When you were really, really, really surprised when you looked through a particular binocular? Either disappointed or very surprised a particular glass punched waaay above it's price point? A couple of examples come to my mind:

Disappointed: Found a mint 8x32 Swarovision, newer field pro model, a demo. Superb bino, except for one major glaring issue, and that was how it handled glare. My set was terrible at it, so bad that I returned them for a full refund.

Surprised: Just very recently I am stunned how good an Athlon Midas 8x42 bino is. Yes, it's Chinese and found everyday for $230, and yes it is sharp, clear, everything works smoothly, eyecups stay put where you want them, slower focus ensures you don't overshoot focus 2 or 3 times trying to get a sharp image.

Anybody else have examples?

The Tract 8x42s I bought from you are gonna be hard to beat for whatever I paid for them. I've been avoiding looking through better glass because they have done everything I have needed thus far.

Just bought a used swaro SLC 8x30 to keep in my truck. It seems exceptionally clear.

Agree on the Tract as well. Great stuff.

the wows for me have been the zeiss v4 scopes, the meopta s2 spotting scopes, the meopta meostar 8x32's, although I am not claiming they are the best. but for what they are, I really like them. also I really like the new nikon monarch spotting scopes as well, not a wow, I think they are very nice though.

JG:

One that definitely continues to impress is a new model Swaro SLC 10x56. Have gotten a number of "wows' handing it off to someone wanting a looksee, as well.

Another wow bino is the Canon 10x42 IS once that magic button is pressed. You forget about how klutzy it feels...

ymmv...

The Meostar HDs were the first. Most recently, it has been the Toric HT and Vanguard Endeavor ED II.

Where is the Vanguard Endeavor HD II made?

China

Swarovski SLC 7x30 they are 19 years old but are excellent. In the past I had a newer set of SLC 8x30 and was not impressed.

But these 7x30 are right up there with my 8x42 SLC's.

I do most of my hunting with Swaro 10X42 EL's and 15X56 SLC's no big surprise, but I wanted a compact bino to take to sporting events so I bought a compact 8X30 Steiner from Cabela's bargain cave. I can't tell you the exact model because for the last 5 years they have bounced around in my ATV and all inscriptions are worn off.
Worst bino's ever, could never get left and right side to focus the same and glass was and is dreadful....expected much more from the Steiner brand.

On the positive side, 30-40 years ago my Dad gave me a porro Bushnell binocular, on the focus wheel it says Bushnell triple tested, made in Japan. On the Objective it says Bushnell featherlite 7X35mm fully coated. Truly fantastic binocular, 99% of the time it stays in my truck and is the first thing I grab when road hunting. best Bushnell optic I have ever looked through and they are older than my kids.

I was surprised the day I picked up a pair of Bushnell legend ultra hd 10x42 for a whopping $20 off craigslist...

After many years of buying also ran binoculars , I purchased a pair of Trinvoid 8x42's , that started the ball rolling

September, 2008: Powderhorn sports in Bozeman. Looked through the nicest 8x42 Leica's they had at the time, and they made me moist. I didn't have my T*FL's with me to compare them, but from a brief gander, those Leica's seemed to work awfully damned well for my eyes.

September, 2016: Cabela's in Ohio. Cabela's Guide 8x32's seemed way too nice to put down, & I gave them $115 to take 'em home. I've only liked 'em more since then. For me, they punch way, WAY above their weight: I could do 95%+ of all my hunting with them and not feel like I was missing a thing. Rumor has it they're re-badged Leupold BX3's.

July, 2017: Mountainside in Austria. Comparing the 8x42 T*FL's I'd owned since 2006 to some 10x42 Bushnell Legends, I was surprised at how well the latter seemed to keep up with the former, and at only 40% or so of the actual price. Then we started glassing ridges further away, and the Zeiss showed us game that the Bushnell simply couldn't. It gave me an appreciation for what the Alphas can do. Then again, it also impressed upon me the conditions needed to truly allow the Alphas to separate themselves.

FC

FC, I forgot about those Cabelas HD's. I bought an 8x42 and took them along to Namibia a couple of trips ago. The PH liked them so much I gave them to him. Last I heard he was still using them. They were much better than the Monarch's he was using, I know that.

Biggest "Wow!" moment for me within the last 3-4yrs was going from 15x56 Swaro SLC to the HD version of same. The biggest difference was that the HD version has a noticeably wider FOV and long enough eye-relief that I can use them with my glasses on.

I've been fortunate to run across some great deals on used/demo glass. Demo Nikon 8x32 Premier for $400 were a STEAL from Doug several years back. When Cabelas switched their Euro/Meostar lineup to the HD version they're selling now there were some exceptional bargains to be had on the discontinued models. I influenced several friends to take advantage and managed to keep a few sets for myself as well. I really like the 8x32 in that lineup.

I saved up all my spare money and bought a Zeiss Diavari 3-9X36 in the early ‘80’s when they first came out. I could see a difference in them in daylight compared to my Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10 AO.

All these years later, I still marvel at the clarity of those West German Diavari scopes. I now have a dozen on various rifles and buy them when I can find them. They have kept up with the latest in optical technology and I didn’t understand why, so I asked John Barsness how they could do that. He told me that it is glass density that transfers light and image and that Zeiss was using lead in their glass in those days and contributes to the excellence in those scopes even though they are 30 years old...

