Maven c1 vs leupold bx-4 10x42

[chad1926]

I had the Maven C1 and Leupold BX4, both in 10x42, for nearly a month during an archery season a few years ago when they both came out. The Leupold run circles around the Maven in dusk and Dawn, and also with sun angles that cause glare. No competition for my eyes. Made in Japan vs made in China/Phillipines has always been apparent to me.

do any comparisons with the bx4 and viper hd in the same dusk and dawn situation?

 

[sndmn11]

do any comparisons with the bx4 and viper hd in the same dusk and dawn situation?

No, not in the field. I did similar in two different parking lots at dusk; one cloudless and one overcast. Those Leupolds matched up very well with what I thought $400 binoculars should be. I have a very low opinion of Vortex binoculars I have had a view through.

 

[Newtosavage]

do any comparisons with the bx4 and viper hd in the same dusk and dawn situation?

Well, I just lucked into a pair of 10x42 BX-4 Pro Guides. Don't ask how. (it's an addiction. LOL) - so I can give you my thoughts on those vs. the Viper HD's...

The BX-4 Pro Guides are definitely brighter and definitely sharper than the Viper HD's. The only thing the Vipers have on the Leupy's is a slightly wider field of view. Otherwise, it's the BX-4's all the way.

Shouldn't surprise me since the BX-4's are made in Japan.

Compared to the C1's, the view is very similar but the BX-4's have great eyecups that lock in position and are slightly slimmer and easier to grip due to the double hinge design. Plus - as I said - they are made in Japan and not China. So my vote (now that I have a pair to compare) is for the BX-4's over the C1's. But then, they are nearly 2x the price so that shouldn't be a surprise.

 

[chad1926]

Well, I just lucked into a pair of 10x42 BX-4 Pro Guides. Don't ask how. (it's an addiction. LOL) - so I can give you my thoughts on those vs. the Viper HD's...

The BX-4 Pro Guides are definitely brighter and definitely sharper than the Viper HD's. The only thing the Vipers have on the Leupy's is a slightly wider field of view. Otherwise, it's the BX-4's all the way.

Shouldn't surprise me since the BX-4's are made in Japan.

Compared to the C1's, the view is very similar but the BX-4's have great eyecups that lock in position and are slightly slimmer and easier to grip due to the double hinge design. Plus - as I said - they are made in Japan and not China. So my vote (now that I have a pair to compare) is for the BX-4's over the C1's. But then, they are nearly 2x the price so that shouldn't be a surprise.

good to know!,
When I looked through them it was just in a store so I didn’t to actually test them much.
How is Leupolds warranty work and customer service?, do they have the no question fix or replace?

 

[Newtosavage]

I’d have to google that just like you

 

[idahohikker]

Well, I just lucked into a pair of 10x42 BX-4 Pro Guides. Don't ask how. (it's an addiction. LOL) - so I can give you my thoughts on those vs. the Viper HD's...

The BX-4 Pro Guides are definitely brighter and definitely sharper than the Viper HD's. The only thing the Vipers have on the Leupy's is a slightly wider field of view. Otherwise, it's the BX-4's all the way.

Shouldn't surprise me since the BX-4's are made in Japan.

Compared to the C1's, the view is very similar but the BX-4's have great eyecups that lock in position and are slightly slimmer and easier to grip due to the double hinge design. Plus - as I said - they are made in Japan and not China. So my vote (now that I have a pair to compare) is for the BX-4's over the C1's. But then, they are nearly 2x the price so that shouldn't be a surprise.

This doesn’t surprise me. And if you don’t need to mess around with the eyecups on the C1s—don’t wear glasses etc—might as well save hundreds of dollars because the BX4 doesn’t beat it in the view. The eyecups don’t bug anyone I know. I know it does for some guys.

 

[Newtosavage]

This doesn’t surprise me. And if you don’t need to mess around with the eyecups on the C1s—don’t wear glasses etc—might as well save hundreds of dollars because the BX4 doesn’t beat it in the view. The eyecups don’t bug anyone I know. I know it does for some guys.

Actually, if I WORE glasses, I wouldn't have had an issue with the C1's other than the tunnel view. The eyecups wouldn't stay fully extended during a regular day of hunting. Had I worn glasses, I would have left them down and it wouldn't have been an issue. I have $150 binoculars that have better eyecups. I expect more from a $300+ pair.

C1's are arguably the best image quality one can expect from Chinese-made binoculars. In other words, they remind me of good quality MIJ or MIG bins, in terms of center sharpness and light gathering. Where they fall short is field of view and build quality. It's a small thing, but the seams showing on the rubber armoring is a classic made-in-China feature.

Sitting with them here in my hands, I’m glad I could afford the bx-4’s. But the c1’s are pretty close in many ways and if they are the best you can afford, chances are you'll be happy with them.

