ladies and gents,

as of right now, my highest end bino's are leupold wind river cascades 10x42. $350 or so. it is time for an upgrade for out west hunting.

i have spent time at the SHOT show playing with the high end minox, zeiss, leica, swaro, vortex, etc...
and in the indoors, they all look awesome through my eyes.

i dont mind a 10x42mm pair of binos, but i would rather have a 12x pair.

i have run across the leica duovid 8+12x42mm and the 10+15x50mm, which may work pretty well for the lower magnifications when i'm glassing, and the ability to go higher when i'm sitting with them on a tripod.

there's also the built in rangefinder options that look really handy.

so after all that... for those of you that have had the good fortune to own and use a bunch of these higher end glasses in actual hunting situations, can i go wrong with any of them? or is there really a noticeable difference in say leica/swaro/minox? arent' they all made in the same town basically? which i would also assume trading engineers and such as people move around a bit for salary increases.

this is a big investment for me and i will likely only make it once, a high end spotter will have to come later. right now i'm happy with my minox spotter i picked up at cameraland.

any tips and real world experience comparisons would be greatly appreciated.

thank you.

Hi Cooperjd,

Well, I have looked through the Leica Duovids, but I don´t feel that a bino, offering 2 different magnitudes could give a perfect Image. The perfect and crisp clear Image is the Thing I personaly looking for mainly.
I have ended with a Swarovski EL 8,5x42 Swarovision (hunting in the forrest mainly and during nighttimes - and this bino is more then perfect for this.

Oh and yes: there are big differences even in the highest class, but to find out You Need lot´s of time to compare them directly in various Situation.

What realy impresses me with the Swarovski EL Swarovision binos is the crisp clear Image, which is without any unsharpness till the rim! It´is realy impressive if You look through those: perfect! Compared to Leica Ultravid: the Ultravid have colour Fading and not that sharp, compared to Zeiss: the Zeiss has unsharpness to the rim!

If You realy like a 12x there are not much to choose from, but there is the EL 12x50

http://titanium-gunworks.de/sw...x50-swarovision.html

But if You could "agree" with 10x magnifition: it depends if You Need good light gathering for night hunting or not. If You don´t: I would definetly go with the lightweight EL 10x32 Swarovision:

http://titanium-gunworks.de/sw...x32-swarovision.html



and if You are looking for the all-around versatile and night hunting - You probably end up with the EL 8,5x42 Swarovision.

Try them and I promisse You: You won´t regret it!!!

OK, their Price may shock you first, but they are worth each penny!

Klaus

thanks Klaus,

if it helps, my main reasons for the purchase are long glassing sessions looking for mule deer and elk in the rockies. so color and clarity are a must when trying to pick out a bedded mule deer in the shade.

I bought Leica 10x binos. Expensive and worth every cent! I wish I could have bought them years ago. I bet I spent as much on the Leicas as I spent on cheap binos through the years. I believe the upper end binos will last a lot longer. Pick the one that looks best to your eyes and enjoy.

Luckily in this day and age, you don't have to spend huge $$$$ for great binos. Even though I currently primarily use Swaro SLC HD's in 10x42, a Meopta HD, Gold Ring HD, Conquest HD, Pentax ED, or Vortex Razor will do everything my SLC's will do. I've seen these I mentioned in the field, as I own the GR's, and have had over 100 hunters show up in camp with the others I mentioned. I'm lucky in that I see most all the good stuff. I absolutely would not buy a 2nd hand Leica, as the warranty is not transferrable, a laughable company policy considering they want a premium for their glass. The mid priced stuff I listed is outstanding IMO.

Anyone have a view on high end minox - apo series?

Thanks,

Mike

I don't think you can go wrong with the better grades of Leica, Swaro, or Zeiss.
I have had Swaro 10X32s and have used them for 7-8 years now. They are used for all kinds of hunting, from prairie dogs to cape buffalo, and rifle and archery. They are bright, clear and light. They are the last binos I will ever buy.

I would definetly go with the EL 10x32 Swarovision !!! Especially as those are very lightweight and You could hold them Long times in front of your face for glassing the area - which You won´t do that Long with higher weight. Just if light gathering is a Problem, I would go with a bigger objective Diameter...

