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I get to look through a lot of different brands each fall during my guiding season, and my opinion is a bit different. The top three Alpha brands are still miles ahead of anything else in low light conditions, and Swaros are at the top of the heap when light is scarce. Good glass in my opinion is the most important piece of equipment you can have. If you want to save money there are many ways to cut costs. Lots of good rifles can be had for $500, a cheap Savage will kill just as sure as that custom or semi custom job. Same goes for clothing. I see hunters show up every year that look like they just walked out of a Sitka catalogue. A rain suit from that company will set you back hundreds of dollars and it isn't as good as my Helly Hansons that I got for $50. Get into their super down stuff, and you just spent more on clothing than I did for my Swaro glass. Also keep in mind that you only need to buy good glass once. I spend 60-70 days afield each and every season and my Sawros are over 15 years old and still as good as the day I bought them. Their warranty is as good as it gets too. Mine accidentally got left in a storage barrel that was sitting beside a hunting cabin one fall. A bear showed up after we left and tipped the barrel over, it rolled down the hill into the lake where it stayed until the next spring. My binoculars were almost unrecognizable when we pulled them out the next spring. Sent them to Swarovski and they rebuilt them and sent back to me at no cost......try that will a chinese pair.

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Here's another way I look at it: I took a pair of 8x42 Alphas on a hunt in the Alps, and my hunting partner had a US branded 10x model that was one of the very first to have a built-in rangefinder. The alpha binocular would retail at 3x to 4x the price of the US branded model.

The glass on the 10x was quite good, indeed, and the results of the rangefinder matched exactly those of stand-alone alpha rangefinders. When glassing whatever drainage we were in, there was nothing one binocular could find that the other could not. Differences in view were small, if any.

It was only when we began glassing the ridgeline beyond our drainage that the alpha binocular was able to find game animals that neither of us could make out with the 10x US branded model. Whereas we'd both considered the binoculars to be equal "for hunting purposes" a few minutes before, the superiority of the Alphas quickly became evident.

Accordingly, if one asks, "Are Alpha binoculars better?", the answer is obviously, "Yes!". However, for me to make that determination, I had to be on what was probably a once-in-a-lifetime hunt in a national park in the Alps, and to be glassing areas that were 2 drainages (and at least a full day's hike) away from me. Would I notice the difference in a swamp? How about in a thick stand of hardwoods? A box stand looking across 300 yards of Midwestern corn field?

A Corvette's the same as a Corolla when you're both stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

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Good post JB. As you said, there was a time when the difference between alpha glass and the other stuff was a major gulf. Not so much anymore. About 35 years ago I sprang for a Zeiss 8x20 compact (over $400 at that time) when my hunting buddies were all using Bushnell, Swift and similar optics. We had several instances when they would be looking at a deer trying to decide if it was legal (forked horn or better) and couldn't make the determination. I would look with those Zeiss compacts and immediately tell it it had a legal fork and on which side.
I still have 2 pair of alphas but recently bought a pair from one of the medium range upstarts for about $600. They are noticeably better than the older alphas.


I am continually astounded at how quickly people make up their minds on little evidence or none at all.
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Good article.

I think the picture will continue to change too. The Chinese now manufacture Schott glass and it is possible that their lenses are better than some others due to no lead and other environmental restrictions. The Chinese are also trying to corner the market on the so called rare earths many of which come from Africa. These are essential for the modern lens coatings as well as computers and other electronics. I do have ethical issues if my binoculars were produced at the expense of miming and road building across the Serengeti and other critical habitats. As always there is no free lunch.

Another issue seems to be what is called quality fade where in an overzealous effort to reduce costs the quality starts to fall by the wayside. I believe this is what happened with the Chinese produced Meopta's. In addition many companies are reluctant to have manufacturing done in China and some other Countries due to the proliferation of knock off products made by the same manufacturers in some cases. Tariffs may enter into the picture too as we have already seen in other industries in the US.

There is no question that the optics available today are some of the best ever, and some are much more affordable.


