Binoculars?? Good value for money

Firthy

Active Member
Right people I would love to get some Swarovski binoculars as really happy with my scope but unfortunately out of price range at present.
can anyone recommend a cheap good value for money set? Does anyone on here use brunton Echo? Look fairly decent in camo for about 150 quid.
 
Opticron. .. . .not very well known in the deer stalking world, but highly thought of by the bird watching fraternity. I have had a pair for the best part of eight years and rate them highly.
They were recently serviced by opticron and have been returned as good as new.
 
minox. i have had two pairs of 8x 40 for a while now and they perform as well as the leica or swaro ones i had before. Unlike other cheaper binos, the image does not deteriorate over time and performs well in low light. Lots of members here will agree.
 
minox. i have had two pairs of 8x 40 for a while now and they perform as well as the leica or swaro ones i had before. Unlike other cheaper binos, the image does not deteriorate over time and performs well in low light. Lots of members here will agree.

+1 Minox are huge value for money
 
I used to have a pair of the mini Brunton 8x21 shirt pocket binoculars. The only bad thing was that after 18 years the belt strap on the carry pouch failed and I lost them. Should of carried them in my shirt pocket!

There are few bad binoculars nowadays...unless your buying new below £20 of course.

I like the apparent enhanced 3D effect of porro prisms and I would recommend you checking out second hand weatherproof porros from the major camera lens makers. Nikon, Pentax and Minolta. Stein do marine models but even second hand would be over the £150 mark I think.

The last pair of 8x40s I bought were £50 second hand and I find them brighter and better able to read the depth between objects than some of the roof prism Swarovskis I have looked through. Quite up with my Z4i at dawn and dusk.

A lot of the price on new Swarovskis is to pay for their excellent subsequent customer service rather than any significant improvement in the actual observable advantage over their competitors.

Alan
 
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I'm another who thinks that Minox punch above their weight and are at a pretty good place on the price/performance graph. However I do think that some other brands are now catching up using a similar marketing/selling model and so it is worth your while to look around a bit. If you have to buy online then you will not go wrong with Minox and can be confident that you will have got the most possible performance for your cash, they will be more than good enough for all your stalking requirements.
 
Firthy, if you can find a pair of minox BV 8x42 binos within your budget you'll not be disappointed. A quick look on ebay has them at £180 delivered from the UK or about £162 delivered from Germany. As everyone else has already said, they do punch well above their price weight. You do have to use the focus wheel a bit more than on other makes but you will only notice that on the first couple of stalks, after that it becomes second nature. If I recall correctly I picked mine up for less that £150 a year or so back, if you look around someone somewhere will often have a deal on them.
 
I like the apparent enhanced 3D effect of porro prisms and I would recommend you checking out second hand weatherproof porros from the major camera lens makers. Nikon, Pentax and Minolta. Stein do marine models but even second hand would be over the £150 mark I think.

The last pair of 8x40s I bought were £50 second hand and I find them brighter and better able to read the depth between objects than some of the roof prism Swarovskis I have looked through. Quite up with my Z4i at dawn and dusk. - Atlantoo


Just like with rifles, shotguns, scopes and fishing rods, you don't know enough about what you need until you have used some for a while. That is why I think you should just get a solid pair of binoculars and use them until you really think there is some value for you and your use in spending gobs more money.

I would recommend two pair: Some 8x40 or 7x50 porro prism for all around use and from a stand in dim light, and a pair of good compact binoculars for walking, stalking and day use.

I was out in the mountains yesterday, with my 8x40 Pentax WP porros to compare with my new 8x28 Vortex Diamondback. A friend had his Minox 8x43. In daylight, you could tell no difference. We could both see a deer in the woods on on a slope a mile away with all the binoculars. The Pentax had great 3D effect, and all three of them had great depth of field, so they required no fiddling with focus from 150 yards to 600 yards - perfect for hunting. The Pentax and Minox only had the edge at longer distance, after the sun had set behind a mountain. But when it is dark, you will mostly be glassing at short range.
 
i sold my swaros when i got my minox's to give you some idea of how good they are ive got a ziess 2.5-10x50 victory diavari on my stalking rifle and when the light starts to go i cant see any differnce in them right up until they both fail, if you were closer i would have gladly let you have a look at them
 
+1 on the Opticrons.
Used them for all sorts and they have been good. Climbed high seats and trees, crawled in ditches, submerged them a few times and still good.
Of all things I even tested the customer service when i inadvertently damaged them when in all of places, the bedroom. I was carrying a stack of books and put the bins on the top for safe carrying. They slipped off and landed on the carpet but on the corner of the objective lens denting the rim and chipping the glass.
One week, returned to me as good as new, warranty intact £38 charged, can't say better than that can we?
 
I have the MInox Bl 8x44 HD i paid 340 pounds for them from Sherwoods, my mate has Swaro rangefinders, we compared both pairs in low light and there was no difference in quality.
 
I would echo the advice given here, Minox, Opticron, some of the lesser known but well regarded "birding" makes are well worth a look too. However, my caveat is this. Try before you buy. Some have features which you may not get on with. I for example, cannot get on with the Minox HD. The view is superb, stunning in fact, and they are I feel great value. But the eye cups give me serious blackout issues, so I had to reluctantly return mine. So if possible try to handle a few pairs to try them and see what suits.
 
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