Steiner 8x30 Hunter. The original ones w/ the 30yr warranty. These are not the Military/Marine model. I like the set it and forget it eyepieces which don't require further center focusing. This is particularly a huge advantage when and low light situations where focusing of it ocular is very difficult. It also allows one to quickly use the optic without worrying about focus. This size is small enough to fit in the larger pockets common on hunting coats yet, has enough magnification to really be useful. The fold (roll) down eye cups work very well with glasses; I wear glasses. For the talley, I also have a set of Steiner 8 x 30 Military Tactical B with the ranging retical (w/a 30 year warranty), Steiner 6x30 Hunter, a backup set of Steiner 8x30 Hunter. The tacticals have been my truck bino's for 15 years. I really believe that Steiner screwed up their reputation by offering so many different models with so many different coatings and so many different levels of quality. The issue of quality seems to be the biggest contributor, as many of Steiner's model names were very similar to each other. The rule of thumb used to be that their best models came with the 30 year warranty, while the lesser model came with 2, 5, and 10 year warranties. The best models also we're also the only ones with the N2 purge valves on them.
With this said, I probably would enjoy trying out some of the new fodder out there, but haven't really had the opportunity. Who am I kidding,I absolutely would. Maybe next month the grand prize of Doug's raffle will be an all expenses paid trip down to their new store for some serious optics exposure!
