MilDotMaster

Yesterday I got my new 2006 Euro Binoculars from Cabelas. I have been wanting a pair of binoculars like this for years. So far they seem to be great and feel very solid in hand. I tested them side by side with my other pair of binoculars Bushnell 10X42 and the light gathering ability of these Euro's were way better than what I had before. I also like the fact that once you set these binos up, you only have to turn one knob to focuss them vs. having to keep adjusting each eye independantly. The exterior finish is smooth looking, yet coarse enough for gripand the color is what I was hoping for. I look forward to testing them out on a pig hunt in the next few weeks. By the way, the optics are supplied by Meopta with a few modifications requested by Cabelas. Meopta is fairly new company to supply products to the US, butthey have been around a long time in the Czech Republic. This is not intended to be a detailed review, just a heads up for a product that should be considered if you are in the market for a new pair of binoculars and don't want to kick down $1700 for a pair of Swarovski. I bought these through Cabelas to get the extended lifetime warranty and a local contact for customer service if needed. The Meopta optics are identical to these, but they are not yet well established in the USA. I have a contact that I spoke to weeks back that tests all kinds of high end optics and he said the average person wouldn't be able to tell any difference from these vs. a $1700 pair of EL 10X42 from Swarovski. Basically best bang for your buck. Only thing I didn't like about them was they were smaller than I expected. With my hands I prefer a large frame bino. These are large, just not as large as I expected.

See link below for details and a product review video:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat601329&navAction=jump&na vCount=1&parentId=cat20712&parentType=cate gory&cmCat=MainCatcat20712

newman1

I have been wanting a good set of bino's for quite some time,but $799.00 is still way out of my league.They look almost exactly like the swarovski's.

MilDotMaster

Then check out this link and look into the Leupold (Wind River) Pinnacles 10X42. They got great reviews for their low price.

http://www.4scopes.com/leupold_binoculars.htm

kpsingleton

Yeah, I checked those euro's out and they are still out of my price range

Besides the Leupold's, I also heard the Nikon Monarch's are a great binocular.

MilDot, thanks for sharing that with us. I always am very skeptical about anything that Cabelas stamps there name on. Makes me think it is inferior but obviously this is not always the case. Great purchase and good luck on the pig hunt.

Dnk

MDM, how did they compare to Steiner Night Hunters?

gibblet

czechs have been making glass for longer than just about anyone.

MilDotMaster

The Steiner Night Hunters arenot offered in a 10X42 so they didn't even make my top 5 list.

These were the brands in my top five that I was comparing and researching:

Meopta
Zeiss
Leica
Kahles
Leupold Gold Ring (not wind river).

PABowhntr

My only problem with them is that they are not offered in an 8x42 version. I have tried them out on several occasions when visiting the local Cabelas. They do offer excellent optical quality in terms of color rendition, brightness, resolution, flatness of image, etc.... and for the price they are an excellent buy.

Rumor has it that Meopta also supplies some glass for Swaro.

MilDotMaster

I heard the same rumor, just didn't want to be the first tosay it as direct as you and get "jumped". HA! The closest I got was by stating the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and the Swarovski binos.

I need the 10X42 in open country, but I can see wherethe 8X42 would give you a better FOV for closer ranges. Keep in mind these 10X42 still have a 330 FOV which is great for a 10 power bino. They may still work for you. Maybe next year Cabelas will offerthem in a 8X42, or you can getan 8X42 direct here:http://www.dnrsports.net/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=DSC&Pro duct_Code=MEO01101&Category_Code=binmeo

Along that note...Kahles makes a great 8X42bino for $750. They also come in 3 colors: grey, green and camo. Check out this link:

https://www.dnrsports.net/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=DSC&Cat egory_Code=binkah

Thiswebsite has some of the best prices around for these optics.

Dnk

What a bunch of fusspots! LOL I have one for stand hunting 7X50 Stein NH, one for open country 10X50 Stein NH, one for the truck 12X40 Stein Pred and one for stalking 10X25 Swar. I have bought a few before this and gave or sold them off. I never found one pair to do it all really well from dawn to dusk to long distance. I really like the Steiners (obviously because of optical quality) because they focus once and there is no screwing around to focus when there is very little light.
MDM it will be really interesting to hear what you have to say after you use them in all conditions. Please let me know.