Binoculars for hunting and scouting

[Gunnih]

Hi there,
I am looking for budget binoculars for hunting.
I'm considering few and come down to these 4:
(I have been looking for binos under $200)

○ Athlon Neos G2 HD 8x42 ($113)
○ Carson VP 8x42 ($145)
○ Wingspan Phoenix Ultra HD 8X42 ($180)
○ Wingspan Optics Skyview Ultra HD 8X42 ($180)

If there is some binos you would consider instead I would be grateful for that.
Must be crystal clear and sharp.
Water and fogproof

 

[Mike Matteson]

Speed the money and get a good set of binoculars something like 10 x 50 with a tri-pod mounting attachment. That way you can sit down and glass with the binoculars are being held stationary and move with the handle to move the bino. Individual eye set up. If you hunting with somebody else and you find a animal bedded down you can fix the bin on that position. Then you can tell the other person where it's at and not loose the spot. When I was young I could walk all over the mountains, and kick all the game out of there. Learn to get a good spot and glass the mountains until I spotted game then set up to stock that animal or let it stay in place. You are looking for a needle on whole mountain and the better the glass the easier to see the animal. Above 10 power get a little hard to steady hand holding. Generally you will see more game by getting a spot sit down and glass than bounding over the ground. Let the glass do the walking.

 

[jdavistx]

Hi there,
I am looking for budget binoculars for hunting.
I'm considering few and come down to these 4:
(I have been looking for binos under $200)

○ Athlon Neos G2 HD 8x42 ($113)
○ Carson VP 8x42 ($145)
○ Wingspan Phoenix Ultra HD 8X42 ($180)
○ Wingspan Optics Skyview Ultra HD 8X42 ($180)

If there is some binos you would consider instead I would be grateful for that.
Must be crystal clear and sharp.
Water and fogproof

About 25 years ago, I went through a few pair of inexpensive (cheap) binoculars. My buddy had a pair of Zeiss. I couldn't see much and it seemed he saw everything. One time, I lost a seal which screwed up a hunt. Frustrated, I tossed them out. You will not get "crystal clear and sharp" for under $200. Sorry for being blunt.

I dug deep and purchased Zeiss 10x40 B's ($1,000). They held up beautifully over many years and are still worth over $500 on eBay. (Hint, look there to reduce the sticker shock and you might find a gem.) Since then I have purchased a couple of spotting scopes and tripods but my 10x40's are the first thing in my pack. Buy quality and they may last a lifetime.

I agree with everything Mike said.... spend time glassing on quality optics and your success rate will go up. You will spook fewer animals and not even see the ones that sneak away.

How much did you spend on your scope? Same story. It's normal to spend as much or more on optics (scope, binos, etc.) then the gun itself. But that's another discussion.

 

[338 dude]

Hi there,
I am looking for budget binoculars for hunting.
I'm considering few and come down to these 4:
(I have been looking for binos under $200)

○ Athlon Neos G2 HD 8x42 ($113)
○ Carson VP 8x42 ($145)
○ Wingspan Phoenix Ultra HD 8X42 ($180)
○ Wingspan Optics Skyview Ultra HD 8X42 ($180)

If there is some binos you would consider instead I would be grateful for that.
Must be crystal clear and sharp.
Water and fogproof

Lupold wind river Cascade 10 x 42But they are about $350 when I purchased them many years ago ATTACH=full]211186[/ATTACH]

 

[Barrelnut]

Try to get something in the 5~700 dollar range. Otherwise you will feel that you thru your money away on the ones you mention. Believe me, my brother does this ALL the time and I have to lend him my wife's Zeiss binos. Which always leaves me skating on thin ice.
Cheap ones have such bad optics that they strain the eyes and give you a headache.
10x binos can get a little shaky for offhand use. 8x42 is a great compromise. They will work well from the hands and tripod.

Vortex Viper HD 8x42 Review

If you're looking for the best binoculars for less than a grand, the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 should be at the top of your shortlist. These binoculars strike a...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

 

[asd9055]

Try to get something in the 5~700 dollar range. Otherwise you will feel that you thru your money away on the ones you mention. Believe me, my brother does this ALL the time and I have to lend him my wife's Zeiss binos. Which always leaves me skating on thin ice.
Cheap ones have such bad optics that they strain the eyes and give you a headache.
10x binos can get a little shaky for offhand use. 8x42 is a great compromise. They will work well from the hands and tripod.

Vortex Viper HD 8x42 Review

If you're looking for the best binoculars for less than a grand, the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 should be at the top of your shortlist. These binoculars strike a...

www.outdoorgearlab.com

Bought the Votex HD...$700, then I looked through Leica. Night and day, I would rather save and buy the Leica.

 

[Barrelnut]

Bought the Votex HD...$700, then I looked through Leica. Night and day, I would rather save and buy the Leica.

Sure but Licas are about 1K and up. A long way above the OPs price point.

 

[asd9055]

Sure but Licas are about 1K and up. A long way above the OPs price point.

Yep! I have Tascos, Bushnells and Vortex HD. Vortex are better of those three. Also four times the price of the Bushnells I Have. I just wished I had saved my money. You can NOT buy good binos for $200. My opinion!

 

[jdavistx]

Sure but Licas are about 1K and up. A long way above the OPs price point.

We're already 3-4X. Let's spend the OP's money!

 

[asd9055]

I guess buy what you can afford, didn't know any of the brands he mentioned. Just don't go on an expensive hunt with them, and hopefully you spend more on the scope. Trust me, I have been there.

 

[LkHntr]

You really should check these out, Alpen just came out with a whole new line of binos-scopes very low prices an up:,-) I've looked through most of them and the Teton model is Very Good !!

 

[asd9055]

They are still beyond his price range. How do they compare with Vortex Razor HD?

 

[Gunnih]

I believe you don't have to pay a lot for good glass scope.
I am by no means a snob when it comes to brands in optic or other things and don't consider myself a professional in this, but I did graduated from photography school so I know the difference between good and bad glass, I've had both expensive and cheap glass on my camera and both work really, really great. If the item works, great!
I've been hunting for the last 20 years but never had binos, strange yes I know.
I have Vortex Viper 6.5-20x50 ($500-ish) on my .308 Rem700 which is really bright and sharp scope in my opinion,
then I was looking for cheaper scope for my .223 Ruger M77 and came across Chinese scope, the Discovery vt-t 6-24x50 ffp($240).
This Chinese scope is incredible! I cannot see any difference between these two in brightness and sharpness. For a ffp scope this is a joke price. It holds zero well, turrets are audible and good, nothing wrong with it.
So yes, I truly think you can get good scope for less money.

 

[asd9055]

We were talking for about binoculars.
I made many trips to China and picked up a few scopes. They are fine for a while, and then they start shifting. They have different QC in place when they are made for a certain brand.
Not a snob, but I wasted a lot of money on junk.