Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics best 10x bino's under $250

I'd try not to spend the money on something made in China

Under $250, they are all made in China, I'm afraid.

Leupold cascades are made in Japan a few bucks more but worth it IMO

OP asked about "under $250".
I can name lots of binos that I think are worth the extra money, but that's not what was asked.....................

Bushnell Infinities. Mine work great!!!! You can pick them up on ebay for under 250...

Which ever you choose, be sure to take them outside and check for flare prior to purchase. Binos that look great indoors will sometimes have a halo that makes them nearly useless outside. In that price range I think the Vortex would be a good buy, and if you could add another couple hundred then the Vortex Vipers are very nice.

I had the Diamondback 7X36, and still have the Vortex 6.5X32 Fury. Not to be argumentative, but your friend is wrong about the lower end Vortex.

I have a pair of Vortex 10x42 Diamondbacks. Get a pair and never look back. They are a great glass at any price, and an absolute steal for the money.

bh46118



Maybe I lack the sophistication to discern good glass, but I agree. I have the Vortex Raptor 6.5X32 and they are very nice.

Thanks sharpsguy, kinda what I'm thinking

Hey guys. Getting in late on this conversation but check into these

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62029

A little over your budget but WELL worth it. I compared these to my Lecias over the weekend and found them to be very close to those standards> I certainly would not pay another 1k for the difference.

They also have the 8x42s on sale for $139. This has to be one of THE best values I have found on Binos in my lifetime. I ordered 4 pair to put away for a rainy day. I do not think I will ever see a better value on quality optics ever again.
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62034

Anyone else have experience w/ Minox BV II's?

Ended up going with the Diamondbacks and couldn't be happier.....I appreciate all the feedback and help w/ the decision.

So...this thread has some great recommendations. I'm now thinking I need to upgrade my binos, but am on a budget, trying for $300 or less. I have heard lots of good regarding the above mentioned Legend Ultra HDs, Diamondback, and the Minox and Pentax brands. I should be able to look at the Legends and Diamondbacks locally, but the others are hard to find around here. So a few questions?
1. Can the others be as good as the Legends where they have ED glass in this price range that is?
2. Heard the Legends don't have ED throughout just the Objective lense, but haven't been able to verify it yet.
3. Should I go out of my way to look through some Minox and Pentax binos? I like to look before I buy?

Am I missing any other good options in this range?

Thanks in advance.

I bought a pair of Weaver Grand Slam binos this summer and couldn't be happier with them. I got 8.5x45s for about $200, and to top that off Weaver has got an offer going right now where they will send you a free pack as a rebate and a lens pen for sending in your registration card. I would have bought them without the swag anyway, but the swag made it a really sweet deal.

Well I personally compared Vortex Diamondbacks, Leupy Acadia's and Cascades, Bushnell Legend HD's, and Nikon Monarch 3 and 5's outside of venders and while scouting with hunting pards. Without looking at price tags the Diamondbacks were the winners to my eyes. Very crisp/clear, easy to focus, good field of view and prob the best warranty in the biz. The Monarch 5's and Bushnell's seem to have roughly the same clarity and crispness, but weren't near as easy or quick to gather a good sight picture or to focus as the Diamondback's. Seemed as thought the 5's and Bushy's had a very very small sweet spot at most ranges and they required constant tampering with the focus where the Vortex needed about a third as much twisting and remained super crisp without re-focusing....again just my eyes. Kinda worked out that the Diamondbacks were the least expensive of the bunch too...


With my mind made up I went to Cabela's and found they had the Home-Town Heroes sale going so walked out the door with the Diamondback's for only $209 after tax. I honestly could use these instead of my Zeiss and wouldn't feel like I was missing much, highly recommend.

Brett

Thanks Tim and Hunter. I did get a chance to look at the Legends and Monarch 3 and 5 today. Vortex...only the Viper HD (I believe that's what it was, and price is looking too stiff. And honestly it didn't really look any better than the 5 or the Legend HD.

So I was at another retailer tonight and they had these Vanguard. I was impressed...although they are a little out of my price range. I'm going to go back to see if I can take them outdoors. Any of you own these, or have used these? Thanks.