"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." Niccolo Machiavelli
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I am going to apologize to JB and claim azzhat status today. I know that my responses have been bitter and vitriolic. I freely admit that mid-tier glass is very good. It is much better than what people believe and I still see people come in buy a pair of poroprism nikons or even tascos and be done with it. The mid tier companies are pushing the alphas. Vortex is the biggest optics company in the world. Many of those people with wrecked vortex binoculars treat them terribly where those who buy a top tier pair of Zeiss or Leicas baby them. I will end my line of conversation in this thread with this. Every pair of mid tier binoculars has spiff incentives for the sellers of the binoculars to get either money or credit towards those binoculars that they sell. Mavens and Tracts don't follow this model and I don't know if GPO(which I would love to look through does) but the others are pushed by sellers in the optics department. The markup on mid tiers is mostly 45%-50%. Mark up on the top line of Alphas is 15% at the most. Many are just 10% above cost. covers, harnesses, adapters and other things are marked up. It just sticks in my craw that people will start with Crossfires, move up to Dimondbacks then buy a pair of Nikon Monarch 7s then buy a pair of Razors to get the optics that they really want when they could of bought a pair of alphas in the first place. This happens in Spotters more than binoculars but I see it in both lines of gear. Again, if I was a jerk I apologize. Its not very Christmasy.

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Great article. I'm always a sucker for a great value. A current gem in the optics world is the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30. While not cheap at $350, certainly no where near what alphas cost and the view is spectacular. The only thing they give up to the alphas that I can find is some flare control. Maybe the best thing about 'cheap' binos is that they get used. I always have them in the truck and ready to go. Alphas tend to stay in the safe for fear that someone may break in and steal them. FWIW: I would absolutely without a doubt replace my Monarch 7 8X30s with the same bino if they ever were stolen, that is about as good of an endorsement as I can give.

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This feels like an AA meeting. My name is JOG and I use 'cheap' binoculars (Two Leupold BX-2 Tiogas).


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JB,
Thanks for the article ...obviously you are not going to please everybody with your opinion but I appreciated the article because I dont hunt 50 days a year but am always looking to get the most bang for the buck and knowing I can get pretty close to the alpha binoculars for hundreds of dollars instead of thousands and who is making some of the better optics is a great help.....thanks again

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At a glance, many mid-tier binos do look nice. I don’t own ‘alpha’ glass, but I did borrow some Swaro 10x42 ELs for elk season where we did significant glassing side by side with my Viper HD 10x42s, and I purchased some Swaro 8x32 CLs that I used mule deer hunting. Over time, the lack of eye strain and beautifully clear image pays off. I won’t rule out glass other than the top three, but anything else will really have to impress me. The money spent on my CLs was very well spent. So I guess mid-tier with a top company isn’t a bad place to be.

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MD,

I cannot speak to the Leupold Yosemite as I have not tried them. I work for a large oil company. One of our duties is wildlife monitoring and intervention so my guys spend hours a day with their binoculars on the north slope of Alaska. Earlier in the project, about four years ago, one of the company bosses bought us several of the Leupold Rogues. Honestly they were awful. We all complained of eyestrain and headaches after not very much use and several guys brought their own glass for their rotations since it didn't seem like the company wanted to spend money on good glass.

Management changes on a regular basis in the oilfields and this summer one of the new bosses went out with one of my guys to check out a vast herd of caribou moving through the area. He needed to see if their line of travel looked like it would require them to reschedule work in that area. After five minutes with the Rogues, he exclaimed "these are awful! They don't focus together and they make my eyes feel like their getting sucked out of my head." My guy told him, "welcome to our world." That afternoon we had received authorization for, and ordered, three Vortex Viper HD's. The guys love them and no longer complain about eye strain and headaches, but they were way more than $80.


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Am I the only one that thinks the term "alpha glass" is beyond silly? It's right up there with "you get what you pay for".



Thanks or the write up, MD. I'm still looking for the perfect set of binoculars. I've looked through a bunch lately and most all have fantastic optics. It's the fit that sets one binocular over the other for me.

Getting a binocular that has great adjustments, eye cups, and ergonomics for my eyes and face has proven far more difficult than finding a binocular that offers an outstanding image after a bit of fiddling.





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Thanks JB.
As someone without deep pockets, I really appreciate articles like this that allow me to maximize what I can afford within my budget. Several years ago I purchased 10x50 binos which you recommended and have not been disappointed.


Originally Posted by TxHunter80
However, I have noticed that the guides often don't have "alpha" glass and still have no problem finding game.


Much of finding game has to do with training and experience in glassing in that particular environment. Knowing exactly what you are looking for and what looks out of place and what doesn't.


Originally Posted by Folically_Challenged
A Corvette's the same as a Corolla when you're both stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

FC


Yep, except for the oooh's and aaah's. grin


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Only a bino user here, but I have a pair of porro prism Leupolds that I bought in the 80's fo ra Colorado sheep hunt.I l also have pair of Nikon and Leupold roof prisms.

