I've finally decided to bite the bullet and purchase a quality set of binoculars. I don't want to exceed $1,000. I will use them for whitetail and mule deer and varmints in Texas, maybe elk in Colorado. I know, generally speaking, that I would be fine with Zeiss, Swarovski, or Leica, but don't know enought to decide what's best for me. Would like input as to what the best options are in my price range. Thanks in advance.

Here are some options to consider in that price range. Minox HG's, Meopta Meostar's, Pentax ED's, Vortex Razor's, Bushnell Elite's, Kahles and Steiner Peregrine's. All of these are very close optically to the big three.

I just bought a pair of Minox HG 8.5 x 43's. They are very good optically and the weight and feel are very nice. I like the locking diopter and the multiposition eyecups. I'd by them again.

BTW: I paid $700 for them locally.

Some optic shops in the US still sell the Zeiss 10x40 BGAT classics at quite a reasonable price and these are great binos.

I hear great things about the Minox HG's, but never looked through them. I do have a pair of Meopta Meostar's in 7x42 that are not far behind the Swarovski 7x42's that I also have. The Meopta's cost about $780 IIRC. One thing about the Meopta's is, they weigh more than the advertised weight on the Meopta web site. The advertised weight is around 900 grams, and they actually weigh in at 33 ounces, same as the Swaro's weigh. But, the Meopta's are a VERY fine set of binox. IIRC also, Meopta makes glass for some of the high end binox makers.

Don

For less than a grand, I'd say take a long look at the:

- Minox HG's
- Pentax ED's
- Meopta Meostar

or maybe something from Kahles.

You can get some damn good glass for <$1000 these days, and they're about 85-90% of the performance of the "big three" for about 1/2 the price.

Nikon LX and LXL are fantastic and can be had in the $600 range.
PM me if you're interested in more details.

I just recently went through this and ended up with Kahles. To my eyes they were the best for the $ and not any better or worse than the Swaro's (same ownership I think). Spend some time looking through all of your short list, eveyone's eyes are different and what works for me may not work for you.

I just recently went throught his and ended up with Kahles. To my eyes they were the best for the $ and not any better or worse than the Swaro's (same ownership I think). Spend some time looking through all of your short list, eveyone's eyes are different and what works for me may not work for you.

Idaho...how are those Kahles treating you?

quote:

Originally posted by Clayman:
For less than a grand, I'd say take a long look at the:

- Minox HG's
- Pentax ED's
- Meopta Meostar

or maybe something from Kahles.

You can get some damn good glass for <$1000 these days, and they're about 85-90% of the performance of the "big three" for about 1/2 the price.

Looked through all four and ended up with the Pentax.

How does the Zeiss Conquest line compare to these options? I've got one Conquest scope with another one coming this week, and they are excellent for the price range they fall in, but I don't seem to hear much about the Conquest line of binoculars. I looked through a pair of Conquest 10x40 this weekend and they seemed very clear, but that was just in the store.

a little more than you want to spend but i have a pair of swarovski 10x42 slc in great condition for sale $ 1150 shipped pm or email for pics thanks joe

Thanks for the offer Coomer, but that's just a little more than I'm willing to spend.

How about a pair of Nikon Premier LX for $550 new in box with USA warranty?
Read about them here and here
No one regrets buying these.They are what replaced (displaced?) my Kahles.
I also owned a pair of Vortex Razors and ended up returning them.
I keep going back to the high end Nikons.

As has been stated, take a hard look at Kahles. I have both Swaro 8x32s and Kahles 8x42s. They are both superb, top-notch European glass, the Kahles can be had for quite a bit less than the Swaros. CDNN was running a sale on Kahles and had the 8x30s for $449 and the 8x42s for $549. I have not seen the Minox which I hear are very good but I have yet to look through any Nikon or Pentax binos that I thought could run with the high-end European glass.

Also, there are some Leica 8x32s listed in the classifieds for $775, you couldn't go wrong with those either.

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2711043/m/486105588

This is an awful lot of glass for the $$$$:

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/site.pl?page=40017

Regarding which glass is the "best", you really have to try out the various models for yourself. What one person is looking for may not suit the next - the top glasses may take top slots in different disciplines, e.g. colour rendition, resolution, FOV, weight, size etc etc.

If you pick a top glass, don't worry too much about whether a different model might have been "better". Any of the top glasses will be perfect for field use, and with good care will serve you for decades.

- mike

Just purchased a Kahles 8x42 from a gentleman on this site. Don't have them in hand yet, but I'm looking forward to trying them out. Thanks for the info and recommendations folks.