upgrading my binos

[Deleted member 18333]

really appreciate all the feedback guys. thank you. now wheres a good place to look for some nice used binos?

Try here.

New/Used Hunting Scopes & Optics - Binoculars & Spotting Scopes | ksl.com

Save money on new and used hunting scopes and optics for sale near you. Shop rifle scopes, spotting scopes, binoculars or sell your hunting optics on KSL Classifieds.

classifieds.ksl.com

A fairly common practice in Utah seems to be draw a tag you have been waiting 20+ years for, dude yourself and family members up with the best rifles, scopes, binos, spotters, SxS's, campers, etc. After the hunt is over, sell all that chit you bought on KSL.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

KSL is a trip, it's a machine unto itself.

 

[golfer]

Disclaimer: I absolutely believe different optics look different to each person's eyes, and it's very possible that for whatever reason the difference isn't noticeable to me but it is to others. Just giving a different perspective, and pointing out that it's probably worth it to get a comparison lined up to see what you enjoy most.

I agree the optics are different for everyone. When I bought my SLC I compared them side by side with the Leica model at the time. The Leica appeared to have a blue tint to me.

I would also suggest that when looking through optics go outside and look at them. Don’t look indoors through optics. The lighting isn’t the same inside vs outside.

 

[sethkuhl]

I did not read through the entire three pages but here is my opinion. I really like the 3000 bdx Sig Sauer. Love the glass and the rangability out to past 3000 yards is pretty fun (albeit not that important in most hunting situations.) Got mine for under a grand

 

[rtraverdavis]

...it's probably worth it to get a comparison lined up to see what you enjoy most.

^ This.

It’s been said many times before, but if you can go to a store and look through each of the binos in your price range that you’re interested in—outside in low light—you’ll get a much better idea of what you like. That’s what I did that made me land on Zeiss Conquests.

That said, I’ve had the chance to spend some time looking through SLCs in a variety of conditions and like them a little better than my Zeiss.

 

[KyHunter98]

I have owned/used a few of the binos on your list. I have to say when you buy a pair of Vortex's you'll have them for life, the customer service and warranty are second to none. I've had a pair of vipers for quite some time and they are tremendous.

 

[morgaj1]

I'm going to go against the grain a little bit.

I've compared SLCs with Zeiss Conquest, Maven B2, Leica Trinovid, Nikon Monarch HG and some others that I wasn't as impressed with. I just can't see the difference that warrants the extra 500-600 bucks between the Swaros and the others. It's not that the SLC's aren't fantastic, because they are, but the others in that class are also very, very good binoculars. I do see a bigger difference on the ELs, but then you're talking about 2.5-3X the price.

To me, the difference between 500 and 1000 dollar binos is gigantic, but once you get above that you start paying a lot of money for a little bit of gains. I just don't see the difference in binos on very top of the line versus next tier down like I do on spotting scopes. It feels to me like there's an exponential rate at which objective lense grows, and glass quality becomes more important.

Disclaimer: I absolutely believe different optics look different to each person's eyes, and it's very possible that for whatever reason the difference isn't noticeable to me but it is to others. Just giving a different perspective, and pointing out that it's probably worth it to get a comparison lined up to see what you enjoy most.

What binos do you recommend?

 

[Valley1320]

If you’re spending $1000ish, save the extra for the SLCs....

I got lucky and found a pair of SLCs for $1000. Now jus waiting for them to get here

 

[slamdmini]

thank you again guys. im in so cal (dont hate on me too much) so i dont have anyplace that carries good binos around me. so trying them in person is not possible. so i have to rely on others experiences

 

[Guest member 25165]

I agree with what Randy11 said. I went from Vipers to Meopta and have no desire to upgrade. For me personally, there is no way I would spend that kind of cash on somebody else's recommendation sight unseen. Plus, what would you be comparing it to? I paid around 800 for my meoptas. Had I gone with Swarovski EL's, I may not have been able to purchase my fishing kayak or a new gun. Don't let others determine what you want or what you need unless they are footing the bill.

 

[schmalts]

In the list you posted I would say the BX5 or the Meostars

 

[MarylandBeagler]

I have a pair of Vortex Razor HD 12x50’s and I absolutely love them.

-Z

 

[cwitherow]

You could always use an app called Qapital. You can set rules for rounding up purchases and it puts it into the account. Slowly save money and you won’t even notice it. This is what I do when I want to make a big purchase. I use the round up +$1 and the 52 week rule. Then when I have enough money to purchase what I want, I just transfer the money into my main account and buy it. Just an option if you don’t need the binos right at this exact moment.

This is exactly how I have worked out saving up for bigger ticket items. Keeps me from spending money I don't have, while giving me time to do the proper research.

 

[TWC]

I have the Zeiss Conquest HDs. Very good glass and great at low light.

 

[The Lame Trapper]

I vote Vortex, slot of bang for your buck.

 

[footingit]

This thread was helpful for me looking to upgrade my binos. Thanks all! Just to throw my advice in for anyone stumbling across this in the future. Note, I am not a high end optics connoisseur, I haven’t looked through any high-end optics extensively and haven’t looked through Swaros or top-end Zeiss/Leica. But I like to think I’m a pretty discerning buyer in general.

I went to Cabelas to look through a few, I thought the Zeiss Conquest 10x42 looked sharper and brighter than the Vortex Razor 10x42. I also compared the Zeiss to the Leica Trinovid. They seemed to be very similar optically, but I liked the feel of the Zeiss a bit better. I was able to get a demo pair of the Conquests on EuroOptic for $750 so I went that route.

I decided to try the Maven demo program too, checked out the C1 8x42 and B2s 9x45. The C1s had a narrow field of view and felt a bit cheap, but the clarity was good especially at the edge of the FOV and for the price. The B2s were really nice, very clear and bright and sharper at the edges than the Conquests. I liked their view the most of anything I tried, I just decided they would be too large and heavy for most of my hunting, I do a lot of hiking on public land in WI.

I couldn’t get a great comparison on the low-light performance of all the different options since I don’t have a tripod to mount them to. The Maven B2s did seem to be the brightest at low light, but I was still able to make out patterns on the bark of the trees in my yard well past shooting light with both Mavens and the Conquests.