As of this moment, my wife and I have 22 binoculars, with magnifications that range from 6x to 16x. With the exception of a couple antiques that I have on hand for historical comparisons, they all get used at some time or another--but we have more 7x, 8x and 10x binoculars than anything else, in fact equal numbers of all three.
Some comments:
I really like the Leupold 6x30 Yosemite for being light and compact, with plenty of magnification for certain purposes, whether woods hunting or even glassing for really big game in more open country, accompanied by a spotting scope of course. Used to have a 6x Zeiss pocket binoculars from the early 1990s that was also very good, and even lighter--but it turned out not to be sealed against moisture (which was also true of Zeiss riflescopes in those days).
There aren't as many 7x binoculars made anymore, but it's also great option for those who mostly glass "offhand."
8x is now the general choice for general glassing, especially for those hunters who take relatively quick looks, especially offhand. My favorite right now is the Burris Signature HD 8x42, because it has very good optics in a very lightweight, but full-size, package.
I prefer 10x for real glassing, sitting down and picking apart the country, because it definitely provides more detail than 8x. But if I for some reasong I had to spend the rest of my life with one binocular, it would definitely be my 8+12x42 Leica Duovid. At 42 ounces it's on the heavy side, but not so much I'm not willing to carry it for days at a time, and the weight actually helps for serious work. When turned down it provides the advantages of 8x--a sharper view from relatively unsteady positions, wider field of view--but when on 12x it provides noticeably more detail than 10x.
Also still have a Minox 15x and Nikon 16x for tripod use, but don't use them all that much anymore, since with the Leica on 12x the logical step up is a spotter.
