"NEW" Jim White Tripler Review

[COOSEFAN]

Hey guys, I finally made it out with Shortpants and his little girl yesterday to test out the Jim White Tripler as well as the new spacer he made for it. Our test site was about 1/4 mile into the Superstition Mtns. East of town and in the evening. Our subject used in the test was a white "spray painted" cross on a boulder that I believe to be around 800 yrds ( forgot the rangefinder ). My test doesn't include any detailed specifics as I feel Doug (Red Rabbit) covered that nicely in his review. My review is more to establish the Triplers ease of use, adaptability to different binos, and compare it to the Swarovski Doubler. Please check out Dougs review for more detailed info on the Tripler's specifications at this link:

 

http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/in...=5434&st=15

 

My first thought in doing this review is that there is NO gadget on the market that will "replace" a GOOD quality spottin' scope! My interest is whether or not this Tripler is GOOD enough to leave the spotter in the truck when on long hikes or backpack trips. I had my STS 80HD spotter with us and there is absolutely no comparison in quality, so I first off will say that the Tripler IS NOT better than most of the GOOD spottin' scopes on the market.

 

First in my Review is the actual fit of the Tripler to the bino's being used. It was said to not fit right on the Minox and didn't really fit right on the Leica or other "Big Eyepeice" bino's either. You would have to "play" with the clamp feature to get the Tripler to line up good enough to the bino to get an undistorted veiw. I found this to be the case with my Swarovski's as well. I would want to clamp the Tripler to the eyepeice of the Swaro and not all the way onto the body because it seemed to "not fit right" and I would have to "play" with the clamp a little to get it to line up. When clamping the Tripler to the eyepeice of the Swaro's you would end up with a gap between the two units allowing ambient light in.

By "tweaking" the clamp you can adapt the Tripler to ALL the Swaro's and to the Leica's and get a "good" sight picture, but it did not feel like a good fit! Jim White made me a spacer and sent it to me with the allen wrenches and screws to "modify" the original Tripler to allow it to work on the Minox. I added this spacer between the clamp and housing of the Tripler and it positions the exit pupil of the Tripler perfectly on the Minox. I then tried this "new" Tripler on the Swaro's and it made a HUGE improvement! My conclusion with the new spacer is that it is absolutely necessary if you own Minox....AND I would reccomend using the spacer even if you own Swaro's! I feel it would also be necessary if you own Leicas or any other large eyepeice bino as well. I wrote about this finding to Jim White and he said he could add this spacer to his new Triplers or send you the spacer kit if you already own the Tripler. Here is the change-over process for the spacer:

 

 

 

Now that we got the Tripler to adapt to all our binos.....how does it compare to the Doubler? We first tried it on the Swaro 15x56 SLC's.

 

 

 

 

Like I said earlier, the Tripler fits perfectly with the spacer added. It also is extremely fast to attach and lines up instantly. There are NO parts to unscrew off your binos and no risk of dropping an eyepeice in the dirt, which in turn....there is no extra wear n' tear on your binos when using the Tripler! The Swaro Doubler requires you to remove an eye cup and screw on the Doubler. This takes time that may or may not be available in the field and promotes wear n' tear on the functions of your expensive binos! The Doubler, once installed, is a solid unit and actually performs better than I had previously thought! I was surprised how clear and bright it actually was. The Tripler also surprised me with the amount of detail we were getting in somewhat low light. We realized the Doubler was a touch brighter ( due to less magnification obviously ) but the Tripler....with 1X more power.....was a touch darker, but had more visible detail because of the greater magnification! I feel that the Doubler is good but the Tripler is better.......I also feel the quality difference isn't enough to justify selling the Doubler to get the Tripler....unless you are doing it for the ease of use and versatility of the Tripler....then go for it! If you are deciding between the two...go for the Tripler!

