Good morning Gentleman. Thank you for the PM. My apologies for not posting sooner but my life has beenreally hectic lately. I am about to head back to work with my full time job and things can get pretty confusing.
For those of you that do not know me, my name is Frank and I live in east central Pennsylvania. I bowhunt almost exclusively now though I plan on heading out a bit this year with my oldest to do a little dove and goose hunting also. Speaking of which, I am the proud father of two little boys, Logan - 6 and Aiden - 2. Both love deer and deer hunting. I took Logan out for the first time last year and he was pumped when I took a doe out of one of our blinds on our third trip. He is hooked. I am married to a very understanding wife who definitely puts up with much more than I expect her too. Yes, I am lucky in that regard.
My primary job is working as a guidance counselor for one of the local school districts and I did have a second job working at one of the local pro shops. Sadly, this past June the pro shop went out of business. Now I am just enjoying the extra time with my family. I am really looking forward to this season and am very proud to be on the team with you guys. Here is to winning this flippin' contest this season!
So, I'll start off with a question. I've decided to purchase a pair of good binoculars this year. In the past I've been using a pair of Tasco 8X21's and think they lack the light gathering ability and field of view I'd like. I went today and looked at Bushnell, Simmons and Nikon 8X36, 10X36, 8X42 & 10X42. What do you guys use and what would you recommend? To me the Nikon seemed hands down better but I always appreciate other people's opinions.
Now, I may be of some help with this question as, after hunting and archery gear, optics are my favorite hobby. I have several binoculars that I use on a regular basis both for hunting and for a variety of other outdoor uses. I started out with something similar to yours many moons ago but eventually made the big step and upgraded to something better (Nikon Monarchs). That was about 6 or 7 years ago. Since then I have gone through quite a bit of glass in an effort to find something I would truly enjoy using.
To answer your question, it depends on how much you want to spend. At the $100 price point I would highly suggest the Leupold Yosemite porros...either 6x30 or 8x30. There is nothing that touches them optically at that price point plus Leupold's customer service is top notch. One week turn-around time on repairs is not unheard of. If you want to spend a bit more then both Eagle Optics and Cameralandny have a nice deal on Vortex Diamondback 8x42s in Coyote Brown for around $140. These are phase coated, waterproof roof prism bins with some very respectable specs.
At the $300 price point I would be looking at the previously mentioned Nikon Monarchs, Bushnell Legends, Vortex Furys and a whole host of other roof prism glass from Pentax, Burris, Leupold and Cabelas. I do not know if you are wanting to spend more than that so I will leave it at that.
...and, if you are remotely interested I am going to be putting a pair of 8x30 Zeiss Conquests up on Ebay shortly for right around $300. I only mention this because of the original question.
Hope this proves helpful and I am really looking forward to chattin' with you guys as the season gets closer.