Vixen bino's

[Pixman]

Does anyone have or has anyone ever used Vixen bino's? A co-worker has a pair and says they are really bright and loves them for the price but I have never heard of them. Just curious if they are as good as he claims they are.

[lancetkenyon]

I have never looked through them, and know nothing of their quality. I know they are cheaper glass however in their budget lines. Like any cheap glass, they might appear to be pretty clear for the money at first, in perfect conditions. But who hunts in perfect conditions? It happens, but I would not want to rely on that scenario all the time. They do have a higher end line ranging up to almost $1K, but for that kind of $$$, I would go with a brand a little better known, and one that carries a lifetime warranty, not the 5 years that Vixen offers. Like Meopta, Vortex, used Swaros, cheaper Leica or Zeiss, etc.

 

Here is the thing with cheap ($100-300) glass. The center clarity might be comparable to mid range glass at full light and moderate ranges, but in low light conditions or longer ranges, the higher priced stuff will really start to extend the gap in quality difference, even in mid range ($500+/-) glass.

 

Another BIG thing is eye fatigue. I just got back from a mule deer hunt, and I spent literally 10 hours a day minimum behind my binoculars. With a lesser quality glass, you will have a headache after a few hours. I never had any issues with headache, eye fatigue, etc. To ME, that is worth every penny I spent.

 

With higher quality glass, you also get much better resolution, clarity, and color representation. On my hunt, we were consistently glassing up chipmunks/ground squirrels from over 1000 yards. We could also distinguish the difference between Abert's Squirrels, Kaibab Squirrels, and Pine Squirrels at 1000+ yards. Try doing that with a pair of $100 binoculars. When you can see a buck at 838 yards, and make out the 3x3 frame with small eye guards and weak front forks and know he is not a shooter with a 10X bino 30 minutes before sunlight in a shaded deep timber canyon, you will thank the makers of quality glass profusely.

 

I guess the BAD thing with high quality glass is seeing all the bugs, birds, squirrels, floating seeds, mirage, etc. will distract you with seeing the movement from time to time. You won't have to worry about that with cheap glass, allowing you to concentrate on trying to make out the blurry movements you might notice across a 1000 yard canyon.

 

If you are new to hunting, hunt only occasionally, or do not sit for hours behind your glass, I think most people would be fine with a $300-500 piece of glass. But glass is like most other hunting equipment, once you start using them more frequently, you will find out shortcomings and want to upgrade after a while.

[Pixman]

Great info thanks Lance! I haven't invested in the expensive optics yet, I'm not good at glassing for hours so I feel its not worth the investment right now.

[lancetkenyon]

I totally understand. It is not for everyone. I have had great results, and I have had it produce nothing. But when you glass up a nice game animal, it is very rewarding.

 

For lower end glass, I would look at Vortex. Either the Diamondback or Crossfire II. If you can swing $600, you could move up to the Talon HD line. Decent glass for the price point, but the best warranty on the market. Lifetime no questions asked. You could run them over with your truck and they will replace them. Customer service is second to none from everything I have read and heard.

 

Depending on your price range, Nikon, Leupold and some of the Cabela's lines might do you well too.