Am I correct in remembering that Zeiss Classic binoculars were also leaded glass through the late 90's?

Were those his exact words?

I think lots of the older Euro stuff had glass with lead in it. IIRC my Trinovid BN did, as it was very heavy, and tough.

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

My tract 10x binos are awesome

FC, interesting on that Ares spotter. I ran across your review of it, and it was superb. Nice work!

I agree on both counts. I have a version of that Ares spotter (made for a different brand by the same OEM, but largely the same spotter) and it is generally excellent and ridiculously good given the compact size and low cost.

ILya

When my son was shopping for new binos he did a ton of research, which is pretty normal for him. He ended up with the Bushnell HD Elite 10 x 42's. I've looked through them and I've been very impressed with them. I would put them up against my Porro Prism Leupold 10 x 42's for clarity and the definition is actually better in his Bushnells than my Leupy's which are over 20 years old now. At the time the price for the Bushnells was in the $300 range while my Leupolds were in the $700 range new when I bought them. You can get into the Bushnell - or their new replacement model- for I believe around $200-$250 now and the Nikon Monarch 7's that were second on his list are just a bit more money and very good glass also IMO.

The glass that really caught me off guard when I started buying them were the Bausch & Lomb Elite series. I bought several of the 4000 before Bushnell's agreement with B&L ended and they became the Bushnell Elite 4200 series, then the 4500 series. Some of the best glass I've ever looked through. I have a couple 2.5-10 x 42 and a couple 6- 24 x 42 and they are at the moment my favorite scopes even over my Leupolds , which I really like also.

Bob

I've also checked out the smallest Ares scope (7.5 - 22.5 x 50) very briefly, and was likewise impressed with its brightness, clarity, and size.








I'd not have thought it would be a worthwhile piece, but I quickly saw where it would definitely have some uses.

FC

For me on scopes in the last year or two....

Cabelas AR Optics, for $200...also their Covenant Series Scopes.

Bushnell Engage Scopes...

Call my Swarovski spotting scope my "Oh My God!" scope. Seems like everyone (me included) said those words the first time they looked through it.

Yeah, that was my response. I'm saving my magic beans for one of them. Why, I don't know. My use for a spotting scope is for spotting bullet holes in 100 (mostly) and 200 yard paper and to that end a surprisingly efficient 15-60x 70mm Chinese el-cheapo serves well. It's just, well, you know....

I said the same thing about that new modular Swaro spotter system when I looked at the price tag.

I have this one as well. It lived in my range bag for a year or so until I gave it to my brother and now it lives in his range bag. It is a really decent little scope that is perfectly sufficient for looking at bullet holes at 100-200 yards depending on conditions.

My only real complaint is that a spotter this small should have a straight eyepiece, so it is easier to use as a monocular on low power. That's why I have it to my brother and switched to Athlon's new Cronus Tactical 7-42x60. It is a fair bit bigger, but with straight eyepiece it is easier to pack and I can still use it handheld if I want. The reticle helps too.

ILya

Competition has really helped. Man- remember what it used to cost to get fully multicoated scope with finger click adjustments?

Yeah, the (more modern) Zen Rays I got are a definite improvement over the Pinnacles I had spent twice as much on some years prior.

For that matter the $100 Yosemites.made me and everyone who used them go "wow". Man those made great gifts.

Many , many decades ago ( as a kid ) I decided I needed some new Bins . The best I found were Leitz & Zeiss but I could not afford them . Third best were Bushnell Custom Compacts 7X26 for about $100 in those days . I figured they were about 90% as good as the Alphas . I still have and use them . Two draw-backs : low light is awful and they tend to require refocusing a lot . The new spare pair I bought years later have click adjustable focus , but I'm still using the old pair . I felt pretty good about my original selection as the first Astronauts took the same Bushnells into Space . About 2014 I decided to bite the Bullet and go Alpha . I read a lot and Resolution Tested everything I could get my hands on . I bought Zeiss 8x42 Victory T*FL's . Optics were amazing , but the Focusing and right eye Diopter adjustments were erratic ( the worst I have ever seen on even cheap Bins ) . I returned them and was sent a new or repaired set which work fine . Friends have old Leitz Trinovids and Swaro.( no Swarovision though ) Bins and with my old eyes I would not hesitate to own & use either of these .

Long ago and far away I bought a 24X63 Unertl spotter for a pittance. i used it to spot for BR Score matches and the wow WOW was all the other shooters with newer more costly , bigger named scopes asking me to check their targets and/or tell or verify a shot . The old Unertl although a bit dark had resolution far better than most of the stuff they were using. I really didnt know what I had. I still use it today.

I was an Opticalman First Class, on the USS Frank Cable in Charleston (mid-90s), and my Chief came in with a pair of Carl Zeiss aus Jena (East German) 7x40 EDFs, and that son of a gun let me look through them. Damn, they were (and still are) my favorite glass, it was literally astounding the clarity and brightness that these commie krauts could produce. He sold them to me at $400, which was pretty pricey for an E6 back then, but I knew these were for me.
Only complaint? The rubber covering started to deteriorate about a dozen years ago, but Deutsche Optik replaced them and this set seems fine now.

Frankly, I was a little ashamed of the binos we overhauled for the fleet after using those, but we did the best we could with repairing those very old (some circa pre-WWII) relics, B&Ls, Square D, Anchor Optical, a few others names that I forgot.