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I said denser glass bends light more effectively. Apparent brightness is due more to the lens coatings.

I am amazed at the quality of the Tract Toric, you would be hard pressed to find a better scope at 3 times the price

T*P* coatings contributed to that image quality...

these were his exact words

Been a while, like well over 20 years, but looking through a Burris Fullfield 7x35 was like looking through a big, bright picture window compared to many of its contemporaries. Bought those and used them for hunting quite a bit. I think they were made by Pentax.

I recently acquired a Leica Duovid binocular, 8x42-10x42. To say I now know what I've been missing out on all these years would be an understatement. Mercy.

In 2003 I bought a pair of Leica Trinovid 7x42 Bns. They were the finest Bns I've ever owned. Alas, I was forced to sell them off in my post 2005 Divorce Massacre. By 2006 I'd recovered enough to buy a pair a pair of seeming cheap (compared to the Leica's) Canon 7x42 A WP Bns for less than $325. Talk about being blown away by a low cost item. Canon does make them any more, but good used one's can still be found on E Bay. A friend, after spending near his last dime to go on an African safari this summer, bought a used pair off E bay on my recommendation, and they performed well he tells me.

In any event I still have my Canons, but I still miss those Leica's....

Minox 6.5 IF binoculars. Wish I'd bought a spare when I bought mine.

I remember having that moment the first time I looked through Zen Ray ED binoculars - the view was flat stunning and for $450...They were 95% of the optical performance of my Leicas for a third of the price. Too bad they ZR failed on the business side - they had a good product for the money.

Every time I look through my Nikon Monarch 7 8x30's after not using them in a while I go wow. Then I remember they go for ~$300 and am really amazed.

The ProMaster 8x42 that Doug made everyone “guess” the mfr for a few weeks before releasing. One of the first of the split bridge Chinese bino. Extremely good optics. Blew me away and still do....Just today I made them a gift to an employee.

+1 on the Zen Rays and Vanguard Endeavor EDs for performance vs cost.

I saw a pair of prototype 10x50 binoculars earlier today while visiting an optics company. When they come out, they should be in the $300-$400 range. The image quality was absolutely stunning. I do not think I've ever seen a sub-$2k binocular that impressed me as much.

I'll let you know when they go into production.

ILya

I thought of the two above when I read this. The Minox 6.5 because of the depth of field...decent glass, but the depth of field, overall usability, and how tough mine have been make them far more valuable to me than the price.

Tract Toric 2-10 has been perfect in a lot of dialing and the glass is top notch. Not an inexpensive scope but it seems like it's quality way above it's price point.

The SWFA 6x and 10x. Glass is so-so, not a big fan of the design/size, but the return to 0 and reliability for the $ can't be touched.

Was originally disappointed with a S&B that was delivered with a design flaw resulting in a small FOV and massive donut on the view....that HURT for the price. S&B corrected it and now it's what it should have been to start with and I'm well pleased with it.

Wow...Leupold VX6 2-12

WOW...Tract Toric binos and 'scope

I started out with El Paso Weaver scopes and they served me well in those days, then experienced failure with Tasco and cheap Bushnells. Lessons learned, started buying Leupold and was satisfied. Much later I started looking at finer optics, such as top of the line Night Force which made me say "wow," but the price tag made me say "ouch!"

I tried a Conquest 3-15 HD pretty recently based on what others say about them. I was disappointed. I was not able to get a well focused image at 200 yards. Maybe there was something wrong with the scope but the guy I sold it to thought it was fine. Can't explain that one.

I've been quite impressed with the VX-5HD and now own four of them. I know there is better glass out there, but for me the right cost/benefit ratio is right about there. I studiously avoid looking at S&B and NF optics for that reason.

My employer loaned me a 10x42 SLC a few years back and I thought it was an awesome optic, even though I didn't use it much. After I returned it, I sprung for a Zen-Ray 10x43HD...again, based on reviews. This time I was NOT disappointed with the performance, the glass is very good for the price IMO. I am very cognizant of the fact that there is no longer any support for that bino, so I handle it with great care. Maybe I should have waited for a Tract, but it was not yet available...and I think Tract owners could find themselves in a similar situation one day. Who knows.

I keep a lot of my purchases concealed, and the ZR was one of them. One day recently my wife texted me and wanted to know where my binocular was so she could look at a bird out in back of the house. I told her to look in my backpack. When I got home that afternoon she said "wow...how much did you pay for that?" I thought she'd have a coronary when I told her "a little less than $500." Women don't grok that stuff!

I thought that on the Endevour ED too, but over time the focus adjustment has become very sloppy.

Same here. I acquired a Leica Trinovid 8x42 last fall and I find them to be excellent. They are likely the last binocular that I will buy unless they are lost or stolen. Happy Trails

Disappointed: Bought a pair of the 1st gen Zen Ray. Any sunlight behind gave the worst flare I've encountered. Then on my third day of taking them outside evaluating them, one of the lenses became completely loose inside. Got a refund.

Surprised: Ran across a pair of Minox 8x42 BD BR (I think that's the model) at a gun show for cheap. Could not believe the image quality. Still use them and have a backup identical pair if they go down.

Leica 8x32 Ultravids amaze me every time.

Now that I think of it, I need to add a couple.

I tried one of the straight-tubed Zeiss Duralyt spotters 8 or 9 years ago, and was thoroughly unimpressed. I sent it back.

It also bears mention that the Athlon Ares 15-45 x 65 spotter has been a "Wow!" optic for me: way more than I was expecting in view, construction, and packability. And that's before even considering its price.

FC