(HINT HINT, you’re crazy if you don’t read this entire post)
I’m a believer in buying the best glass you can afford. I also believe that the only way to know what you can afford is to pay cash. A broke deer hunter won’t kill many big bucks.
In the late ’80’s, I dreamed of owning high-end binoculars, but simply couldn’t swing the finances. I bought a $200 pair of Pentax 8x42s and called it good. I learned to glass with those binos and killed several good bucks, including my biggest to date.
The Endeavor ED 10.5 x 45s on the left along side my old Pentax 8 x42s. I learned years ago that good medium price-range binoculars are sufficient for spotting bucks.
Those binos weren’t very durable, but spotting deer was no problem. In the late ’90’s, I sold a good horse and bought some Zeiss Dialyt 7x42s. I still hunt with them today. While they cured the durability problem, I can’t say they made a world of difference in my spotting abilities.
Recently, Vanguard asked Rokslide to review their Endeavor ED 10.5x45s. I agreed but wondered if I’d still feel the same about less-expensive binos after the review.
I spent three days in the field in April and May using the Endeavors during the shed hunt. I estimate I put about seven hours on them. I used them side-by-side with my Zeiss 7x42s in all lighting conditions—from dark thirty, to bright sun, to cloudy skies—both hand held and off a tripod.
The Endeavors functioned well in over-all clarity, eye comfort, and edge-to-edge clarity, but their strong point was in brightness at low light. Surprising to me, they equaled the Zeiss. I guess the modern coatings make up for the smaller exit pupil (4.3 mm vs. the Zeiss’ 6 mm). The neck strap was very comfortable and one of the best I’ve worn. I’m not an eye-glass wearer, but the 17 mm eye-relief was fine for me.
Not so good was the difficulty in adjusting focus, especially the right diopter. To really get them focused correctly, you’d need to tripod them. They also come with lens covers, which I think are essential and I always use them. The diopter covers are a one-piece unit and worked fine, but the less important objective covers were a joke. They fell off more than once. The carrying case was nice, but very difficult to zip shut once the neck strap was installed.
The Endeavors were lighter and shorter than my Zeiss and felt good in my hands and around my neck. The only thing I didn’t get to test was durability which would take a full hunting season. I’m going to pass that part of the review on to some lucky Rok Blog subscriber (read further).
In short, the Endeavors priced at less than $400 are a good value. I was comforted again knowing that if I had to hunt with less-expensive glass, I’d do just fine. I don’t have to spend my kids’ tuition just to spot big bucks.
For more specs, check out Vanguard’s site
Here’s a video with the Endeavor vs. Zeiss in the field:
You heard it right! I’ll be drawing from our blog subscriber list on June 3rd for a winner of these Endeavor EDs featured in this review. The only catch is the winner will have to report back to me after hunting season on durability and performance. I told you smart Roksliders subscribe to the Rok Blog.
To subscribe, go to the top of the Rok Blog, right side just under the drop-down menus for Fitness/Other, and click on “Subscribe to blog”. You’ll see “Subscribe to this entry,” left and below there which is different. That will only allow you to view comments in this post. Good luck!
If you have any questions on the Endeavors, post them up in the comments section
Hey Robby,
So I picked up the Endeavor EDs last year in 8×42. I noticed you have some experience with the 7/8 power binoculars and want to hear your two cents on the benefits/drawbacks to those vs 10 bower binos. Obviously I know your magnification is less, FOV is greater, and stabilization is greater with an 8 power. So far I love my Endeavor EDs, but since they are my first set of quality binos I don’t have any experience hunting with 10x.
Thanks,
Kevin
I’ve always leaned toward the lower 7x and 8x on binos for a few reasons 1) I still-hunt a lot and use my binocs in a standing position, so less vibrations in lower power 2) Hunting steep country, you seem to always be breathing hard, so even when I stop and sit, I still like the stability of a lower power
3) Field-of-view is bigger which is nice if you’re glassing off a tripod. It’s almost like watching a movie on the big screen as you can move your eyes in a grid pattern and really study what’s coming in. 4) Lower power usually performs better in low light, although you saw from this review that wasn’t the case.
