Help me choose 10x42 Bins

[Val]

Like any glass brand and model, there's a few people that may not love the Conquests, but by and large the general consensus on most forums is they are still near the top of the sub alpha glass options as they have been for many years now. In addition there are many shiny new options. The Torics are great as are the Mavens and the Monarch HG's, but the Conquests are still right there as are the Meostars.

From my experience, especially in the X 32 size the Zeiss are hard to beat and the eye placement issues are pretty much nil in my personal use. In real world hunting the fast focus is one of the highlights of them.

That being said, at this moment there are demos available of the Tract Toric first gen (non Schott) and latest gen (Schott glass) in 10x42 for $450 and $520 respectively. For that price you simply won't find any better glass and it's half of your budget. I'd jump on them. They won't last long.

Where are these demos available? Thanks

 

[Felton]

Where are these demos available? Thanks

Click on the tab in the right hand corner, click binoculars, scroll down till you see outlet, click on it And you should see them

 

[Spiral Horn]

We are pretty far from hunting season and it is a big investment so I would recommend spending some time to actually sample some of these binoculars to discover your likes and dislikes - everybody has them. The great news is, at the ~$1k priced point there are now quite a few high performing options. Optics at this price have vastly improved over the past decade or so. Each will be a compromise of features to some degree. The thing most often overlooked by the uninitiated is ergonomics/haptics/handling. Over time, it is something very noticeable. At that price, here are a few I’m experienced with and would recommend taking a look at (in no particular order):

SLC - but only the newest version in excellent condition - folks rave about the optics (which are sharp) but they also handle very well
Conquest HD - very often underrated until tried out and compared
Maven B6 - it is a 10x50 that handles like a 10x42 and razor sharp, super bright and exceptional in low light
Nikon Monarch HG - best handling 10x42, handles like a 32mm

 

[Felton]

Well… I ended up buying the nl pure 10x32.

I’ve read a lot and watched reviews all of which loved these bins. A lot recommend them over the 10x42 for one reason or another.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Well… I ended up buying the nl pure 10x32.

I’ve read a lot and watched reviews all of which loved these bins. A lot recommend them over the 10x42 for one reason or another.

Haha might as well go 2x over budget and be done with it! You have, in my opinion, the absolute best hunting bino’s made now. I wouldn’t trade mine for anything.


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[Felton]

Haha might as well go 2x over budget and be done with it! You have, in my opinion, the absolute best hunting bino’s made now. I wouldn’t trade mine for anything.


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Exactly, I just kept on going back to them and I knew I wouldn’t be completely happy with anything else. I was also able to get them without the wife finding out.

I got them from euro optic they are demos so the price was right. I had the 10x42 slc in my cart and when I went to check out someone beat me to it. I then went to the 10x42 els but wasn’t completely sold on it. It took me several more days of researching and contemplating to finally pull the trigger on the nl’s.

 

[RockSlinger671]

Exactly, I just kept on going back to them and I knew I wouldn’t be completely happy with anything else. I was also able to get them without the wife finding out.

I got them from euro optic they are demos so the price was right. I had the 10x42 slc in my cart and when I went to check out someone beat me to it. I then went to the 10x42 els but wasn’t completely sold on it. It took me several more days of researching and contemplating to finally pull the trigger on the nl’s.

Well, there’s no need for wanting after the NLs… I have live with my shabby ELs

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Exactly, I just kept on going back to them and I knew I wouldn’t be completely happy with anything else. I was also able to get them without the wife finding out.

I got them from euro optic they are demos so the price was right. I had the 10x42 slc in my cart and when I went to check out someone beat me to it. I then went to the 10x42 els but wasn’t completely sold on it. It took me several more days of researching and contemplating to finally pull the trigger on the nl’s.

I know the 10x42 EL’s have been the gold standard forever, as well as the 10x42 SLC’s, but once you look through NL’s, the extremely wide field of view is without comparison.


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[Stinky Coyote]

find out if you have Leica, Zeiss, or Swaro eyes and save up, in the meantime just grab some Nikon monarch 7's, they will get the job done and relegate to loaner/truck/trailer or whatever duty once you get your alpha binos, kowa for spotting scopes and that's all you need to know

 

[Stinky Coyote]

I know the 10x42 EL’s have been the gold standard forever, as well as the 10x42 SLC’s, but once you look through NL’s, the extremely wide field of view is without comparison.


