JPS

What do you think of Bushnells H20 roof prisms in 8x42 or Cabelas roof prism Pine Ridge in 8x42?Im getting my dad a pair for his birthday and want to stay under $200.I kind of favor Cabelas but it is a three hour ride to go and look at them.I have Nikon Monarchs. Does the Cabelas compare to these?

aimatdeer

i have a pair of steiner 10x's , only have about a hundred and fourty bucks in them . i love them.

PLB

My experience has been that I can look through several binoculars in the store and have a difficult time seeing much of a difference. As a result, I purchased some Nikon Monarch 10x42.

However, out in the field, I have noticed a tremendous difference while hunting with a couple of my hunting partners. They were using Swarovski, Minox, & Doctor. All three of their binocs allowed them to class 30 minutes prior and after (morning/evening) my ability to use the Nikons.

I personally believe that you should buy the best possible binocs that you can afford (Swarovski, Minox, & Doctor, etc.) and if you are a rifle hunter, then also get a decent and reliable scope (Nikon etc.).

Handles

PLB you hit the nail on the head.
Time and Time again outdoor writers, tv personalities, experts in the shooting sports always say the same two things over and over and over. They are:

1. Always buy the best optics you can afford.

2. Never, Never use "in store" comparisons to decide what optics to purchase. Always take them outside and if possible do it under low light or cloudy conditions. If the salesperson won't let you take them outside, go someplace else.

James B

I have some Bushnells that I got at Scheels for 50.00. I looked at everything in thier case. For the money and to my eyes these were the best buy. Go into something like a Big Scheels store. They have them all and will let you take them outside and give them a good look. I have seen good ones from 40.00 to 5000.00.

PABowhntr

It depends on what price range you are talking about when you say "affordable". Last winter I considered "affordable" to be around $300 and under. I looked at....

Bushnell Legends
Wind River Pinnacles and Cascades
Cabelas brand...forget which series
Bushnell Trophy
Nikon Monarchs
...and a few others.

In that class both the Legends and Monarchs stood out to me both in terms of clarity and brightness. I ended up with the Monarchs because they were the smallest and lightest 10x42 out of the bunch.

If even this range seems a bit expensive then check out the new Bushnell Buckhorns in Cabelas. They are around $100 and offer better clarity than the H20 models from the same company.

If you want slightly better quality than the group I mentioned but do not want to pay for high end Zeiss, Swaro, Brunton, etc... then the $600 Pentax models mentioned would fit the bill nicely.

North Texan

I got a pair of Swaro's for $900 range. About a week after I got mine, some lady put an ad in the Thrifty Nickel selling a bigger pair for $600, less than one year old and still in unopened box. Talk about tough luck!!![:@]