Bino Dilemma! Need some help here.

[LBuchser]

So this dilemma starts with a quick story.

In 2019 my best friend and I booked an AK Caribou hunt for August of 2021. Obviously we were super excited and started going through our gear; making lists of stuff we needed, upgrades we wanted to make and itemizing everything we would need. We did that about 30 times. One of the items I chose to invest into was my glass. I ended up selling a bunch of stuff to get the money together for some Leica Geovid 3200.coms. I loved the glass. Spent a lot of time programming it and getting to know the system and dialing it in with my rifle and scope (300PRC w/ Leupold VX6HD). Alaska finally happened and we spent 4 extra days on the ground than expected because we got weathered in and couldn't get extracted. On our 9th day there, my binos stopped ranging past 150yrds. Luckily it didn't cost me a kill but it still really bothered me. Fast forward a few months and I reached out to Leica and started a warranty claim. They said, send it in and we will get them taken care of! In February (I was lazy) "someone" (I'm not going to blame anyone) took them to USPS and shipped them to "Leica Sporting Optics" in New Jersey. The issue is, there was no insurance put on them. They made it to the New Jersey Distribution Center and never left "officially". I went round and round with USPS and they finally said there is nothing they would do! So I reached out to Leica and had them put the binos serial # on a watch list and now I need a set of binos to get me by until I can afford new Geovids because I loved those so much.

I don't need anyone pointing out the obvious about USPS or about insurance. BELIEVE ME that horse has been beat to death over and over and over. I need some suggestions.

I need a pair of binos to get me though till mid next year. No ALPHA GLASS! My budget is small because I'm saving for the Leicas. I saw Costco had a Leupold Rainier bino package. They are 10x42s. I assume they are probably a BX-2 but branded for Costco. Has anyone used them? They are $165. I just can't imagine they are terrible at that price.

Any other "value" priced binos that are decent?
Let me know!

 

[fwafwow]

You might get more traction in the Optics forum

 

[LBuchser]

You might get more traction in the Optics forum

Oh ok, thanks. I'll post there.

 

[scfreeman66]

I would get some used vortex and keep them for truck binos when you finally have enough $$$ for the Leicas that you want.
I have a pair of "beater" 8x32 diamondback HDs that I love and I think are awesome for the price

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G using Tapatalk

 

[huntsman22]

They are $165. I just can't imagine they are terrible at that price.



View attachment 453204

I just can't imagine they are very good at that price. But hey, you get a cool, freebie knife outta the deal......

But I don't imagine IT is much good, either....

 

[LBuchser]

I would get some used vortex and keep them for truck binos when you finally have enough $$$ for the Leicas that you want.
I have a pair of "beater" 8x32 diamondback HDs that I love and I think are awesome for the price

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G using Tapatalk

Used is probably the better option.

 

[CORam]

SIG Zulu6 binos with image stabilization. They may be a little out of the price range but might be worth considering. The 16x42s were a real game changer for me. And they aren't terribly expensive.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

Buy used swaros and you’ll resell them for no loss. Hell I usually sell them for slightly more than I paid. Life is too short for glass that comes in a plastic package

 

[Rich M]

Diamondbacks are halfway decent for the money.

 

[Mitchell Cross]

I have the vortex diamondbacks and can’t complain. I’ll be upgrading them when I can, but they have done well for me.

 

[RaggedHunter]

I'd probably just rent a set of good binos from rentoutdoorgear.com to get you through your hunts.
Or demo a set of mavens for a hunt and return them after the hunt.

 

[Dented]

Have you looked at Maven's? I have Swaro EL's and Maven. For truck glass they're certainly suitable.

 

[nobody]

Maven C Series is a really solid optic that you'll be happy to use even after you pick up the Leica's. You won't be left wanting for more in most situations and you'll be pleased with them. @Ryan Avery did a review on them a few years ago when they first came out and spoke highly of them, and he knows good glass. If I was you, that's where I would go without question.

https://mavenbuilt.com/collections/demo-units/products/demo-unit-c-1?variant=11052569030

But hey, I'm just some random guy on the internet...

 

[Newtosavage]

Vortex Diamondbacks are pretty good bins for the money.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Don’t know what your upper $ limit is, but suggest giving Doug and the guys at CameralandNY a call.