 

We had a little wind and I was hand-holding the camera.....but here is some pic's through the different units. The white cross in the middle is our subject and there is a paint drip on the left arm of the cross. That drip was our imaginary "Drop-Tine" that we used to arrive at our conclusions. Again, I believe this cross to be aproximately 800 yrds ( previously there......we didn't put it there ) and it was fairly low light. Do not go off the pic's to compare the quality, they are just to demonstrate the magnification differences. These are through the Swaro 15x56 SLC's, and I didn't crop or touch up these pic's at all.

 

Through the binos only.....no attachments:

 

 

Through the Swarovski Doubler:

 

 

Through the Jim White Tripler:

 

 

 

Again, I was hand holding the camera and it was breezy when I took those pic's, but i think it's fairly obvious how well the Tripler works by looking at my photos! Our "Drop-Tine" drip on the left side of the cross was hardly visible when looking through the 15X's alone....when adding the Doubler, you could tell it was a drip but it blended in with the rock and couldn't make out much detail.......when using the Tripler...you could see the shape of the drip and alot more detail about it. We then pulled out the big ol' spotter and you could have seen a large fly on the drip if it were there! So again, if you don't mind luggin' around a heavy spotter at 2 - 9 times the cost of the Tripler......then don't bother buyin' the Tripler! If you are like me and hate carryin' it around.....buy the Tripler!

 

By adding the spacer to the Tripler it worked perfectly on the Minox, and works perfectly on the Leicas, Swaro's (EL's and SLC's) and Kahles. I'm not sure on the other brands, but with or without the spacer......it will work!

 

Here's the fit on the EL's:

 

 

Here's the fit on the Minox:

 

 

 

 

 

 

In conclusion, the Tripler is a great product! I believe it is a great tool for anyone who likes to hike far and wants to pack light, or for the individuals who pack their camp in to hunt away from the crowds. This tool considerably lightens your load and still affords you the ability to size up a critter at "scoping" distances without having to haul around a scope! This tool is not better quality than most of the spotters out there, but it is better than spotters in the same price range and IS good enough to leave the big spotter in the truck when out on a long hike! I believe the Tripler to be a better choice than the Swaro Doubler if you are looking to buy one or the other, if you already own the Doubler...I'd probably hang on to it...unless you want something faster and causes less wear n' tear on your investment. I would reccomend getting the spacer kit with the Tripler no matter what brand of binos you have, but I believe it is better with the spacer on most brands and Jim White will furnish those spacers i'm sure with no problems! I'm buying this Tripler and I'm excited to add it to my optics arsenal.......them little Coues are in trouble this year Thanks Amanda for letting me try this new product out, and thanks to Shorty and his beautiful little girl for helping me out! JIM>

 

 

[firstcoueswas80]

dang!! toook your butt long enough!

 

 

I like the tripler and think it is excellant for what it was made for!

[grizzly]

Wow very detailed info and great review.

I still havent heard of anyone trying to use two at a time, any ideas on if that would work?

[COOSEFAN]

Hey Casey.......some of us have a job that takes up our free time.......but, yeah....sorry about the delay

 

I just wanted to emphasize that the Tripler DOES work fine on the Swarovski SLC's and EL's, as is, without the spacer! You just have to pull out the eyecup and clamp it over it. You have to snug the clamp tight to the body of the bino so it sits solid and steady. I still prefer using the spacer though and leaving the eyecup closed, clamping the Tripler over the body and not the eye cup, it is rock solid and attaches very fast this way using the spacer. I think a really cool thing about the Tripler is when sitting with your buddies, you can quickly share the Tripler with each other, just by passing it around. You don't have to crawl out from under your tripod.......just hand it over and they can adapt it to their set-up in a split second!

I also wanted to add that the Tripler is prone to available light.....It does not work as well in low fading light. This is to be expected though with such a high magnification compared to the front objective lense of your binos. It did surprise me though, how well it still actually worked when the light was fading......I really don't think it's a problem to be concerned about.

 

I'm sure Shorty will get on here and throw out his thoughts and ideas........

