Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics What binocs do you have

That's it,I'm headin' to that uppermost Board and am gonna check to see if you Boys are back on "The Hooter Channel" up there,all secret like. You are pretty frisky today!
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<br>I made it through another year's worth of work and only suffered a split gut. That is a fair trade,in my estimation. Lost a couple pards,but it seems to come with the territory(most unfortunately).
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<br>I'm enjoying sitting on my hiney,playing with my Baby Boy and really AM thankful for everything. I'm a very firm believer in enjoying today,as tomorrow always remains an unknown quantity.
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<br>Best to you and yours................
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Ha!
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<br>We have a lot in common as I am also very thankful for everything. I try to enjoy each day as much as possible as tomorrow is not promised to us.
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<br>As to the "Hooter Channel",well......I better not comment on that,they might kick me off the "Uppermost Board"

My first pair are the Steiner 8X30 predator, they are good with plenty of light available but terrible and first light and dusk. They are light weight, with a wide neoprene strap you don't know they are there. The lense coating contrasts the darker colors, works good. They work really good for midday drives.
<br>I recently bought the Pentax 10X50 DCF WP. Was not able to tell difference between them and the more expensive glasses in the store, but that is not even a test. I've only used them on one hunt and was supprised at the light gathering and the resolution. Was able to see deer in the shadows that I could not see with my naked eye. Was able to tell two fawns were "nubbins" when my friend thought they were does, he uses Steiner 9X40 bighorns.
<br>Cary

The Big Brown Truck, AKA Santa Claus came today
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<br>I managed to get them out of the box ( strictly for inspection purposes!! ) for about 30 minutes before she who must be kept happy got home!!
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<br>Can't wait until the 25th!!
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<br>Mike

I have a set of Leica 10x50s that are the most incredible binocs I've ever looked through. I use them for hunting more open areas or hunting in a stand. I also have a set of Kahles 8x42s which are also excellent, and much ligher than the Leicas. I use these on "walk" hunts. if I could only keep one set, I'd keep the Leicas and make sure I kept my Crooked Creek bino strap.
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<br>Blaine

I used $25 from the Birthday Bino money to order a crooked horn strap based on your evaluation of it!! It should be here this week too.
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<br>Mike

It is awesome for getting the weight of your neck and controlloing the binocs..........
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<br>Blaine

Excellent!
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<br>Mike

I have some Brunton Eterna 12 X 42 that I use when I hunt in the open country, and I am checking into some compacts for the rougher stuff. I like the 12 power when I can get really steady, but wish I would have stuck with 10 power.
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<br>Trey

This month marks the 2nd anniversary of my best optics investment ever. I hit the buy it now button on some swarovski 8.5 x 42 EL's, and have never regretted it. I must admit I got them for an unbelievable price ($800); not sure if I'd pay the going rate of $1400--I don't think they're worth that much more than the Leicas. But, they are the best binocular I have ever seen. And so far, they seem built to take it. I've hunted them hard, and a little missing paint on the hinge is all you could tell from new. You can clean them by throwing them in the tub. The optics are astounding--I love watching my buddies' faces when they take a look through the EL's! And they're so dang easy to hold--these are suprisingly light for a big glass. And no, I've never wished I had the 10X instead. For a niche glass, I'll echo other's vote for a compact 9x25. I've had Leupold's old Leica copy for 14 years, and tho the swarovskis definitely get more hang time, I'd never give up my little glass. They fit in your shirt pocket for heck's sake!

I'll second this one. Last year, I sold my Swarovski 10x42 SLC to upgrade to the 10x42 EL. No regrets !
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I have had a pair of Swarovski's 8x30 wb for over ten years now. I just sent them back in to swarovski for refurbishing, which I might add was absolutely free of charge due to warranty etc. They have been a fabulous pair of glasses. I have been absolute hell on these glasses and cannot complain a bit. I have had the opportunity to look thru many different species of glass thru the years and haven't found another pair yet that could collect light as well. They are great at low light. My opinion on this though is go to a place where you can try many different kinds of glass. Pick one you like at a price you are comfortable with and how can you go wrong. There is alot of fine glass out there.
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<br>Regards
<br>John
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have an old pair of nikons that I bought 10-15 years ago, but they are heavy so I only use them when I will not be walking around much. I picked up a pair of pextax jupiters that only weight a few oz's. I carry them all the time now for hunting. they are enought for my style of hunting which is spending most of the time in the timbe, when I hunt antelope I carry the old nikons since I sit and glass mostly for lopes. tom

i am currently using a wind river 8X42. it's a real comfortable glass to use and has incredible resolving power, for an 8X glass. it is better in low light than i am able to judge, as i have spent too many years staring at a weld puddle. have a pair of steiner 10X50s that are incredible to use from the truck.
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<br>any time i have found it necessary to select a binocular, i am always careful to look through the exact lenses that i am purchasing. looking thru a demo pair hurts nothing, but, quality and clarity vary from specimen to specimen, even among the high end makers. have had friends check a demo pair out in the store, buy a pair sealed in a box, and be dissapointed at home..... john w

I keep learning stuff from you guys. I have an old pair of Zeiss, incredible clarity but only six power. Never checked the objective lens diameter but it is probably 30, maybe something like 32. How I got them, for free, from a bird watcher concerned that the new owner would look at birds, is a yarn in itself.
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<br>I tried Nikons and got burned. 10x50 Nikons because, similar to PDS, it was all I was willing to spend. For my eyes, I had to go to Zeiss level to beat the clarity as I compared several brands and prices side by side. However, something inside the binocs came loose, out of alignment within the year of warranty (and I baby optics). Nikon charged me to fix them, and they came back wonky, twisting my eyes to see through them, with the loose piece still loose. Nikon insisted that they had repaired them correctly, told me that I had damaged them again and would be charged again to fix them. Anyone want to buy my wonky Nikons? I'll not buy another Nikon product.
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<br>Till my Zeiss ship arrives, I use the best Tascos I've ever encountered. On a slow afternoon in a Tasco outlet, I got to talking optics with the clerk. He had a new shipment of 8x40 binoculars of much higher quailty than he'd ever seen, even wondering if Tasco had done some kind of deal with a high end optics maker to build them. He was right about the quality, and the two of us went through the entire case of them, comparing individual clarity. I bought the best pair in the lot, no eyestrain, clear, a good "meanwhile" glass till I spring for the Zeiss or Leica.
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<br>If the clerk will let you, as johnw advises, it pays to look through the pair you intend to buy.
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