^^^ What Ridge Runner said. Another suggestion is to go into a gun store that sells a lot of binoculars and look through different binoculars. Figure out what level of quality works okay for you. I agree with you on full size binos. They work much better. I don't know what you consider cheap $-wise but most people find a substantial difference between the under $200 category of binos compared to the $200-$400 category. Another thought is to check with any of your buddies who are considering upgrading their binos. Maybe they will sell you a used pair to help pay for the new pair they want to buy. You could possibly borrow that pair from your buddy and test drive them in the field to see if they're going to hurt your eyes.