Any good Binoculars for under $100?

[Northslope Nimrod]

Need to get Dad a Father's Day gift. Are there any good Binoculars for under $100?
Somewhat compact would be nice.

[davlandrum]

Great idea, but my suggestion would be a gift certificate from his favorite hunting store for $100. Put a note on it that it is only good toward binos.

Couple of reasons:

1) I am not sure you will find good binos for $100 (I am sure others will chime in).

2) There is such a variety of optics available, it is hard to chose the "right" ones, even without a budget. For example, I have some small lightweight ones for hunting the thick stuff during archery season, some mid-sized ones for eastern Oregon (more wide open) still-hunting, I use a spotting scope for eastern Oregon sit and glass, and my range finder is also a fixed power set of binoculars.

Was this the most un-helpful answer ever...

[Scorch]

Any good Binoculars for under $100?

Do you want the short answer or the long answer?

Short answer: No. Spend at least $300.

Long answer: Would you want to go afield with a pair of binoculars that will not focus clearly, distorts the image of what you are looking at, shows colors different than what they really are, and gives you a terrific headache by the end of the day? Of course not. Spend at least $300.

FWIW, my father refused to spend more than $50 on a pair of binoculars, because that is what he paid for his binoculars in 1955, and they were very good (I assume that is true, but that was about 1 week of average wages in 1955). Good lenses are expensive, but there is no need to splurge unless you can afford it. Look at Cabela's Alaskan Guide series for a decent pair of binoculars for a reasonable price.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...539&id=0006545

[fisherman66]

Leupold Yosemite

[azredhawk44]

I've got some Leupold binocs, 10x50's, that are quite nice. Outside of your price range by about double, though.

I've got an inexpensive Bushnell set too, though: 10x42's. They lasted about 5 years of heavy use before the housing was breached somehow (either a lens shifted or the rubber/plastic housing warped) and the inert gas leaked out to be replaced by ambient air. Now they get slight condensation in one lens in extreme environments, but they are still serviceable.

I think they cost me about $40 when I bought them, and they may have breached from my own dang fault rather than manufacturer defect.

All I know, is I see just about the same with both sets when the Bushnells aren't fogged up. The Leupolds are nicer for all day glassing, but I could spot antelope on a hill with the Bushnells well enough.

The Leupolds were a splurge, and I certainly appreciate them.

But companies are putting out decent binocs in the sub-$100 range. I would suggest heading to your nearest sporting goods outlet and trying out Bushnells in the sub-$100 range that are smaller than 40mm objective size.

Heck, I've got some Simmons pocket binocs that I've taken out wildlife scouting and had no complaints about their clarity. They're something around 8x24 power and could be better in low light, but for a near-disposable $20 set they do a good job.

[flyguyskt]

simple answer...NO

[bwheasler]

I've had a pair 8x42 for a few years, top quality,dropped them good and even got the repaired for free, Good company and waranty. You can pick them up for about 250$. Cheap binocular are hard on your eyes and you won't use them like you should. Good binos are a joy.

[Crosshair]

You can find some good Redfield binoculars for good prices at some gun shows for a decent price.

[xm21]

Check The Sportsmans Guide and see if they still carry the Brunton 10x40's.I think they were about 70 dollars at one time.Waterproof and coated glass.I have peeped through a pair and they are ok.

[22-rimfire]

Leupold Yosemite. I use them for woods hunting or when I really don't want to carry my larger binocs. Very pleased with them for the pice.

[Wildalaska]

Swarovski EL

WildawesomeAlaska TM

[publius]

No, but you can get some pretty good Nikons around $200.

[MuscleGarunt]

I have these Nikon binoculars and they work pretty good. They are pretty clear but not as clear as a more expensive model. The focus nice and have a diopter focus for the difference between eyes. My eyes get a little strained after looking through them for a long time but it's not that bad. For the price it is a great set of binoculars.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-TRAILBLAZE...lenotsupported

[guntotin_fool]

NO, but if you can spend a little more, you can get him the Steiner 8x30 military marine which are flat out OUTSTANDING glasses.