 

[chad1926]

Is

Well, I just lucked into a pair of 10x42 BX-4 Pro Guides. Don't ask how. (it's an addiction. LOL) - so I can give you my thoughts on those vs. the Viper HD's...

The BX-4 Pro Guides are definitely brighter and definitely sharper than the Viper HD's. The only thing the Vipers have on the Leupy's is a slightly wider field of view. Otherwise, it's the BX-4's all the way.

Shouldn't surprise me since the BX-4's are made in Japan.

Compared to the C1's, the view is very similar but the BX-4's have great eyecups that lock in position and are slightly slimmer and easier to grip due to the double hinge design. Plus - as I said - they are made in Japan and not China. So my vote (now that I have a pair to compare) is for the BX-4's over the C1's. But then, they are nearly 2x the price so that shouldn't be a surprise.

Is the slightly narrower fov of the leupold very noticeable vs the viper?, or is the sharper brighter view of the bx4 worth the slight loss in fov over the viper

 

[Newtosavage]

Is


Is the slightly narrower fov of the leupold very noticeable vs the viper?, or is the sharper brighter view of the bx4 worth the slight loss in fov over the viper

After having both side by side, I would never trade a pair of Viper HD's for the BX-4 Leupys. Image quality of the Leupolds is next-level. The field of view is barely narrower than the Vipers. The image the Leupolds deliver is so good, that I didn't really notice the narrower field of view that much. It bothered me on the C1's (along with other annoyances) but the Leupolds are just darn good instruments. I forgot how much I liked the open bridge design. I loved it with my original Mojave's years ago, and again with my Sightron Blue Sky II 8x32's. For a hunting binocular, an open hinge design is very useful because you often have gloves and need something to hang on to.

After just one evening in the deer blind, I have no doubt I made the right choice today.

This particular deer blind I sat in tonight may as well be my "optics lab." I have used it to test about a dozen pairs of binoculars side-by-side now, because I have so many targets to choose from, with so many textures, colors and distances. Everything from fine grass and barbed wire fencing, to big fat oak leaves and red berries and radio towers in the distance. And on an evening like tonight, with clear dry winter light, the resolution was on full display.

I've tested Conquest HD's, Swaro SLC's, Nikon M7's and HG's, Maven C1's, Cabelas Outfitter HD's, Bushnell Legends, Legend M's, Leupold BX-3's, Mojaves, Alpens, Opticrons and others I have since forgotten from that same blind. I have nice 2x4 windowsills to rest them on, so I don't need a tripod. It's a great real-world testing ground.

Aside from the extremely high resolution (as good as anything I've owned, including Conquest HD's and SLC's), the light gathering is what really impressed me. Easily as bright as any 10x42 I've ever looked through. I could see barbs on a barbed-wire fence a measured 200 yards away, a full 30 minutes after sunset. With my naked eyes, I couldn't even see the fenceposts. That's some serious light gathering for a 10x42.

I was looking at the BX-4's side by side with two pairs of Monarch 7's today in the store. The 10x42 BX-4's were much brighter than the 10x42 M7's, and to my surprise, were brighter even than the 8x42 M7's. That's when I knew I had to give them a try in the real world. And the delivered.

 

[sndmn11]

I'm glad someone brought up eye cups. For me, they play a huge role in what I consider a binocular. The BX5...sucks. they made the eye cups very thick so the OD is larger and there's no way I could have used them. The BX4s have good fitting eye cups for my nose and face, so the view is all it can be. Regarding different fov of comparables, I find if there is less edge distortion, fov specs might be meaningless. IOW you might see more through 90%fov-1 versus 80%fov.

 

[wyoguy]

good to know!,
When I looked through them it was just in a store so I didn’t to actually test them much.
How is Leupolds warranty work and customer service?, do they have the no question fix or replace?

Leupold customer service took care of me when i sent in my 10 year old green ring cascades, those particular binoculars only has a limited warranty but customer service replaced them with a pair of the BX-4's. In that instance the binoculars failed so if you dropped them off a cliff or drove over them i don't know how far they'd go in replacing them.

 

[bowhuntrben]

Leupold customer service took care of me when i sent in my 10 year old green ring cascades, those particular binoculars only has a limited warranty but customer service replaced them with a pair of the BX-4's. In that instance the binoculars failed so if you dropped them off a cliff or drove over them i don't know how far they'd go in replacing them.

I recently had the same result with the cascades I sent in (brand new bx-4 pro guide he). Mine was an eyecup issue. I’m blown away by how they treated me.

 

[chad1926]

After having both side by side, I would never trade a pair of Viper HD's for the BX-4 Leupys. Image quality of the Leupolds is next-level. The field of view is barely narrower than the Vipers. The image the Leupolds deliver is so good, that I didn't really notice the narrower field of view that much. It bothered me on the C1's (along with other annoyances) but the Leupolds are just darn good instruments. I forgot how much I liked the open bridge design. I loved it with my original Mojave's years ago, and again with my Sightron Blue Sky II 8x32's. For a hunting binocular, an open hinge design is very useful because you often have gloves and need something to hang on to.