If You don´t mention weight and size and still prefer 12x power: go with the EL 12x50 ...

quote:

Originally posted by cooperjd:
thanks Klaus,

if it helps, my main reasons for the purchase are long glassing sessions looking for mule deer and elk in the rockies. so color and clarity are a must when trying to pick out a bedded mule deer in the shade.

I have more that a fair amount of experience with different types of binoculars. In tests we conducted several years ago, dozens of "observers" determined that humans just can't hold binoculars with magnification greater than 10X still enough to benefit from the extra magnification. The only suitable way we could find to use greater magnification binoculars was from a rest or with the advantage of a sophisticated internal image stabilization system.

There are some very nice high end binoculars in 10X. The 50mm units tend to be heavy, large, and unwieldy for extended viewing. That is why the 10x42 models are so popular. I seldom use 10x42 binoculars while moving, relying most of the time on 8x32 or the 8x30mm monocular side of a Swarovski range finder. For me, the 10x42 is great for long, stationary sessions spent scanning ridges, hillsides, and valleys.

There are those who say buying top end units is money poorly spent because lower grade units can do the same work. Frankly, they are wrong. Many times I have observed distant and close objects with different binoculars, alternating between them as the sun set. The lower grade units lose definition and black out first, followed by the mid-grade units. The Leicas and Swarovskis always darkened last and many is the moonlit night I have watched deer, coyotes, and porcupines with my personal Leica 10x42 Ultravid HDs. When it comes to glass, you get what you pay for.

My personal preference is for a bino with a power of 8x. I do a lot of walking/stalking, and I can hold a pair of 8x steady enough with one hand.

One day I spent several hours checking out binos, and I did like the Leica 8x/12x binos.
They are not 8 to 12, but either 8 or 12x.

They were very clear, however I liked the 8x Leicas with the built in rangefinder best.

The advantage of having the built in rangefinder was just too handy to pass up, and their glass was first rate.

I have used them quite a bit and really like them.

Cooper,

I've been in that dilemma - the end result for me was a long, long and expensive journey (*that I do not regret one bit I might add!).

Minox HG 8.5-43's (were "replaced" by...)
Leica 10x42 UVid HD's (were augmented by...)
Minox HG 8x33's (*which my wife decided were hers...resulting in...)
Zeiss Victory FL 8x32's (*which were augmented by...)
Zeiss Victory FL 10x32's.

Right, a whole lot of overlap there...no question.

I LOVE the Leica 10x42 glass. It's flat out amazing and the best of the bunch. It's also that 10x42's are heavy. I wore them around my neck in Africa for 10 days and by the end of the trip whenever I went out for a stalk I was swapping them for my the 8x33 Minox's my wife had adopted. I LOVE the glass, HATE the weight.

The Minox 8x33's are good - the Zeiss 8x32 FL's are better. More importantly they worked the best for me as a glasses wearer. The Zeiss have the longest eye relief.

But I found that the 8x was just a hair lacking for power - and that resulted in the 10x32 Zeiss FL's. I just used them for four days on a Mountain Goat hunt and they were outstanding. I could carry them all day and never feel the weight.

My take is this: if weight is an issue, go a bit smaller. I think, for me, the 10x32's really hit the sweetspot for me.

PS: My "final lesson" in all this was...invest in the BINO's first...no point in investing in scopes if you can't ID the game animals first. IMO, top of the line bino's are FAR more important than top of the line scopes for normal (400 yards or less) hunting conditions.

Thank you for all of your responses.

what i am taking away from all this is yes: spend the money and shop for leica/swaro/zeiss high end.

10x42 will probably be my best bet. weight isn't too much of an issue for me, but if one of those pair are significantly lighter, they may get the nod.

i will be moving to colorado in about a year and hunting in the mountains for mule deer, elk, and any other tags i can draw. i should be going on a high country mule deer hunt in nw wyoming next year as well.

i want the ability to glass long distances, for long times, using a tripod if i'm sitting. i want glass that performs well in low light.

from my research and your input it seems that the higher end glass has less edge distortion and better light gathering capabilities, which can make the difference in picking up an antler in oakbrush of a bedded buck or not.

a couple years ago on my first mulie hunt in sw colorado i was staring at a buck for 10 minutes, but i didnt know it until he finally stood up out of his bed. we watched him go into a small patch of trees, so knew where he was, but i just could not see him with my $300 glass, at 425 yards away. this is the problem i want to remedy with high end glass.