[armoredman]

Got a nice pair of Sears binos for $25 at the pawn shop...

[docgunner]

Watch ebay for lightly used Nikon Trailblazer binos, decent quality and should get close to your price point. Also watch gunbroker for deals, I saw a set of as new Bushnell Excursion EX in 10X42 go for $75 recently.

[dalegribble]

anyone will tell you that you need to spend almost as much as the hubble telescope or your just wasting your money. they may be right but i have gotten along just fine and never spent more than 100 bucks on a pair. i guess iam am not alone because they sell a hell of a lot more of the cheaper glasses than they do those 4 figure glasses.

[stargazer65]

The used binoculars on Astromart can be quite excellent for under 100 and the sellers are consistently better than Ebay IMO for this type of stuff (I'm one of them). If you want to buy new for under 100 I would consider Orions or Celestrons, they are higher quality than the Bushnell, Tasco stuff you find in department stores.

If you want more assistance you can PM me, I'm an amateur astronomer and I use a lot of binoculars.

[grymster2007]

Carl Zeiss makes some nice ones, but you won't get 'em for $100. I'm thinking the gift certificate is the best route. Let Dad decide if there are decent $100 binoculars to be had.

I don't know how many things people bought me as gifts that I just don't use because it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I have stashes of brand new stuff all over the house. Gift certificates aren't real glamorous, but I wish I got more of them.

[Dingoboyx]

You might choose some for him & they might not suit HIS eyes Let him choose...... get him a general gift card for a store, not just for bino's.

The reason I say this, is the binoculars I use cost me $9.95 (I got 3 sets) from an el cheapo shop. I keep one in each car and one in my range bag. Some of my friends have +$300 bino's at the range, I dont see $290.05 worth of difference from my set.... mine are all 3 years old and dont have any fogging or anything.... If I drop them, get them dirty or lose them, I can get more for $10 a shot.... let him buy some binos, a knife and some other stuff rather than just one expensive set of bino's When it comes to presents, more is better

Just my 2c worth

[fisherman66]

A few things I've learned the hard way.

Don't go cheap on:
Boots
Bullets
Binoculars

That said, there's no reason to buy the most expensive either unless you just want to. The Yosemite are quality glass under $100. Minox 6.5 IF are an excellent value under $200. From the $300 mark it's harder and harder to find poor bins.

Some of my friends have +$300 bino's at the range, I dont see $290.05 worth of difference from my set

The range is not the place to test bins. Low light areas where shadows are abundant is a much better place to compare glass. Moving from one set to another immediately will identify that missing $290.

[stargazer65]

You might choose some for him & they might not suit HIS eyes

This is true, for example if he has astigmatism and wears eyeglasses he'll need lots of eye relief (18mm or more) or it's like looking through a peephole.
What he will use them for and where is important as well. Low light needs large objective lenses.

[Dingoboyx]

I tried them one after the other at the range, still couldn't see THAT much difference...

Each to their own.... I like cheap, others can suit themselves.... no probs

[fisherman66]

Again my friend, the range is NOT the place to test bins. I carried cheapos for years until I was given the opportunity to field test some very nice ProMasters. I was stunned by what I was missing. My eye's have seen the light, my three year old son has my bargain bins. Dusk or Dawn glassing will reveal some very useful information.

Whether or not you care to take the dusk challenge doesn't make me the slightest difference. If yer happy that's all that matters, right?

[Dingoboyx]

Absolutely correct, my friend

When I win lotto.... I might buy an expensive pair ($29.95)

Nah, If I won Lotto, I would buy a set with infra-red, ultra green, night vision, green dot/red dot (any color dang dot I want!) super sonic, teflon coated.... hubble quality.... and I might even pay up to $70