Razor HD 10x50 vs 10x42

[radar1225S]

I like the idea of gathering more light. For those who have looked through both is the light gathering capability of the 50s worth the 1” and 4 ounces gained?

 

[35WhelenAI]

The 12 should transmit more more light to the eye, don't think there's any disagreement there.

From a use standpoint, can't speak to the Razors however with the Vipers I have a 12x50 and 10x42. About the same relative weight difference.

I like the 12x50s as they do fit my big hands better and the extra weight is nice to stabilize. I can't say there's a practical difference with respect to legal hunting hours and difference in light transmission because the exit pupil is real similar between the two. I alternated carrying them every other day this season and both carried well hanging from a Vortex harness. My thought is with a harness, if 4 oz makes a difference then folks are worried about a small difference where it really doesn't come into play in my estimation.

I'd go for the light transmission if you think it'll make a difference to your success. In my opinion the weight is not enough to be the deciding factor. You take your first sip of water in the morning and you just eliminated 4 ounces from what you're carrying. Think of it in those terms. You're using them to look through when all else is considered.

 

[Superdoo]

Just a heads up….
I recently grabbed a pair of Razors off the shelf at Scheels to compare with the Vipers and Mavens I got on Black Friday.
The Razors were as good as my Diamondbacks.
I brought them back to the store and told them they probably shouldn’t put them back on the shelf. Well, they did.

My take away from that experience is to always get multiple pairs/ brands to compare at the same time.
If I wasn’t doing a comparison, I probably wouldn’t have seen the issue until it was too late.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Must've been a bad pair? Diamondbacks are definitely the lower end of the pecking order with respect to Vipers and the Mavens. I can't recall if you posted, how did the vipers compare to the mavens?

 

[Superdoo]

Must've been a bad pair? Diamondbacks are definitely the lower end of the pecking order with respect to Vipers and the Mavens. I can't recall if you posted, how did the vipers compare to the mavens?

They were optically the same to me. I went with the Vipers because they just felt better in the hand and seemed "easier" to get behind. The diopter adjustment on the Vipers is a locking style, but it constantly unlocks so I'll be addressing that with some tape.

@radar1225S are you able to order both and do some testing of your own?

 

[35WhelenAI]

They were optically the same to me. I went with the Vipers because they just felt better in the hand and seemed "easier" to get behind. The diopter adjustment on the Vipers is a locking style, but it constantly unlocks so I'll be addressing that with some tape.

@radar1225S are you able to order both and do some testing of your own?

I like the 12x50 vipers, not so much because of the 12x, they feel better in the hand vs 10x42 Vipers I also have. With that said, 10x42 vipers do feel better than other 10x42's I have. Vortex does a nice job with binoculars, IMO.

 

[Spiral Horn]

With all else being equal a 10x50 will transmit more light than a 10x42. This means both additional brightness in low light conditions, but also by the virtue of more light usually a bit more detail saturation in the image. Whether or not the resulting size/weight gain matters more than the increase in optical performance will vary quite a bit among individual hunters. If the hunting style involves a lot of dedicated glassing, then yes.

 

[radar1225S]

Sorry to get back later than everyone. I had a 25% off code I had to use last Friday evening. I ended up going with the 10x42s. I wasn’t able to handle both, but I think I’ll be happy with my purchase. If not, my brother already said he’d buy them off me in the case that I don’t like them.