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Best Value Binos

layback04

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 14, 2011
78
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Ohio
I have looked through some binos at my local range but unfortunately none of them have been side by side or even on the same day.

I currently have a pair of 10x42 diamondbacks and they do ok to about 400 yards for me. But the range goes out to 1000 yards and I’d also like to watch 22lr out to 300 yards on steel. I also want to watch bullet trace and the wind.

For riflescopes, I am very happy with the performance of the Sightron S3 line so that would be my minimum quality of glass for 15x or 18x binos, I also have NF nxs and ATACR which is great glass but I don’t feel is a requirement for my binoculars, otherwise I’d be in the razor uhd or Swarovski for sure.

For those of you that have looked through lots of 15x/18x glass, what would be the entry level to use on steel out to 1k for centerfire, 300 for 22lr, watch bullet trace and wind? I have looked through Bushnell Forge, Vortex Kaibab, Swarovski 15x56, Meopta and my Diamondback 10x42. So far for the value I am around the Kaibab or Meopta.

The following are my considerations:
Vortex Diamondback HD 15x56
Bushnell Forge 15x56
Steiner HX 15x56
Vortex Kaibab 18x56
Meopta 15x56
Vortex Razor UHD 18x56

I want the best value, not necessarily the most expensive because sometimes paying more is only a minor performance gain. Plus I’m not an optics expert and in the store I can’t tell the difference between the Kaibab and the razor other than the price tag and the ergonomics of the binoculars.
 
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I don’t have an answer, but another consideration besides optical.
Diopter adjustments.
Center Focus.
I notice a big difference between makes.
Some focus easy and smooth, some don’t.
 
Really nothing comes close for the money.
Athlon Cronus 15x56
I'm sure you can get them around 5 bills on a Black Friday sale.

 
Really nothing comes close for the money.
Athlon Cronus 15x56
I'm sure you can get them around 5 bills on a Black Friday sale.

I have a pair of Cronus 15x56 binos and compared them to the Bushnell Forge 15x56 at a match, and the Bushnells had a sharper image. Sample size of 1 for both, but I have to disagree with you.
 
Thank you all for the responses, it definitely seems like the Bushnell Forge should be the bare minimum, anything more is definitely a plus. I don’t want to buy a cheap pair that won’t work and then have to upgrade again and again.
 
Thank you all for the responses, it definitely seems like the Bushnell Forge should be the bare minimum, anything more is definitely a plus. I don’t want to buy a cheap pair that won’t work and then have to upgrade again and again.

Unless you're hunting or doing other activities where you absolutely have to have the best low light performance you can get, I doubt you'll be worried about an upgrade from the Forge any time soon.
 
Still pissed at myself for not getting the BX-5's last or was it 2 years ago when they were @ 799 bucks!!!! I have some 8.5x Cronus and they're just IMO, okay. Cannot complain they're built like a tank; but optically they seem to not be on par with what I had expected. Granted, I've never looked through Leica or Meopta's so they may well be good For the < 300 bucks they were a steal. Are the 15x optically good? I don't know; but if built like the 8.5x, they're tanks.