21 replies to this topic

[wannakillacoyote]

Ok, I know I'm gonna hear a bunch of "you get what you pay for in Optics", "you should spend as much on Glass as you do on the whole rifle", "you need to spend $300+ at least to even start".But, I'm hard headed and cheap. I have shopped around in the past for Scopes and I think I have some pretty decent Scopes especially for the prices I paid. My Scopes I have are:Simmons WTC18 (I have two of these)Simmons 44MAG Simmons WTC 3-9x40Bushnell Browning (Same as a 3200 elite)Other than the WTC 3-9x40 (works good enough for my 10/22) I think the others are pretty nice (for the money).Anyway, enough about my scopes.I have some cheap binoculars I picked up at Wal-mart for like $30 (I know they are uber-cheap) and they SUCK! I would like to get some respectable ones that won't be too painful on the wallet.Whew... that was a lot of typing for "find me some decent binos for cheap".

[moontiger]

Big 5 has some good Cheap stuff I got a set of bushnells for 25 and they work fine binoc's aern't as critical as scope glass in my opinion but i have been wrong before

[wannakillacoyote]

Big 5 has some good Cheap stuff I got a set of bushnells for 25 and they work fine binoc's aern't as critical as scope glass in my opinion but i have been wrong before

That's probably really similar to what I got at Wal-mart. Mine are Bushnells and they are just too cheap. I was trying to use them today while watching Woodog shoot his 243, but they were a bear to use. Just not bright, narrow FOV and hard to get good focus.I was thinking something decent in the $100 range?

[moontiger]

That's probably really similar to what I got at Wal-mart. Mine are Bushnells and they are just too cheap. I was trying to use them today while watching Woodog shoot his 243, but they were a bear to use. Just not bright, narrow FOV and hard to get good focus.I was thinking something decent in the $100 range?

Well there ya go sometime i get lucky i guess

[Desert Fox]

Guys, binocular are like scope. Buy the most expensive one you can afford. Trust me! been there done that. Cruise e-bay and buy a quality used binocular. They are much better than the new one you can find at Big-5 or Walmart. Better yet, get an older military binocular. Sometimes, if you get lucky, you can find one for less than 100 bucks. I have 6X32 Czeckoslovakian made military binos that I used for all around hunting that is just as clear and bright when compared with my expensive bino. I paid 60 bucks for it. For a long time, my hunting bino was the Bushnell 7X50 Featherweight that I found at a Pawnshop. I paid 70 bucks for it, if I remember correctly. It was finally sold after 15 years of service. Look for a good binos here:http://www.google.co...=...tik&spell=1

[clampdaddy]

A few years ago I picked up a pair of leupolds cheap overseas made 10 power binocs at wal-mart. They're packed away in my deer hunting gear but I think they're called "wind river" or something like that. If I remember right they set me back about 160 bucks. That's the cheapest set I've used that didn't give me the cross eyed headache that low budget binoculars are notorious for.

[204destroyer]

I bought a pair of barska binocs from sportsmans guide just to carry squirrel hunting I didnt want to carry the expensive ones on a squirrel hunt. Needless to say I was quite astounded at the quality of the Barskas, they were very clear and very easy to see through. No headaches after long use and I am still amazed at the clarity. They were 10 x 42 Barskas and they were $59.00. Not Bad for the price.

[wannakillacoyote]

Thanks for the replies guys. I think after a bunch of research I have decided on the Nikon Action 8x40 Poro Prism. They are inexpensive ($65) but get good reviews. I was looking at a couple around the $120-140 range which were the Nikon Action EX Extreme ATB and the Pentax PCF WP, but I think I'm gonna go the cheaper route for now.Nikon Poro Prism

[bzzrd feedr]

You get what you pay for with bino's. I've got bushy's, luey's, B/L, Ziess and a few others I can't think of right now. lol I finally broke down and bought a pair of Swarovski's, you can look for squirrels all day long with them with no problems like others that make you feel like your skull shrunk around your brain. They are clear and easy, once you try them you will not go back to the dark side!

[wannakillacoyote]

Hmmm so that's why I had a headache yesterday?

[zippy1970]

the best thing about the cheap ones are that when they get left behind , no loss. I finally tossed my 30.00 pair because one eye would not focus at all . bought the Nikon atb 10 x 40 porro prism . 300.00 . they are INCREDABLE to what I used to use . use them in the field and on the water . . as far as scopes go I have the low end Tasco's , Bushnell's too . but once I got my Leupold 6.5-20x vx 3 it blows them out of the water . and I got it for 325 .00 otherwise I dont think i would have ever bought it . But hey they still get the job done . But I am going to upgrade the scopes on my .308 , .22-250 . Also have a 12x Unertl that came on a gun for 400.00 . It goes back and fourth on my Bsa and Kimber Gvmnt .

