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Need HELP choosing Binoculars......

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nickmyron View Drop Down
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    Posted: December/05/2004 at 19:32
I am looking to get a new set of Binoculars, I will be using them for hunting (deer, elk, coyotes, etc.). The terrain I hunt varies alot, everything from thick timber w/clear cuts to wide open prairie land (a average distance range of 25 yrds to 2000+ yards).

Right now I have a crappy pair of compact 8x Nikon's, and they just suck. I have looked through a pair of my hunting buddys Wind River Mesa 8x42 and I was amazed, I couldnt believe how much better they were then mine, I also looked through another pair of Wind River Cascade (8x42) and they were amazing also.

I have been telling myself that I am going to get a new pair for myself for about 3 years but never have but now I am going to, I just need some advice on what to get.

I am looking to spend between $200-$250, I want a 10x binocular, size isnt a big factor but I would like them to wiegh at most around 30 oz.

This is about as much as I know, I have been researching but am getting a little confused, I was just hoping a few of you could give me some advice on what is good and what I should get.
I know that any pair of glasses is going to be a huge difference then what I have now, but I would like to get a pair that is the best bang for my buck.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick~
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ranburr View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ranburr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/05/2004 at 20:44

Glad to see you made it over here.  As I said before, I would look at the Bushnell Legends and I would take a look at some of the Steiners on the sample list.  You will see a link to the sample list on this site.  It is essentially made up of customer trade-ins, factory demos, and refurbished optics.  You can find some really good deals on it. 

 

ranburr

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nickmyron View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nickmyron Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/05/2004 at 21:26

I was doing some research and I found a post on a different forum where a guy found a pair of Rugged Exposure 10x42 roof prism binoculars for $60 he said he was AMAZED on how good these binoculars were, heres a quote:

 

"Inspired by my recent purchase last Saturday of a pair of Rugged Exposure (rebranded Barska) 10X42 waterproof chinese roof prism binoculars (they STILL continue to amaze me with their excellent optical quality and $60 price tag!), I decided to run around and see what else was available in the "cheap" end of the price range that might be half decent. I went to 4 retailers, and after over 5 hours of careful, objective examination of close to 50 low-cost models, I am here to report that absolutely ZERO binoculars I examined came anywhere NEAR the image and build quality of the Rugged Exposure 10x42's. I halfway expected as much, they seemed like just too good a binocular to be true... so after testing I promptly drove to the sporting goods store I purchased my first pair from and purchased a backup pair, their last available unit - the display model."


 

AND

 

In response to a post with a link to the same binoculars just a different armor:

"Other than the rubber armoring, which is completely different and of a different color, these look almost identical to the Rugged Exposure (rebranded Barska) 10x42 binoculars I just purchased two days ago. All of these 10X42 BAK4 waterproof chinese binoculars are probably coming out of the same factory in China, and they are EXCELLENT binoculars for the price. Clean, bright image and wide field of view, nice ergonomics and low weight. I paid $60 U.S. for mine, and feel VERY, VERY good about the purchase. My only complaint is that the blackening paint they use on the internal surfaces is not a true matte, it has a slight amount of gloss to it which makes the binoculars glare and wash out a bit when viewing objects in the same general direction as the sun. However, I will happily live with that small flaw considering how excellent the rest of the binocular's design, manufacturing quality, and price is. The image quality is truly phenomenal considering the Chinese origin - I would say the image quality is equivalent to the Pentax SP series, with approximately the same amount of CA and the same sharpness and contrast across the field of view. Ergonomically, the diopter adjust is very stiff and won't jar out of adjustment accidentally, and the eyecups are twist-out type that lock positively. The focus wheel is as good as any high-end binoculars I have tried, if a bit on the slow side. The objective and eyepiece lens cap covers are pure crap, but they at least fit tightly and shouldn't be needed if the binoculars are kept in their supplied nylon bag. Overall, these binoculars are truly an unbeatable value in their price range."


 

AND

 

"There is a factory somewhere in China that is making GREAT 10x42 optics with one tiny flaw (the slight gloss to the internal blackening paint) and selling them for next to nothing. They are re-branding them and putting custom armor on for whoever wants to go into the cheap binocular business, and apparently doing pretty well at it - even Celestron is buying from them."

 

 

SO hearing this got me curious to see if anyone else has any experience with these? I think that I am going to buy these just because of how inexpensive they are and of the good review they got by this guy.....

 

Here is the links to the binoculars, all have the same "insides" just different ouside armor:

 

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard -item.jhtml?id=0022060711806a&navAction=push&navCoun t=3&indexId=cat20752&podId=0022060&catalogCode=X E&parentId=cat20752&parentType=index&rid=&_D ARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml.1_ A&_DAV=search&hasJS=true

 

http://www.dhinds.co.uk/pages/fullProd.php?id=241

 

http://www.moosegear.com/detail.asp?PID=18138

 

http://thehuntersmall.com/babiatwa10.html

 

Nick~



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ranburr View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ranburr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/05/2004 at 21:35

I have yet to see a descent pair of optics come out of China.

 

ranburr

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lucznik View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucznik Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/09/2004 at 01:01

I have owned a Rugged Exposure 10X42 binocular before. At the time I had basically no money and they seemed like a pretty good deal in the store. I was quickly disappointed. It wasn't the brightness that was lacking, but the resolving capability.  I just could never see really fine detail through them.  They very quickly went onto a shelf where they stayed for a long time until I finally got rid of them in a yard sale.  The guy saying they are similar to the Pentax DCF SP offerings is completely off his rocker. If you've got 200-250 to spend then you should look at the Bushnell Legends. You can even get Porro Prism Legends which will save you $$ and still give you superb optical performance. 

What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?
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