Ray from United States, VA Public Profile

I really enjoy these pocket binos in 8x28. They have a larger field of view than I expected but still smaller than compared to my Leupold BX-2 Alpine in 8x42 which are my primary general use pair for hunting, hiking, birding, etc. They feel very solid for the price. I have larger hands and I find it easy to turn the focus knob and manipulate the hinge. The diopter adjustment was slightly challenging but was expected with the smaller size. I was scanning a ridge line with the sun above the ridge at about 10 am and I could see some noticeable spots of glare. With my BX-2s (non-HD) there was no noticeable glare when scanning in the same direction. For a small pair of binos they are what I would have hoped for in the price range. I plan to always take these with me in my pack when I need to save space when I travel. These will be great to bring along on hikes in case someone in the group (especially children) don't have a pair to use.

This is my first pair of real binoculars. I’ve had these for about a month. I’ve gone on a few hikes with them, done some casual stargazing and birding, and for viewing deer and turkey in the mountains of Virginia. I’m happy with the clarity and build quality. I’ve used them before sunrise and at sunset and I can tell I’m able to see quite a bit at those low light times. I compared them with the Nikon Monarch 5s which are about $100 more and I could not tell the difference in glass quality. These are made in China which seems to be where most binoculars under $400 are made these days. I’m a fan of Leupold after my experience with these binoculars. I think the HD version will be released in February (based on them shown as being available for order on Eurooptic) so prospective buyers may want to wait on buying these. I’ll probably buy a pair of the BX-4 Pro Guide HD 10x42 for my next trip out west.