Upgrade Binos or buy a spotter??

[Spiral Horn]

Hunting season is quite a ways off - since you are just starting to look at binoculars it would be best to avoid an impulse buy - IME that's how most guys end up regretting their optics decision. It usually works out much better to take some time and actually handle / look-through the candidates, even if one has to drive a few hours to find a store that has them (they can also sometimes be found at birding stores). There are also some great discounts available to veterans and first responders from Zeiss, Leica, Maven, Meopta, and others (Swarovski not so much).

Any premium offering from the Big 3 or even the mid-grades will be a huge step up from the Diamondbacks. I'm also a big fan of 10x vs 12x in a binocular -- easier to hand-hold, better FOV, image imperfections less noticeable. The Maven B6 you're already considering is a fine mid-grade candidate. Are there better mid-grades? Mostly just a matter of preference - but I'd compare them with a Zeiss Conquest and a few others prior to buying. Maven also has a demo program that allows folks to try before buying (very smart, IMO). To get an appreciably better glass one would have to move up to a used SLC or new SFL, or into the super-premiums like EL, NL, SF, Noctivid but those are $2 - 3.5x the price.

 

[Joseph2186]

Ive leap frogged 3 times with binoculars in classes and wasted alot of money doing so . My advice from experience is rather than go from low to medium to Alpha is just skip the medium save up a little longer and get top shelf binoculars theres lots of good deals on here. I know leica offers veteran and first responders discounts on guidefitter and expert voice.

 

[Swampcruiser]

I agree with all of the above. It’s amazing what good 10x42’s can do on a tripod. I tried the lower cost spotter route and it really sucked. It gave me a headache. I’d save up for the alpha bino’s - doesn’t necessarily mean Swaros though.

 

[MTElkChaser]

Try out as many pairs from different brands as you can. I’ve owned most manufacturers models - even the super high end >$2,000 models.

Your eyes are going to see things differently than mine and it’s important to get a pair of binos that make certain colors stand out to you. I tried a buddy’s Leica Trinovid binos a few years ago and couldn’t believe how well the color brown contrasted against everything else. I was using some Swarovski EL’s at the time and we agreed to swap binos for the hunt. Since most of what I hunt is a “brownish“ color, I sold my Swarovski EL’s after that hunt and bought a pair of Leica Trinovids. You couldn’t get me to trade them for 2x their price. I also bought them as a “demo pair” from a company that sells their trade show demos and they’re always in brand new/mint condition. Saved a ton of money and had the option to return for a full refund if I didn’t like them.

Thats why I don’t even recommend a brand anymore. Just buy the highest quality glass that you can afford, but the highest price doesn’t mean that they’re going to give your individual eyes the best viewing image. Most “big box” stores will let you take a pair outside and every smaller store I’ve been to will actually recommend it.

There are also several companies that “rent” optics - and there’s one that I know of here on Rokslide that’s also a sponsor. If there are a few pairs that you want to just test for a day and compare them side-by-side, renting them before you buy can save you time and money down the road too.

Good luck!