Carolina Buckeye

I am looking to buy a decent pair of binoculars as well as a reasonably priced rangefinder
I am not sure if I should look to get one of thise combination products such as the:

COMBO UNITS:

Bushnell 8x36 Combo($499),
Leupold Wind River RB800 8/32 ($699),
Leica 8x42 Geovid BRF ($1,500 probably more than I can afford to spend without my wife shooting me with the new gun I just purchased),
Leica 10x42 Geovid BRF (1,600 the grandaddy of them all am my dream set-up)


I have also considered buying the bino's and rangefinder seperately and thus far seem to really like the:

BINOCULAR ONLY:

Nikon Monarch ATB Camo 10x40 ($299 really decent optics for a very reasonable price).

RANGEFINDER:
Nikon Laser 600 Buckmaster $261
Bushness yardage Pro 500 $199



What do you think fo the combo eyepieces versus just binoculars and separate rangefinders. This will be my first purchase of binoculars of significant value and I want to spend a reasonable amount and still e happy with the purchase.
Besides the obvious clarity of the bino's and reliability of the rangefinder, several items particularly important to me are durability/good manufacturer warranty, lightweight and waterproof features. Has anyone used the combination products? Soes anyone have any recommendations? What are your suggestions on the above items? Thank you for your input, it is much appreciated

BagginBigguns

I would recommend that you physically look through a bunch of them before deciding. I checked out the Bushnell combo and I can say that they had some of the worst optics I've ever seen that cost more than $40. I can't believe they're trying to get $500 for those things. My hunch is that you'll be far better off with individual optics. My theory is "suitable for both is good for neither".

Good luck.

Carolina Buckeye

Thank you for the info. Today, I was at Bass Pro Shops and managed to look through the Leupold Windriver bino/rangefinder. It was decent, but a little bit cumbersome to handle. Certainly not light or nimble. It was also a Permafocus type of binocular. The only focus on the unit are the two eyepieces and they adjust seperately. It is not well designed in this matter. For these reasons, I have ruled them out.
The Bushnell's were sold out and after hearing your opinion of the optics as well as that of the salesman, I am also ruling these out. That leaves me with the Leica's or the Newcom's neither of which I can afford. I cannot find a local sporting goods store that carries either of these or I would just tease myself with a thorough examination none the less.

So I am now going to get the bino's alone. I will continue to look and let you know. Thanks again for your input