10X Bino Shopping Advice

[wilkup]

I'm having trouble finding/deciding on a new set of glasses for hunting and was hoping to get some advice.
I was seriously considering the Zeiss Conquest HDs, but the eye up problem just bothers me too much when considering how much buy-in is for them.
I'd prefer to stay in the <$1000 range. I plan to hunt with them in harness as well as off tripod.
I believe I've crossed the Zeiss off my list at this point.
I've read a lot of very positive information on several birding forums about how excellent/affordable the Pentax ED optics are, along with Vortex's Viper HD and Razor HD, Nikon Monarch 7...
If the Pentax is as awesome as I've read, I may pick up the ZD 10x50 ED as that'd be perfect.
Should I be considering anything that will surpass my current interests within this price range?
If I could afford the higher end glass, I'd own the Swaros but I can't justify that sort of money on binos.

 

[Rick Richard]

Meopta. As good as any bino that I have used or own including Swaro.

 

[wilkup]

Meopta. As good as any bino that I have used or own including Swaro.

MeoPro HD or MeoStar B1 HD

 

[Epee]

Khales

 

[wilkup]

Khales

Do you own these? What has your experience been with these compared any others you may have used/owned?

 

[wilkup]

Anything else I should consider besides:

Kahles
Meopta
Pentax
Vortex
Nikon

Of these options, which do you feel are the best value for under $1000?

I liked the reviews I read on the Kahles, especially reading how favorably they compared to the Swaro SLCs!

 

[Epee]

Yes I own the 10X42 Kahles. I have an old pair of Swarovski 8X30 which I love, but wanted a little more power. The Kahles are every bit as good to my eyes as the Swarovski, and my hunting partner uses Swarovski 10X42, I forget the model and he feels he should have bought the Kahles.

 

[ohiohunter]

The best way to really compare apples to apples is to view a chart. I was at sportsmans warehouse looking at the razors compared to the swaros. Upon first impression I couldn't see the difference then the salesman pointed out the chart. It was then clear that the Swaros had slightly better resolution, but IMO not enough difference to justify over 2x the Razors. So I bought some razors online for less than $1k.

Everyone can "think" one is better than the other, but until you have empirical data all you have are mere opinions. Side by side comparison or a very detailed article depicting why one set edges out another. Birdwatcher's reviews are pretty reliable.

 

[Garycrow]

For $1000 I'd be looking at some sort of used Alpha's. Used swarovksi's, Kahles, Leica's and Zeiss can be found in that range. Meopta Meostar HD 10x42's go for around $1200 but if you catch a sale you can get them under $1K. The cabela's instinct euro HD's are the same binocular and you can often find a cabela's sale to get them under that range.

To be honest, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on vortex, pentax, or nikon. Even if they were as good as the alphas the resale value on them is a lot less. Buy a used pair of swarovski's for $1K and five years from now you'll be able to sell them for what you paid. You're not going to do that with vortex.

 

[ohiohunter]

I've yet to find a ridiculously cheap pair of Razors, trust me I've looked. So I have no idea what "re-sale" value you are referencing. Perhaps you are talking about vortex vipers and lower. IMO the vipers are a waste of $.

Pentax or nikon, no thanks. I've heard vortex CS is far easier to deal w/ than swaros, and free compared to stories I've read.

 

[Rich Coyle]

wilkup,

You might give Alpen a look. I have 10X50's and love 'em. I think they run under $500.

 

[wilkup]

To be honest, I wouldn't spend that kind of money on vortex, pentax, or nikon. Even if they were as good as the alphas the resale value on them is a lot less. Buy a used pair of swarovski's for $1K and five years from now you'll be able to sell them for what you paid.

I had this exact dilemma with my rifle scope. I purchased the Monarch 7 2.5-10x50, which is an amazing scope, but found a good deal on a SHV 3-10x42. The SHV is not as nice in my opinion, but in the interest of planning ahead, should I resell down the road, I swapped the Nikon out for the NF.
I like the Kahles binos for the price and am leaning towards them, verses other brands which may or may not surpass them in quality, for the same reasons I changed out my scope.

 

[wilkup]

I know this isn't a 10x but it's a lot of the same models I'm looking at...

Chart of High-end Binoculars, 2012, by Michael and Diane Porter

Here's the full article:
Best of the Best Binoculars Review 2012 - by Michael and Diane Porter

 

[wilkup]

wilkup,

You might give Alpen a look. I have 10X50's and love 'em. I think they run under $500.

Checked out some reviews on the Rainier HD ED 10x42. Seems like a slick set of optics for the money. Found them for $999. I wish I knew how they stacked up against the Kahles but it appears they're almost as good as the Zeiss optically and superior in most other ways, if the 10s perform as good as the 8s. It's nice to know the Meoptas aren't even close to the Zeiss and Alpen offerings and I will steer clear of them.

Any opinions/experience on the Alpens? Their warranty looks to be equivalent to the Vortex deal and would be nice to have.

Still feel the Kahles calling my name for resell purposes and I can find some pretty good deals on them when I look.