Opinions on Bino's

Hey all - assuming I get drawn - I am planning my first western hunt on mule deer and antelope in the Casper area of Wyoming in early October. So I am looking for a decent set of bino's. I don't have the coin to throw down on Swaros or the like, so am looking for a decent middle of the road pair. I am looking for the best I can get with a budget around $500.00. I did look at the Leupold Mojave and the Nikon Monarchs and both seemed like decent glass. I use Leupold scopes exclusively and have never had a problem, so I am leaning toward the Leupolds. However, I trust the people here on hunt talk and as guys who have done it before and have probalbly tried it before, I was looking for some opinions/advice.

Thanks a million,
Rob

Just an option but take a look at the Cabela's binos. They are made by Nikon and Swaro and don't have the steep price tag. Also take a look at predator optics he has some good deals there and vortex are nice as well. I use the Cabela's brand binos. I love that I can just take them into the store and exchange them if they break. They work great, and in my opinion are just as good as any in their comparable class.

Spend a few hundies more and get the Cabelas 10x42 Euros. Buddy of mine has the new HD 10x42 Swaros, I honestly could not see a $1100 difference between the 2. My Euros are around 6 yrs old and still like new... Much as I love/hate Cabelas their Euros are excellent bang for buck...

Leupold makes great scopes, rangefinders and trail cams, but their Binos leave soemthing to be desired.
I agree, go Cabeleas or Vortex!

I'm looking for a good second pair for my wife in addition to my Swaros. I hear a lot of good things about Zen Ray ED3 for the coin (sub $500). If you browse 24 Hour Campfire check this out. You can get their newest "prime" model for mid $500 (8x42 or 10x42).

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...cs/6405931/Re_Zen_Ray_Optics_Sale#Post6405931

My only hang-up with them is that they are a small provider. I can spend the same on some Nikons and I know I will get a great lifetime warranty and customer service.

I'm not sure what to make of the new Leupolds since they seem like they have revamped their bino line. Though, I know that with the Leupy's, like the Nikons I'll get a great warranty and customer service.

I looked through quite a bit of glass when I was looking last year. Luckily a few guys here at work had just bought some Zen Ray's so I was able to look through them first hand as well. You can't beat $215 for a pair of HD bino's that are as clear as these are. I don't regret buying them, and being able to hang on to the extra $300 for other gear. Of course the ED2 and ED3 are better...stuff is always being made better, or marketed as newer, even though there may not be that much of a difference. Your eyes are only capable of so much.. That's my opinion. Zen Ray's are good binos for the price, you get more then your money's worth in this case.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/zrshd/zrshd10x42.html

I would go with the ZR prime HD! I have the Ed3s and there awesome for the price. Look up some reviews on them, you wont be disappointed.

The cabelas Euro's are made by Meopta, and I would agree they are good glass, but they seem big and heavy to me.

I have had a set of Leupold Mojave's that I have been using for 4 or 5 years, and I have been pretty happy with them. I had an opportunity to pick up a set of Nikon Monarch 5's this spring for a price I couldn't refuse, I had to grab them. Both are really good binos for the money.

However, I think if I were on the market for bino's right now, I would be looking at Vortex Viper HD's. I think these are some of the best bino's for the money right now. Vortex also has great customer service.

When you go to look at bino's, go in the evening and ask if you can bring the models you are serious about out to the frint door of the store and look at some stuff at a longer distance under lower light. I think the problem alot of people have is that almost any binocular looks really clear and bright in a well lit store, looking at an elk mount 100 yds away.

MinnesotaHunter said:

When you go to look at bino's, go in the evening and ask if you can bring the models you are serious about out to the frint door of the store and look at some stuff at a longer distance under lower light. I think the problem alot of people have is that almost any binocular looks really clear and bright in a well lit store, looking at an elk mount 100 yds away.

