I dont know how it happened but I have been looking for my binocs for the past month and can not find them. I had a pair of nikon monarchs 10x42s that were a great pair, I had no complaints whatsoever. I hate having to buy another pair but hunting season is coming up and binoculars are a must.

I am 100% satisfied with my nikons but that doesnt mean I shouldnt shop around for a better optic and of course an upgrade may be warranted. Trying to keep it under $400.

I need some suggestions right now Athlons and Leupold are at the top of my list. I would sure love to hear about others I should think about in that price range.

When I am stalking I do not use them. Only sitting in the stand and wildlife viewing. Should I get a 12X?? I know more isnt allways the way to go but I just dont use them for 100 yards and in much.

thanks
Big

I thought I needed more x and went with 12's.

Wrong. Got rid of them. I'm actually thinking if I ever replace the 10's that I landed on (Sig Kilo's 1000 RF) I'd like to have 8x. I go from bino's to my rilfe to kill what I've found. Having acquired the live target on 10x, sometimes it's difficult to recognize the field of view going from 10 x to maybe 3-6 on my scope. If I'm shooting at something way out there it's not as much of a problem.

In your price range, I once had some Vortex Diamond Backs that for the $ were great and about $200.00.

Don't feel like the lone ranger. I have been searching for my 10 x 42 range finding binos for the last month also.

I've got two identical Buck knives, can only locate one currently. Finally found the missing (backup) mag for my CTR the other day. Lost two handguns once for nearly 5 years, thought a hired hand had stolen them. Found them in the bag they were supposed to be in but my wife had moved it to a different closet behind some of her stuff. Got a long list of other items too.

I run 11x45 as my all purpose since 2013. For how and where I hunt I see no point in any thing less the 10x. Note that all bino’s even at same mag are not equal in FOV.

For your budget I’d look at Maven, Tract, GPO

another pair of Nikons. They are great for the price, same with bushnells. Both have long eye relief too.

Might take a look at the Kowa’s from Cameraland

I’ve had those same Nikons for many many years and love them for what I need. Tried to find another pair to upgrade my wife’s but couldn’t find any so I went with Leupolds (on sale) and she’s happy with them.

I’d look at Meopta in that price range. I haven’t looked through the new Optikas but I mostly use my Meopros when hunting. Optika replaced the Meopro line.

Check out VORTEX they have a good selection and lifetime warranty. Since most of my hunting is done from a blind , I have used 12X50 for several years, having switched from Nikon. I dropped a pair while riding in my UTV busted the seal which caused a chromatic glow. They were 8 years old and VORTEX replaced them with a new pair and included a carrying case!

Well guys I still cant find them so it is getting to that point. After looking around I have decided that a pair of rangefinding binoculars is what I need now. I hate having to bring my golf rangefinder everytime I go hunting. Rangefinding binocs are way over my budget but sometimes you have to buy once and cry once. I see a few pair for $800. The Burris and Vortex. It looks like I will go with the Burris at this point. I am not bowhunter so I dont need the rangefinder. I have heard the optical quality is not as good on rangefinding binos but I have never owned a pair of swarovskis so I doubt it will make much difference to me.

It just seems like a good upgrade from my 1st pair of decent binocs.

Later
Big

Don't rule out Sig Kilos. My range finder is spot on, and clarity is very good. No problem picking out mule deer at 1,000 yards in heavy cover and brush that they otherwise are lost in. It's all relative to price, like most things. There is better but I've used mine three years now and have zero complaints. They get a lot of hard use.

I keep seeing on youtube where the clarity of the sigs are not that great. I will definitely look in to them. Thanks

I hear that as well from a few on this forum but definitely not my experience at all. Mine are very clear. A lot of hunters have looked through them as well and comment on the clarity. There may have been a generation that had a tinted coating that is no longer made. As mentioned, you can find better but just compare price. I think mine were close to $1000.00 and in my budget. The range feature is what mattered most to me.

Well I'll say it, avoid the lower end Vortex products. Yes , they have a great warranty and you will use it.
Look into Maven as well.
10x is all you need.

I agree with Wytex 100%. At first and last light, I am a firm believer in German glass. I would kick your budget up and double it and get a pair of Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42's. It is the best money I have ever spent for hunting. Had a guide in NM on a Muley hunt this November and he could not believe the difference between his 400 dollar Vortex and my Zeiss.

My 2 cents.

I should just kick my budget up and buy some swaros but reality of course sets in. My budget is $400 and I have decided to go ahead and double my budget and as soon as midway has them back in stock I will be ordering the burris signature LRF Binocs.

I dont care for vortex products so the Fury is out.

I am sure they will work just fine and they have a lifetime no fault warranty. Cant beat that!!

Be aware that just about Any of the LRF bino’s will not be the equivalent in glass quality as a stand alone bino 1/2 to 2/3 the cost, that includes swaro

You’ll be happy with them.

Midway just raised their price back to $999 and I didnt backorder them so I missed out there, However optics planet has them for $789 now so what the heck I just ordered them. They say they are in stock but I dont trust optics planet too much on their "in stock" inventory. Sometimes they are not in stock is my experience. However, they did charge my debit card already so I may be looking good. My hunting season is about to start and I can not go without binoculars.

I will give a review of their clarity once I get them. I am sure they will be just as good as my nikon monarchs which will suffice for me. I am worried about the green color hue that some of the reviews have mentioned. But trade offs must come with cheaper optics. The no fault lifetime warranty on the optics and electronics is what has me sold along with an $800 price tag.

Later
big

I bought a new pair of Vortex Diamond Backs 10x50 last summer. They were replacing my Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 that I bought over 30 years ago. After using the Diamond Backs for a few sits, I went back to my Nikons. The Vortex binoculars were only slightly clearer if any at all, but the Nikons were much easier to find the sweet spot when adjusting to my eyes and thats what matters at the end of the day.

Everybody seems to love the Vortex warranty.

<stir>

With out Vortex’s warranty and CS nobody else would probably have the same. Love or hate vortex, they changed the game on CS and warranty.

whats neat is when you get your new ones, you will find the ones youre looking for and have two pair!

Overall I like them and they will be a nice upgrade to my hunting bag. (Burris Signature HD LRF 10x42)

I am happy with the glass however I would give the advantage to my old Nikon Monarchs in optical clarity & contrast overall. Maybe it is the green tint? I m not sure. My old Nikon Monarch barely edge out these overall. But not by much because the glass is definitely good enough for me.

Also I have not had a chance to look through them at low light just yet. The right eye optical has a green tint to it and the left eye is clear so that is different.

It has an option for an angled yardage as well as a direct line of sight which takes up a lot of space and with it on it makes it hard to see beyond it. But the rangefinder works just fine and so far I have ranged a few trees at 500 plus yards and no problems.

Pros: Glass is decent
one less thing to forget
Gotta love a rangefinder that does the math for you already on an angled shot. ( Yes I have missed before because of that)
No fault lifetime warranty was a dealmaker for me!

cons: heavy
expensive
green tint on one eye

Time will tell but this should be a nice upgrade to my bag. I love new optics!!