Thoughts on Hunting Binoculars

[RIVERWOLF]

........Cast another for the Leupold Yosemite 6x30 !

Excellent eastern or Northern Whitetail bino ...And you can get them @ Cabelas on the cheap on sale , but they are worth every cent reg. price  

Great bino for picking apart what you may or may-not have seen over in that clump of brush or trees ...

[huntnmuleys]

I personally use Leoupolds, but if I were buying new tomorrow, at any price range, theyd be vortex. no question.

[monkeyball]

6x30 Yosemites............Don't leave home without them!


                                                  Good Shooting,
                                                                 Craig

[nineworlds9]

I must reiterate, give Alpen Optics a hard look.  Been seriously impressed by my Apex 10x42's.  They look, feel and perform like much higher priced glass.  I have handled and looked through a few pairs of tops glass and the Alpens just scream value.

[old_goat2]

I only carry a 10x monocular in my pants pocket. I can spot an elk from a mile away, I just need the monocular to tell the elk rocks from the real elk! I do carry binoculars when scouting

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

The Yosemite 6x are a deal for the money. I think I paid $85 a couple of years ago. Towards last light they are not going to hang with more expensive glass.

Vortex makes a 6x32 (viper) that looks interesting. Your dollar goes farther with a 6 or 7 power.

[Gooserbat]

I'm in the Vortex camp.  Good glass for the coin.

[old_goat2]

My monocular is vortex, binos are Nikon, both great glass for the coin!

[screamin]

Minox!

Seriously though, go look through em, eyes are kinda like fingerprints, what looks good to me might not look as good to you.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Hey, I use this $80 binocular that is auto-focus and comes from Cabela's. I can't remember the brand. Nothing fancy. It gets covered in dust, rattles around on the back of the ute, covered in mud. And it works great! I would hate to treat an expensive set like I treat this.

[Wheels2]

I would encourage you to spend more than you want to spend on a set of optics.  I have two sets I use in the woods.  The first set is a pair of low light 5X Ranging binocs that I have had for a bunch of years.  Cheap, but do a nice job so long as it is not foggy or distance is great.
The other is a set of Nikon Monarchs in 8x.  Super nice and clear.  Nearly as good as the Rangings in low light.
I do have a set of the compact Tascos but honestly, they are like $50 and that is all they are worth.  I just don't see well with the compacts and the small lenses make them really hard to use in low light or bad weather.

[Joe2Crow]

In that price range, the nikon monarchs are hard to beat.

[4 point]

I'd save the money you spend on 200 to 300 dollar pairs. Buy a pair of cabelas euros, they are made by meopta. You can find them in cabelas bargain caves for around 500. They will be a once in a lifetime purchase.

[Wiley Coyote]

Thanks for a the input guys!! The pair I broke were Vortex Crossfire. 8X42. I cleverly threw them out on our cruise (Great Move....banghead:) It has been a long time since I purchased them and didn't realize that they had such a great warranty. I checked out Bass Pro and Cabelas and Vortex will probably be my choice. I will check different ones out but the lifetime warranty will probably be the deciding factor as I do have a tendency of destroying my optics. Thanks again!!!

[ChuckC]

Vortex Vipers. .  yup, more than 200 but they are replaced if you kill them, and they are pretty darn good stuff.  I got the 8x x 32 and like em bunches.
CHuckC

[Cootling]

I bought a pair of Leica 10x40s almost 20 years ago. I've used them really hard and they are still as tight and solid and clear as the day I got them.  They are one of the best outdoor products I have ever owned, of any kind.  Well worth the cost (then about $900).

[Machino]

I have a pair of Vortex 10x42s and like them a lot.  That being said I hate carrying them in the field as it just bothers me having all that weight around my neck.  I have been carrying a Vortex 8x25 Solo Monocular for the past few years and love it.  I can generally determine whether or not I have a shooter without needing to glass it up.  If I do want to glass I just pull the monocular from my pack hip pocket, glass what I want, and put it back.  It certainly hasn't hampered my hunting.  For 50 bucks and a fraction of the weight it suits my needs well.  For binos, Vortex 10x42s

[DaveT1963]

Minox and vortex for me as well..... I just can't see any real advantage or capability that the higher priced glass offers over these two brands...... at all.

[A.S.]

Eagle Optics is a great place to shop for binos. They sell their own brand (same company as Vortex, the Eagle brand is marketed more toward bird watchers). I recently purchased a set of their Ranger ED 8x42s. They were on clearance. Fantastic glass, and their lifetime warranty is unbeatable.

They sell just about every brand out there and run specials all the time.

[stagetek]

I just bought a pair of Votex 10x42's. A bit larger than I need, but very clear, and a great warranty. Now, if I could only find something that will attach to the side holders, I'd be able to use them with my bino harnass.