Solve my Bino problem

[hoff1ck]

Live in Michigan where I primarily hunt whitetail. Some thick timber, some edge habitat. Smaller amount of time on field edges but it happens some too. I also go out west annually, generally for elk. With the way tags are getting harder to get, there will likely be more mule deer/western whitetail in the mix moving forward. This year, pending the draw, will have a week in Wyoming hunting deer and another week scouting for a future elk tag.

Right now I have Athlon Cronus UHD 10x42s. Around home and in general, I really like them. Out west during longer glassing sessions they have left some to be desired. Not sure if it was the optical quality, magnification, etc. Have been hunting SW Montana primarily so far so less glassing opportunities in general to be fair.

I have an athlon spotter that I think will do the job for counting antler points for deer, at least for what I need to do for right now. Initially I planned to add a better pair of 12s and run them on a tripod for general glassing, with the spotter as needed. Was thinking in the 6-700 range and had narrowed it down to a used pair of Razor HDs or Leupold BX-5s. I’ve looked through the Razors and thought they looked good. Haven’t had a chance to see the Leupolds yet.

I guess my question is, do I keep the 10s I have and add a set of 12s for out west like I had originally planned, or would I be better served to sell my 10s and increase the budget to get into better glass in the 10x or 12x range? I do wonder how I’d like the 12s and narrower FOV for the whitetail woods if I do go that route. Otherwise when I’m not in the tree, I’m running binos on a tripod.

I’ve used the search function what feels like exhaustively and haven’t really found what I am looking for yet, but if I missed a thread somewhere let me know. Any recommendations are appreciated.

 

[NealS02]

From my perspective 10s are ideal. You can handhold and they have more than adequate magnification for glassing off a tripod. My recommendation would be to upgrade your binos but keep 10x. I’m sure you can find manufacturer reviews and member discussions on here and elsewhere about what direction to go in terms of brand. I have Swaros and don’t regret the decision to buy them but don’t have a ton of experience with glass in the range you indicated. I jumped from super cheap to expensive with my ELs.

 

[LCguy]

I use 10's both hand held and off the tripod. Usually, I will scan with the 10's during hours you'd expect to find game moving around and then switch to 18's on the tripod mid-day. When moving around I have the 10s on my chest. I've glassed animals up to 3-4 miles away with the 10s.

 

[nphunter]

I'm not familiar with the Athlon products but the Razors are definitely productive when used on a tripod. I would either go 8x42's as a good all around or 10x42's. The 8's will be more useful for you at home IMO and are still plenty good enough to do some productive glassing off of a tripod. You wont miss much with an 8 that you will find with a 10 and you might be surprised at how much more you can see with the larger FOV. For thick cover the huge FOV of the Razor 8x42 will be awesome.

I used Razors for a lot of years and they are almost impossible to beat for the price of a used set. BIg binos are awesome but not enough bang for your buck if your only using them for a few days each year. You would be much better suited all around with a high quality 8.

 

[hoff1ck]

The idea of better 10s definitely intrigues me, especially as more of a do all to use in the Midwest as well. Have more recently been looking at the 11x45 and 10x50 Mavens too, so need to do some more reading on other options. Likely will just need to buy something and compare it to what I have before I can fully decide, but I appreciate the recommendations.

 

[SirChooCH]

I really like 10X42s for in MI. For a regular bino everyone always comes back to 10 or 8x and just getting higher end glass.

For heading west it seems like a lot of guys are picking up the stabilized sigs recently for the higher mag but getting rid of the shake factor and still seeing movement from animals at distance. Have you been able to check those out? I know of 3 people that got them after trying at TAC and took bear or elk hunting in Montana and liked them.

 

[TaperPin]

We all have our limit for hand holding binos - since you already have a good amount of experience with 10x and wish for a little more magnification 12x seems like a good move for longer ranges. I’m with the others who like 8x (or even 7x) for timber hunting. I’d get a season of use out of 12x before selling your 10x, since the extra magnification may be on the edge of usability and not give the benefit hoped for. Most likely you’ll love 12x.

Every optometrist has an easy to use chart for reading tiny text, there should be an equally easy to use chart of whitetail, mule deer, elk, moose, coyotes, and beady-eyed varmints. Most of the “official” optical charts used in reviews fall short of giving us answers to simple questions like just how much of a difference going up 2x or 4x actually helps.

 

[Focus Knob]

Don't sell the 10x and get a 12x. You'll only hate yourself later. You can then go back and forth and compare the views.

 

[hoff1ck]

Don't sell the 10x and get a 12x. You'll only hate yourself later. You can then go back and forth and compare the views.

Probably fair. I think the only way I’d sell my current 10x is if I increased the budget. Otherwise I’d likely keep them if I went with a 12x.

 

[Shraggs]

im in west Michigan, your welcome to view any of my 8, 12 and 15 in outdoor setting

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Since your 10s are working fine for you where you do the bulk of your hunting, keep them. If you have not already done so, make arrangements to put them on a tripod. It is the least expensive way to "improve" your existing optics.

I'd look at bumping up your budget and get quality 15x or 18x for your "out West" glassing needs. 12x is a compromise magnification; often too much for close in stuff and not quite enough for glassing at distance. While I have no personal experience with them, folks do speak favorably of the Maven B.5 (15x or 18x). But at that price point you can potentially start to find used Swarovski SLC 15s, Leica Trinovid -R 15s, and Vortex Razor UHD 18s.

When glassing, the name of the game is to stay in the glass. Lower quality optics can give headaches, eye strain, etc all which take your eyes out of the optics.

Learn to glass. This is something that can be practiced at a local park. Instead of looking for bits and pieces of an elk, do the same for a lizard, bird, snake, mantis, etc.

 

[hoff1ck]

im in west Michigan, your welcome to view any of my 8, 12 and 15 in outdoor setting

I was actually able to make it to Jay’s this weekend while up north and look over pretty much everything I’m considering, I thanks for that offer!