Eye Witness 10x50 Breaker [Archive]

ksbird/foxranch

Saturday 14th April 2007, 16:43

At various times in the last 2 years we have been enticed to purchase Breaker binoculars. The unusual specs for some models made them interesting along with incredibly low prices. What we got was usually done poorly and not really a good value.

One pair we bought was labeled as, "extra wide angle" 14x60 LE binoculars that were supposed to be multicoated and waterproof with rubber armor. It turned out to be labeled on the binocular 14x60 LE. In reality it was a 10x55 binocular with extra large eye lenses that was very useful for eyeglass wearers but it wasn't extra wide angle.

In spite of the bad (Chinese) labeling right on the binocular itself, we tried again to buy 16x70 and 20x70 Breaker binoculars. Both of those turned out to be grossly mislabeled. The bins labeled 16x70 were really 11x60s and the bins labeled 20x70 were really 12x62s. The quality of all of the Breaker brand bins was suspect. The multicoating refered to in descriptions turned out to be only on a few lenses with some not coated at all. The resolution was average and of course, the bin was made completely of polystyrene plastic under the "rubber" armour.

We got to see a Breaker bin brought to the ranch by another person and it was labeled 30x90 but turned out to be 10x55s but without the extra large ee lenses on our mislabeled 10x55s and one of the lenses in it's set, was ruby coated. We've also seen mini 10x25 Breaked bins that were labelled waterproof but were 7x20 binoculars and clearly not waterproof at all. I'm wondering if Breaker just buys up lens sets that are left over from other company manufacturing runs and isn't concerned if all the lenses in the sets are coated or multicoated or not coated at all.

Years ago there were "scavenger" audio companies in Asia that bought an amplifier circuit card overstock in one place and a tuner circuit card "end of run" in another place, and a preamplifier circuit board old "repair stock refurbished" in a third place and then made a power supply section and a chassis to house it all and sold this conglomeration as a "house brand" ultra-low-priced receiver. The problem was that there was no plan to the design, and no "ground up" concept to adhere to. Often components were mismatched and "fixes" for problems discovered in rudimentary testing could consist of jumper wires (often display models at manufacturer's shows blew up).

The entire Breaker line of binoculars "smells" like this. There are often 3 or 4 identical-looking Breaker models that are each labeled differently. The long eye relief Breaker 10x55 binoculars we did buy and keep are not especially great performers (the inexpensive Olympus non-waterproof 10x50 Troopers are Much better visually). But the LE does represent ultra-large eye lenses that DOES make seeing easier for eyeglass wearers. We haven't actually been able to verify that the bins really are waterproof or nitrogen purged as advertised. Breaker just seems to be selling manufacturer overrun, or refurbed (sold as new), or slipshod goods with no real concept and we recommend against them unless you see them in person and actually like them compared to other models.

Seems a good price, if theyre any good that is.
It says theyre nitrogen filled to prevent fogging, how does that work exactly?

http://www.binoculars-uk.co.uk/acatalog/Eye_Witness__Breaker__10x50.html

Cyclops

Saturday 14th April 2007, 18:14

At various times in the last 2 years we have been enticed to purchase Breaker binoculars. The unusual specs for some models made them interesting along with incredibly low prices. What we got was usually done poorly and not really a good value.

................

Breaker just seems to be selling manufacturer overrun, or refurbed (sold as new), or slipshod goods with no real concept and we recommend against them unless you see them in person and actually like them compared to other models.
Well, thanks for that-I will be avoiding those like the plague!
I notice you mention the fact that the objective diameter is often a lot smaller than stated, is this just a lie on Breaker's part or do they do the old trick of fitting baffles inside to reduce the aperture, as seen on cheap kids astro scope of old?(Itself a BIG lie!)