Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Looking for the best Binocular value under $250 - Help!

I've been looking at the Nikon Trailblazers 8x42 (around $170)

These will be used mainly for hunting (mostly deer and squirrel)

I really like the Nikon Monarchs but I tried to firmly set my $$ limit at $250 or under.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Also, would you go for 8x42 or 10x42?

What about the deal Doug has on the blemished Minox 8 x 42 and 10 x 42.

Minox 6.5x32s or Leupold 6x30s

I'm big fan of Nikon binoculars. My current "go to" binocular is a Nikon LXL 8X32. That said, I have found the Nikon Monarch to be very disappointing. Not worth the money.
I'd suggest three. The Leupold 8X42 Casscade Porros, the Leupold 6X/8X30 Yosemite and the Minox 6.5X32 IF. Try them out and pick the one you like best. I buy them from somebody that will let me keep them for a few days and try them under different conditions. While image clarity is my number one priority when selecting one, other factors come into play as well. E

I suppose this depends on why you have set $250 as your limit. Sometimes these limits are based on that's all I can spend. Or sometimes it means I can spend more, but damned if I will. I'm not sure where you are with this one. I've been in both categories at various times.

I've got Monarchs and they're OK, just that no more. The Trailblazer do not seem to be phase corrected, and anyway for less money than the Monarch, I can't imagine they would be as good, let alone better. My brief looks through the Trailblazer line left me singularly unimpressed. There was absolutely no incentive for further investigation.

I second the Doug special on the Minox BV, $159 is going to be a tough act to follow at that level. I also prefer the Vortex Diamondback to the Monarch and they are within your limit. The Bushnell Legend is also good at your price, better, I think than the Monarch. The Leupold Yosemite is also a terrific binocular for less than $100. Give the CameralandNY demo list a look too. FWIW, I highly reccomend 8x for all around use for a single binocular user.

Almost forgot about Vortex (can't cotton to Chinese goods). Their warranty is unmatched, as is the customer service. Just about anything in their line-up, esp. via Doug's "demos", in the price and 8x42 range you're looking for, will be damned near impossible to beat.

pm sent.

Look at those Minox Doug has on sale.
I have been using Minox for a few years now. But this year I only used the Minox to see if they held up and they did/do.
Clear, bright and inexpensive, worth way more than what they sell for.

Kique

I've seen one of the cheaper Minoxes that was a big disappointment and one that was a very pleasant surprise. I sugggest you buy what you are considering from Doug and try it out for a few days. He'll take it back if in original condition if you aren't happy. E

If you really want to spend less money and get an acceptable view, the Nikon Action 7x35 is hard to beat. It is porro prism, with a huge field of view, rugged enough if you don't beat on it.

My brother and me recently compared a pair of Swaro 8x30 SLC's we bought last year to a pair of Leupold 6.5x32 Katmai's bought this year. We both felt we didn't give up much with the Leupolds(maybe 5% if that.) The feel and ergonomics of the Katmai are very nice as well.

Not popular these days, but scan Ebay regularly for Nippon Kogaku (older Nikon brand) binoculars - these are jewels. Plain porro prisms, no armoring, but beautiful optics and mechanics. Currently have three pair - all great (7x35, 8x30, 9x35). Lots less than optics far inferior on today's new market. Expect to pay about $200 or less for these in excellent condition.

bulbboyan a 8x42 will be brighter than a comparable 10x42. not quite as much magnification but a wider field of view.shop around for a olympus expw 1. these are great binos that are made in japan not china. they have nice twist up eye cups and great optics for the money. available in 8 or 10x42.

I would second VA's recommendation. For woods hunting the 6.5 Minox rocks & for $180 a best buy. I have been using this season for deer hunting in thickets on a timber farm. For under 200 yards you just adjust IF & forget. I prefer to my Zeiss Classic 10X40 for this type of hunting.

This is a new brand - I went to their demo and looked at all the binocs and really was pretty surpised at the quality of them - but anyway you might check out Zen-Ray, especially their ZRS line - the Summits are right at $200 bucks - plus they have a heck of a warranty. Just a thought.

The Olympus Magellan EXWP I is comparable to the Nikon Monarch ATB and can be bought for under $200 for the 8x42mm and a little over for the 10x42mm.

the thing i like about the olympus is they are made in japan the nikon is made in china. for about the same money , japan gets mine.

Take Doug up on the 8 or 10x Minox BV's and you won't be disappointed. I checked these out about 2 months ago as my father is looking for a set of roof bins - they were very impressive for the $, and that wasn't even Doug's great deal.

Mike.

The ZRS spec looks pretty decent. I am curious whether they have field flattner in their "5-element" eyepiece, or some special glasses to work out their field flatness. If it is the case, that's a really good deal for under $200.

I was going to make a suggestion after reading the title of this thread and then noticed a trend within the first page or so of posts. Did you notice that a good number of the original suggestions for good binoculars under $250 are porro prism models? There is a reason for this and it is one that has become more and more clear to me the more I tinker with them. Porro prism binoculars do just have better optics at almost all price points (haven't found any $1000+ porros yet to compare to the high end roofs...;) ).

The Nikon Action EX, the Leupold Yosemite, Mesa or Cascade porros, the Celestron Ultima DX and now the Bushnell Legend porros are all fast becoming favorites of mine because they produce excellent optical performance in a waterproof package and a very inexpensive price. The last one, the Bushnell Legend porro 8x42s, have truly shocked me in terms of an overall optical package at the $100 price point. They were extremely well in low-light conditions, have a wide field of view and provide an image that is very sharp.