Todd,
Excellent review! I, too, am somewhat fascinated with binoculars and have had quite a few compact models over the years. None of which I have been particularly happy with until I picked up a pair of, guess what, Nikon Sportstar IIs this past year. They are the 8x model but I am still very impressed with their image clarity, color and overall brightness levels. I have been using them on the 3D course specifically.
I have read alot about the Venturer models since visiting
www.betterviewdesired.com. I think one of the reasons they aren't as popular as the Swaros, Leicas, Zeiss, etc... is because I have yet to see that particular product line in any of the outdoor catalogs. Pick up a Cabelas and the top end Nikon model is the Monarch ATB (which I also bought for hunting this year). Nothing about the Venturers whatsoever.
I would have also liked for you to have tried the Brunton compacts. I have a pair of 10x25 Lite tech binos that are very impressive though bulkier than most compact models. Maybe I could send them out for you to examine a bit. They do show a little wear and tear along the edges but are still in very good shape. I also see that Brunton also has a new top end binocular on the market. I believe they are the Epoch series. I think the large objective roof prism models are in the same price range as the Swaros if not a bit more but I am not sure if they offer compact models as well.
Once again, excellent review.