Originally Posted by
Murdy
Thanks all.
"The big names in optics are becoming less and less relevant as more companies are offering a good product, good warranties, and competitive prices. Six months ago nobody knew who Bresser was, now we're having trouble keeping the Everest binoculars in stock because they're so popular."
That's an interesting observation. Hopefully the competition leads to falling prices -- the Bruntons I've seen were in the Vortex HD to Razor price range. Makes it hard on the consumer to keep up though, and I'm sure some unscrupulous companies would not be above taking advantage of the confusion.
No doubt. I've really been trying to cut through a lot of the noise in the optics market in the last few months - not just to be better informed, but to be able to pass good info on to customers and members here. I've managed to uncover a lot of companies flying under the radar. Bresser stands out because we took a chance with them and they have started building a following.
I spoke to somebody at Brunton about their optics, and we may be getting some units in for evaluation. Just looking at the designs of some of their binocular lines, I can see definite similarities with Vortex. I think (don't quote me on this) that they do source their product from the same manufacturers as Vortex and Zen-Ray. That's not a bad thing - both of those companies offer great product that's made overseas, and Zen-Ray has made a lot of people in the birdwatching community very happy. Those guys can be hard to please, but that's because they know more about optics than most people, myself included! Some of the bino threads on birdforum make my head hurt.
I look at it this way: If you are going to buy a pair of binoculars that is made in the same factory with the same glass and a comparable warranty, do you want to pay double the price for the name that's on the box? A lot of guys do, and that's why the alpha-glass manufacturers still thriving. Others are looking for a deal and there's lots to choose from. I certainly don't need to be able to count the feathers on a bird or the hairs on a whitetail at 200 yards - a clear image and good warranty goes a long way for me personally.
As far as falling prices, we're definitely seeing that. Two or three years ago you just didn't see ED glass in binoculars under $500 or so. Now you can get quality ED optics at half that price with good warranties. And every company I've partnered with in the last several months has a good track record of customer service as well, which is a big consideration. Celestron, Bresser, Minox, they've all been excellent companies to work with and my customers have had nothing but good things to say.
I'd love to see all this stuff made in the USA, but this is a reality of an interconnected world and free trade.