Thread: Bought new bino's...good move or bad?

I finally succumbed and gave my 40 year old Russian 8x32 binos to the grandkids.
Daughter has a holiday home at Pakawau and they go there regularly. Binos are handy to spot what's happening out on the water.
But that left me with nothing...so I just ordered Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 binos.
Won't see them until next week sometime though.
Yeah, bit late to ask...but are they any good?
Probably a tad better than my old Russians though!
Online reviews seem to be OK. Some say made in China, some say made in Philippines...but I'm figuring they will be China made.
Have I made a massive blunder (or just a small one)?
Thanks.

They will be fine. An experienced eye with average bino's will do better than an inexperienced eye with the best.

Its no sort of blunder. Compared to your old ones looking through them will probably be like after I had my cataract done

Those old Russian bino's were bloody good value for the money. And rugged! Have fun with the new ones, they will be a bit more user friendly.

Originally Posted by Husky1600

Those old Russian bino's were bloody good value for the money. And rugged! Have fun with the new ones, they will be a bit more user friendly.

Yeah, built like a Soviet T34!
Rough as guts, but solid.
I bought mine new all those years ago for about $32 (from a sports shop in Rangiora).
Mind you, that was about a weeks pay back then.

When I brought my 10x42s I read a lot of reviews between the diamondbacks and the zenray zrsHD. Got the zenrays in the end and although cheap NZ$273 delivered they work fine if your eyes are ok. Must say I've never looked through really expensive glass.

they should be great,you may have to sit down and brace a bit more to stop shake as the extra magnification will make it more noticable...good excuse to lay down on back with shoulders up against something. Ive spotted a heck of a lot of game with a bushnel pair of 10x binos....

Extendable walking stick is just the bees knees for resting your binos on. Stops shoulders and arms aching and takes the shake out.

What I understand from reviews of Chinese binoculars and my own experience with Chinese scopes is, sometimes, very variable build quality. In the production some will be abysmal and others very good for the price. The design is often a copy of a successful model from some other country, like Japan, but there is little to nothing in the way of quality control. So, when you get your Vortex binos inspect them carefully for optical and build faults and, maybe, use the Vortex guarantee process if the binos are not as good as it says on the box. I had several Bushnell Chinese scopes. I don't have any of those now but I still have a couple of Chinese Hawkes and a Vortex.

Where ever they are made if they are a name brand they will be made under strict quality control.
The Chinese have the capability to make anything as good as the Named maker decides, or otherwise if it's a knock off.

I would not be worried if your Vortex Bino's have a "made in China or Philippines" label it is much better than having no label.
Winchester Model 70's are now assembled in Portugal as are my Leica's.

They are Vortex, I don't have Vortex but I believe they have a lifetime warranty
Don't sweat it, enjoy the difference.

I have owned a pair of diamondbacks and would say they are very good quality for the money. Much better than the bushnells I had before them.

I splashed and bought the vortex fury HD 5000 ABs, so far very happy with them. Main feature you can set them up ballistically for the rifle you are using. Has a compass wind calulating set up, but I use it hoping to take a bearing of the direction I shot, mark that spot with toilet paper, plus range gives a good reverse bearing of where the animal was.