rnovi, i agree on the scopes as well. i have nikon buckmasters, monarch, leupold vx2, and a couple minox za3 and za5 scopes. those are plenty good for me to shoot 400 yards or so with, and i have no reason to extend beyond that range at the moment, and prefer to keep it to half that. so right now, the extra money will go into quality binos. thank goodness the little lady is a camera nut, and understands that good glass costs good money

i guess its time to start saving my pennies.

thank you all for your information, it was very helpful.
John

May I suggest that if you are hunting in rough terrain and the elements that you consider more than just "viewing" through your binocs.
1) Find one with hydrophobic coatings on the lenses; Zeiss, Leica, Bushnell (I Know, I know).
2) Find one with a focus wheel that is pretty tough to turn. You do not focus that often when hunting unlike birders that are alway adjusting their focus. Wheels that are easy to turn are always finding their way out of focus.
3) I have owned about all the top end brands. They all stand behind their product but that does you little good when you are in the sticks.
I have found Leica the most durable.
4) Try and take the competing brands out at dawn and dusk and check theit ability to differentiate gray scales. After the sun goes down, color does not play into the equation. Being able to differentiate gray scales is all togther different and all coatings are not the same.
5) Scratch resistant lens coatings (Leica/ Leupold)
6) GO LIGHT if you are in the mountains!

Now if any of these manufacturers would go back to basics and build a "hunting" binocular I would buy a pair tomorrow but first they would have to get rid of these twist out eye pieces (POS) that can get filled with grime or freezing ice and cease to function and just go back to a good soft silicine rubber eye piece that could be replaced for $10.00 if it tore.
Get rid of the center focus and use individual focusing that seldom gets moved and the field of view is far greater, increasing you near and far focus anyway.
This would cut cost, weight and increase duability.
Steiner had it right as well as Fujinon who make military type binocs from a field perspective.

EZ

I have several glasses by the big names but if I were starting over for the money I would buy Zeiss Conquest HD glasses. Half the price of the top end stuff with quality as good as you will ever need. Lifetime warranty to boot. Check out the Camera Land demo list.

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
Check out the Camera Land demo list.

Oh heavens YES. Those guys have earned far, far too much of my money to comment further.

Coop,

A mentor told me once, "Buy the best optics you can afford." I have collected quite a few over the years.

The Els were my first purchase and I loved them. They are outstanding glass. I traded them in when the Leica rangefinders came out. Those had a great range finding function on merely average optics. Something called spheratic aberration, or fuzzy edges, are not what you want on top end optics.

Those Leicas were traded last year for Swaro's new rangefinding ELs. Excellent optics, but a clunky rangefinder. They do not range under 30 meters (bowhunting out), and they make an audible, mechanical click when the range is found. I sold them after one season.

I sold the Swaro rangefinders to buy the new Leica rangefinders. They are SWEEET. Superior optics, the best range finder. Check those out if you get a chance. World class euipment right there.

While hunting mule deer in AZ last year, my guides had Swaro 15x56s on tripods. Amazing. They routinely spotted and pointed out deer I couldn't find with the 10 power. Until I looked through their 15s. Now I own a pair of those as well.

So now I have a few pairs of high end optics. For hiking hunts where range is not a big factor, think Africa, I use the EL 8x32s. For mountain hunts, the rangefinding Leicas. For desert hunts or where glassing from fixed locations, the 15x56s are the right tool.

When you make your decision, know you can't go wrong buying any of the top end glass. Pick the one you like best, and have fun using them.

Good luck

Celestron, although not widely regarded as a top end product do have a new series called Granite and you have a 10 or 12 x 50 models available. I did a show recently, an indoor 3D bow event and had all of my samples on display. I met a fella with a pair of 12x Swaro's around his neck and wanted to compare them to my sample. He took them around the course for a good 30 minutes then came back and asked how much these retail for and I told him, in the $699 range. He was surprised that they were that inexpensive. I have Leica Geovids myself and they are a fine bino. There are other products in the market place that offer excellent value for the money and acceptable viewing pleasure. FS

What Jack said. I would only add that if you do any glassing from a boat or moving vehicle a 7x50 is tough to beat.