The problem I have is the roof prisms I can't adjust each eye piece as I can for the Leupold porro. I also like the wider FOV with them.
I was very disappointed in the smaller Nikons this past elk season as I could not adjust them fine enough to pick up bull's antlers in the brush 250 yards away.

I don't go on $25000,hunts, or even $5000 hunts,but must admit I just bought new Chevy diesel .However,that said, I can't ever remember that I needed to see some game animal enough to justify a few grand in binos. I'll look at some of the newer ones after reading this post and maybe find a $200 pair that will suit me.

Anyone know of any that still have individual focus for each eye?


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I've got one of those 6x30 Yosemites and they're pretty good. Got it for the truck and for loaning out but the fact of the matter is I'll use them for myself a lot of the time by choice.

Especially when I'm looking at something that isn't in the next time zone. Medium sort of ranges. Another thing I like about them is a lack of eyestrain. I've looked through a lot of glass that hurts my eyes and these Yosemites don't.

If they get lost or broken replacing them will cost less than a routine Midway order.


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Good info John. Thanks for the post.

Aside from the optics mentioned, are there any other "cheap" binos that you think are exceptional?


Originally Posted by shrapnel
I probably hit more elk with a pickup than you have with a rifle.


Originally Posted by JohnBurns
I have yet to see anyone claim Leupold has never had to fix an optic. I know I have sent a few back. 2 MK 6s, a VX-6, and 3 VX-111s.
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Ingwe made a very interesting post a while back when people were discussing scope quality which has stayed with me.
Tom said he would rather have his money in good bino's than the scope which you generally use for mere seconds while aligning the reticle on game compared to the hours which can be spent glassing.

I think this it true more than most digest, but after having a largely ignorant life using only Zeiss, I still recognize that my older models will not likely compete with today's products. But as I stated earlier, I doubt I would consider anything without a range finder inbuilt. For that intent, Leica is attractive to me and I also notice they are continually upgrading those because of the markets unrealistic appetite for absurd ranges.

JB did a great roundup as usual.
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Originally Posted by saddlesore
Only a bino user here, but I have a pair of porro prism Leupolds that I bought in the 80's fo ra Colorado sheep hunt.I l also have pair of Nikon and Leupold roof prisms.

The problem I have is the roof prisms I can't adjust each eye piece as I can for the Leupold porro. I also like the wider FOV with them.
I was very disappointed in the smaller Nikons this past elk season as I could not adjust them fine enough to pick up bull's antlers in the brush 250 yards away.

I don't go on $25000,hunts, or even $5000 hunts,but must admit I just bought new Chevy diesel .However,that said, I can't ever remember that I needed to see some game animal enough to justify a few grand in binos. I'll look at some of the newer ones after reading this post and maybe find a $200 pair that will suit me.

Anyone know of any that still have individual focus for each eye?


No diopter adjustment on either roof prism bino?

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Originally Posted by Prwlr
Thanks JB.
As someone without deep pockets, I really appreciate articles like this that allow me to maximize what I can afford within my budget. Several years ago I purchased 10x50 binos which you recommended and have not been disappointed.


Originally Posted by TxHunter80
However, I have noticed that the guides often don't have "alpha" glass and still have no problem finding game.


Much of finding game has to do with training and experience in glassing in that particular environment. Knowing exactly what you are looking for and what looks out of place and what doesn't.


Originally Posted by Folically_Challenged
A Corvette's the same as a Corolla when you're both stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

FC


Yep, except for the oooh's and aaah's. grin


Im not going to say that all guides use one of the three "alpha" brands, but I personally dont know any that dont. Even most of the TV show hosts use one of the big three. They might be sponsored by a lesser brand, but the good stuff comes out when the cameras are off. I have great respect for John B. but I disagree with him on this one. Good glass is the most important piece of gear a hunter owns, and since most big game animals are more active early and late, in my mind its worth it to spend a few extra bucks to get glass thats superior in low light conditions. The alpha brands are all far superior in these conditions than anything else, and Swaros are at the top of the heap in that regard. There are far better ways to cut costs in hunting gear imo.

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JB

After reading about Yosemite 6x30 in your earlier writing I purchased a set for my wife and she has been very happy with them.


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Originally Posted by yukon254
. Even most of the TV show hosts use one of the big three.



Haha. "Hunting" show TV hosts!!!

Must be good then...


Originally Posted by shrapnel
I probably hit more elk with a pickup than you have with a rifle.


Originally Posted by JohnBurns
I have yet to see anyone claim Leupold has never had to fix an optic. I know I have sent a few back. 2 MK 6s, a VX-6, and 3 VX-111s.
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