After just one evening in the deer blind, I have no doubt I made the right choice today.

This particular deer blind I sat in tonight may as well be my "optics lab." I have used it to test about a dozen pairs of binoculars side-by-side now, because I have so many targets to choose from, with so many textures, colors and distances. Everything from fine grass and barbed wire fencing, to big fat oak leaves and red berries and radio towers in the distance. And on an evening like tonight, with clear dry winter light, the resolution was on full display.

I've tested Conquest HD's, Swaro SLC's, Nikon M7's and HG's, Maven C1's, Cabelas Outfitter HD's, Bushnell Legends, Legend M's, Leupold BX-3's, Mojaves, Alpens, Opticrons and others I have since forgotten from that same blind. I have nice 2x4 windowsills to rest them on, so I don't need a tripod. It's a great real-world testing ground.

Aside from the extremely high resolution (as good as anything I've owned, including Conquest HD's and SLC's), the light gathering is what really impressed me. Easily as bright as any 10x42 I've ever looked through. I could see barbs on a barbed-wire fence a measured 200 yards away, a full 30 minutes after sunset. With my naked eyes, I couldn't even see the fenceposts. That's some serious light gathering for a 10x42.

I was looking at the BX-4's side by side with two pairs of Monarch 7's today in the store. The 10x42 BX-4's were much brighter than the 10x42 M7's, and to my surprise, were brighter even than the 8x42 M7's. That's when I knew I had to give them a try in the real world. And the delivered.

thank you!, that is a lot of really good info really appreciate the field review.
What did you end up getting them for?, most I’ve seen have been between 500-600 depending if you get camo or not

 

[Newtosavage]

thank you!, that is a lot of really good info really appreciate the field review.
What did you end up getting them for?, most I’ve seen have been between 500-600 depending if you get camo or not

They were $599 but I got a first responder discount (retired L.E.). I didn't even know Bass Pro did that, but I was happy to learn that at the register! So $550 plus tax.

 

[Cant hit em]

I returned the C1’s because of the eyecup issue. I ended up saving another month and going into the $750 range. There are some great options at that price range. There are about 4 pairs that were so close it was like splitting hairs choosing witch one was best for me. This might be a better way to go if you plan to glass a ton and can hold off a month or two to save .

 

[clint6760]

Good info to know. I have been looking at new bumps and vipers and bx-4 were on my list because I get big discounts through vortex and Leupold since my wife is a hunter’s Ed instructor. I was leaning toward the bx-4’s and sounds like they are a good buy.

 

[Newtosavage]

Good info to know. I have been looking at new bumps and vipers and bx-4 were on my list because I get big discounts through vortex and Leupold since my wife is a hunter’s Ed instructor. I was leaning toward the bx-4’s and sounds like they are a good buy.

I'm really glad I gave them a try. I went in thinking I was going to get another pair of Monarch 7's - it's hard to go wrong with Monarch 7's - but they had the BX-4 Pro Guides right next to them, as well as some Steiner Predators, Viper HD's, Monarch HG's and some others. The fellow behind the counter was pretty knowledgeable (he's seen a lot of people try out binoculars) and he said he wasn't surprised when I told him I wanted the Leupys. Said he's seen those beat out the Nikons and Vipers routinely, esp. with hunters. The build quality is obvious with the Leupys.

They also had some SLC's in the case and I wish now that I had tried the BX-4's side by side with the SLC's to see which was brighter. I suspect it would have been damn close. There is no way the SLC's are sharper than the BX-4's. They are as sharp as a person's eyes can resolve.

 

[vermeire]

You're really selling me on the Leupolds. Are they potentially your new best below $1K?

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

 

[sndmn11]

Maven in the $1k range, Swarovski above that, these Leupolds around $500. I have never seen anything Meopta.

 

[Newtosavage]

You're really selling me on the Leupolds. Are they potentially your new best below $1K?

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Hmm... Give me a few weeks with them. But they very well could be.

I haven't spent time with the Meostar HD's, so those could be a contender since you can routinely get them for under $1K

But I gotta tell ya, the only fault I can find with these BX-4 Pro Guides is the slightly narrow field of view. That's it. 24 oz. is lighter than the Conquest HD's by 4 oz. They are as compact as the Viper HD's, which is saying something. They have the open bridge design, which is fantastic in the hands. They have some of the best eyecups I've experienced. And IMO they are as bright as any 10x42 I've ever put to my eyes, including SLC's and Conquest HD's. A 10x42 that is as bright as a Monarch 7 8x42? That's damn impressive. And the resolving power is as good as my eyes can see.