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Agreed

I will have to agree with what others have said already about the Zen Ray line of binoculars. As a student on a tight budget, I recently bought a pair of their Summit (ZRS) HD binoculars in 10x42 and I really, really like them. After using them turkey hunting and bear hunting these past few weeks I have really been impressed. I have heard nothing but good things about their more expensive models as well, and you get the ED glass in those. Having said that, I will mention a couple things that I am not overly fond of. Wish the eye cups were more of a rubber material that had rounded edges (like my buddies Vortex binos) instead of the harder plastic with flat edges. Not a big deal, but not as comfortable. I also wish the hinge was a bit stiffer as it is almost too easy to adjust the IPD and it often changes on its own as I am hiking. Again, not a huge deal but something I'd change. Finally, the focus wheel has some play in it that I don't care for. I can get a crisp view and don't have to change the focus often while hunting, but when I do I don't like that play in the focus. As far as the image produced, I have zero complaints. Great low light performance and a vivid image. At first I thought eye strain was possibly occurring, but it must have been due to me comparing my binoculars to my buddy's and switching back and forth. Since then I have spent a good amount of time glassing and haven't had any issues with eye strain. Very manageable weight and great compact size to them. As far as customer service or reputation of the company... I am not too worried. I have seen the owner posting on several different forums (birdwatching and hunting) and he always seems to genuinely care about customer satisfaction. If someone is having an issue, he gets them set up to have the binos shipped in and looked at. Lifetime warranty and I am not too worried about them being around for quite awhile. They put out nice optics at nice prices, and I suspect they will grow in popularity. No idea how well these binoculars will hold up in the long run, but I am hoping for the best and confident I will get it.

For your budget, I'd consider giving schmalts a call at Predator Optics and see about a pair of his Theron binos. Though I haven't compared them side by each with all of the other suggestions, the pair I have used were quite a bit better than the Pentax I have that cost more 7 years ago!

http://predatoroptics.info/catalog/catmfg.asp?ret_id=1185759&scid=188&mfgid=7887

http://theronoptics.com/Home_Page.html

Great info guys - still have a lot to chew on... anyone know if you can check out the Zen Rays / Vortex / Theron at a place liek Cabela's or are tehy more niche based...

I would also agree if I was going to buy some right now I would have to seriously consider the Vortex Bino's.

They carry Vortex at Cabelas. I personally wouldn't buy any gear I couldn't put my hands on first. That doesn't mean you couldn't try someone elses ZR's or Theron's.

I know the closest zen ray dealer for me was over in Oregon and I am in Montana so I couldn't get my hands on a pair but they did have a 30 day return policy so I went for it. Pretty sure you can check their dealer locator on their web site to find if one is close to you. I bought mine from sandsarchery.com and if I remember right they sent straight from the manufacturer. I figured it was worth the small cost of return shipping if I didn't like them and I am very happy I took the chance. I'd definitely recommend you at least try them out before ruling them out. Like others have said, get in touch with schmalts. Though I didn't end up getting a pair from him, he was real helpful and made some real good offers on some Theron binoculars as well.

MinnesotaHunter said:

They carry Vortex at Cabelas. I personally wouldn't buy any gear I couldn't put my hands on first. That doesn't mean you couldn't try someone elses ZR's or Theron's.

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If you can't find a dealer that carries the Zen Ray's you can return them for your money back if not satisfied.

vortex all the way! i have 10x42's and they are just as clear as my buddies nikons and leupolds for half the price. plus you cant beat their warranty

Cameraland carries Vortex and Zen-Ray, as well as others like Minox, Meopta, and Nikon. All of those companies have binos in the $500 range and Doug and Neil are super nice guys to deal with. Not that much farther of a drive from Brookfield to the CIty compared to Cabelas in E. Hartford.

Not to mention, they know their stuff when it comes to glass. Not that they guy behind the counter at Cabelas doesn't, but he probably doesn't go to the SHOT show and other events throughout the year.

I bought a pair of Cabela's 10x42 'Alaskan Guide' series made by Steiner. I bought them out of the bargain cave for $299. I'd put them up against any glass under $1,000.

Lots of opinions on binos. You should be able to do well for $500. Last year I bought a brand new pair of Steiner Predator Extremes 8x42 for $275 from an ebay seller. This year I thought I would go ultralight and just bought a pair of Zeiss Conquest 8x30s from an ebay seller for $475. I would consider both excellent binoculars. I used the Steiners last year on three hunts and have my fingers crossed in the NV draws to use the Zeiss.

-Doug