So I pretty much made up my mind to get the ZRS 10X43, but then Zen Ray had to complicate things by offering the 10X43 ED for 295.00. They call it a refurb but then in the description say that the box was messed up. Is this too good to be true? Money burning a hole in me pocket.......Scott
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Zen 10X43 Refurb? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter scott63
- Start date
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello Scott,
If they allow you to return it, if it is unsatisfactory, what do you have to lose? If it is sold "as is," then I would be hesitant.
Happy bird watching,
Arthur Pinewood :hi:
The bins arrived yesterday! The box was supposed to have been damaged, I could only see one small area (1/8 x 3/8) near the bottom of the box that was scuffed. I could see no damage or blemishes on the bins or the bin case.
My first impression was that the are very nice well built binoculars. I only have two other cheap bins to campare these to, old Bushnell 8X40 insta focus & Steiner 8X30 auto focus. I have to say the Bushnells are very clear/sharp and have good true color but the focus is extremely touchy--to the point that they are just a pain to use and they are quite heavy.
I've been using the Steiners for my hunting bins for a couple years and I really like the autofocus feature cause it is really fast in hunting situations. I love the eyecups on these bins and I really liked these----until I looked through the ZR bins!
What I noticed: The ZR 10X43 ED bins are very, very crisp/clear and color really "pops" when looking through these. Compared to the Bushnells, the clarity and color are very close, but the ZR is slightly better and the depth of field is noticeably better. Ease of focus is no contest, the ZR is much easier and faster to focus.
When compared to the Steiner I couldn't believe how BLUE the Steiner makes things. I really had not noticed this before. The image brightness is much much better than the Steiner, probably in part to the 13mm larger lenses. While I would say the Steiners are good, they really cant compare to the ZR, as the ZR really is in a different class.
There were two things I don't like about the ZR. One is that the diopter adjustment doesn't lock on this model, but it does lock on the cheaper ZR Summit. The other thing I really don't care for at all is the eyecups, in my opinion the Steiner eyecups are superior but maybe I wouldn't feel that way if I wore glasses.
I do not and most likely will never own a 700.00 pair of binoculars to compare with the ZR. But for the 300.00 I paid, I am very happy and can't wait to try them out this weekend.....Scott
My first impression was that the are very nice well built binoculars. I only have two other cheap bins to campare these to, old Bushnell 8X40 insta focus & Steiner 8X30 auto focus. I have to say the Bushnells are very clear/sharp and have good true color but the focus is extremely touchy--to the point that they are just a pain to use and they are quite heavy.
I've been using the Steiners for my hunting bins for a couple years and I really like the autofocus feature cause it is really fast in hunting situations. I love the eyecups on these bins and I really liked these----until I looked through the ZR bins!
What I noticed: The ZR 10X43 ED bins are very, very crisp/clear and color really "pops" when looking through these. Compared to the Bushnells, the clarity and color are very close, but the ZR is slightly better and the depth of field is noticeably better. Ease of focus is no contest, the ZR is much easier and faster to focus.
When compared to the Steiner I couldn't believe how BLUE the Steiner makes things. I really had not noticed this before. The image brightness is much much better than the Steiner, probably in part to the 13mm larger lenses. While I would say the Steiners are good, they really cant compare to the ZR, as the ZR really is in a different class.
There were two things I don't like about the ZR. One is that the diopter adjustment doesn't lock on this model, but it does lock on the cheaper ZR Summit. The other thing I really don't care for at all is the eyecups, in my opinion the Steiner eyecups are superior but maybe I wouldn't feel that way if I wore glasses.
