What Binos are you carrying?

[entropicitis]

Burris Signatures go on sale on Amazon for stupid cheap a few times a year

 

[waspocrew]

I’ll be carrying my 12x NL Pures next August. Although, I’ve been giving some thought to a new pair of Revic LRF binos to consolidate gear.

 

[KingGus]

8x32 El TA Range, light and less shit to worry about with a range finder/bino combo. I also carry them in on a Rick Youngs harness, which keeps the weight down.

 

[dustindj3]

Just picked up an 8x32 NL. coming from a 3 pound porro its a huge weight relief

 

[lost_in_the_wma]

Get the best you can afford. Don’t get Vortex.

Any specific gripes with vortex? Seem cheap and marked up to me but some friends are big fans

 

[adventure907]

For sheep hunting? 10 x 25 Zeiss. About due for some new one's though, might look into the Swaro pocket bino's next.

 

[cbeard64]

Any specific gripes with vortex? Seem cheap and marked up to me but some friends are big fans

Every truly independent review of a Vortex product I have seen since the company’s inception has ranged from “not satisfactory” to “absolute garbage”.

Admittedly, objective reviews get drowned out by all the hype flowing from their gigantic marketing budget. Just about anyone who’s anyone in the hunting space is on their payroll. Plus, they were one of the earliest “stealth marketers” via social media in the business and pioneered the “no questions asked” gear warranty (which you will definitely need). A huge part of their budget is for marketing and warranty work.

No doubt their innovative marketing strategies would make a great case study for college business classes, but their optics suck.

 

[lost_in_the_wma]

Every truly independent review of a Vortex product I have seen since the company’s inception has ranged from “not satisfactory” to “absolute garbage”.

Admittedly, objective reviews get drowned out by all the hype flowing from their gigantic marketing budget. Just about anyone who’s anyone in the hunting space is on their payroll. Plus, they were one of the earliest “stealth marketers” via social media in the business and pioneered the “no questions asked” gear warranty (which you will definitely need). A huge part of their budget is for marketing and warranty work.

No doubt their innovative marketing strategies would make a great case study for college business classes, but their optics suck.

Yeah that warranty strikes me as an effect of selling at such a high margin that they still make money replacing maybe even 3-4 units per sale rather than truly standing by their product.

It seems like alpha glass usually has limited warranties or otherwise fairly priced repair costs would you say that’s accurate? Or does one of those companies have a no questions asked type policy?

 

[lost_in_the_wma]

nikon replaced 2pairs of monarch 3 after almost 12 years of hard use including 5 years of guiding spring fall and winter.
they were 10 and 8x42 and i got brand new 10 and 8x42 monarch 5.

the nikon that i dealt was in canada if that makes a difference.

Why the move up to 10x? guessing you wanna see further but just wondering what kind of range you found 8x insufficient for or if you just feel 10x is more versatile?

 

[KingGus]

For sheep hunting? 10 x 25 Zeiss. About due for some new one's though, might look into the Swaro pocket bino's next.

Check out the Maven B7s, they have my eye at the moment

 

[cbeard64]

Yeah that warranty strikes me as an effect of selling at such a high margin that they still make money replacing maybe even 3-4 units per sale rather than truly standing by their product.

It seems like alpha glass usually has limited warranties or otherwise fairly priced repair costs would you say that’s accurate? Or does one of those companies have a no questions asked type policy?

I have been using Swarovski optics for almost 25 years now. Yes, their warranty is “limited”. But here’s the truth: 1) you will almost certainly never need it and 2)their customer service is second to none.
As an example, I dropped my ELs on a backcountry hunt and sustained a small scratch on one objective lens. It didn’t affect the optical quality at all, but it bothered me so I sent them in during the offseason for repair. They replaced the lens and as a bonus upgrade applied the Swarovision coatings to all the lenses (mine were an older model) and shipped them back to me. All at no cost. And when you sell or trade Swaros, you seldom lose money (sometimes you even make money).
They are well worth the investment.

 

[Grassymike]

I use either my Swarovski EL 8.5x42 or my Meopta 8x42. Will be back in the hills in two weeks can't wait.