I will put in a nod for Kahles; Great Austrian glass, fairly priced (try Eagle Optics) and not marketed heavily in the US, so no $$ spent on big name 'spokesmen' whom we all end up paying for... Very poular among European hunters. I have several and am fully pleased with every one...

I have a Kahles 8x32 and it's one of my favourite binocular.....great glass and overall quality with 30 year warranty ! I highly recommend it.

While I still have the Hensoldt Nacht Dialyt 8X56's since the 1960's I find them second fiddle to the smaller yet more powerful Leupold 7X to 12X Switch Power 32mm binoculars.

The Leupolds are superb for scanning at 7X and superior for seeing "what is it" at their 12X setting.

12X is steady for me. It's not too much for me.

I don't think you will get much noticeable improvement going from one 10X fairly good glass to a premium 10X. It might feel good in a snobby way but in real practical performance no.
At the rate of change in fine optics that snobby feeling you get will soon go away as your prize glasses are superceded by a later desing that is a nano bit brighter and sharper.

You can see deer at over a mile with a good 7X glass. 10X glasses are NEVER as bright and they do not have a wide field of view of view so they are like trying to spot deer looking through a pipe.

The best thing you can do rather than listen to specific recommendations that may not be backed up with reasonable experience or in the field comparisons is to compare glasses yourself.

Take a good set of 7X, 8X, and 10X out in the field where deer move in brown dead grass and in trees that create shadows. View across the path of sun light, with the sun behind you and into a sun that is dropping below the horizon.

View the deer at ranges from 200 yards to at least a half a mile or more. Switch all glasses in all conditions. You may wind up preferring even a 7X or 8X because of the extra brightness in failing light and because of the wide field of view in the 7X.

Just remember this. When you are hunting you are hunting. You have to find the deer with the glasses. A 10X field of view does not help you hunt as well as a 7X. The 10X will not be as good in lower light conditions.

Anything can see a deer in bright light. Make sure your glasses are comfortable to carry, handle and see through.

Look here www.egun.de under "Jagdzubehor" and then go to "Fernglaser" Search for Optolyth and wait for the magnification you want. They are 95% of Zeiss at 50% the price if new and 20% if used...you won't regret it.

I carry a pair of 8x40 Optolyth when I'm stalking or glassing...they are scary sharp for the money.

Select your optic based on YOUR eyesight and not others! For me almost any binocular will work. In some specific place one is a little better than the other. However if you don't have it with you it's no good at all.

Really big, heavy optics are just not there! For just in the front seat of your vehicle a heavy optic might be optimum. When it's around my neck near the top of a hill a heavy one gets left behind.

Those Hensoldt's I got 50 years ago for a discount price were/are heavy and therefore not there some of the time. At least I can brag about them!

I just got a new Nikon zoom binocular. While they are not expensive the field is too small.

I use the Leu. Switch Power 7-12X all of the time.

The Hensoldt's are on the right with some ordinary binocs.

sr4759 you make a very good point. if the 8x pair is better in low light i can see more game, and i'll have my spotting scope to zoom in to see exactly what it is.

i thought i had it narrowed down to lieca, zeiss, or swaro 10x42's, now i'm confused again!

i have looked through all the high end glass i could get my hands on at the SHOT show. but it was all indoors, and it all looked incredible to me. i dont know how i can get my hands on several brands and actually take them outside and use them. i dont know people around here that have them, as i dont live out west yet, right now i'm stuck just outside of DC.

looks like camerland may have a huge zeiss sale going on 9/30, i'll call in and see what they have to offer, just to check out the options.

thanks for all the good info, this may be the best thread i've ever posted and gotten so many good responses and learned a lot.

John,

You might want to call Alex at EuroOptic.com. A true optics expert and gentleman. I bought over a dozen optics from him, and will continue to do so.

Alex normally beats all the retailer's prices, and might have some gently used optics for sale.

Again, good luck and have fun!

quote:

Originally posted by SR4759:
I don't think you will get much noticeable improvement going from one 10X fairly good glass to a premium 10X. It might feel good in a snobby way but in real practical performance no.
At the rate of change in fine optics that snobby feeling you get will soon go away as your prize glasses are superceded by a later desing that is a nano bit brighter and sharper.

Physics has nothing to do with a "snobby feeling".

