Binoculars you would swear by

PrairieHunter said:

Which model did you go with?

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I went with the B.2 (11x45s) and absolutely love them. They were just north of $1100 and worth every penny. I believe if you do the demo and keep the demo pair, they give you 10% off but Im not certain about that. If youre mildly interested, I would give them a call. Its like talking to someone at the Outdoorsmans...they're super helpful, fun to talk to, and dont give you a bunch of BS. They can help you zero in on something that you want for what you will use it for and they are not pushy. Like I said, their demo program is a testament to that.

As others have said on here...there's a ton of great glass out there...especially these days...but for the price point, in my opinion, Mavens are absolutely unbeatable.

That Maven demo option looks appealing.

805Bowhunter said:

I went with the B.2 (11x45s) and absolutely love them. They were just north of $1100 and worth every penny. I believe if you do the demo and keep the demo pair, they give you 10% off but Im not certain about that. If youre mildly interested, I would give them a call. Its like talking to someone at the Outdoorsmans...they're super helpful, fun to talk to, and dont give you a bunch of BS. They can help you zero in on something that you want for what you will use it for and they are not pushy. Like I said, their demo program is a testament to that.

As others have said on here...there's a ton of great glass out there...especially these days...but for the price point, in my opinion, Mavens are absolutely unbeatable.

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I actually lucked out and was at the outdoor show in Cody where they had a booth. Got to talk optics and reviews with them and got to take every pair I wanted outside to compare to my existing binos. I was originally planning for the 15x, then switched to the 11x but when I compared the 9x and 11x I found I could see better with the 9x. I just could not hold still enough for the 11x. I"m glad I got to try them as I would not have chose the 9x45 but that's what I picked after trying.

And the best part is as shows they offer 25% off. I paid just over $800 for mine.

Here is my quick two cents. There are cheap optics, mid range optics and alpha glass. If you aren't jumping price categories, I think it is unlikely your eye will see anything different. You might get better ergonomics of the bino's, but that is it. My best example - viper hd vs razor hd, I can see the difference on the exterior, my eye can't see the difference in the glass.

I just tested out the maven b.1's (10x42) and b.2's (9x45). Sadly, I thought the b.1's were garbage, worse than a pair of diamondbacks. I was really impressed with the b.2's, but they are HUGE. I couldn't deal with the size, so I sent them both back.

Here are some photo's comparing my swaro EL 10x42's and the razor hd 10x42's - both are the newest models. Notice the color difference on the blue post, the white building and the sky. This to me, is a great example of the color difference and the brightness. My go to test at home is to look at Aspen tree's with optics. The white/tan/brown contrast really shows up in a superior optic.

EDIT - Sorry about the odd angle of the photo's.

Here are some of what I consider to be good binocular reviews. They will include specific details about prism types, coatings, light transmission, clarity to the edge of the FOV, color warm/cold, as well as other details like eye cups, adjustments, feel , etc... You will rarely if ever find a similar type of review from hunters unless they are sponsored by an optic company and those are more the most part biased. You will also notice brands you have never heard of, discussions about where they are manufactured, which plants, what other models are similar or made in the same factory, etc... All I can say is those folks know their optics.

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=325241

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=300491

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=336709

Schaaf said:

The best pair of Binoculars I have looked through are the EL Swarovision. I now have Leica Geovid HD-B. They give a little ground to the EL on the optical side but I feel they make it up with the RF built in. Have also owned SLCs, Ultravid HD, Maven B2, and Zeiss Conquests.

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Glad they got better. I own the Geovid-R series and they are horrible compared to others. looking into the sunrise and sunset is so hazed out they are useless. The only reason I keep them is the ranging function but with the new handheld range finders getting so good I just don't take those geovids with me anymore.