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Binoculars

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Well christmas time is coming and Ive decided its time to finally get a great pair of binoculars that I'll have for the rest of my life(well thats the idea anyway).

Ive never owned a "nice" pair of binocs, but think I'll get great use out of them with just about everything I do in the woods.

My one buddy has been praising "Zeiss", but like I siad I have no knowledge.

The price range is around $600.00, with the old lady and a couple other family members throwing down for my one gift that i'll actually use.

At this point I'm looking at the Zeiss Conquest 10x30's.

But Like I said I dont know shiot about binocs and would really like to hear what your guys experiences are.

Really looking forward to having a great set as I think it'll be something I use all the time, and respect all your opinions a great deal.



Thanks
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,632
234
Licking Co. Ohio
The true test for any binoculars is the low-light period just before dark....But don't judge them with parking lot lights around. I myself have a pair of Swarovski's but I basicly stole them off a guy who needed $$$$$ fast. I hear the Zeiss are good........... A place called "Optics Planet" has some good deals on Bino's....................I just got a Redfield (Leopold Brand) 20x60x60 Spotting Scope from them for 202.00 delivered to my door. Hope this Helps..............
 
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Diablo54

Senior Member
7,082
126
Outside
I was going to start a thread as well. But I have already decided what I want. Nikon Monarch. Dad has these and from what I can tell they are awesome.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
Best I can tell you is to do a side by side comparison if at all possible. I did this at Bass Pro and felt the Nikon Monarch was just about as good if not better than some of the binoculars that cost twice as much. I have used mine for road scouting and for hunting and they have been plenty impressive. I got the 8x42 Monarch ATB.
 

Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
Go somewhere and look thrugh them all. I recommend trying some image stabilization ones also. Night a nd day difference.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
what do you plan to do with the binoculars? thats an honest question because most people dont know to match the binos to what you plan on doing with them.
 
IVortex Talon HD an viper HD are both amazing glass in your price range NEW...Maybe you could find a used set of there top end glass(kaibab HD or razor HD) in that 600$ range..They cover all there optics for any reason even if your the 10th owner an you ran them over with your truck...No questions asked,no receipt needed,no fault policy....They make plenty off diff spec'ed binos in all price ranges...As mentioned above optics planet would be good to find them
 

Gordo

Senior Member
5,515
121
Athens County
Ended up with the Carl zees conquest 10x30 and am very pleased.

Can't stop looking through them. The clarity is unbelievable.

Another one of those items that I said to myself "i should have had these or something comparable a long time ago!"
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
Glad to hear you're happy! Zeiss offers many great products. My bro has a small Zeiss field set and a larger Leica set. Both are top shelf. I myself have a Steiner predator set and have been less than happy with them. Great clarity but they fog up easily and have individual focasing for each eye which is a bitch when I'm trying to score a buck in a hurry before a possible shot opt. If I were independently wealthy,swarovskis is what I'd own.Lol

I've read some great reviews on the Vortexs lately, I might be checking them out soon.
 
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Wildlife

Denny
Supporting Member
5,248
191
Ross County, Ohio
I was going to start a thread as well. But I have already decided what I want. Nikon Monarch. Dad has these and from what I can tell they are awesome.

That's what I use/have and they are pretty awesome. I would recomend them and I spent approx. $200 for them new in the realtree camo.
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,632
234
Licking Co. Ohio
Glad to hear you're happy! Zeiss offers many great products. My bro has a small Zeiss field set and a larger Leica set. Both are top shelf. I myself have a Steiner predator set and have been less than happy with them. Great clarity but they fog up easily and have individual focasing for each eye which is a bitch when I'm trying to score a buck in a hurry before a possible shot opt. If I were independently wealthy,swarovskis is what I'd own.Lol

I've read some great reviews on the Vortexs lately, I might be checking them out soon.

The small Zeiss set your Bro has is Awesome for how little they are. He had them on a job once and I was truely impressed.....and you can nearly loose them in a pocket they're so small. Top Shelf For Sure!
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,856
260
SW Ohio
The small Zeiss set your Bro has is Awesome for how little they are. He had them on a job once and I was truely impressed.....and you can nearly loose them in a pocket they're so small. Top Shelf For Sure!

Haha! Yeah, that dick takes them everywhere!lol I was amazed how much light they let in when it was getting pretty dark! His Leicas are the shit though! For what they cost they should be. Lol
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I use cheap binos. Just one of those things I can't bring myself to spend money on. I don't need to count eyelashes, just see whats there...
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
I use cheap binos. Just one of those things I can't bring myself to spend money on. I don't need to count eyelashes, just see whats there...

Same thing for me. Honestly, it's rare that I even use them while in a tree... even though I'm always wearing them. I've been using a set of Nikon Action 8x40s for the past four or five years... For only 85 bucks they've been pretty good to me.
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
I've used a set of Leupold Mesa's for the last 6 or 7 years... very compact and easy to take anywhere, as well as pretty decent clarity for the money.