Need new binocs what's your input?

[bullcanyon]

Hard to beat the nikon monarch atb binos in the sub $300 price range. Best thing to do is hit up sportsmans and try a bunch out. Pay attention to how easy some will focus to your eyes compared to others.
I'd also shy away from anything over 10 power. Personally I like 8x for washington hunting.

[runamuk]

Hard to beat the nikon monarch atb binos in the sub $300 price range. Best thing to do is hit up sportsmans and try a bunch out. Pay attention to how easy some will focus to your eyes compared to others.
I'd also shy away from anything over 10 power. Personally I like 8x for washington hunting.

I have some leupolds in the 6x which are great in the thick dark stuff on the wet side, over here on the dry side I get a headache and can never see far enough I was thinking 10x or 12x because I cannot afford a spotting scope too problem for me is until I buy and use them for an extended period of time I have no idea how I will react to a full day of using them I am following this.....

[hucklebeary]

hey Ben sounds like you have a lot of options. If your going to do most of your hunting with your old man over here on the westside you really dont need anything more than 10 power,  I own a pair of 10x42 nikon Monarchs and they are great for the price.  If you do plan on hunting big open terrian you might want a little more power.  What ever you buy just remember they are probably the most used piece of equipment you will use so make sure the binos work with your eyes.

[BenTernan]

I appreciate all the input. I've hunted the west side in lewis county my whole life, and always used some cheap bushnell binos. I just got me a new Ruger .270 short mag, and now looking for a solid pair of glasses for over here on the east side now. Just making good investments as I go along and just wanna make sure i make a good choice on these binos. I'm really leaning towards the steiners because everyone who has a pair has been pretty happy with them.

[thinkingman]

Weight isn't an issue at all, and the most expensive pair here is in te $400 range. I've used a pair of leica's before and loved them but they are much too far out of my price range. And I was leaning towards the Steiners. But they are the more expensive pair.

I have not been impressed with Steiners, optically.
Take a look here...http://opticsthoughts.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=41:under-500&catid=2:the-rating-scale&Itemid=5

[pianoman9701]

I just got a pair of Vortex Talons, spent about $450 on 'em. I love the binos but the lens protection sucks. The lens covers fell off my first day of a 10 day hunting trip - lots of cleaning. The factory sent me replacements that fit tighter and I'm good to go now. The light collection is great. The clarity is great. They're a little big, but with my harness, they're fine. 10x42

[bryg_12]

Vortex makes amazing product for the price and warrenty

I just got the vortex vipers 10x50 and love them

[pianoman9701]

Vortex makes amazing product for the price and warrenty

I just got the vortex vipers 10x50 and love them

Yeah, the warranty is unconditional. You can literally drive over them on purpose and they'll replace them.

[ArrowH]

Just spend the most you can afford, you won't go wrong that way in your opion. When you get into the upper end of glass they are all about the same.

[landcbeitner]

The minox have great glass and now come with a warranty close to leupolds. The Bino's and SPotters have been kickin arss.
Minox BF 10x42 BR $139
http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/minox.pl?page=62173

That's what I was going to say 

[LG]

i had the stieners for 6 years.  i had them rebuilt after 4 years because they went blurry.  i thought they were great untill i got my nikon monarch 10x, now i would never buy anything but the monarchs.  they are far and away better than the stieners, and the cabelas alaskan guides my dad has, and for 1/4 of the price of my uncles swarovskis i will take them any day

[addicted]

last summer my wife's grandfather came over to germany thinking he might pick up a sweet deal on some sworovskies. The deals were there but still not good enough for him.

He did find a pair of steiner rangers which i guess he couldnt find in any washington stores with a sport focus which he really liked. He ended up picking up some 8x56's that we were able to put up next to my  BL8x56BR Minox and my minox were so much sharper than he thought that mine were a higher magnification.

Not to say that the steiners arent bad. Many guys hunt with them over here because the sport focus is fantastic for night hunting and since they have plastic bodies and they are the cheaper glass arrangement they keep the price down.  My friend ran over his with his jeep and they are still kickin.

[sleepingin]

Www.opticsthoughts.com. After reading his reviews I chose a lower power set of binocs and am happy with the choice

[Band]

Have you tried all of the ones you listed?  I have owned all the brands, cheap to mega expensive.  I settled last time on Pentax.  The guy at Bear Basin Outfitters talked me into them, told me if I didn't like them, he'd take them back.  I love them, and about half the price of Swaros.  I did a side by side comparison in bear camp one year with a fellow hunter's Zeiss binos.  Everyone agreed the Pentax 10x50's were superior.  I can stare through them for extended periods with no issue.  Some of the cheaper ones will give you a mega headache when you try that.  I'd say pick the one that feels the best to you.

So glad I found this topic!  I also bought the Pentax 10X50 this year and love them.  Great reviews, great price, comfortable to look through, and just about the right size for my needs.  I also bought one of those chest harnesses so they are handy and all times.

The only problem I have with them is that the dust covers are not conducive to hunting at all.  The top one falls off easily and the bottom ones will be very easy to lose when they get knocked loose as well.  So my primary concern will be lenses getting scratched or rained on.  How do people handle those issues when their dust covers are no good?