$350 Budget

[jager]

Theres a big difference when you leave them on your bumper and you drive off.  

I can't tell you how many times i've done that!

I always get them back and are still working...

I would cry if my $1700 binos hit the dirt.

I have the 10x Monarchs and they do the job....I'd upgrade but It seems I'm pretty hard on the binos for some reason.

[Austrian Hunter]

Thanks Guys,
I am close to buying mine, I am considering the ZEN ED 10x43 and the Nikon 10-42 in camo.  I hear allot about the Nikon Monarch, only good things.  I am not familiar with the Zen but they are site sponsors and the products seems to be high quality.  Rob, thanks, if I could, I would own a pair of Swarovski's they are made in Austria. LOL  

Thank you!
Austrian  

[jackelope]

you should hit up charles from zen ray and see if he has any demo's he'd be willing to send you to try out. he does that from time to time.

[boneaddict]

Thats a good idea.   I had that pleasure and he was brave enough, or believed enough in his product to let me say what I really wanted to say about them in a review.      NOW THATS brave.  I since upgraded and bought a pair. 

[Steve C]

When I decided to go to roof prism binoculars and when I did not have a lot of money, I bought Nikon Monarchs.  They did the job, but the longer I used them, the more apparent their drawbacks bcame.  I still have them.  I no longer recommend them, nor do I use them, although they are a decent binocular and if I have to use them again, they will work.  However, there is absolutely no way the Nikon Monarch can defend itself against the ZEN ED.  It gets whacked in every category.  The ZEN resolves color longer into twilight, has better depth of field, a far wider field of view, better color, better resolution.  The Monarch has an advantage of being lighter. So get the Monarch if you want.  But Zen Ray has a 30 day return for refund policy that I would suggest you try. I also have a ZRS, which for $200 is better than the Monarch too.  The Monarch showed up a decade ago, and Nikon has sat on their laurels with it.  Meanwhile it has been passed up by new product development from its competition.

[ZRS-8x42]

I am amazingly happy with our sponsors binos.....

https://hunting-washington.com/zen/

Austrian Hunter, there are a lot of technical reviews on the ZEN ED binoculars on this and many other sites. I can PM you some of the links.  I just want you to know that by going through link provided by boneaddict, the proceeds also help running this site. We also provide lifetime warranty on our products and 30-day no question asked return policy. Please let me know if you have any question about our products. Thanks.

[huntnphool]

We also provide lifetime warranty on our products and 30-day no question asked return policy. Please let me know if you have any question about our products.

 You can't go wrong with that Rene', awesome.

[Intruder]

Best glass and warranty in the price range.... pick your poison from these 3: Leupold/Zen Ray/Vortex. 

[Intruder]

When I decided to go to roof prism binoculars and when I did not have a lot of money, I bought Nikon Monarchs.  They did the job, but the longer I used them, the more apparent their drawbacks bcame.  I still have them.  I no longer recommend them, nor do I use them, although they are a decent binocular and if I have to use them again, they will work.  However, there is absolutely no way the Nikon Monarch can defend itself against the ZEN ED.  It gets whacked in every category.  The ZEN resolves color longer into twilight, has better depth of field, a far wider field of view, better color, better resolution.  The Monarch has an advantage of being lighter. So get the Monarch if you want.  But Zen Ray has a 30 day return for refund policy that I would suggest you try. I also have a ZRS, which for $200 is better than the Monarch too.  The Monarch showed up a decade ago, and Nikon has sat on their laurels with it.  Meanwhile it has been passed up by new product development from its competition.

 

While the Monarch is a decent bino there are better values in the price range you're looking in. 

[whacker1]

I too demo'd the Zen ED 10x43 this winter thanks to Charles.  I liked them so much I bought a pair.  Now my steiner's just roll around in the truck in case I need a pair during the rest of the year.  the Zen ED's will come out in the next 60 days while scouting and bear hunting.  excited to spend some time without my eyes getting ripped out of the sockets.

[wsmnut]

OK, it is $370, but get the new ZEN ED II in 7x36.  It weighs 21 oz has a 480' fov and a view that will knock your socks off.  I'm privileged to be playing with the last pre production prototype.  Delivery scheduled for the first week of August.

Steve,
     Will we see a review soon on the new model?  I am really pleased by my Zen ED's (8x43) and am thinking about the new 7x
for my wife as a treat.  Thanks in advance if you do!

[KillBilly]

According to Charles "The major difference between ED2 and ED is the use of dielectric prism coating. The light tranmission rate can be up to 3-5% improvement. However, it might not be discernable to human eyes because we are not very sensitive to those few percentage of brightness change."

Just sharing what what I was told when I inquired.

[popeshawnpaul]

For me, the optical quality of the Zen ED was the same as Vortex Vipers.  The main difference for me was he Vortex were about an inch shorter and noticeably lighter...  The "no questions asked" lifetime warranty is also great for those of us that drive off with them on the bumper of your car or just drop and break them.   

[Steve C]

Steve,
     Will we see a review soon on the new model?  I am really pleased by my Zen ED's (8x43) and am thinking about the new 7x for my wife as a treat.  Thanks in advance if you do!

Well, like everyone else, mine are preordered.  When I get them I will certainly give them a write up.  From the spec sheet, they are close to my ideal binocular.  I've got a 7x36 Swift Eaglet, a 7/12x32 Leupold GR Switch power, a Vortex Diamondback 7x36, a Bushnell 7x36  EX, a Fury 6.5x32, and an Eagle Optics Raven 6,5x32 so I will be able to do a fair representation of the 6.5-7x compact range.  Not all of them are mine, but I think I can maintain them untill after the 7x36 ZEN ED II shows up.

[ZRS-8x42]

There are a lot of questions surrounding the new ED2.  In addition to the dielectric prism coating, which is the most important feature of this new product, there are a few other small changes as well.

Please the thread I started last week for more detailed information
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,29071.0.html

Just my honest opinion, not everyone has to get the most expensive ZEN ED2 binoculars (expensive in relative term ).  Some improvements or features are important to some users, whereas the others have different priority.  That's why we have models in every budget level, that are competitive in performance/price ratio.