need some help on binos

[frodo#1]

I'll try this again does anybody have any experience with alpen optics ? I am looking to buy a new pair of binos . I have looked around at leupolds and nikon and was going to buy the leupold's . but i can get a pair of alpen teton's for about the same price as the leupolds . i just have not heard of this brand untill recently . they list price for twice the price of the leupold's but with a company discount i can get them at half price. Again i don't have a lot of money and this would be a very lage investment for me but i want to get a qulity pair of binos for my money thank you for your advice

[J. Moore]

Hi,

They are an obscure brand, so not many people will have input. This thread contains all I know about them: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=109036&highlight=teton

Here are some general links that may help you in researching binoculars:

http://www.birdwatching.com/optics.html
There are a number of excellent articles on this page. In particular, check out the Midpriced Binocular Roundup link with the accompanying chart, as well as the "Binocular Picks for Every Price Range" chart.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/buying_guide.asp?cid=4
The above is a list of Eagle Optics (a very well respected American optics dealer) "staff picks" for birding binoculars in various price ranges.

http://www.birddigiscoping.com/2006/12/closer-look-at-binoculars-advice-from.html
If you scroll down to the bottom of this page, you will see a list of binocular picks for various price ranges. The author works for Vortex Optics, though I think he is actually very objective in his opinions.

There are also various sites with out of date information. I would take their recommendations with a grain of salt because they do not include consideration of more recent models such as those from Vortex, but they have some good info:

http://www.betterviewdesired.com/index.php

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/LivingBird/Winter2005/Age_Binos.html

Hope this helps,
Jim

[ceasar]

This vendor in Nevada sells ALPIN, not Alpen. (See link below) Probably the same. They are rather expensive Porro prism binoculars and not well known in the USA. You are better off sticking with a big name brand that has alot of retail outlets and a good reputation for quality and service.
Cordially,
Bob

http://www.deutscheoptik.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=4&products_id=445&osCsid=23a0492acf9e26e6e6c47c6629431b07

[oleaf]

Frodo,

Alpen is a company build by a couple Ex Bushnell marketing types. Shows in their line... nothing special.

Nikon and Leupold make great bins. This is a nice bin at a good price.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=3740

Cheers

[lucznik]

There is nothing in the Alpen line to induce any excitement. They are not associated with Alpin.

Alpen is basically super-cheap, Chinese made imports. They have made their primary marketing push in hunting circles. A friend of a friend films a show that used to play on the "MAN" channel that was offered on DirecTV. This guy's show was sponsored by Alpen. When my friend went on a hunt with this guy he was asked to carry an Alpen binocular rather than his own Nikon Monarch for product placement purposes. He did so and told me later that he was totally unimpressed with the Alpen. My friend is not an optics nut so; if he can see that Alpen's binocular was unimpressive, that really says something.