
They will work great and you can quit beating yourself up over it.
Plenty of time to upgrade a few years down the road, if need be.

I know how clumsy 11+ years can be. I'd get him a pair of Leopold Yosemite binos at $100ish...and then save up for some great ones when he graduates/hits 18.

I can recommend the legend hd (great bang for the $), and of the ones already mentioned the vanguard endeavors are also very nice.

On the superslams, I just don't know them, have never seen them nor handled them, nor do I know any place that carries them. Otherwise, I might jump on them.

Got a chance to go to Cabelas and look at more glass tonight. Looked at Vortex Talons, Meopro's, Nikon M5's as a baseline, and Swaro something amazings just for kicks.

Swaro wins everywhere, of course. Otherwise...

The M5's were outclassed when it came to sharpness. Low light, hard to say in Cabelas...we did go to the darkest room, and that is where the sharpness difference really showed once pupils dialated a bit.

The Meopros were the sharpest of the three, they gave the feeling of 'being there'...images were saturated and contrasty and very clear. Very impressed. What I was not so impressed with was the possibility of eyestrain. We both felt it. It could have been any of the three that caused it, but I think it was the Meopros...and the reason might have been that the diopoter adjustment is so easy to knock off. That was a poor design thought on their part.

Also, I think the Talons were maybe a bit better in low light, but not sure, we did not take them to the 'dark room'.

The talons were heavy and large, and had a small field of view vs the Meopro's, but I think they were brighter. Definitely not as sharp, though. However, on the brightness deal, I need to go to real 'low light' as the lights can play tricks.

Minox is still a possibility, but I am hesitant without actually handling them. They may not fit the face or eyes etc...But the BL comfort bridges are under consideration as well.

Here is another vote for Yosemite's in 6X30 or 8X30. They would be less than 100 dollars. They are made for smaller faces so they should fit your son's face well. I love mine and they are bright and clear for 100 dollars. You are buying your son really nice glass for 11 years old. There is nothing wrong with buying your son good stuff especially if you are planning on using it too. If you do spend that much I would be looking at the Meopro's. I want to try out a Meopta rifle scope the next time I buy a nice scope. Just my uneducated opinion. LOL. Good luck.

I actually looked at the Yosemites, but for my younger son for his birthday. Ended up buying the Vortex Raptors for him, as they were on sale for 90some bucks. I did not get to compare them side by side, but locally, the Yosemites were 124, I think. My understanding is these are basically equal, in performance?

I have never looked thru the Vortex Raptors. I love the Yosemite's at that price point. My uneducated guess is that the Vortex would be similar in quality. The Yosemite's should be under 100 on-line and usually you can find free shipping. My Yosemites are bright and clear and they seem to excel for less than 100 dollars. I would think the Meopta and the like at 400 to 500 would be quite a few steps above the Yosemite's.

Yeah, I was pretty impressed with the Meopro's. The sharpness was impressive. I need to check the low light, as it seemed the Talon was better there, but it's hard to tell in a store. The problem with the Meopro's was the diopter adjustment was all wrong. It does not lock and it's right on the focus knob, so it got turned very easily by accident. In addition, one of the two bino's gave us both headaches. It felt like it was probably the Meopro, but who can say which it was. That's why I am loathe to buy anything I can't actually try, there are too many personal variables involved.

I bought 2 pair Minox BF 8x42 BR from CLNY for $100 each. These were display units but were still sealed. In my opinion they're bright and do well in low light.

Let us know what you decide to get for him

I'd narrow it down to the top two choices even if you need to order them, help the kid buy one pair, then spend some time with those top two at home, at your leisure. Return the one he doesn't like after test driving for a few days and evenings.

Most places have no problem with you trying binos for a few days.

Jason

This is a good idea, picking the top two. I am going to put up another post to get opinions on this to compare what experts think, then use that to order a couple pair and give it a whirl.

I got more time late into dark with the binos last night at Cabelas. We ranked them in order of preference, based on inside light and dark viewing. The dark viewing changed the apparent sharpness order somewhat. Unfortunately, I stupidly did not include the Monarch 7's, so I did not get to compare those with the others. That's thrown a bit of a wrench into things, as I am seeing really good reviews on this bino vs Vipers et al.

Anyway, when it got very dark outside, out of the vipers, talons, Mojave's, and Meopro's....Vipers seemed to provide detail the longest, then the Talons, the Meopros. The Mojave's dropped out first.

Indoors in bright light, it was a little different. The Vipers, Meopros and Mojaves were very close...the Talons were just below these in sharpness to my poor eyes.

Like I said, though, I stupidly did not check M7's vs the others. And I also neglected to really pay attention to FOV or DOF, I was too focused on clarity and lowlight performance in the short time I had.

So while I could have put the whole thing to bed last night, I left with questions, and going back again to look is not an option.

Frustrating, but it's my fault!

I got ZEN ED3 from Doug. I am really impressed by it. Do not have experience with other binoculars.