8 or 10X compact binos? ... Decision made. Glass bought. Pg 3

[GRAYBEARD]

Vortex makes or made a 6X35 that I found perfect for in the woods work. They were stolen from my truck a few years ago and the loss about killed me. Good magnification with wider field.

[elkken]

I had a pair of 10x25 Zeiss for years. They were very light and easy to keep in a breast pocket. Very clear image and easy focus wheel .. the big downside to them was they were poor performers in first light and last light situations and in the darker thick stuff. I would not go above 8 power again, I currently have some 8x42 Vortex that are very good but they are definitely more to lug around your neck all day. If I was just hunting whitetails and blacktails I would get a set of the 6x35 Vortex.

[ScouterMike]

Under 200 the Steiner 8x22 predator #2441 is a best buy. Good balance of optics (fov  /eye relief etc), decent view and rugged. When I do not want to carry binos this is what I carry.

[Sixby]

I was looking at all the 8s a few days ago and the best I found was only 140. Vortex Diamondbacks 8x28s. They have an unconditional lifetime warranty and are crystal clear. I could not fault them in any way . Soooooooooooo I bought them and highly recommend them. I also have a set of Vortex 10 powers and honestly cannot tell any difference in clarity and definition from Swaros that cost 10 times as much. I have had the 10s for several years and they work to perfection.

God bless, Steve

[kahunter]

6x30 for woods  

[Gen273]

8x and in that price range, I would go with vortex optics.

[rooster77]

8 x 28  Vortex also

[ChuckC]

Look at the smaller Nikons.  I carried a pair for years in Colorado and SDakota and felt they were fine.  Sure, the high end glass is better, but I saw what I looked for and could fit them in my pocket. I even used them glassing from ridgetops for extended periods middays.  

For hunting in the woods out east, I think the 8x might get the heads up.  You can see whatever you need to.
ChuckC

[lt-m-grow]

I actually use 6 x for compacts.   The distances I use them for are shorter and the 6 x gather some reasonable light during low-light conditions.

[Overspined]

I've got cabelas 10x20 or 25??   And they are light and compact.  I use them while hunting everything, including elk.  I decided I'd get them because I wanted some vision but wasn't able to carry the heavy ones. I wish I could afford the 8x in some of the excellent compacts because I'm sure the light transmission is better. I'd go 8x over 10 x in general.

[overbo]

I mostly carry a set of Minox 6x32s. I have a set of Zeiss 8x20s and a set of Zeiss 10x40 classics, which both are full of dust. I love the weight and compactness of the 8x20s but as stated before. The low light advantage w/ the 6x makes me carry the extra weight.

[Sixby]

I agree with Steve, I had a choice of 10x or 8x in the vortexs so I chose the 8 x. My rathers would rather have a Vortex in the 6 x but that was not in the cards as none available to me./

God bless, Steve

[stujay]

If you like your 8x30 SLC's, You would love the compact 8x25 swaros...best compact out there, and I've looked at them all! You will spend (and it's well worth it) more than the $200 you mentioned. Retail for $800, I bought a new pair on **** for $550.
Also had a pair of vortex 6x30 viper HD's and contrary to what I'm reading they are not in the same league as the swaros. Swaros have great edge to edge clarity the vortex's are fuzzy on the perimeters.

[tracker12]

I have a pair of 10x25 Leica and they have a place on some of my hunts.  Would never e=rely on ten for any long periods of glassing.

[eflanders]

Based on the game you mention and the areas you mention, I would definitely go with 8X.  

Elk hunts require a lot of glassing and to me 10X is hard to keep stable without suffering eye strain even with some minimal support. This issue increases with age. For turkey and any swamp area hunting, the limited field of view could be a  problem with 10X.

[Ceb]

I bought a set of 10X and regret it, my favorite is a old 7 X 35 set I have owned for bout 35yrs now.

[PowDuck]

Thanks to all of you for your opinions and suggestions. As was overwhelmingly obvious in the poll numbers, I selected an 8 power optic instead of the 10 power I thought I wanted. Traveling to the Dallas area for the holiday weekend I knew my main stop would be Cabela's in Allen, TX. Once I got to the optics counter I was met by a very cute young lady named Ashley (the same as my daughter) that was, to my pleasant surprise, very knowledgeable in optics.

I selected a pair of Nikon ProStaff 8X25's and looked at the furthest wall I could see. Ashley told me they had ranged it at about 70 yards from the front of the counter. So for my comparisons I selected a sign on that wall and focused while trying to keep the picture in my mind as I looked through other glass at that same sign. The Nikon PS's were really clear, bright, and easy to focus. As I was talking about them I mentioned that they felt solid (translate: heavy) in my hand. She asked if I'd seen the Nikon Travelites. I hadn't so went and tried them. They did feel noticeable lighter but  just didn't appear as bright and clear as the PS. So ..... rule those out.

Ashley then asked if I wanted to try the Vortex 8X28's and of course I did, but hadn't seen them on the shelf. After she explained the warranty (and after y'all's recommendations) I was chomping to try them. They were pretty darn good glass but seemed to have trouble getting them adjusted precisely for my eye width. There seemed to always be a slight black corner in the upper left picture. So I adjusted them both and found the Nikons to always be clear each time I threw them up to my eyes. Rule out the Vortex's.

They had them in stock so I had to just try the Cabelas Alaskan Guide 10X25's that I thought I had wanted. They were very good glass but had already made up my mind to stick with 8X's so I handed them back to her.

Decision made. Nikon ProStaff ATB 8X25
They weigh 12.5 ounces. That puts them 4oz more than my cheap compacts but still 8oz less than my Swaros.

So there you have it. Thanks again for all the advice. I hope they get lots of elk hair viewing in a couple of weeks.

[Knotter]

Good glass. Nice choice. The added weight will actually make them more stable on your eyes. Enjoy and it's nice to hear you got great service.