8x42 Binocular Options

[BigBL87]

So, my birthday is coming up and my wife has an aversion to buying me firearm related stuff if she can avoid it, haha. I've been looking through my Amazon wishlist, and one of the things I've thought about picking up is a pair of 8x42 binos (which are just separated enough to not be considered firearm related!).

I already own a pair of 10x42 Athlon Argos UHD's and really like them. I have a relatively wide interpupilary distance (I have a big ol' noggin and as a result my eyes sit wider apart than the average person) so my options for binos are pretty limited unfortunately, especially when it comes to low cost options.

I kind of want to get a pair of 8x42s for a couple reasons. First being my 4 year old son loves looking at stuff with the binos I bought him, and he loves it when we do it with him. Birds, squirrels, random things in the yard, whatever. Another pair would mean he could drag me AND my wife along with him so she won't miss out on the fun.

In doing that, I also want to get something useful and a pair of 8x42s both expands my capabilities and gives me a pair to lend out.

With all that said, I'm currently looking at 3 options with $150 being a slightly soft limit. Wanted to get input from anyone who had experience with them...

-Leupold BX-1 McKenzies (I'd like to get the BX-2 Alpines for a little more but may be limited to these)

-Athlon Argos HDs (I like the UHDs, so stands to reason I'd probably like the HDs as well)

-Vortex Crossfire HDs (From perusing reviews, these seem to be the worst optics of the three but obviously I don't have any experience to confirm that).

I'm open to other options in the price range, these just seem to be my best bang for the buck as far as what I can try to talk the wife into spending on me.

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive got a set of those Argos HD, and they arnt as nices as my Ares but I like them.....Ive played with the crossfires and they are noticeably less impressive, havent played with the leupys

 

[jmr40]

Give these people a call. I mean physically call and talk to someone. Tell them what you want to do with them and your max budget. Listen to their advice.

Binoculars and Scopes - Camera Land NY

Plan B:

I bought a pair just like in the link below from Cameraland about 12 years ago. Retail was about $400 at the time but they had a display pair that they sold me for $250. I've been VERY pleased with them. The last time I saw some listed online they were $600. But apparently have been discontinued now. I found these on E-bay. I know there is some risk of buying from E-bay, as well as buying something discontinued. But is something to think about.

Pentax Binoculars 8x42 DCF CS Snow Water Proof | eBay

 

[Pete D.]

Take a look through telescopes.com. They have a broad spectrum of binoculars.

 

[BigBL87]

Thanks for the ideas so far, I should mention that while not all the ones I'm looking at retail for $150 or under, via VIP pricing or other discounts I can get them at or below $150, so that is where I'm trying to limit myself. A little over could be doable.

 

[DM~]

I've owned a set of Swarovski binos for many years, but I bought a set of Lepolds for my wife, and they are REALLY good.

I've looked through a lot of pairs of binos over the years and I'm really impressed with the Lepolds, and they were priced within your budget.

DM

 

[Bazoo]

I have a set of bx1 leupolds. Mine are 10x. Well the first pair cracked around the ocular lens. They never seen anything but shelf duty in the house. Looked one day and they’re were cracked. I sent the leupold and they were replaced no questions asked. Replaced with the new version of the same thing. I don’t trust the new ones though.

 

[LoonWulf]

I have a set of bx1 leupolds. Mine are 10x. Well the first pair cracked around the ocular lens. They never seen anything but shelf duty in the house. Looked one day and they’re were cracked. I sent the leupold and they were replaced no questions asked. Replaced with the new version of the same thing. I don’t trust the new ones though.

Were they in direct sunlight?

 

[Bazoo]

Were they in direct sunlight?

No sir. They were mostly on my entertainment center. I took them on an evening hunt a couple times setting in the back pasture, and that’s the worst temperature changes or amount of sunlight they ever seen. They were about three years old and still in like new shape. We mostly use them for bird watching. So I grabbed them one day and seen there was a cracked eye piece. I asked the wife if she knocked them off or dropped them and she hadn’t.

Both the old and the new ones are made in China, but with a full leupold warranty.

 

[BigBL87]

So, looks like I could get a pair of Vortex Diamondbacks in a similar range to the BX-2 Alpines, so that could be an option too.

Right now, though, Im leaning towards deciding between the Athlon Argos HDs or Leupold BX-2 Alpines for $40 more. I kind of like the idea of branching out to a different brand, but also really like the pair if Athlons I have.

 

[Thomasss]

Nikon Prostaff 10 x42 for $136.99 at Amazon right now. Within you budget, pretty high quality and with good warranty. I've used a pair now of almost 10 years with no complaints.

 

[LoonWulf]

No sir. They were mostly on my entertainment center. I took them on an evening hunt a couple times setting in the back pasture, and that’s the worst temperature changes or amount of sunlight they ever seen. They were about three years old and still in like new shape. We mostly use them for bird watching. So I grabbed them one day and seen there was a cracked eye piece. I asked the wife if she knocked them off or dropped them and she hadn’t.

Both the old and the new ones are made in China, but with a full leupold warranty.

Ahh well it was a thought. Ive had hard plastic fail surprisingly quickly from uv damage.

 

[JDeere]

I got a pair of the 10x BX1 Mckenzies on a Black Friday deal this past year. I used them during our deer season pretty hard and I liked them for the price. They also came with the case/harness deal which was a plus. For budget binocs they work well early and late when most needed...

 

[Axis II]

I have the Leupold and like them a lot for the price. A bit heavy but clear and built tough.

 

[doubleh]

I bough a pair of Wingspans a few years ago off Amazon. They were at a very attractive price and with free returns I didn't see any way to get burned. All I can say is I use these now and my Leupold's are in their case sitting in a closet. They are very clear and bright, easy to focus, have huge exit pupils, and don't cause me any eye strain. I have them mounted on a monopod because of my shaky hands which makes any optical devise almost unusable without support.

 

[3Crows]

Nikon:

https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-8x42-P...eywords=nikon+monarch+3&qid=1647300953&sr=8-3

3C

 

[BigBL87]

Well, ended up ordering the Leupold BX-2 Alpines with the wife's blessing, haha. Ended up running $186 with shipping and taxes directly from Leupold, so hard to beat. I like to try to branch out brand-wise when I can, so it'll be cool to own some Leupold gear.