I recently bought a pair of the Weaver Grand Slams in 8.5x45... and I have been VERY pleased with them. Unforfunately I can't compare them to any of the high end stuff... as I've never owned or used them in the field. My guess is... they would compare pretty well.

What attracted me to them is they won the NRA Best New Gear Introduced in 2002 award in the Optics category. I haven't regretted my purchase one bit. The extra half of power over a standard 8x is nice... as is the extra 3mm over a standard 42mm objective... equates to better twilight performance as I understand it.

I paid $347 for 'em last year... which I believe is still a good price for a VERY fine pair of binoculars. I just checked... and they currently sell for $349.50 at the same place I bought mine.

FWIW, the suggested retail is $600... and Cabela's sells 'em for $430... as a barometer.