Looking at the Leupold Cascade's ( 10x42) and the Nikon Monarch's. The Cascade's were a touch brighter, both are about the same price. Seems Nikon is a popular name, when it comes to overall quality does either one have the edge over the other or are they about the same ? These two are in my price range to what i can spend. As of now i'm leaning towards the Cascade's.
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out of all the middle ground binos i tested i liked the nikon monarchs (10x42) but never got to try the cascades. do yourself a favor and try to test them outside. go on a sunny day and then come back and try at dusk or a cloudy day. look at some trees or brush if you can comparing fine detail of leaves and branches. i think looking at the womans dept across the store you wont be able to tell much with all the flourescent lighting. if its what you like i say go for it.

I'd also check out what Konus Has to offer

nikon monarchs

Nikon has a "No Fault" warranty where they will repair or replace regardless. You might want to compare to Leupold's warranty.

They both have great warranties that are very similar, the quality of the glass in each was so close I couldn't tell the difference. I bought the Nikon Monarch ATB's though because I was able to find them quite a bit cheaper. I got mine on ebay for $229 shipped.

Vortec seems to have a very loyal following and an amazing transferable no fault warranty. Check them out.

I would tend to agree with most everyone else's and your own comments. The Cascades are now in the same class as the Monarchs in terms of image quality. Leupold finally started phase coating them this production year and the improvement is noticeable.

Out of curiousity, have you checked their "on paper specs" to see what they look like. The only thing I specifically remember not liking about many of the Leupold models is their slightly narrower field of view in comparison to offerings from Pentax, Nikon, Bushnell etc.. That does make a difference in terms of comfort level and ease of acquisition.

I prefer Nikon and would go that route though I other than field of view I do not have an argument against the Cascades. Both are very good bins for the price.