Which binoculars for less than $200.00
What brand and mag binoculars do you use for every day carry. I mean the ones stored in the trunk of ya car or under the seat of the pickup truck/Jeep.
Such that if dropped in the lake/mudd or lost on the trail, you just replace them rather than crying “I paid to much for em to have lost em?”
I have been needing a pair of binoculars for some time now an been putting off buying a set. Burrowed a no name pair of 8x21mm mini’s. These were a nogo. Dark and the one side wouldn’t focus. Poorest quality.
So off to walmart to see what they had, Leupold, Nikon, Bushnell, Tasco.
I decided to try the Bushnell 16×32 Powerview $36.xx, not bad price, should they be lost. I knew better than to buy 16x but had to prove it to myself. Bad idea, They were quite dark, I had to rest them or looked like an earth quake. Both sides did focus very sharp. Needless to say they were returned.
Went back to the Bushnell’s, looking for an 8×42, not in stock. So I bought a Bushnell Sportsman 10x42mm @ $31.xx. This turned out to be a keeper. They are twice a bright as the 16x. focus sharp, and can use with one hand with rifle in the other.
Sure these are cheap as hell, but they will serve their purpose, and when they get lost, maybe I’ll buy better quality next time.
What binoculars are you useing of everyday carry?
Sam
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World-wide compatiblility. This item will work internationally without a problem.
😀
LOL!!!!
And the bonus is they work all around the world.. unlike lesser models that are not compatible with foreign air.
yeah, the new ones are about a hundred bucks. You have to find a used pair, they go for half that; but hard to find, people who try them don’t like to let them go.
World-wide compatiblility. This item will work internationally without a problem.
😀
Nikon 8×21 or 8x25mm travellites, best bang for the buck, hands down. Aspherical elements. Great picture. I bought a couple for less than $50 on ebay; stay wtih series IV and up to get the asphericals. Great glass for the money, can’t be beat in my opinion (at that price point). I have a pair in 10×25, not my fondest power (prefer 8 power, 10 is a little too unsteady when you have to run to a ridge top) but the only one I could find before my hunt that I didn’t want to take my good glass on due to rough terrain and likelihood of dropping them. Stay away from variable power, they suck.
walt
I broke the Bushnell’s last night. Box list as tripod mountable, not listed in manual. They have a very real looking fake tripod screw hole cover. yea, no screw hole? Fake cover twisted of too dam easy. This was cosmetic abuse, but I returned for exchange on a pair of Leupold Acadia 8x42mm. Walmart was out of stock.
After visiting Dick’s sporting goods, 2 guns shops and another Walmart, found a pair. Dick’s sporting goods had a display 10×42 acadia, but would’nt cut me a discount, so I said no deal. Display models was all Dick’s had to sell?
After doing a Leupold Acadia 8x42mm/Nikon Trailblazer 10x50mm side by side comparison. The Leupold was brighter, sharper and higher contrast.
So the leupold was bought and also returned for Refund. The leupold binoculars were the best I used so far, but what failed was their dust caps. The front cap fell off, consistently, however they were carried. The eyepiece dust cover just lays over eyepieces. Both dust cover are one piece units and are designed to be secured with the neck strap.
No instructions on how to do this is provided in the manual or their web site. The eyepiece cover rode the neck strap ok, but the front dust cover either bowed out of shape or when given slack worked loose.
Anyway still looking for a every day carry binocular 😕
Sam
7 or 8 is perfect for all round use imho.
I used to think “more is better”, just looking at max zoom on the box when shopping around and have a set of “zoom” binoculars to prove it, but they suck – good quality, but I cant use them without a tripod.
I have a set of old russian 7×35’s I was given by an astronomer friend that I usually have close by and they are pretty nice – I see them on eBay now and then for a lot less than $100.
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I was going to buy a pair of Nikon bino’s I had seen , very very nice .
I compared them to the Leupolds and Honestly couldnt tell the difference except that the Nikon eye pieces were much larger.
the Luepolds were around 200, but the Nikon around 120.
I was going to buy the Nikons next week , but I went to the store to get some sockets and they had these cheapo chineese slave labor Binos
for $20 bucks.
they wernt as good as the top two for sure, but they worked pretty good for 20 bucks.
I know , Im ashamed I didnt buy the leupey’s but things are tight.
but for just shitkicken around , they’ll work.