Good binoculars can have as many as 16 lenses in them. Each lens has two surfaces. As light moves from air to glass, some gets reflected. About 5% of light moving through the surface of untreated glass will be reflected and only about 95% will be transmitted through each surface. To reduce the amount of light reflected (lost) lenses are coated. A single coating can reduce reflection to a couple of percent. However, multiple coatings using different coating materials can reduce reflection to as little as 0.25%. The light lost is cumulative. If .5% of the light is reflected through the first lens then only 99.5% of the light enters the second lens where .5% of the light is reflected and so on. After twelve to 16 lenses the losses adds up. Coating more lenses costs more money. Using multiple coatings costs money. High quality coatings applied evenly and properly cost money. The more coatings, and the more technically advanced the coating materials, the higher the cost. The end result is that you not only have to spend more to get the best glass but you have to spend more to get the best glass with the best coatings. You might not see the difference in looking through various pairs of binoculars at a distant object on a bright day. But, if you wait until the light is almost gone, the difference between binoculars that transmit 95% of the available light and binoculars that transmit 87% of the available light is easily seen.

Then there is collimation to consider. Simply put, collimation is the process that makes makes each side of the binocular line up with the other. If it is not perfect, and the magnification is low, then your eyes will adjust. But using your eyes to correct for poor collimation over long sessions of glassing will result in eye strain and can even cause headaches. Proper collimation takes precise instrumentation and adjustment. Then it takes solid construction to keep the binoculars from getting out of collimation. Cheaper binoculars are not as well collimated as more expensive binoculars and the best binoculars are precisely collimated and use robust construction to hold their collimation under extreme use.

People will often say spend as much as you can on good optics. This is because, in general, better optics cost more and the best optics cost the most. I spent a couple of decades getting great use out of an old set of Bushnell 7x35mm binoculars. I just didn't realize the difference really good optics can make. Once I did, I moved on to much better units. There is nothing "snobby" about it.

I'll also suggest the swaro SV 10x42's. I've gone through my fair share of binos from the big 3 and came to rest at the SV's. Amazing view put together by a very supportive company.

I quickly became a HUGE fan of Swarovski. The cost of great glass becomes evident in low light. You'll wonder why you didn't just pay the price to begin with. Not only is the glass great but if you ever need any kind of service, Swarovski customer service is the VERY best I've ever experienced.

My own binocular journey:

8x30 Canon water proof roof prisms
7x42 Swarovski SLC
8x30 Steiner military marines (shit)
10x50 Nikon porro prisms (actually not bad)
8.5x42 EL Swarovski better but needed more magnification
10x50 Swarovski SLC
8x56 Swarovski SLC
25x80 Steiner Senators (complete shit)

Then we had a two new babies and most of the above sold for more than I paid on ebay.

Still have the 10x50 Nikons and the 8x30 Canon WPs.

I want 3 more pairs to bring me back up to speed.

Leica or Zeiss 10x50 or 10x50 with a range finder
Zeiss 20x60 Image Stabilized
Leica, Zeiss or Swarovski (maybe Meinox or Optolyth) in 8x56 or 9x63 for hunting in a high seat.

I had forgot,

I have had 2 pairs of Burris 10x50 signatures, both sucked.

a thread like this is one of my favorite things about the internet. the ability to reach out and learn from others with real world experience and get valuable opinions and insights.

i am sure i'm not the only one learning a few things from this thread, thank you to all that contributed.

after a lot of soul searching, and wallet searching, i ended up giving doug at cameraland a call and after talking with him a while, i ended up with a pair of leica ultravid hd 10x42 binos. they are amazing! i've been playing around with them in very low light and to me its like having night vision binos.

ive sold a ton of archery stuff and clothing to help pay for the new purchase, and i couldnt be happier.

thank you again for all the help, i can't wait to get out west next year and scan the rockies for a big bedded mulie.

quote:

Originally posted by cooperjd:
...they are amazing! i've been playing around with them in very low light and to me its like having night vision binos.

And now you SEE the difference!

