Which vortex binos
- Thread starter goinhuntn
- Start date
Don't take this the wrong way....but none.
I have two friends that have been reps for optics lines for years. After lots of talking with them coupled with hours in the field looking through lots of glasss this is what I would recommend:
Zeiss Conquest HD 15x56
Cabelas Euro HD/ Meopta Meostar HD 15x56
Swarovski SLC 15x56
The vultures and kiabab are junk. If you don't think so then go put them on a tripod next to the three I listed and see for yourself. I used to have a pair of vipers and after a year or so the lens coating starts to yellow and they are not as clear. If you already have a pair of good 10x42 binos then just keep using them on a tripod and save, save for higher quality glass. I realize that everybody has thier budgets but good glass is worth paying for.
Lots of guys say "I bought this and I'm happy with them"...but most of the time they don't know what they are missing. That's my opinion but many friends that I glass with will attest to the same conclusion. I'm not a vortex hater. I love thier viper hslr rifle scopes but I only look through them about 90 seconds per hunting season. Binos and spotters are a whole different ball game.
The razor hd binos are pretty good. But other than that I'd go with other makes. My current binos are some 10x42 euro hds and they are really good glass. With a tripod I'd take those over any bino vortex makes, regardless of size. One day I'll own some swaro el's but for now that's what it is. Hand it to vortex for great marketing and all but head to head the quality of glass is just not there.
I have two friends that have been reps for optics lines for years. After lots of talking with them coupled with hours in the field looking through lots of glasss this is what I would recommend:
Zeiss Conquest HD 15x56
Cabelas Euro HD/ Meopta Meostar HD 15x56
Swarovski SLC 15x56
The vultures and kiabab are junk. If you don't think so then go put them on a tripod next to the three I listed and see for yourself. I used to have a pair of vipers and after a year or so the lens coating starts to yellow and they are not as clear. If you already have a pair of good 10x42 binos then just keep using them on a tripod and save, save for higher quality glass. I realize that everybody has thier budgets but good glass is worth paying for.
Lots of guys say "I bought this and I'm happy with them"...but most of the time they don't know what they are missing. That's my opinion but many friends that I glass with will attest to the same conclusion. I'm not a vortex hater. I love thier viper hslr rifle scopes but I only look through them about 90 seconds per hunting season. Binos and spotters are a whole different ball game.
The razor hd binos are pretty good. But other than that I'd go with other makes. My current binos are some 10x42 euro hds and they are really good glass. With a tripod I'd take those over any bino vortex makes, regardless of size. One day I'll own some swaro el's but for now that's what it is. Hand it to vortex for great marketing and all but head to head the quality of glass is just not there.
D
Deleted member 20812
Guest
Stu has a point. It's hard to see what you DON'T like about binos until you spend several hours behind them under different conditions. Also, if you're going 15x and a tripod you're obviously going to be sitting behind them for long periods. Subtle nuances become big nuances after a couple of hours.
YoungNVHunter
New member
Great question, I have just gone through this exact same thing with the binos you are asking about. I put quite a bit of time looking through all three with them set on a tripod. Without dragging this response out, I went with the Vutures and am completely happy with my choice. It came down to the Kaibabs or those, the vipers are nice but I found the 56 to be better than the 50 at low light. The only thing I found better about the Kaibabs were the ergonomics, but in the end, they will only be used for me on a tripod so it wasn't enough for me to pick them. The other set of glass that I was looking at in my budget were the Minox 15x56, very nice but my personal choice was the Vulture. I would certainly suggest putting in time with all of them because like anyone will tell you, what works for me may not work for you.
Of course there is no comparison with the big 3, but the Kaibabs were at the absolute upper end of my budget, so I went with what I could afford and have zero doubts that I will be glassing animals that would be more difficult to see with 10X's. I have been putting the Vultures to good use since the day after I bought them.
Good luck with your search!
Of course there is no comparison with the big 3, but the Kaibabs were at the absolute upper end of my budget, so I went with what I could afford and have zero doubts that I will be glassing animals that would be more difficult to see with 10X's. I have been putting the Vultures to good use since the day after I bought them.
Good luck with your search!
I got 10x viper HDs (not 15x) and they are the absolute best binos I have ever used. for my eyes (everyone is different) they are hard to beat, as far as the power I don't like 15x binos. 15x have to be mounted and are fairly limited in versatility to me. I use the 10x for glassing and scanning then break out a spotting scope to zoom in if and when I need to zoom way in. with any glass I would make sure you use each before you buy, your eyes may surprise you what you like...
I have been looking at buying some 15's also. New, used, ebay etc.... ran across this site to rent them. http://optics4rent.com/index.html Might be an option for you to consider.
