New Maven Binoculars B1.2 and B6

[TexaninSconny]

Customer service said 8x42s tomorrow possibly. Then more later this fall.


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I checked back in with them yesterday…not getting a shipment of 8x42 B1.2s until October. Not sure what changed.


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[Mpruitt86]

Following...Currently looking for a set of B1.2 8x42's

 

[shedfinder7]

Received my b1.2 10x42 last week from maven.
For an hour and a half the wife and I compared on tripod NL, SLC, and B1.2. My wife is better then me at judging Binos, she has a degree in photography science and has spent hours editing pictures and resolution etc. in her line of work.
conclusion of the comparisons, the NL is better then all of them in every way. Field of view, brightness, image quality, resolution. But not by leaps and bounds. If free holding the Binos there’s a slight difference but on tripod for several minutes side by side there’s a difference. Slc and maven were neck and neck even all the way down to dark thirty. It’s very shocking. If I had to buy a pair I’d buy the maven since it’s less expensive, has a no fault warranty, and weighs 2.5 ounces less on my scale. The sweet spot in center area of view is so close in the 3 Binos it’s shocking also. Its the edges and color that is better in NL. Resolution is better but not noticeable enough unless on tripod. I spend more time in a month in the field then a lot of guys get to in a year so I’m gonna break the bank and keep the NL because basically I can’t handle always second guessing am I missing something. I realize probably not, since they are all so dang close. But convincing myself of that over next 10 years will beat me up. I will be posting the slc and maven.
Guess im posting my 2 cents that they B1.2 and Slc are neck and neck in wife and I’s eyes after looking for hour and a half trying to find the swaro better.

 

[Nillion]

I just got back from a 3 days of hunting in WY for pronghorn. 4 tags in our group and all 4 got filled. I used the b1.2 10x42 the entire time and I'm thrilled with their performance. Judging the difference between bucks and does was quite easy at distance (2 doe tags among us) as was the overall size of bucks' horns. I spotted moving pronghorn at an estimated 2 miles of distance through the mirage on an 80 degree day. One in our group mortally wounded a doe and she bedded down behind some sage bushes at several hundred yards. I was able to keep an eye on her ears through the bush for over an hour to determine when her head finally fell. Lowlight performance was also very good, easily able to spot pronghorn at distance well past sunset. I don't have any experience with true alpha level glass, but for $1000 I can't imagine doing much better.

 

[Spiral Horn]

I bought a Maven B1.2 back in August. Have MHGs, SLCs, Victory SF that I compared them against. Everyone’s eyes and tastes in optics are slightly different. Here’s a quick +/- summary of what I thought of the Maven:

Pros:

- Housing and overall build quality are superb

- Armor is quite grippy and pleasant to the touch

- Exceptionally smooth focus mechanism and diopter

- Wide and unrestrictive FOV with large “sweet spot”

- Very clear that Maven listened to customer reviews and attempted to build a more compact form that offered increased light transmission with a wider FOV

- Maven warranty is very good


Cons:

- Eyecups just don’t have enough resistance and collapsed on their own quite a bit - a very annoying design flaw or I just got a bum copy

- Focus speed is just too fast for a ”snappy” and precise focus; found myself going not enough or past and sharpest image wasn’t naturally easy to find

- The recess on the objective lenses is quite shallow; don’t know if that was done to tweak out the last bit of focal length in the compact housing but it does expose the lenses further than other designs


View: The B1.2 are crisp and bright, with very good depth-of field and exceptional close-focus. With a 420ft FOV the view felt open and unrestrictive. Center-field resolution is quite sharp and while I’m uncertain if this model is supposed to be “flat-field,” they were fairly sharp across the image without pronounced edge distortion. Colors appear quite neutral - some (including me) may prefer more pop or warm/cool bias. Overall, I felt the view quite good, especially at this price point. As far as comparisons are concerned, after multiple trips to the field I concluded that my MHGs and SLCs had slightly better color contrast and easier view.

Overall, I found the B1.2 a well built binocular and a quality optic. Everyone’s eyes are a bit different and I ended up slightly preferring binoculars I already owned. The great news is Maven has a program that allows folks to try before buying.

 

[Rustybanana]

Saw a bit of chat about bino harnesses with the B1.2, B6’s, they will fit in an AGC classic, but B5’s will need AGC Denali. Just for the record

 

[Xlr8n]

Grey/Orange 10x B1.2's in stock today.

 

[Hans]

Placed an order this morning for the B1.2 10x42... excited to try them out!

 

[Matt G.]

I been trying to compare the B1.2 vs the Meopta Meostar B1 HD both in 10x42. I must say they are very close. The big two differences I see is the field of view and weight. Color seems similar and low light is neck and neck. I will say I prefer the ergonomics of the meostar a little more and the eye cups. Apparently I don't have a large pupillary distance and the thicker eyecups of the maven can pinch my nose while the thinner eye cups of the meostar just fit. More testing is needed. Another point about the focus wheel is that it is metal and has annoying ting, but it is very grippy.

