BINOCULARS

amicus · July 10, 2018, 03:27:03 PM

I had a pair of Nikon Monarchs 5 I bought about 7 yrs ago because of the reviews on this site. They were great and really liked them. I would send them to Nikon for a cleaning every year, never had a problem. Except this past year. I was having problems focusing them and just thought they would need a good cleaning and or Nikon would fix them. What I got back was a brand new pair of Nikon Monarchs 7, I believe. The receipt said my old pair was not fixable. I was taken back, never did I expect Nikon to give me a new pair. Although I still like them I don't think they are as good as the Monarch 5s. Maybe my eyes are just older but I think the old monarchs were clearer.

Gilbert

BowHunterGA · July 10, 2018, 03:28:16 PM

I own a pair of Nikon Monarch 8x42s. Bought them a few years ago and they have never let me down. For the price they are hard to beat. That said I would strongly suggest looking into Maven Optics. I recently purchased a pair of 11x45 Maven B2s for a Wyoming Mule deer hunt this September and I have been getting used to them doing some scouting and such the past month or so and I really love them. So much so that I will likely buy a pair of 8x42 Mavens before next fall. They are amazing optics!

wood carver 2 · July 10, 2018, 04:33:10 PM

Thanks for the good advice. Lots to look at. I've been looking online at several makes. Now I have to get out and look through a few.
Dave.

amicus · July 10, 2018, 04:48:12 PM

Quote from: wood carver 2 on July 10, 2018, 04:33:10 PM
Thanks for the good advice. Lots to look at. I've been looking online at several makes. Now I have to get out and look through a few.
Dave.

That's the best way to pic optics

sneakybow · July 10, 2018, 05:03:14 PM

Another one in your price range to consider would be the Hawke Frontier ED, in either 8x42 or 10x42. I've carried a set for the past 5 or 6 seasons, finally stepped up and bought some Swarovski SLCs. I'm set for the rest of my life as long as I don't lose them. For the money though, those Hawkes served me well.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

curlis · July 10, 2018, 08:32:47 PM

I have a pair of Polarus 8x42 bird watching binoculars that are fantastic! I believe they were somewhere around $125.
Would highly recommend them.

johnnyk71 · July 10, 2018, 11:19:10 PM

recently bought a pair of Nikon ProStaff 7S.

price was well under $200 and they are quite good.

Ray Hammond · July 11, 2018, 02:26:07 PM

if you are hunting in thick cover, rather than large open expanses like out on the tundra then consider a 6x like Leupold Yosemite. They're quicker pointing, and the ratio between the two lenses is around 5 to 1 which in plain speak is about all the light the human eye can deal with anyway.

In the south we have very little open ground and a 6x pair of anything will work better in my opinion. If you are going out west, all that others have shared above does apply.

boomer453 · July 15, 2018, 01:18:11 PM

If your patient you can find great deals. Took about 2 months of looking but ended up getting a pair of 8x leica trinovids of ebay for $350. Also got a pair of 10x minox for $275.
Good glass does make a difference.

Tatonka777 · July 15, 2018, 04:44:58 PM

These are the best value going in binos that I have found. Search the internet for reviews, there are a ton. There is a fair amount of disbelief over how good they can be; I have a pair and they are that good......

https://www.opticsplanet.com/sightron-sii-blue-sky-8x32-binoculars-rubber-armored.html

actionjackson22 · July 15, 2018, 11:08:55 PM

I'm going to jump in with leupold Yosemites I had a pair and they were really nice I gave them away as a gift thinking I could buy better and after low end vortex, Nikon, weaver and bushnell i haven't found any better. I will say I'm not knocking those brands because I have never spent over $150 on binos. So that's the low end of those companies and those Yosemites were just great.