[NVWalt]

Just look for a pair that has good exit pupil diameter and decent eye relief ( they kinda go hand in hand) the bigger the objective lens the more light you can gather and finally try to get some that are fully multi coated, not just coated or fully coated. You can get them in an inexpensive pair of binocs but usually you need to break that 100 dollar range to get better optics, then you get to the 300 range and then the 600- 1000+ range. But try to find a pair that above all else(in a cheap binocular) that has a good field of view from edge to edge of the objective lens. You don't want chromatic aberation when you look through them.. And unless they really are military binocs I have found that most of them from cheap to expensive don't handle being dropped and kicked around without going out of collimation.....Walt

[D-Man]

I bought my Steiner 12x40 Predator binos for $179 off of Amazon.com. Great glass for using all day long, auto focus on anything over 20 yards away, no headache, and very lightweight. Those binos have helped me spot more elk and deer then I could possibly count.Darren

[aquaelvis]

I am planning to pick up some Barskas at Big 5 soon. Great sales) I beat up my binos pretty bad so I don't want anything nice.I was thinking of these; BARSKA® 12- to 36- POWER ZOOM BINOCULARS $59.99(reg. $279.99)thru Mar 31  080323_2n3DT_41a.jpg   3.97K   49 downloads

[Shoot-it]

You get what you pay for with bino's. I've got bushy's, luey's, B/L, Ziess and a few others I can't think of right now. lol I finally broke down and bought a pair of Swarovski's, you can look for squirrels all day long with them with no problems like others that make you feel like your skull shrunk around your brain. They are clear and easy, once you try them you will not go back to the dark side!

That is what your scope is for LOL.

[wannakillacoyote]

I was thinking of these; BARSKA® 12- to 36- POWER ZOOM BINOCULARS $59.99(reg. $279.99)thru Mar 31

Wow! Those things are HUGE! I also love how Big5 always advertises there stuff that way (reg. $279.99). It makes me laugh. I am going to big5 today to look at some boots, i will look at the binos as well and report back. :)EDIT: OK, I'm back......I have to say I wasn't impressed by any of the Barka Binos they had. I looked through about five different ones. The last ones I looked through were the 12-36 you referred to above. The Field of View on those were TINY. Plus they just were not that clear. I'm no Bino expert, not by a long shot, but I know nice clear glass when I see it and these were not it. I would put all the Barka's I looked at along the same lines of what you can get at Wal-mart for $25-40.You should consider the Nikon Action in 8-40. They are only $5 more shipped to your door than the above Barska's and they have a great FOV and are really clear/bright. They also have a 25 year replacement warranty (cost you $10 to get them replaced even if you drive over them with your truck). Another inexpensive Bino to look at is the Burris 300197. My friend has a set and they were pretty nice for the cost ($54 shipped via ebay) but they only have a 1yr warranty.

[Cranky Farmer]

I've got a set of Nikon bino's with the Crooked Horn camo straps I'd part with for $100 if you're interested. They're used, but still in good condition.

[wannakillacoyote]

I've got a set of Nikon bino's with the Crooked Horn camo straps I'd part with for $100 if you're interested. They're used, but still in good condition.

Thanks for the offer Cranky, but I have decided on the Nikon Actions in 8x40. I got to look at some Nikon Actions in 7x35 today and I was impressed. I looked through some $350 Monarchs and they were a little better to my inexperienced eye's but not $290 better.I have found the Nikon 8x40's multiple places for around $65 shipped. :DNow I just need to get me some decent boots and I should be done buying stuff for at least a week or two. I saw some Rocky Outbacks today and they looked pretty nice. I'll have to get back in there and try them on.

[Hot Brass]

I bought a pair of Nikon Action 8x40`s. I love them.

[wannakillacoyote]

I got my Nikon 8x40's yesterday. Much better than the Bushnells I got at walmart. These will stay in my truck though (I'm trying to keep the stuff I take to the stand to a minimum).

[A17Shooter]

I buy cheap binocs. Most expensive ones I have cost $30. Bushnell 10 X 50 they are. I think large objective lenses that bring in a lot of light help cover many of the lens problems. Much of the time the rangefinder is my substitute for binoculars or spotting scopes. Just the way I do it. Of course about all I hunt are squeeks or prairie dogs.

[MojaveJ]

I have the Windrivers imported by Leupold and love'em.