Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Vortex Bino's?

I agree with 16bore. I compared the ziess, razors and diamondbacks to one another and my eyes could not see a difference in the three unless I looked at the price tag. I did NOT have a chance to compare them in low light conditions though.

I did. Zeiss Classics sucked in low light. Had the Diamondbacks mounted on a tripod and the classics bungeed on top of them. 8x were even better and that's where I ended up. That's about as good an apples to apples comparison you can get.

I was looking at ziess conquest 10x42

recently picked up a pair of 'new' Diamondback 10x42's

for the $$ invested they are a great..clear & handy pair of

glasses....my better pair are an older pair of Razor 10x42's

Conquest HD-great optics and come with a great warranty.
Will hold their value better than some mentioned here as they are from a know and reputable company.

I have seen them as low as $730 NIB recently-money wise spent IMO.

Any small optical differences between them and for example the Tract Toric will easily be a non factor compared to the points mentioned above.

I agree with what has been said about the Viper HD.

No disrespect, but just looking through the glass for a couple minutes in good light tells you very little about the quality of glass when comparing binos. You have to spend some time behind them in low light and in varying glassing conditions to really get an accurate comparison. You also need to really pay attention to the overall specs of the binoculars you're comparing to see the differences (both good and bad). Things like eye relief, field of view, depth of focus, weight of binoculars, build quality, how well the binoculars hand glare in difficult lighting conditions(like when you're glassing in an easterly direction when the sun's coming up in the morning) etc..........Other things that may not seem important in the store but can mean a lot in the field are quality of the lens covers, carry strap etc. Many inexpensive binoculars have very "wimpy" center hinge tension (i.e. The center hinge holding the two barrels of the binocular together becomes loose with just a few days or weeks of use in the field). Nikon Monarchs are known for this as well as some of Vortex's lower end stuff (in fact Vortex even manufactures a device to "fix" this problem, but the problem is really just a cheap center hinge). Most high end binoculars have nice, stiff center hinge tension even after years of use in the field.

You really need to pay attention to a lot of these things when you are considering an optics purchase if you really want to get the best bang for your buck.

Having said that, I can tell you from personal experience that the Vortex Diamondbacks aren't even in the same league as the Razor HD or Zeiss Conquest HDs which are both very good quality binoculars for the price you're paying (close to Alpha glass at 1/2 the price). I would also include the Meopta Meostars, Minox Hg and Tract Torics in the mix of very good optics that come close to Alpha glass quality at 1/2 the price.

Best thing you can do when buying binoculars is slow down, do some research and " take your time". Any reputable optics retailer will allow you to take a pair or two of binoculars outside to compare them in difficult lighting conditions. So take advantage of this and go shop for new binos an hour before sunset so you can actually test the binoculars in "hunting like" low light conditions. How else are you really going to know if you're getting your money's worth?

Again, no disrespect intended. Just wish somebody had given me some of these pointers when I began searching for good glass twenty-something years ago. Good optics will allow you to glass comfortably for extended periods of time without getting dizzy or getting a headache. The Razors, Conquest, Meostar, Minox HG, Torics etc.......will allow you to do this; the Diamondbacks, not so much.

Vortex Vipers are decent glass (I used to own a pair) but I agree with what others have said here, they are worth about $400(lacking a bit in build quality, depth of focus, and field of view). There is a lot of decent glass out there similar to the Vipers but for just a little more($600-$700 range) you can get truly great glass if you shop around.

Good luck,

Leftybolt

Tikkanut is there a big enough difference in the two to justify spending the extra money on the razors?

I had some. I used them. Then I sold them.

Thank for all the info here guys.
I've decided to go with the Torics. It sounds like they compare favorably with the Conquests, which I like, and they are a bit cheaper.

Thanks Teeder! Appreciate the opportunity to help getting a new Bino to you. I think you will be extremely happy with the Toric and very pleased at how much money you were able to keep in your pocket as well!

Order for the Torics placed!
Went with the 8X42's. I think that power will be better for my typical conditions. Now I can't wait for Monday!

Thanks again for the great input here!

You won't be sorry, guaranteed!

Update time.
My Toric 8X42's arrived on Monday. I love the feel and build quality.
Last night and this morning I got a chance to do some low light trials behind the house. The conditions were gloomy and I was looking through trees and brush. Everything is brown and I was able to pick out deer at about 150 yards that I could not make out with my old Steiner 8X's testing side-by-side. I sure as heck couldn't tell they were there with my eyes. Looking through these was like turning the lights on! I'm extremely happy and can highly recommend them! I just wonder what I've missed in past hunting seasons.

I have tried several times to like Vortex Binos and Riflescopes - Vipers-6X42, 8X42, 10X42, Diamondbacks 8X32, etc. Just never could get with them. They are solid and have a great warranty but I have since sold them all. I now have Nikon Monarch 7 8x30's - $300, and I have quit looking.