 

thanks, JIM>

[COUESAZ]

Jim thanks for the word on the unit. I think i will add one to my pack for this year as well. I like to save weight as much as i can. It is hard enough to pack my chuby fat gut up a hill muchless a bunch of pack weight. Has anyone used one on the Nikom monarch binos yet to see if the spacer is needed or not. I have a pair of the 10x42s and 12x42s. I asked the question awhile back about useing one on each eyecup and was told it will not work that way. I also like the idea of putting it on a spotter at the truck so you can see if your buck or bull has more fleas on it than you want to deal with.

 

And that little Girl made the whole post worth reading. Ya got to love those Girls that will go hunting with Dad.I think her expresion is just how she fills about Jim pushing his way into daddy daughter time in the superstitions too.

[COOSEFAN]

Wow very detailed info and great review.

I still havent heard of anyone trying to use two at a time, any ideas on if that would work?

I don't think it would work.....I think you would have a hard time getting both Triplers aligned to get a solid sight picture with both eyes simultaneously. Would be interesting to find out though! I do know the Doubler and Tripler can't be used together......we tried that and I'm sure it would cause some permanent damage to your eyes or at least create quite a headache! thanks, JIM>

[COOSEFAN]

Jim thanks for the word on the unit. I think i will add one to my pack for this year as well. I like to save weight as much as i can. It is hard enough to pack my chuby fat gut up a hill muchless a bunch of pack weight. Has anyone used one on the Nikom monarch binos yet to see if the spacer is needed or not. I have a pair of the 10x42s and 12x42s. I asked the question awhile back about useing one on each eyecup and was told it will not work that way. I also like the idea of putting it on a spotter at the truck so you can see if your buck or bull has more fleas on it than you want to deal with.

 

And that little Girl made the whole post worth reading. Ya got to love those Girls that will go hunting with Dad.I think her expresion is just how she fills about Jim pushing his way into daddy daughter time in the superstitions too.

She's awesome! She just kicked back the whole time we were out there. She started doing a little "varmint calling" when it started gettin' dark and she got hungry! That was her first trip with daddy out in the hills!

 

I think you will be fine without the spacer on the Nikons.......but not sure...I'm going off the Kahles which seem very similar in construction and size. On the Kahles...the spacer is just a tad too big and without the spacer it's just a tad too small......so it actually works either way........doesn't seem to be a difference in clarity or any distortions when it's off just a little. I'd go without the spacer for the Nikons.

[AZP&Y]

Nice review Coosefan- It's simplistic, yet can be a great tool for what it weighs.

 

them little Coues are in trouble this year

That's 4 sure..

 

 

More gear to buy

 

AzP&Y

[Hunterdan]

coosefan, I have been waiting for your review and it was worth it. Great review. I will be buying one.

[firstcoueswas80]

Jim, dont try and fool us! we all know u dont work :D:D:D

 

 

anyways, very good review. simple, and used a real life hunting situation.

[Ron G.]

Thanks for the review Jim. I'll be adding this to my 'want' list, no make that my 'must have' list.

 

Ron

[cmc]

I'd love to see how they adapt to a set of Leupold's if anyone cares to post a pic and review...

 

cmc

[shortpants]

Hey Jim, great review and thanks again for letting me and Lillie tag along. Just so everybody knows you've all been waiting on me for this review and not Jim. He's been on me every week about this and I kept telling him maybe next week so blame me for the delay. Thankyou Jim White for making an exceptional product and getting that spacer made and delivered on short notice. Thankyou to you as well Amanda for letting us do this review and thanks for your patience.

 

I will just echo what Jim said because he pretty much summed it up.

 

The good,

 

The Jim White Tripler is the most versitile spotter on the market!

Like Jim said you can't compare it to spotting scopes that cost 5 times what you'll pay for the Tripler, however I did compare it to a cheaper spotting scope and the Tripler won hands down. I have never carried one of the big expensive spotting scopes because I have never found a use for them. I have always told myself if I can't tell he's a shooter through my 15's then he probably ain't. There's been a few bucks over the years that I just wasn't sure about so I would hike over and try to get a closer look. Some I killed and some got away. On Jim and I's hunt last year we spotted 3 bucks getting ready to crest over a ridge just over a mile away. Two of them looked like shooters but there was no time to set up a spotting scope or even the doubler on Jim's Swaro's. If we'd of had the Tripler we would have got the look we needed at those bucks. We hiked over there but never saw them again. I like the fact that if your set up next to someone you can pass the Tripler back and forth without moving your bino's off target.