 

[Firemedic710]

I been trying to compare the B1.2 vs the Meopta Meostar B1 HD both in 10x42. I must say they are very close. The big two differences I see is the field of view and weight. Color seems similar and low light is neck and neck. I will say I prefer the ergonomics of the meostar a little more and the eye cups. Apparently I don't have a large pupillary distance and the thicker eyecups of the maven can pinch my nose while the thinner eye cups of the meostar just fit. More testing is needed. Another point about the focus wheel is that it is metal and has annoying ting, but it is very grippy.

Just for clarification are you using the meostar b1 hd or the new Meostar b1 plus model?

 

[Matt G.]

Using the non plus model. I wish they would launch the b2's. Maybe next year?

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[Hoodie]

I been trying to compare the B1.2 vs the Meopta Meostar B1 HD both in 10x42. I must say they are very close. The big two differences I see is the field of view and weight. Color seems similar and low light is neck and neck. I will say I prefer the ergonomics of the meostar a little more and the eye cups. Apparently I don't have a large pupillary distance and the thicker eyecups of the maven can pinch my nose while the thinner eye cups of the meostar just fit. More testing is needed. Another point about the focus wheel is that it is metal and has annoying ting, but it is very grippy.

From my memory of the Meostar HD I think you're spot on.

The B6 is every bit as good optically (with a little more FOV), in a noticeably lighter package. I thought the Meostar was maybe a touch warmer, but I'm going off memory not a side by side comparison. Can't go wrong with either for $1k.

If someone was backpacking in a long ways I'd steer them towards the B6 just for the weight savings. If you're hard on gear the Meostar is built like a tank.

 

[Matt G.]

I haven't noticed a warner hue like there was in the old non HD meostars. I used a resolution chart yesterday trying to pick them apart and there was no difference until the edges. Larger sweet spot on the b1.2 but could be due to FOV. Also more noticeable edge distortion on the meostars as you move to the edges. The straight lines start bending. Just more noticeable. CA was more in the Mavens. This is challenging. I am getting nitpicky here.

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[eddielasvegas]

Just got an email that the Maven B1.2 8x42 is in stock. That might also include the 10x42 binos as well.

I just ordered a pair of the 8x42's. Curious to see how they'll work for me and compare to my Athlon 8x42, plus with Maven's no risk try and buy policy, it's an easy decision.


Eddie

 

[Matt G.]

They are a real good pair in that 1k class and now having difficulty deciding after using for a week plus.

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[skyfreek60]

I just listed the b1.2 for sale. I just could not past the fit for my eyes. They are a real good pair in that 1k class but do not fit me as well as the meostars.

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Matt, where are you at in Ohio? I live right on the PA border... might be interested in checking them out....

 

[skyfreek60]

Wish I could find someone nearby with these.... I'm not even sure what direction to go with 10x, 11x, 12x. Thinking 10x50 is a sweet spot but hard to not want "more" for the same money.... but it doesn't seem that's really the case because you are always sacrificing something.

Been running the same old Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42 for about 15 years. Do a lot of archery hunting, some rifle, spring turkey, bit of scouting, some fowl, time on the boat, etc..

I'm pretty frugal (read: cheap) so been watching classifieds but heavily debating ordering a custom set of B6 10x50 (oddly the B1.2 customs cost a good bit more) since I tend to keep things as long as they are good (and am particular). B1.2 10x is pretty good looking too though spec wise too...

Will the 5omm get much more time out of the day? Just wondering if it is worth the weight since they are using similar prisms. Was really having a hard time not wanting AK prisms but it seems these new offerings compete well.

My brother just got a set of 12x50 Razor UHD..... hoping to get something similar in quality.

Also looking at Zeiss and Kowa Genesis 44 10.5x44mm Prominar

 

[ZackP]

Reviving an older thread I know….
But am I the only one whose noticed the amount of B1.2’s in the classifieds lately?

Curious as to why. Are these close to, or fall short of the UHD/Meostar?

 

[Matt G.]

Hmm haven't noticed... only 3 which included my pair. I really think they are good. I like the view better then my meostar but after a while I noticed eye strain so I will prob relist when returned. I thought maybe it was a collimation issue or something else and sent them in but just my eyes. The specs are good on them. I may give another shot since the colors really popped.

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[ZackP]

Hmm haven't noticed... only 3 which included my pair. I really think they are good. I like the view better then my meostar but after a while I noticed eye strain so I will prob relist when returned. I thought maybe it was a collimation issue or something else and sent them in but just my eyes. The specs are good on them. I may give another shot since the colors really popped.

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I think I counted 4 total in the last week but could be off.

I’m ultimately trying to decide between the Meostar and B6 or 1.2
Add the UHD on that list as well, as I think that glass is nothing short of fantastic.

I can get all at decent prices, just want something that’s a good middle man that will stay with me for awhile. EL’s are out as I get the rolling ball effect. SLC is harder to find than cheap gas right now