Another vote for the Swaro EL 10x42

Years ago in government applications just about all optical equipment was Bausch & Lomb. This would include the equipment used by optometrist and the binoculars used on ships and in the field. Reason was very simple. The government would put out a contract with ridgid specifications and Bausch & Lomb was about the only company that could meet the specs. They had the top engineers and made a quality product. Many sets of 7x50's that were used on ships survived World war 2 and are still around---tough as a Mac truck. Old enough to draw social security but still as bright and sharp as when new. They are bulky, but the 7x35 Bausch & Lomb Zephyrs are just as tough. I have compared the two at night and a cow with their big pupils might be able to detect a difference---but I can't. Maybe there is no snob appeal to a set of used binos but I guess pre 64 Winchesters have no snob appeal either. You could possibly go to garage sales for years and never see a set of these, but the internet has changed that. Go to EBAY and you wont have to look too long to find a good buy---the key is make sure they were made in Rochester, NY. The newer overseas made stuff doesn't measure up. Now I'll admit I've only had mine about 43 years so I can't attest to how well they hold up. I'll admit when I watch ants at 1000 yards I can't tell if the bread crumbs they are eating are whole wheat or white bread --maybe with $$$$ binos it could be ascertained---but couldn't be proven as the evidence is gone by the time you get there. The $$$$ binos might have a difference that a precision machine could detect--but probably not a human. Sorta like getting shocked-was it 110 volt, 112 or 114? Take a meter to know. Regardless which ones you get, I find the shoulder straps to be a must have item. Even light binos with a neck strap will start cutting in. The shoulder harness keeps the binos comfortably to your chest and the weight is distributed over your shoulders--a HUGE difference in my books. Spotting scopes, same same. The Bausch & Lomb Rochester NY made spotting scopes were bulky--but very clear and Mac truck tuff. These too can be found on EBAY. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Two years ago I was in the same boat as you. I was preparing for a Brown Bear hunt and wanted a new pair of Swarovskis (I own three), but I wants the SLC as I have borrowed them from friends while in camp.

I went to Cabelas in Hamburg, PA dead set on getting the SLCs. For shits and giggles, the sales person told me to take a look at Cabela's one Euro HD binoculars - they were half the price of the SLCs.

I spent the better part of an hour going back and forth between the SLCs and the Euro HDs looking at all of the mounts across the store trying to see a difference between the two pairs. I honestly couldn't notice a difference to justify spending double for a pair of Nocs that did the same thing. I asked the sales associate to sell me on the SLCs.

His three main points were:

1. Weight, the SLCs were lighter is the hands as they use some type of carbon composite for the frame.

2. SLCs had better light gathering in low light, but "not that much."

3. If you are a bird watcher, you can see a difference in the vibrant colors on birds.

Well, I'm not too much of a prude when it comes to seeing the difference in shades of the same color, so I spent $1000 instead of $2000+ on the Cabelas Euro HD glasses. I don't regret my decision and worked well in Alaska and other hunts ever since!

Nitro is on the money. I've spent several hours over the past couple of days doing side by side comparisons between my SLC HD, and Meopta HD, both in 10x42. My conclusion is much like his. They are both very sharp..I can tell no difference. This concluded by having them stacked and mounted on a tripod. The SLC is very, very slightly brighter, but the Meopta has better contrast, making the colors more vibrant.....they really pop. Resolution is the same between the two. I'd give a slight edge in ergonomics to the SLC, but I'd bet the house the Meopta is tougher and better built. All of this for a bino that is 1/2 the cost of the Swaro. The 8x32 Cabelas Euro HD is a killer glass too.

After years of buying and selling I ended up with these binoculars.
Top row from left:
Zeiss Conquest 10x30. (made in Hungary by Zeiss)
This is my walkabout scopes that usually have their place in the truck.

Zeiss Conquest HD Lotutec 8x42. My new favorite scopes for all round big game hunting.
Used them this fall up north hunting moose in severe weather.
Came out with flying colours!

Steiner Safari 9x40. Hangs around in the house for general use, ok binos but I don´t like the Autofocus.

Bottom:
Leica Trinovid 8x42 . Built like a tank, heavy and very clear and crisp.
Retired to bird watching.
Exellent binos.

Zeiss Victory FL Lotutec. My high seat / night hunting binos.
Big and heavy, used only for stand hunting for deer and boars in low light conditions (legal where I live).

I believe in top end optics, but my aging eyes also need the edge these binos give me.
As a young mad I used whatever the hardware store had on sale, but not any longer.

Should I pick just one it would be the new Conquest HD.
Top binos for a reasonable price!

About Eurooptics and Alex Roy, a true gentleman and I have bought a lot of stuff from him.