Entry/Mid range Binoculars

[tim629]

Sell me on what binoculars I should be buying.

Going moose hunting in newfoundland and I figure it would be a good idea to have a decent pair of glass. I put a leupold vx freedom on the rifle and i'm satisfied with the clarity of the glass, went into bass pro today to compare the Leupold BX-2 alpine, and the vortex diamondback hd but the people behind the counter couldn't be bothered even with their check-in system so i'm going to rely on you guys and another forum and roll the dice.

Hoping to stay under $300, i'm thinking a simple 10x42 but if you talk me into something else i'm game

 

[toad face]

Probably the vortex, maybe check out something from bushnell too.

 

[jimh406]

Nikon Monarch 7 10x42 if you can find them. Check on eBay for used.

 

[Hams42]

I will upgrade one day if I stop putting my all my money towards guns. But I have used vortex crossfire for 16 years. I have had to cash in the warranty twice but I would say $130 well spent. I will upgrade to Sig image stabilizing binos next.

 

[MThuntr]

I'd probably consider the Athlon Cronus 10x42. I've found them to be quite nice for a lot of what I need. They are a bit heavy but not rangefinding binos heavy

 

[Forkyfinder]

Youd be money ahead to buy used.

Id sell you some japan made 10x42 vipers for 300 shipped.

 

[typhoon916]

I've always been a vortex guy but does anybody have info about endurance lineup from hawke . My current pair r the viper 10x42 binos and the gen1 razor spotter 20x60x85

 

[yakimanoob]

Used from a brand with a bulletproof warranty. 100%.

Wouldn't shock me to see a pair of BX-4 Pro guide 10x42s on ebay for $300. I think I paid $350 for mine. Insane quality for the money.

Vortex obviously has the same quality of warranty and I've heard good things about Athlon as well.

 

[YellowCreek]

I had vortex razor hd’s. Had to return them twice for warranty, the roof prism broke on them! I went with Swarovski NL. Check out Nikon, zeiss, leupold for lower price binos. Nikon makes a good product for a good price

 

[TN2shot07]

I wouldn’t hesitate on those vipers listed above or bx4’s if you can find a pair in your price range. I’ll also throw in maven c series. You should be able to find some in that $350 range, especially if you hunt around on RS

 

[Sheltowee]

The Vipers are all you need and more for hunting big woods in the northeast.

 

[406dn]

I don't know if pawn shops are as ubiquitous as they are in Montana, but I've gotten top shelf glass, for far less than the retail price. The Leica binoculars and the Swarovski spotting scope, were as new.

Most of the time, the stuff in a pawn shop is junk, but there are exceptions.

 

[Hams42]

Sportsmans Warehouse is having a 15% off all Vortex right now if you go that route.

 

[Nuts]

IMO you cant go wrong with either Vortex or Athlon. As I have likely said before. I have had the expensive glass. I took them 1 time to Alaska. Only used them 1 time. I personally didn't see a huge difference between the Athlon/Vortex and the much more expensive ones in binoculars. It was not low light I am sure that could have made a difference. I am brutal on equipment. Not careless. I just hunt hard and the environment is tough. Caps get lost a lot. Dirt and rain non stop. I don't overly stress about Vortex and Athlon. The good ones I did. So they now stay home. Glassing for hours I just never saw that much of a difference. On the spotting scope is a different story