Binocular Suggestions

[bbcoach]

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Your in Luck and anyone else that is interested.  Bushnell Legend Ultra HD are the best for the money right now.  They are crystal clear, gather light very well at dawn and dusk and have the Rainguard coating on the lenses that prevents fogging.  I just bought a pair of camo 10X42's at B&H Photo for $219.95 and Bushnell has a $100 mail in rebate on these binos until 11/16/14.  There is also a 100% Buy Back Guarantee on these if your not completely satisfied.  I have a pair of the older Legends that I've had for years so it was a NO Brainer to get a pair of these for $119 after the rebate.  Check them out, You won't be disappointed!

[land cruiser]

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With optics you get exactly what you pay for.  Buy the best you can afford. 

[Tail Feathers]

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Your in Luck and anyone else that is interested.  Bushnell Legend Ultra HD are the best for the money right now.  They are crystal clear, gather light very well at dawn and dusk and have the Rainguard coating on the lenses that prevents fogging.  I just bought a pair of camo 10X42's at B&H Photo for $219.95 and Bushnell has a $100 mail in rebate on these binos until 11/16/14.  There is also a 100% Buy Back Guarantee on these if your not completely satisfied.  I have a pair of the older Legends that I've had for years so it was a NO Brainer to get a pair of these for $119 after the rebate.  Check them out, You won't be disappointed!

Hard to beat that offer.  My Legend 8X32's are still like new after 9 or 10 years.  Certainly deserves strong consideration from all but the serious western hunters I would think. 

[Gooserbat]

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In the $500 range I'd go with Vortex, But if you want premium then buy Sworovski and never look back. 

[30_06]

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I use binos a ton, and did well for years with some 10x42 Leupold Cascades. I have since purchased a pair of swarovskis. They are a much better binocular.
I heard for years to buy the best you can afford, so I did. Just wish I could have afforded better sooner.

[land cruiser]

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You can't buy a new pair of eyes, no matter how much money you got.  Save up and buy the best, your eyes will thank you. 

[pappy]

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I have Nikon 8x40 Action VII Binoculars 7262 and The Steiner Predator Pro 8x22 they both manufacture a great reliable and affordable nocs, my choice would be the Steiners as they weigh 10 oz. and fit in my turkey vest. They both are crystal clear and fog proofed and bot work excellent in early morning conditions and at dawn or dusk situations.

[drenalinld]

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Highest rated bino under $600! They are very good!

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=762754&gclid=CN7Azpya1cECFYLyMgodthIABw&is=USA&Q=&A=details

[Redfish]

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I handled a hunting buddy's Swarovski 8x32 el today and of you can swing it they are amazing. I stand by my Vortex Vipers for the $500-600 range but if I had the coin I loved those Swarovskis.

[neal]

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Swarovski is the only way to roll. I've spent way to much money to learn that lesson the hard way. I own a 10x42 slc bought a pair for my daughter and a 8x30 set for my wife. Best investment I've ever made. I popped the seal on on side of the tube on mine belly crawling on a turkey 2 years ago took them to a sporting goods store (not the one I bought them at) they sent them in and in a few weeks I had them back good as new and it didn't cost me a dime! Customer service at it's best and that is part of what you're paying for as well. Nice to know I'll never have to buy another pair again.

[tree-rat sniper]

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I love my Steiner Safaris 8x30 with auto-focus.

[GobbleNut]

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A major point to be made in this discussion is that regardless of how much money you spend on your binoculars, their cost will not make up for poor glassing technique in their use.  A guy with a good pair of inexpensive binoculars (yes, there are some of those out there) that knows how to use them will see more game than the guy that has the high-collar pair but doesn't have good glassing technique. 

[land cruiser]

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A major point to be made in this discussion is that regardless of how much money you spend on your binoculars, their cost will not make up for poor glassing technique in their use.  A guy with a good pair of inexpensive binoculars (yes, there are some of those out there) that knows how to use them will see more game than the guy that has the high-collar pair but doesn't have good glassing technique.

I would argue that a guy with good glass will come in top regardless.  Good technique is worthless when your binos give you an excruciating headache. 

[GobbleNut]

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A major point to be made in this discussion is that regardless of how much money you spend on your binoculars, their cost will not make up for poor glassing technique in their use.  A guy with a good pair of inexpensive binoculars (yes, there are some of those out there) that knows how to use them will see more game than the guy that has the high-collar pair but doesn't have good glassing technique.

I would argue that a guy with good glass will come in top regardless.  Good technique is worthless when your binos give you an excruciating headache.

Although we are getting off-topic a bit, this is a good issue to explore further. 

I agree that anyone that gets headaches or eye-strain when using their binoculars for any length of time should look into what is causing that.  It could be because they are using a poor binocular,...or because they do not know how to adjust their binoculars properly so that they are in focus,...or they might have underlying vision problems that need attention. 

As one who has hunted all kinds of big game in the west under all sorts of conditions,...and has either hunted with, or guided, lots of hunters with varying skills, I can say unequivocally that the skill level of the bino user is the most critical factor in their value to the hunter.  I can't tell you how many times I have set next to a guy with $1,000 + pairs of binoculars and watched them overlook game that I picked out with my $250 Leupolds.  In fact, I still often intentionally wait, after spotting game, to see if the guy I am hunting with will spot the animals.  I have never seen a correlation between the cost of the optics a guy uses and his ability to spot game animals.

In fact, in many instances after spotting game animals, I have asked to look through the high-dollar bino's of the guy next to me to see if I could see the game better with his glass.  I cannot remember one case where the difference was noticeable.

Now, I am not saying any of this to discourage anyone that wants to from buying the best they can afford.  What I am saying is that anyone that thinks that paying more dollars for their binoculars will magically make them see more game animals, regardless of technique, will probably be disappointed when the guy sitting next to them that knows how to glass sees the same, or more, game with their $250-$400 pair of binos.  ...And they will really be questioning their purchase when they look through the other guys $250 pair and find that they can see the animals just as well as with their $2,500 pair!

I see it like buying a pair of blue jeans.  The $10 pair will probably perform as well as the $100 pair,...unless you are trying to make a fashion statement.

[drenalinld]

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There is a huge difference between enjoying the view and searching for game. Some people are more focused on task by nature. Some learn it. I have a friend who can pick out bands on goose legs and evaluate turkey spurs much better than me and he is using horrible $80 optics I cannot see through.
Top end are better but several mid range options are very good. I stand by statement that the Vanguard Endeavor is very very good.