I do not and most likely will never own a 700.00 pair of binoculars to compare with the ZR. But for the 300.00 I paid, I am very happy and can't wait to try them out this weekend.....Scott
I took these out to the woods to try out on deer, and I am really impressed! When looking through these the clarity and crispness of color really make the deer stand out from surrounding brush/timber. I'm one of those frugal (cheap) guys that would never spend more than a few hundred dollars on optics, but I'm really glad I got these. At half price they are a real bargain................Scott
falcondude
Well-known member
Back when I spent close to two grands on pair of european binoculars, there was no such option available. The mid priced binoculars were mediocre at best by today's standard. The competition has brought down the price and brought up the quality over the years.
rivergazer
Well-known member
You're rightfully happy with your ED's, but just to add that at just a little over half the price you paid, the Summits are quite impressive as well. When I bought my suite of ED2's a friend went in with me and got some 8X42 Summits. He's a hunter, and experienced with optics, and just loves the Summits; no remorse even after sampling my ED2's and 8X32 Nikon SE's extensively. I'm with you on the ED's, but the Summits are no slouch.
May as well make my first post here as you helped me decide on 8x43 Eds. I picked up a pair of the refurbs and I sure can't tell them from new. I'll wait until the weekend to fully evaluate them but they should be fine for my purpose.
Thanks for all the info on this board!
Happy New Year,
Win
Thanks for all the info on this board!
Happy New Year,
Win
I would also like to say thanks to the board members, there is a lot of very usefull information here and interesting as well. I have read a great deal about brands I have no intention of buying simply because it is good reading. I sure wish they had the steiner style eyecups, but thats life. Thank you........Scott
Scott
i have been reading alot of post on here also really good reviews on this pair of bino's,i will also be using them for deer hunting.
how well do they work in low light have you had a chance to look thru them at daybreak or dusk yet
i am really thinking of grabbing a pair of these from all the reviews i have read
i am like you i have not liked spending alot of money on glass in the past till i put a zeiss scope on my rifle and it kind of spoiled me,now i want to get a good pair of bino's and from everything i have read these things stack right up with leicas or swaros are they decent in low light that is my biggest concern,some of this bino talk is confusing to me as i am not gonna be looking at things 10ft away,thanks for the posting on the refurbs
Ted
Disregard the financial maxim that generally one gets what one pays for-- for the moment.
Now consider all things equal between 2 binoculars except their formats. Under those conditions a 7 x 50 binocular will always be brighter under low light conditions than a 10 x 50 will. Furthermore the 7 x 50 will increase the factor that your shaking hands will introduce to the binocular by only 7 times while a 10 x 50 will increase that factor 10 times making your identification problem even more difficult with that binocular.
Nothing is simple in optics. I don't know how much you spend on hunting and on your equipment, but you also should require the same value from your optics that you do from from the rest of your equipment. This is why it is important that you personally test, that is try out, the optics you want to use in order to make sure you have a binocular that suits you and your individual characteristics. You have already stated that you tried your bosses Leica and was very impressed by it. Well, there you have it!
If you are going to be hunting for the rest of your life, get one of them! It will amount to pennies per day in the long run. Leica has been around a lot longer than Zen Ray and this is not a criticism of Zen Ray by any means. If saving money is important, get a Zen Ray and use it hard; if it come up to your standards you are ahead of the game.
Bob
Now consider all things equal between 2 binoculars except their formats. Under those conditions a 7 x 50 binocular will always be brighter under low light conditions than a 10 x 50 will. Furthermore the 7 x 50 will increase the factor that your shaking hands will introduce to the binocular by only 7 times while a 10 x 50 will increase that factor 10 times making your identification problem even more difficult with that binocular.
Nothing is simple in optics. I don't know how much you spend on hunting and on your equipment, but you also should require the same value from your optics that you do from from the rest of your equipment. This is why it is important that you personally test, that is try out, the optics you want to use in order to make sure you have a binocular that suits you and your individual characteristics. You have already stated that you tried your bosses Leica and was very impressed by it. Well, there you have it!
If you are going to be hunting for the rest of your life, get one of them! It will amount to pennies per day in the long run. Leica has been around a lot longer than Zen Ray and this is not a criticism of Zen Ray by any means. If saving money is important, get a Zen Ray and use it hard; if it come up to your standards you are ahead of the game.
Bob