If there is a drawback to lower power, it would be once you’ve finally spotted a buck, you don’t get the detail you would in higher power. Also, glassing at extreme distances like a few miles, the higher power would be better. Like most things in life, there are trade-offs.
As a hunting guide and consultant for 28 years, I’ve had a chance to compare many makes and models of binoculars side by side. I’ve also taken the time to read a great deal about optical engineering and understand that brightness factor is not that big a deal in most cases and even the twilight factor is not something that most hunters should worry about. The power helps twilight factor substantially, but 7x or 8x binoculars are a better choice in my opinion for most big game hunting. The exception would be if you are hunting sheep or antelope, in which case you can get by with a 10x or even a 12x binocular. Still, I have opted for 8×30 Zeiss Classics, which I bought used. They’re roof prisms, so they’re fairly light and compact. Most of my guides and clients buy 10×40 or 10×42 binoculars made by the top companies. They hardly ever benefit from using a heavier, bulkier set of binoculars. A friend of mine bought some big Leicas and eventually realized that my recommendation to buy the 8x32s made sense,and so he sold the bigger set on Ebay and bought the lighter set and has been extremely happy. As for quality, some of the mid-quality binoculars are suitable optically. The better Pentax roof prisms and the better Nikons are pretty good. However, the top three brands are always more durable, and most are guaranteed for life. I constantly recommend that clients who can’t afford a new set of top-quality binoculars buy a used set of Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski glasses rather than a new mid-level brand. If you’re glassing terrain a long ways away, mount your binoculars on a solid tripod, and you’ll be surprised at how much more game you see. And then match your binoculars up with a spotting scope, and you’re really in business. Don’t buy Steiners; the ones I’ve tested have been inferior optically to other binoculars in their price range. Whether you’re looking at a scope or binoculars, avoid the low-end junk, such as Simmons and most of the Bushnells. I use a Nikon Action Extreme 15×60 for glassing from a tripod, but they’re not as sharp as I would prefer and the image is never focused across most of the field of view. I once had a set of West German 15×60 Zeiss binos, and they were fantastic, but the eye relief was horrible, and I sold them when I started wearing eyeglasses. Some of the East German Zeiss are good, by the way, while others aren’t as sharp as I would prefer. I used a pair of 15×50 Pentakarem East German Zeiss for several years, and they were sharp in the center of the field of view and worked well for long-range glassing but were not of the quality of the West German Zeiss. For spotting they’re a lot better than most other binoculars that are not from the Big Three and are a good choice for most hunters who don’t want to spend a lot on a spotting binocular.
hey robby thanks for all the work that you have put into the rokblog I love reading it. I also like taking some of you experience to use
Rich, very thorough comment and information. That is the kind of information we love to see shared here. Thank you. Good luck in the drawing.
RIch- Thanks for all the great information. You mentioned putting your binoculars on a tripod for some solid glassing. I have a pair of Vanguard Endeavor EDs in 8X42 and have been unable to find a set up that allows me to attach them to my manfroto tripod. Is there any sort of basic universal set up out there I could use to get a solid rest on my tripod?
Thanks,
Kevin
Sometimes the only solution is to custom make a mount. I’m not familiar with your binoculars, but on many models a female 1/4 x 20 thread mount is hidden by a cover that screws or snaps into place. If so, a standard tripod adapter will work. Unfortunately most standard adapters themselves are not robust enough to prevent vibrations. The adapter I got from Nikon for my 15×60 Action Extremes and the Pentax adapter I got for some 16×60 or 15×60 Pentax binoculars were simply too flimsy. In the slightest breeze or long after a slight touch they acted as tuning forks andwould impart high frequency vibrations, which made it impossible to see clearly. I ended up cutting one of the adapters in half and then mounting it sideways. I had to drill and thread a new hole for the bolt that goes into the bino. I had a nice, sturdy adapter for my Pentakarem Zeiss 15x50s, but I designed it myself and then had it made by a rocket engineer who had access to some high tech machinery. Unfortunately a pal left it in Mexico. I hand made an adapter for some 12 power Nikon Executive binoculars, and that consisted of a leather-padded u-bolt that gripped one of the barrels. Too bad all binoculars don’t come with built in mounts. the way, 7x and 8x binoculars are excellent when mounted on a tripod. I would guess that you will spot about 10 times more game and at greater distances.
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