Matt,
Great article! I have never heard of Maven prior to reading your article. Do you know more about the origin of this company? I assume by the positive review of the product and by looking at their website they are engineers from another optical company who branched off to start their own company and are also avid hunters. Do you know where and who manufactures these binos?
I haven't talked to anyone at Maven directly yet, although I plan to. Here is what I have put together though:
1. The people behind Maven were formally associated with Brunton.
2. They use at least one Japanese OEM to build the binocular to their requested specs.
The performance is what what matters to me. Who manufacturers the binoculars is really not all that important to me. Even companies like the "Big 3" utilize OEMs for parts or all of some models.
Others have reported Maven's offerings are built by Kamakura in Japan. It is widely known that Kamakura is capable of making products that perform at any level, and they work with some of the biggest names in the industry. I don't know for sure if Kamakura is the Maven manufacturer, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Maven goes on to customize the binocular stateside and reportedly fully quality checks each model on their own diagnostic equipment before shipping.
Companies often don't like to discuss these issues and often their are legal non-disclosure agreements that prevent such discussions.
Again, what is really important to me is the performance, and the ability of the importer to maintain good quality control, warranty, and customer service.
