# binos,who is the best under 400.00



## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

something in the10+50 range,


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## pwyrick (Feb 13, 2011)

Hard to beat Alpen Apex's IMHO.


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## D.Short (Aug 5, 2010)

Vortex,go to "boarman" on here and he has the lowest prices ANYWHERE and best to deal with.He has a thread in optics classifieds here.
Best glass for the price,bar none!!!!!!


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## deerhunter7273 (Mar 22, 2010)

Vanguard Endvor ED 8.5X45 the glass in these bino's is great. I think that they are better than any of the other bino's out there in that price range.


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## bfelver (May 13, 2012)

alpen has a 8.5 x 50 cant beat them for the price .Little over ur 400 range at an ibo event . Over cast day in the woods black target 40 to 50 yardages u can see the scoring rings


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

is the 8.5 better than 10x on seeing targets?


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## stjoebowhunter (Mar 12, 2011)

Vortex hands down! Best customer service in the industry too.


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

is the vortex clearer or whats better about them.


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## Barn Burner Strings (Sep 10, 2011)

You know the answer to the question you seek.


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## hdrat (Mar 7, 2009)

stjoebowhunter said:


> Vortex hands down! Best customer service in the industry too.


x2 on that


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

Barn Burner said:


> You know the answer to the question you seek.


hahaha


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## 3Dblackncamo (Jul 22, 2009)

zen ray will beat the alpen apex all day long, and under 400


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## texasfloors (Dec 23, 2006)

Vortex


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## fresnohunter (Jul 6, 2010)

Vortex Diamondback 12x50! Less than $300.00


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## stjoebowhunter (Mar 12, 2011)

The Vortex are just very clear. I only use the cheaper Crossfire model and they are incredible compared to any thing else in there class.


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## BMXRider2011 (Oct 21, 2011)

So what do you look for as far as FOV and such. I am looking for a new pair myself


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## supertechy (Oct 28, 2007)

Alpen apex


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## STRICNINE (Oct 22, 2012)

Guess I'm slacking with my redfields, love em though. hahahahaha


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## bfelver (May 13, 2012)

best advice try them out before u buy . I can score from the stake with my alpen lol


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## dschonbrun (Nov 14, 2012)

What range do you wish to use them at, and for what field of view?


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

mainly 3-d shoots,can't see the rings as well as i used to.


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## BMXRider2011 (Oct 21, 2011)

Is a wider field of view better?


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

you guys with the vortex binos,how much difference between viper&diamondback .are the vipers that much better.


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## D.Short (Aug 5, 2010)

I have both,just bought the Viper HD's and have let several people look through them and they were impressed to say the least.With glass,buy the best you can afford.
With my Diamondbacks{now my son's}you can see the rings just fine to 40yds;With my new Viper HD's I can see the detail around the arrow holes.
I am 50 and my eyes started going south about 3 years ago.


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

thanks d.short,thats what i was wondering, how much difference there was.


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## ProtecMan (Apr 14, 2003)

3Dblackncamo said:


> zen ray will beat the alpen apex all day long, and under 400


Look up reviews on some bird watcher forums about the Zen Ray ED series binocs. Their pretty tough to beat and at a decent price!


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## lknchoppers (Jun 13, 2008)

I vote for Alpen Apex 8.5x50


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## bfelver (May 13, 2012)

Weather u go with alpen or vortex u want 8.5x50 for 3D best for low light conditions . when u get to a certain level all ur paying for is the coating on the lens . The more layers of coating the clearer the pic the more the bino cost . For what ur wanting u are going to spend at least 300 . people can say what they want when it comes to binos u get what u pay for period . Got 3 pair in the garage that collect dust and the kids play with because i tried being a cheap ass lol Have looked threw the vortex they beat all 3 pair in the garage but the alpen blow them out of the water


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## NC100Kurt (Mar 29, 2006)

Alpen........


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## Outback Man (Nov 21, 2009)

Alpen Apex 8.5X50...bought a pair last year and they are awesome...Thought I wanted some big magnification, but no real need to go big there when you get the bigger lenses...pics so much clearer w/the extra light it lets in...I got mine for just a tad over $300 I think at an IBO shoot, but when I later looked it was pretty darn close to what they sell online for.

Cool test...take two sets of binocs stacked on eachother, hold out in front of you, and look thru both at same time...the viewable light "dot" you see represents the field of view and you can immediately see what set gives you a bigger field of view.


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## 3-D Quest (Jan 26, 2007)

I have a really good pair of Nikon 8.5x50 that beat anything I've tried. 
I used to love them until a friend bought the same size from Alpen!
Their half the weight and twice the optics...I wish I had a pair...are you listening Santa?
bfelver was not exaggerating when he said he can score from the stake!


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## jjarcher (Sep 19, 2012)

Alpen 388 sr ' are great 200 bucks and 10x50 and im usually the only one inmy group that can tell everything about the targets and scoring...........


