Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Best Binocular under $200 ?

My little brother wants a pair of binos to use while hiking around looking for shed antlers. He can't afford much. His budget is under $200.

Any suggestions?

No question....

Athlon Midas 8x42 on sale reduced to only $199.99

ED Glass- High definition glass: ED glass gives you an image with little or no chromatic fringe so the final result brings a clearer and sharper image to your eyes
ESP Dielectric Coating- Enhanced Spectral Prism Dielectric Coating: ESP Dielectric Coating is a multi layer prism coating that reflects over 99% of the light to your eyes bringing you a clear, bright image that displays accurate color reproduction.
Lightweight Magnesium Chassis: Magnesium chassis give you the strength of a metal chassis while reducing the weight as much as 35%
XPL Coating- Xtra Protective Layer coating: XPL Coating gives you an extra protection on the exterior lenses from dirt, oil and scratches
Phase Corrected prisms: Phase corrected prisms produce images that have better contrast, a higher resolution and better color reproduction
BaK4 prisms: Bak-4 glass prisms reflect more light to your eyes which will give you brighter and sharper image.
Advanced FMC: Advanced Fully Multi-Coated lenses gives you better light transmission to bring optimum brightness and true color across the entire light spectrum.
Long Eye Relief: Long eye relief can be particularly important for eyeglass wearers because longer eye relief allows them to still see the entire field of view.
Close Focus: Close focus is important for those who are nature observers and especially important if you are going to watch butterflies or insects
Twist Up Eyecups: Twist up eyecups with intermediate stops allow you to set the eyecups to the ideal eye relief for you eyes
Waterproof: Waterproof to protect the binocular in the harshest weather conditions or if accidentally submerged underwater

Vortex Diamondbacks

I have a couple Redfield Rebels that were about $150. My beater quad glass. Tough and waterproof....

Good FOV on the Midas.

Friends don’t let friends buy Vortex, let alone Brother’s !!

Tell him to stay in A weekend or two and save an extra 100 bucks and get some monarch or meoptas.
Buy once, cry once

+1 on the Redfield Rebel

The Midas was rated best in class 2 years in a row and we just jumped on a deal to be able to offer the 8x42's for only $199.99 and the 12x50's for only $299.99

Anyone who buys them and doesn't agree that for these prices they are a home run can send them back

I would agree on their lower end scopes but I dig their binos for the money

that is a good pair of binocs for the money

https://wildproofgear.com/best-budget-binoculars-under-100-00/ - such "budget-friendly" binocs would be certainly made overseas.

I would look for Nicon Aculon 10x42.
The image isn't the best when compared to mid-range binocs but they are durable and lightweight. 1,2 lbs is more than enough to hold em steady in your hands to see things.

They are a fantastic bargain, a homerun for image/size/weight/price

I've handed mine to many birders and non-gear sluts and its a uniform response "wow, these are nice".

When hiking I find myself always grabbing my 8x32's over anything larger. . Much more comfortable. My main suggestion would be to look for a pair that have dieelectric coatings. It will mean you are getting a step up from base model bin's and they will definitely surprise you with how bright a smaller pair can be. Those little SII Sightrons have a huge following but I would still go with something more modern- dielectric. My pick might be the Celestron Trailseeker for about $185. You can check reviews- think he would be thrilled with them.

I have the Sightron blue sky 8x32 and they’re great

Diamondbacks are hard to beat under $200. Leupold BX-2s can be had for under $200 as well.

Have you looked through an Athlon Midas?

I have a pair of Optolyth Alpin 12x50 that are about 12 yrs old. Asking $200 plus shipping

Doug--Your Athlon Midas must be different from mine. Side by Side against my Vortex Diamondbacks they come up short by quite a bit. Both glasses are 10x42.