 

[jimh406]

You'll see how bad those binoculars are or not in low light conditions. I'd go to a reasonable size store that isn't brightly lit and take a look. If your eyes are great, you may not be able to see the difference. Or, if your eyes are really bad ... same thing.

Another option, assuming you buy from Amazon or similar, buy a couple of pairs to test and send the ones you don't like back. Just make sure they have free returns.

Third option or maybe first, I heard about Tract Torics on another site. They sell direct. The company says that's why their glass is so much cheaper for good quality. Again, you can get them/try them from Amazon, and send them back if you don't like them.

 

[Ront]

So this dilemma starts with a quick story.

In 2019 my best friend and I booked an AK Caribou hunt for August of 2021. Obviously we were super excited and started going through our gear; making lists of stuff we needed, upgrades we wanted to make and itemizing everything we would need. We did that about 30 times. One of the items I chose to invest into was my glass. I ended up selling a bunch of stuff to get the money together for some Leica Geovid 3200.coms. I loved the glass. Spent a lot of time programming it and getting to know the system and dialing it in with my rifle and scope (300PRC w/ Leupold VX6HD). Alaska finally happened and we spent 4 extra days on the ground than expected because we got weathered in and couldn't get extracted. On our 9th day there, my binos stopped ranging past 150yrds. Luckily it didn't cost me a kill but it still really bothered me. Fast forward a few months and I reached out to Leica and started a warranty claim. They said, send it in and we will get them taken care of! In February (I was lazy) "someone" (I'm not going to blame anyone) took them to USPS and shipped them to "Leica Sporting Optics" in New Jersey. The issue is, there was no insurance put on them. They made it to the New Jersey Distribution Center and never left "officially". I went round and round with USPS and they finally said there is nothing they would do! So I reached out to Leica and had them put the binos serial # on a watch list and now I need a set of binos to get me by until I can afford new Geovids because I loved those so much.

I don't need anyone pointing out the obvious about USPS or about insurance. BELIEVE ME that horse has been beat to death over and over and over. I need some suggestions.

I need a pair of binos to get me though till mid next year. No ALPHA GLASS! My budget is small because I'm saving for the Leicas. I saw Costco had a Leupold Rainier bino package. They are 10x42s. I assume they are probably a BX-2 but branded for Costco. Has anyone used them? They are $165. I just can't imagine they are terrible at that price.

Any other "value" priced binos that are decent?
Let me know!

View attachment 453204

I would buy some used Swar’s or Zeiss and then sell them after the hunt. I have the same Leica’s that you had. I’m really sorry that happened. I would be upside down. Good luck.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Personally stay away from binoculars packaged for sale in clear molded plastic. To me, if there is so little emphasis on presenting an image of quality and durability, those things are likely to a bit lacking in the product’s performance.

Here is a pick of a BX-2 (model considered at the beginning of this thread) that suffered a catastrophic failure. Often, 3rd party, base-level models that purely price-compete have to make conscious decisions to cut corners somewhere. Unfortunately, in this case they used lesser materials in the frame and high stress areas.



Even if $ is somewhat of an issue would still recommend spending a few hundred and getting into a Maven C, Vortex Viper, Athlon Cronus G2, M7, etc. They can usually be had for $500 or less and certainly aren’t a 1-year throw away. They would nicely bridge the gap and after a new Geovid is purchased they’ll make a great backup or truck glass. And, in the event you’d like to sell them after a year you’d likely get most of your money back. To me it’s a much better option than throwing $200 or more at something most are going to enjoy much less. My 2 cents.

 

[Wapiti1]

Call Doug at Cameraland and buy what he suggests. Kowa SVII for the lowest cost for decent quality or BD II if you want something a little nicer that will be a good backup pair. Meopta Optika HD would be good as well.

Jeremy

 

[Newtosavage]

I would buy some used Swar’s or Zeiss and then sell them after the hunt. I have the same Leica’s that you had. I’m really sorry that happened. I would be upside down. Good luck.

One nice thing about this approach is that you'll likely recover the cost of what you paid for them when you sell them after the hunt. Almost rent-free ownership for the time you need them. Not a bad approach if you intend to upgrade later.

If you buy a less expensive pair new, you will lose a lot on them if you try to sell them later. If you plan to keep them as a backup pair, then it doesn't matter as much.