Fantastic glass! unbeatable at this price! - Vanguard Endeavor ED 8x42mm Binoculars

Being an amateur photog, I've used very good quality Nikon and Fuji camera lenses before as well as high quality rifle optics (Trijicon, Leupold, etc.) for competition shooting and hunting. With that background in mind, I decided to upgrade my old school binocs with a new set of good quality roof prism glass for hunting, shooting and hiking but I didn't want to throw down 2 grand on a set of El Swaros.

I kept my budget at around $500 and after reading many good reviews for the Vanguard Endeavour ED binocs, I decided to purchase a set from OP. Upon receiving I spied upon my neighbors at around 8 at night and was completely blown away with the optical quality, especially in low light! One can find various reviews online describing the quality in detail but I will say that these easily match some of my better Nikon camera glass in OQ which is very impressive considering the cost of those lenses.

A few minor complaints though: 1) I don't like the neon green colored highlights of the exterior at all. The color choice somewhat reflects a hey, look at me! cheapness that is completely unnecessary for binoculars I this class. In other words, its a color one would find in a Ford Focus, not a BMW 3 series. The neon green is overly bright as well, especially when spying on your neighbors at 8 oclock at night. I would prefer something more subtle like olive drab, matte black or desert tan. Said colors would be more marketable towards the hunting/tactical crowd as well. 2) These are made in China. This should be a moot point (unless out of principle) given the overall quality of the Endeavour and the fact that these would probably cost twice as much if manufactured in the US, Germany, Japan etc. BUT would be worth twice the price if made in the US, Germany or Japan IMO. Hopefully the long term durability of the Sprits matches the optical quality which shouldnt be a problem given the alloy construction and overall solid feel.

Bottom-line: Unbeatable quality at the $300 price-point and for that, the Spirit ED's are worthy of fives.

Pros: High quality ED glass; good build quality; solid ergonomics
Cons: Cheesy neon green colored exterior highlights; Made in China

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.