Best 10x42 binoculars for $500 - Athlon Optics Cronus Gen II UHD 10x42mm Roof Prism Binoculars

I went on a quest to find the best 10x42 binoculars for $500. My friend has Monarch 7's I would be using for comparison, from reading reviews, feedback on forums, and manufacturer specs my list of 10 binos was narrowed down to 3. I ordered the Leupold BX4 as curiously it's made in Japan, the Frontier EDX which has consistent positive remarks, and this Cronus G2 as Athlon products have been making a very good impression with many of their products the last few years.

I set the diopter on all 4 binos and spent several days and evenings using them, this is a brief summary of my impressions:

4. Monarch 7 is good, it has noticeable edge blur but a nice bright image, it wasn't exciting to use.
3. BX4 has very good resolution, but it had the worst edge blur and narrowest FOV, really expected more.
2. Frontier EDX has very good image quality and coloring but wasn't consistent to the edge, handling is great.

1. Cronus G2 has distinctly better image quality with edge to edge clarity. Resolution, coloring, brightness and CA are all excellent. They're instantly impressive every time I look through them. Handling is great, the build quality is fantastic, and I really enjoy using them.