Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Best binoculars under $300?

I should probably just stay out of this as the China thing gets chased around the fire here every time the inexpensive optics subject comes up. Don't mistake me, I don't like it (Made in China)any more than anybody else. Farmboy1 said a simple truth. In today's optics, almost anything $500 or less is at high probability (or near certainty) of being Chinese. I will add another one. Just because the label says "Made in Japan" does not mean much, if anything. John Barsness had a post the other day somewhere here when this subject was on the front burner that said sort of the same thing, but he added the observation that some companies even lie about the origin. Pay attention, he knows what he is talking about. Just because the label of the Olympus Magellan says "Made in Japan" does not mean much. It may be the truth. It may not be. For the price, I for one would be more surprised than not to find it really was "Made in Japan". I really don't know, but you need more information than the label on the binocular and the name of a Japanese company as proof. I have some idea of some stuff that people think is Japanese that is not. I can't prove that, so that's all I'll say. Fact is that ALL of the Japanese optics companies have major presence in China, most owning their own facilities there. Nikon and the entire Monarch line is a prime example. Monarchs are Chinese made. There is even a large German company with a very large optical facility in China as well.

It would maybe be a good deal to know what is really made where and how much of what is made where. However, you have to be more closely related to Sherlock Holmes than I am to figure that convoluted business out. I tend to evaluate the optic and in my opinion, folks here are smart enough to figure out for themselves what they want to do with Chinese manufacture. I sort of think bitching about Chinese optics is like taking aspirin for a headache and doing nothing about why you have the headache in the first place. Made in China is not the problem. The problem is WHY it is made in China.

The argument is also sort of lost out of the gate when the main argument comes down to "cheap Chicom crap". Sure a lot of it is, just look at Barska, BSA, et. al. But anybody who has looked a a $130 Zen Ray Vista knows he is not looking at crap, at least form an object quality point. From a political and cultural perspective, yes, but keep the argument there, because the root of the problem is political.

FWIW, the Olympus Magellan 10x42 EXWP 1 is Made in Japan.

Their high-index BaK-4 prisms and fully multi-coated lenses deliver crisp, clear images while waterproof, fogproof and dirtproof features help to ensure a great viewing experience under a variety of weather-related conditions. Additionally, long-eye relief capability and the binoculars� twist up/down eyecups make them more comfortable to use over extended periods of time.

Features:
*High-index BaK-4 prisms for bright, crisp images
*Fully multi-coated lenses
*Hermetically sealed and Nitrogen-filled for waterproof, fogproof and dirtproof performance
*Phase and UV coating
*Long Eye-Relief with Twist Up/Down Eyecups
*Large center-focus knob for fast, easy focusing
*Built-in dioptic correction adjusts to individual eyesight
*Internal focusing system

The 10 weighs 23.3 oz. with 15mm ER, 6� angle of view and the 8 weighs 22.9 oz. with 19mm ER, 6.3� angle of view. The 8 is not a wide field of view binocular

Thanks Doug for the validation. These are some of the finest binoculars I have ever used regardless of the price. I cannot believe that more hunters have not found them "yet." www.allbinos.com objective rating system scores them very high and while they are ranked in a different magnification category than some expensive European brands, scored very close. By the way Doug has these for:

Olympus Magellan 10x42 EXWP 1
Price: $249.99

Because it has "Olympus" on it would be my guess. Not exactly a name synonymous with hunting IMO. Is there any track record of durability or performance with hunters? The Burris Signature Select is fantastic, but I've never seen one being used in the field either.

Dude:

So then what is your recommendation for an optic for under
$300.

I don't like the idea of my purchases supporting a country who views us as their enemy either. Since my career is in manufacturing, I especially don't like the wholesale outsourcing of our manufacturing and the associated gradual loss of domestic manufacturing know-how that goes with it.

However, I don't think it's possible to totally avoid buying Chinese made stuff. I can tell you first-hand that the "made in ______" labels don't mean a whole lot. Quite often, they only mean final assembly occurred in the stated country, and has no bearing on the origin of parts content.

I would bet any amount of money that the glass in a high % of the "made in Japan" optics comes from suppliers in China. If you really break it down to include small parts like fasteners, o-rings, springs, I'm almost certain the majority of that stuff comes from China as well. Then, you have the accessories that come with the optics -- cases, neck straps, lens covers, etc. The majority of those items are, in fact, made in China.

There are very few optics companies who make everything in-house, and all of those are in Germany and Austria. Even the German and Austrian optics companies outsource some components of their products (if not entire product lines), and some of those outsourced parts undoubtedly come from China.

Bottom line... it might make you feel better to buy products that don't have a "made in China" label, but that doesn't mean your purchase isn't still directly supporting Chinese companies.