The Tripler beat out the Doubler not only because it was quicker and more versitile but it also provided the detail that the Doubler could not. Having that cross out there turned out to be the difference maker in our review. The drip that Jim spoke of really made it easy to give the Tripler the victory over the Doubler.

 

The bad,

 

The Doubler is obviously much brighter and provides better looking image than the Tripler. That's no surprise since there is a big magnification difference.

However, I did notice that the front lens on the Doubler was much larger than the Tripler's front lens. The exit pupil is huge on the Doubler and causes almost no eye strain. The front lens on the Tripler is more like what you'd find on a pair of 8x32 bino's. The exit pupil is small and eye strain is noticable.

I would love to see a larger front lens on the Tripler.

 

If you could take a picture of both lenses and post them on here to better illustrate this Jim I'd appreciate it.

 

The only other complaint I have is on the clamp. I would like to see the clamp not require the spacer just to eliminate more parts. Like Jim said it works much better with the spacer.

 

If there is a way for you to modify these two things Jim (White) then your pruduct would be perfect in my eyes but make no mistake I am very pleased and will be ordering one for myself very soon.

[COOSEFAN]

Thanks for your input Shorty!

 

I did a little more research and realized we are using the term "exit pupil" incorrectly. The Exit Pupil is the beam of light being transfered from the binocular to your eye. If you hold up your binos ( or Tripler/Doubler ) away from your eyes you can see the small diameter veiw through the lenses......this is the "exit pupil".

 

 

 

Shorty is talking about the "eyepeice" lense being considerably larger on the Doubler compared to the Tripler, which is correct.

 

 

 

I just took both units out to physically see what the difference is and I can only see that the Doubler is a little easier to aquire a full feild of veiw than the Tripler. Also the feild of veiw is a little bit bigger on the Doubler, which is to be expected with the lower magnification. What I found interesting is the front objective lense (closest to the bino) on the units are the complete opposite. The Tripler's is twice the size of the Doublers. This may be bigger to allow it to work even if it isn't exactly lined up with the Exit Pupil coming through the bino's, thus creating the universal adaptability of the unit. The Doubler lines up exactly to the Swarovski's Exit Pupil because it's threaded on.

 

 

 

The Doubler does seem a bit brighter in low light but I believe it's mainly due to lower magnification compared to the Tripler. The Tripler was a bit darker, but still retained the clarity to see detail better, but that can be contributed to the higher magnification.

I also noticed the "Exit Pupil" was larger on the Tripler, which may be the reason the Tripler still did good in low light! That means more light is transmitted through the Tripler than the Doubler, according to what I've read about "Exit Pupil". The Tripler is on the Right in this pic, notice the larger Exit Pupil.....

 

 

 

Regardless which unit we are talking about.......ultimately it boils down to what binocular you have it attached to! A 42mm objective lens bino will not allow as much light in as a 56mm objective. The quality of the lenses and coatings on your binos will ultimately affect how well this Tripler works for each individual user. I agree with Shorty that if there were a way to still aquire a 3x magnification AND have a larger front eyepeice for easier veiwing.....that would be better! But, I still believe the advantage of the extra power with the Tripler, outweighs any negatives caused by the front lense size.

[shortpants]

Wow, great reply Jim. I knew what exit pupil meant I just couldn't remember the proper name for the front lens. You are correct, the exit pupil is obviously much bigger on the Tripler. I didn't think to check the objective lenses but I'm glad you did.

 

I am still curious if a larger front lens would make for a more comfortable view through the Tripler but now I know it wouldn't be any brighter.

 

So I guess the only real comlaint is the clamp having multiple parts. ( Not really that big of a deal. )

 

Thanks for the reply Jim, you really answered my question well. It took me a while to see the point of your reply cuz I was checkin out yer wife so tell her thanks for her help too!!!