I was looking at the Vortex Vanquish, how does this line look for the money? Any other options under $100 worth looking at? I want 10 power, and a fairly compact size.

10X, compact, under $100, and "good" don't go together very well.




Travis

I bought a really good pair of the Redfield Renegade binos for my brother's b-day for about $80 on a sale. They were fairly small, and the view with them was easily worth double that. Some say the vanquish don't look quite as sharp. I've yet to look through them.

I'd got with the renegades or the yosemites (which I'm sure you'll hear about shortly).

Also, the travel lite line from Nikon are light and decent optically.

I think that's a pretty broad statement. I'm sure there are some compact 10x bino's on the market for less than $100 that would be perfectly fine for occasional use. However, I can acknowledge that the under $100 price point wont produce perfect optical clarity or quality, however for some light use I'm sure there is something on the market that will suit me just fine.

Sort of like the Nikon Prostaff isnt a "great" scope, its a "good" scope for the money.

[quote=deflave]10X, compact, under $100, and "good" don't go together very well.




Travis [/quote

Think...headache!

Call Doug and ask about his minox open box specials.

Someone mentioned the Leupold Yosemites and I just saw them on Midway's web site. A little over budget for the 10x model at $122.99 but that's with free shipping. If they are as nice as my 6x Yosemites I wouldn't hesitate to grab a pair. I also have a pair of 10x25mm Leupold Rogues that I picked up 2 months ago for under $100. that are now my official truck binos that ride around in my drivers door pocket. So far they are also pretty nice for the money. They're quite small but that's what I needed just for occasional use.

Brandon966,

I have a set of REI 10X32 I will sell for $100. They were in the car. We sold the car and no longer need them.

In that price range, you might think about dropping down in magnification.

A tad over the $100 mark, but the Theron Optics, Wapiti LT might fill the bill. several threads here and elsewhere that have disected these and others in the price range. Mine have served me well. Are they as good as an Alpha class 8x or 10x - NO, but then again they're in the $100 range, not $2K.

http://theronoptics.com/WAPITI_LT_BINOCULARS.html

These are $100 and weigh 9 ounces
http://swfa.com/Nikon-8x25-Travelite-Binocular-P45668.aspx

Oh, you want the 10X
http://swfa.com/Nikon-10x25-Travelite-Binocular-P45669.aspx

My hands shake too much for 10X.

I have shot a lot of deer with those Nikon 8x binoculars in my pocket or strapped round my neck.
An hour before sun up I walk toward where I last saw the mule deer herd.
I can't see the deer and they can't see me.
But with those binoculars I can see the deer grazing in the dark.

Now the 8x Nikon are relegated to my vehicle. I am not worried about them getting stolen. I was using them today to look at a female human using a cross walk. My niece says I look like a stalker when I do that. I feel more like a cop on a stake out.

Lately I have been hunting with some heavy 21 ounce Minox HG 8x33 BR ASPH binoculars with a big rubbery chest harness.

This year I will be hunting with much lighter 12 ounce MINOX BD Compact 7x28 BR Binoculars Autofocus Flat Field with just a short neck strap.

Yep. Those are very good for the price, IMO. Not sure if they fit the OP's "fairly compact size", but they aren't overly big either.

Though I've only used the 6X, the Leupold Yosemite's are pretty darn impressive for their cost as well.

FWIW I've compared the Leupold Yosemites to the Redfield Renegades and I can't really tell a difference (to my eyes). It wouldn't surprise me if its the same glass in different chassis.

I just picked up a pair of Redfield Rebel 10x42 for $150
The appeared more clear and brighter than the Leupold BX2,
Vortex Diamondback and some 10x42 Nikons that I compared.
YMMV