8x42 or 10x42 binos for all around deer hunting

Whats best for all around bino magnification, 8x42 or 10x42, and any specific brand or type better for $100-150 pair?

I know this don't answer your question. But on.a whim I bought some binos from.harbor freight 10x50. They were 25 bucks. I've been.pretty happy with them. Will just leave them.in.the blind instead of lugging around.

A lot depends on where you are and how you are hunting. From a blind, walking, stalking, still hunting or glassing to find a deer. I prefer 10x42 for dual use-glass long distances and then blind hunting for better magnification. Some people have issues holding a 10x42 steady when glassing far distances or in windy conditions, I just try to rest them on something to help keep them steady. Blind hunting with them is not an issue. I bought a pair of 10x42 Redfield on sale last year to keep in the pickup or in the house to use when needed and I am pleased with them. For serious hunting and to keep eye fatigue down when glassing all day I use a pair of Leica Geovid 10x42. The more you use your glass the more I would spend on them. I have a pair of Nikon 10x42 that only lasted me about 3 yrs of off season use before they had scratched lenses and lost some clarity. Might check into Vortex line in your price range also.

Vortex discontinued the older style of Diamondback earlier in the year. I got a pair of 10x50 for around $120 I think. You may still be able to find them for a good deal somewhere. I plan on using those in a stand this year. I agree with stxranchman that higher magnification is a plus when you can rest them on something like the stand window sill. IF you are walk hunting a lot maybe the 8x would be easier to keep steady.

I live in n.e.tx and have never carried any binos if i hade a scoped rifle with me but if i did i carry my nikon 8 power binos. dont need any moe magnifcation.

Ive always used 10x50's. Mostly blind hunting, they work for me and I'm probably not picky enough to want anything else.

I have been happy with Nikons.

Like stx said, it kind of depends what kind of hunting your doing. I used to hunt with some older 8x32s just because that's all I had. Now if I'm sitting in a stand I have some Nikon 10x42 which are plenty for me. I used them on the DIY elk trip in Colorado last year and didn't feel I was underglassed.

If I'm walk hunting here in TX, I just use the 8x32 just because they don't weigh very much.

Roll-Tide, that's funny, i bought the very same at Harbor Freight about 2 years back, they held up for 2 years, and then somehow one day had the double vision, without alcohol in play... i just chunked them.... was good for a cheap pair, but make sure to baby them, don't knock them around much, my 2 cents...

Thanks boys on the other tips, I may just jump on the 10X42, in case i'm in a situation, where i'm having to scout a long distance as well.... i hear ya on keeping the larger glass steady.... I like the Redfield brand and the US Camel brand looks pretty good quality for the price as well on Amazon. I will say i checked some Bushnell out vs Nikon at Gander Mountain, and have to say the Bushnell sucked compared to the brighter views with Nikon. The Nikon Prostaff 7's were excellent i must say.... for the $$$$, so may be tempted that direction.

I can say one thing great about the Nikon Warranty as I had a 15x45 spotter and 10x42 monarch binos both get blurry along with lens scratches about 6-7 yrs ago. I shipped them both back to see if they could find out why they both were blurry/not clear and told them I had made the small scratches on the lenses. The sent me a brand new spotter and binos. For everyday use the quality was not what I needed. Look at the warranty on them and what it covers. I like the new "no questions asked" warranty that is starting to be the trend by a few companies.

The Nikon Warranty is hard to beat. I sent them a new scope we were having a problem with, immediately they sent another new scope.

Along the lines of stxranchman's comments, when I lived/hunted in the midwest, most of the hunting was done in heavier timber. Ranges were limited and the light was lower than out in the fields. I used 8x32's or 8x42's there. Back home in Texas, or out west in the mountain country, the 8's just didn't give me enough magnification to see what was what and I moved to the 10x40/10x42's.
I tried something with more magnification (12's and even 15's) but the only time I could use them was in a stand where I could brace them on something.
Binoculars in the x50 range are usually too large or too heavy for walking around use and the last one's I had had been relegated to truck use or stand use only.
I finally broke down and bought a pair of Zeiss. (cry once)I also have a pair of Leica's that I got on a 'steal' of 'only' $800 way back when.
If you can find a pair of the Brunton Epoch model for around $500, you'll get a binocular that's in the Conquest-level of optics. Stxranchman said it right - the more you use your binoculars, the more you should pay for them.

I've been really happy w my vortex diamondback 8X42s. The 10x42 or 10x50s are more difficult to hold steady for sure like others have mentioned. The 8x42s have better light gathering which was what i wanted for scoping out those early morning deer.

Vortex has a great warranty too, great value for the price.

For the money, it's pretty hard to beat Nikon optics. I have Swarvoski and Zeiss already, but the prices have gone from expensive to rediculous, so now I'm just buying Nikon. I feel that you generally get what you pay for in optics, and if you travel to hunt in areas where it's legal to shoot any time in the morning or evening, that extra light gathering ability in the higher end optics is worth the cost. I honestly can't tell the difference between Nikon, Swarvoski and Zeiss at first light.

Having said all that, I prefer as much magnification as I can carry. 10x is the minimum that I would ever own. My next pair of binoculars will be 12x. If you are just sitting in a blind and hunting over an open field, then you might have a little more light through 8x then 10x, but in every side by side comparison that I've done, I never noticed more light through the same brand of binoculars, but I could tell the difference in higher magnification.

10x40s......