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gold standard? you're mistaking gold for bronze, they are priced like platinum standard no question but Leica and Zeiss would be gold and silver...swaro gets the bronze star at platinum pricing

why every time I see swaro talk the toe fungus add always staring me in the face on here? yikes

 

[Felton]

find out if you have Leica, Zeiss, or Swaro eyes and save up, in the meantime just grab some Nikon monarch 7's, they will get the job done and relegate to loaner/truck/trailer or whatever duty once you get your alpha binos, kowa for spotting scopes and that's all you need to know

I guess you missed the part where I said I bought the nl pures

 

[Stinky Coyote]

I guess you missed the part where I said I bought the nl pures

late to the party, but maybe not for someone else lol...guess you have swaro eyes then just don't put them up against some ultravid hd's or fl's or you may find out you don't have swaro eyes lol, never fear though...resale on them sumbiches will be just fine, there's lots out there with swaro eyes, and wallets lol

you picked the right size and magnification for sure though, I was early to that party, seems to finally becoming a thing now, not even sure how long I've had my 10x32 ultravid hd's...those things still blow me away every time they come up to my face

 

[PredatorSlayer]

gold standard? you're mistaking gold for bronze, they are priced like platinum standard no question but Leica and Zeiss would be gold and silver...swaro gets the bronze star at platinum pricing

why every time I see swaro talk the toe fungus add always staring me in the face on here? yikes

I agree - I sat behind the 12x42 NL pures for a week elk hunting last fall. I compared them to Santiams and not once did I feel like the NL Pures were better. I was devastated.

 

[JGRaider]

find out if you have Leica, Zeiss, or Swaro eyes and save up, in the meantime just grab some Nikon monarch 7's, they will get the job done and relegate to loaner/truck/trailer or whatever duty once you get your alpha binos, kowa for spotting scopes and that's all you need to know

Meopta is all you really need to know. Nikon and their parent company suck.....alot.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

especially if you spend a lot of time on rokslide forum lol...take your pic then, Nikon a guarantee however, they get the same nod on ALL forums haha, and I have some so can personally say they are what their reputation is...pretty much the ultimate bang for buck champ going, that's all you need to know

 

[Stinky Coyote]

I agree - I sat behind the 12x42 NL pures for a week elk hunting last fall. I compared them to Santiams and not once did I feel like the NL Pures were better. I was devastated.

lol, green leupolds...it's where I have them, decent enough gear, just priced about 2 brackets too high lol, good thing they hold their value and mystique

 

[PredatorSlayer]

lol, green leupolds...it's where I have them, decent enough gear, just priced about 2 brackets too high lol, good thing they hold their value and mystique

Its just not a popular opinion to have. Guys that drop $3k on binos get pretty defensive. Lol. I think the Kowas are the best bang for your buck right now.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

Its just not a popular opinion to have. Guys that drop $3k on binos get pretty defensive. Lol. I think the Kowas are the best bang for your buck right now.

this wouldn't surprise me, I've put the kowa spotters up against the Swaro's and kowa's win every category and do it at half the price, I just haven't looked through their bino's and compared so I'll reserve comments, I'm only commenting on what I've looked through and tested/compared

 

[RockSlinger671]

IMO everybody’s eyes are different when I comes to glass and what looks good to them for the price. Sometimes the Zeiss Victory SF isn’t worth $1500 over the Zeiss Conquest for someone, but worth it to someone else. When I was choosing a bino, it’s was the ELs and Noctivids tied for first (I flipped a coin) and the Victory SF came in third. The NLs no doubt brought to the table a FOV unmatched by other companies and some people think it’s worth the price, but some don’t.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

ya I wasn't joking when I said 'find out what 'eyes' you have' when getting ready to buy your alpha class binos...leica, zeiss, or swaro...it's a thing, so before you buy on reviews try to get them compared beforehand and figure this out and you'll get your lifetime glass sorted out sooner

the NL thing people initially freaked out about did come with draw backs, it took a minute and some humble reviews to finally come along as guys didn't wanna admit considering the price of those things...I haven't looked through them but sounds like you gotta get them eyeballs in the fishbowl for that 'magical' fov and sounds like it takes some positioning and adjusting to, might explain that head support lol, vs other bins where as soon as they hit your face you're in optical bliss, and the money swaro made on this launch...well done, ride that name brand like a champ, if you can rip them to your face and get that shit eating grin instantly then right on, maybe you have swaro eyes, that's what's finding out which eyes you have is all about, turned out I have leica eyes, and have a buddy who has zeiss eyes, seems everyone has swaro eyes haha

now where's my 10x32 geovid pro's at, I so thought I had my lifetime bino's, and maybe I still do, but the geovid pro 32mm is the first thing to come along in a long time to get me to crack a wallet for optics again, will see if it can blend my ultravid hd's and crf-1600 combo into one unit...if not...I'm sure the resale will be there, will be tough shoes to fill, it does offer something very intriguing though as they go beyond optic and rangefinder...they add a navigational tool that could be game changer for stalking and recovering, maybe survival as well