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## smokin'dually (Feb 27, 2004)

i have a set of alpen 8.5x50's and a dust covered pair of vortex 10x50's


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

smokin'dually said:


> i have a set of alpen 8.5x50's and a dust covered pair of vortex 10x50's


is it the alpen quality or the 8.5x50,that seems to be a popular power of magnification.


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## varmintvaporize (Feb 9, 2010)

I personally belive that the "BEST" binocular for your eyes may differ than someone elses eyes. Many people see various colors differently so don't buy anything without personally trying/comparing them.

Vortex & Alpen have 100% warranties for ALL of their optics no matter if you buy them new or used.

Vanguard & Zen Ray have good warranties for their higher end stuff and less warranty for lower end. Also certain warranties are only good for the original purchaser.

Just be sure to fully read the warranty for the specific ones you are looking at.


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

i agree with you on trying different brand/power binos,around here there just is not much to chose from.especially the high end equipment.


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## bfelver (May 13, 2012)

hoosierredneck the answer to ur question it is both 8.5x 50 is for low light and aplen are that good on quality


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## sagecreek (Jul 15, 2003)

I had Alpen's and loved them. Bought the Vortex high-end glass, and liked my Alpens better. A few friends of mine have the Zen Ray's, and let me just say, the next pair I get will be the Zen Rays. They are awesome and 1/2 the price of my Vortex.


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## VAN DAM (Feb 16, 2010)

I bought a pair of vortex diamondbacks recently at basspro. I tried everything in the case in the 200-300 price range and they were the best without a doubt. I know Alpen make some great stuff too


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## smokin'dually (Feb 27, 2004)

hoosierredneck said:


> is it the alpen quality or the 8.5x50,that seems to be a popular power of magnification.


8.5's are a popular choice, but the quality is what would get me to buy them again.


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## Xtremesportsman (Mar 7, 2007)

Nikon Monarch 12x42. Clear & bright.


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## CANT HIT EM (Jul 9, 2011)

Look threw the Redfields before you buy, good and inexpensive , so you can buy more Archery stuff you "NEED"


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## bfelver (May 13, 2012)

binos are right there at the top of the list [ on putting u at the top of ur game lol]


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## 3Dblackncamo (Jul 22, 2009)

as someone stated eyes vary from shooter to shooter, as for me I have had 3 pairs of alpen apex, vortex, and now zen ray, the warrantys are all good but for my eyes the zen ray smoke the others not even worth comparing


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

3Dblackncamo said:


> as someone stated eyes vary from shooter to shooter, as for me I have had 3 pairs of alpen apex, vortex, and now zen ray, the warrantys are all good but for my eyes the zen ray smoke the others not even worth comparing[/Q thanks for the info 3dblackncamo,i'm going to look up dealers for them in my area.i got to see these myself.


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## threetoe (May 13, 2011)

Look at:

Bushnell 10x42 Legend Ultra HD's. FOV = 340 ft/1000 yds -"Reviewers call the Bushnell Legend Ultra HD binoculars some of the best of the year, thanks largely to their generous field of view and bright, crisp images.+ Winner of the 2012 Binocular of the year. (About 250.00)

Leupold 10x42 BX-2 Acadia. FOV = 368 feet/1000 yards - "The BX-2 Acadia gathers lots of extra light and makes every minute of your day count. It has great low light capabilities." (about 220.00)

These are both ROOF Prism style. They can be found for less than 200 bucks if you are patient.
I paid 150 for my BX-2. I love them!!

I like the Bushnell's a little bit better but at my age the difference in not noticeable but the price is.

Bill


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## turkeywhisperer (Dec 10, 2010)

Can't go wrong with Alpen! Love mine and they stand behind their product.


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## eda (Nov 22, 2009)

The Zen-Ray ZEN ED3 is the best deal for around $400.

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/zened3.html


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## HoytHunter05 (Jun 5, 2012)

pwyrick said:


> hard to beat alpen apex's imho.


this!!!!


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

just checked a pair of zen ray ed 3 binos, WOW! these thing are clear,well made binos. i see what everybody that tries a pair means about the quality in them.thanks for telling me about them.


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## ccumming (Feb 14, 2012)

I have nikon monarchs. I like them and they have good CS.


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## bcampbell_asa (Jul 10, 2007)

Steiner


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## IRISH_11 (Mar 13, 2004)

Alpen Apex 8.5 X 50 best binocular for 3D hands down. Trust me I have glassed foam with every manufacturer known to man both here and abroad and the Alpens are in a league of their own.


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## eda (Nov 22, 2009)

hoosierredneck said:


> just checked a pair of zen ray ed 3 binos, WOW! these thing are clear,well made binos. i see what everybody that tries a pair means about the quality in them.thanks for telling me about them.


4 of my hunting buddies have them now. A good thing about using the same binoculars is that we don't have to bring all of ours during the trip since we are all familiar with it so we can share a couple of pairs.


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