8x32 Binocular Recommendations Sub $500

[letrbuck]

As many have said, the Maven b3s are great. The B7s are very nice if you want something really compact

 

[Treeman_MG]

Another vote for the maven B3's. They are great!

 

[zekepa]

Looked into the Maven B.3 and the only issue the eye relief is 15 mm. Since I wear eyeglasses the 15 mm is a little short for me. If not for that they seem to be exactly what I was looking for.

Looks like the Monarch HG also comes in an 8x30 that would fit the bill as well if I could find it for a good deal used.

That was my concern also, went with them anyways, I haven't had any issue with the eyerelief

 

[Treeman_MG]

That was my concern also, went with them anyways, I haven't had any issue with the eyerelief

I don't wear glasses, but maven has a great demo program where you can check them out before you buy. That way you could see if they work before purchasing, and if they do, you can actually buy the demo model at a discount.

 

[Sled]

I am curious, for those of you with both the maven b3 and the kowa, which do you prefer?

 

[tony]

I have a set of Kowa BD2 6.5s, perfect for what I'm needing
I hardly ever get my 10x42s out.

Kowa vs. Maven- I'd buy either one, I went with Kowa for the price as I am just a casual user.
Kowa made in China
Maven - I think Japan

There is a thread or 3 of comparisons of both. Seemed to both be neck and neck in performance.

 

[medvedyt]

im using a pair of steiner marine in 8x30 that are compact enough for me. i have another pair in the tackle box. im using nikon monarch 5 and so far still good too.

 

[nm.otter]

These just started shipping and are interesting.

 

[BLJ]

I have a set of Kowa BD2 6.5s, perfect for what I'm needing
I hardly ever get my 10x42s out.

Kowa vs. Maven- I'd buy either one, I went with Kowa for the price as I am just a casual user.
Kowa made in China
Maven - I think Japan

There is a thread or 3 of comparisons of both. Seemed to both be neck and neck in performance.

BD2 6.5’s are made in china?

 

[medvedyt]

steiner are made in germany if that matters to you.

 

[thomasnh]

These just started shipping and are interesting.

Any insight into these vs opticron traveller? I will be using for hiking mostly. Thanks!

 

[JimIsland]

I've got a pair of Diamond Backs that I bought for Turkey hunting. Wanted something light, compact and cheap since I don't hunt birds much. They are very clear, and the low light capability is surprisingly good for such a cheap pair of binos. I liked them so much, I bought a pair of Viper HD 10X42.

 

[Macintosh]

I had diamondback hd x28’s that I used for hunting in the woods, waterfowl out of my kayak, etc. My wife just gave me a pair of the 8x32 mavens for Christmas. They are a pretty big step up from the vortex’s. Wider field of view, much better edge to edge clarity (which makes the fov appear even that much wider), and noticeably better in low light. I found the vortex’s to be really limiting in low light, which was the main reason for replacing them. About the only + to the vortex is the size is a bit smaller and they are a couple ounces lighter. They are still a good buy for the $, but if you have $500 to spend you dont have to be a glass snob to easily see the difference. My wife’s comment when doing a side-by-side comparison was “holy sh$t!”