I bought my 8x40s from Alex at eurooptics and yes he will let you field test them before you pay. I love these binocs, i wear glasses and get a great view. I have not used them in rough abd tough conditions but have found them excellent for scanning large areas and they are a natural pointer, it is easy to find birds in flight. On a foggy 4th of july night I was able to compare the view relative to other binocs and I was impressed with the Victories. On other binocs I could make out the boat shapes abd perhaps the people on deck. With the Zeiss I could see people on deck talking and practically read their lips. If anything I wish they were lighter but relative to all the other 8x40s these are among the lightest. Highly recommended. Even if they have been replaced by the Fls