Minox 15x56 binos

[mason a]

I bought a pair of minox 15x 56 binos from cameraland.

The good: They arrived very fast, Great customer service

My brother wanted me to help him find a good pair of binos in the 400-700$ range ,For the past few years he has borrowed my leica 15x56 geovids and my nikon 12x56 monarchs. So he figured he would try and find something in the middle in a 15 power ,minox seemed like the only other player out there in that price range. I have never seen a bad review on those minox binos, especially for 550$.

So i set all three pairs of binos up on tripods side by side,to do a real life comparison. At 120 yards i was reading license plate tabs, the leicas were the best,then the nikon, and a distant third was the minox,In fact you could not even tell what the sticker said, Plus they were very dark , did not gather much light, with the 56 mm objective i figured it would gather more light. I was puzzled, So I looked down the objective lens (the bigger hole), using the direct sunlight to look inside the different lenses and the minox lenses inside had suction cup marks on them the size of dimes, and polish marks that looked like swirls, or hundreds of tiny scratches, The other 2 sets of binos had no visible blemishes at all looking through the objective lens.

I was relieved because i figured they were just a bad pair that slipped through quality control, So I talked with the guys at minox in new Hampshire(again great customer service), They paid to have them shipped back , And will send me another pair.

So to make a long story even longer , I was at sportsmans warehouse last night and looked through the pair of minox 15x56 that they had, And same problem, very dark ,and hard on your eyes, not even close to the quality of nikon monarchs, for more money , Now there is a chance that those also have a problem and that is why nobody has bought them,plus the fact they are 850$ there.

Anyways that is 2 for 2 for minox binos that have me nervous , not to mention the fact they are MADE IN CHINA, in order to get the good ones(made in Germany) from minox you have to spend double the money. I guess it is there ed line, or minobright line. Either way I will wait for this new pair to arrive and hope they are better than the ones that I sent back.

If anybody else owns a pair of these let me know how you like yours.

I dont expect them to be as good as my leicas but they should be better than the 375$ nikon monarchs(which by the way are pretty darn good).

[4Falls]

I just purchased a pair of the Minox 15x56 from Cameraland a couple of months ago. Im surprised at your findings. I havent had a chance to use mine in an actual hunting situation obviously but have used them just glassing from my front porch at antelope etc.

 

In the past Ive owned 15's from Steiner, Docter, and Vortex (vipers not kaibabs). The Minox seem to me to be far superior to them especially the vipers which were hard to look through for extended periods. I realize there not the quality of the big three but Ive compared them to a buddies Nikon 12's and we both agreed the minox were clearer and brighter.

 

The issue you bring up regarding quality control has made me nervous though, and I hope they dont let me down on my 6a coues hunt.

 

Think Ill take them out today and give them a real test.

[Shawn]

I have the 13x56 and they are great!

[mason a]

I just purchased a pair of the Minox 15x56 from Cameraland a couple of months ago. Im surprised at your findings. I havent had a chance to use mine in an actual hunting situation obviously but have used them just glassing from my front porch at antelope etc.

 

In the past Ive owned 15's from Steiner, Docter, and Vortex (vipers not kaibabs). The Minox seem to me to be far superior to them especially the vipers which were hard to look through for extended periods. I realize there not the quality of the big three but Ive compared them to a buddies Nikon 12's and we both agreed the minox were clearer and brighter.

 

The issue you bring up regarding quality control has made me nervous though, and I hope they dont let me down on my 6a coues hunt.

 

Think Ill take them out today and give them a real test.

 

That is the same review i have seen time and time again, which makes feel feel good about this new pair that will be here in just over a week,

By the way i also took them out in the field along side the others just to make sure and give them a fair test at longer distances.

[DesertBull]

Minox used to be a Leica company. They spun off into their own brand. When Leica owned them, they were Leica engineered but made in Japan. The ED model is vastly superior.

[B Rad69]

I just purchased a pair of the Minox 15x56 from Cameraland a couple of months ago. Im surprised at your findings. I havent had a chance to use mine in an actual hunting situation obviously but have used them just glassing from my front porch at antelope etc.

 

In the past Ive owned 15's from Steiner, Docter, and Vortex (vipers not kaibabs). The Minox seem to me to be far superior to them especially the vipers which were hard to look through for extended periods. I realize there not the quality of the big three but Ive compared them to a buddies Nikon 12's and we both agreed the minox were clearer and brighter.

 

The issue you bring up regarding quality control has made me nervous though, and I hope they dont let me down on my 6a coues hunt.

 

Think Ill take them out today and give them a real test.

 

That is the same review i have seen time and time again, which makes feel feel good about this new pair that will be here in just over a week,

By the way i also took them out in the field along side the others just to make sure and give them a fair test at longer distances.

 

mason, sounds like you receive a bad pair. i just received my minox 15x56 yesterday from cameraland and they are crystal clear. i cant wait to use them in just a few weeks.

[sjvcon]

I have the 15x58ED's. They are great. Much brighter than my Nikon binos. Also, my buddy took them out and compared them to another guys Swarovski's and said they were pretty darn good in comparison for the difference in price. Not AS good, but definitely good. Surely good enough for a non-professional like me. I like the fact that they only cost me $550. When I bought them, I asked about the 13x56/15x56. Doug told me that the 58ED's were definitely better ... just bigger and heavier.

[loco4coues]

I've had mine for 4 years and love them, plenty of light and clarity for the $550.

 

 

[4Falls]

Finally put my Minox thru their paces on Monday evening. Glassed up three bulls and 5 mulie bucks and a coyote. Oh and one shed antler which will have to wait till Saturday to be picked up.

 

In my humble opinion Im a little disappointed with the Minox. They are clear but light transmission at the last part of the day was not as good as expected. Im having a little trouble with the eyecups and finding a comfortable position. But thats more a personal problem and they might fit most guys much better. I would say they are worth the price tho and are the best in their price range by far.

[rclouse79]

I posted about the 15x56 minox and didn't get any replies. I am glad I found this thread on google. I was a little concerned that there were not very many reviews on the new model. My worst fear has been confirmed (according to this thread). . . . they are made in China. Has anyone else noticed this pattern with other companies. They make and sell a quality product for a number of years and gain a good customer following. Then they ship production off the China and make an inferior product to sell at a premium price. It does not seem like a good long term business model to me. I guess people are willing to sacrifice the reputation of thier company to make a quick buck these days. Does anybody know if the old 15 x 58's were made in Germany, or also in China. If they are in fact made in Germany I am going to wait for a good used pair to go up for sale, or save up the extra cash and buy a pair of kaibab's.

[kphunter]

The 15x58's I bought were made in Japan.

 

 

[4Falls]

Now that Ive gotten used to the eyecups on the Minox I really like them. Still saving for a pair of Swaro's but the Minox are more than capable for my limited abilities.

[Coues&Bass]

I have a pair of the 15x58ED's and I love them other than the bulky size and weight. I have had mine for at least 5 years and they still preform with the best of them. I have not tried the 15x56's but I would think that the glass is simillar.

[kphunter]

The only complaint I've ever heard about the Minox 15x58's is the weight. However, I always use mine on the tripod so it's basically a non-issue.