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Weaver Grand Slam 7x42 (2 Viewers)

winwinbino

Well-known member
I own 8x40 porro, 10x42 roofs and 12x50 (just in case I need that power).
I am looking for a 7X42 which surely will give more FOV, brightness and more comfort viewing though I have quite stable hands (I use 10x mostly)

Apart from those big names, very few choices for comparsion. This Weaver Grand Slam 7x42 looks like appropriate with FMC and phase correction. This model already discontinued and a online shop offer a very good discount price of around USD200 shipped while Ebay is selling USD300+.

The Weaver is popular among those Riflescopes in America, but their Bins has very less review.

This Weaver Grand Slam 7x42 looks exactly same like Meade Montana 7x42. Would appreciate any advise/info regarding this bins.

Andy
 
They are the same as Meade Montana's and also the discontinued Baush and Lomb / Bushnell Discovery series and the 7x42 Fujinon CD series. These were / are well regarded fully japanese made binoculars.
They are solidly built at 28 Oz. / 800 gms. They have a 8 degree FOV. The ER is 20 mm's. I have a later B. and L. version with the P.C./ XTR / Rainguard lens coatings etc. The image is bright and most of the image is very usable with field curvature from about 85% out. You will find multiple reviews esp. under the B. and L. / Bushnell Discovery series. Mine are keepers and yes they are well worth seeking out.

Chris
 
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Leupold has just come out with a new 7 x 42 Hawthorne. It is brand new. Eagle Optics has announced it but no picture is available. You can call for more information. It is in the $350.00 price range. It appears to be an upgraded version of their old BX-2. Same specs but new coatings. FOV is 388' at 1000 yards but they are a very eye friendly, comfortable binocular to use.

http://www.eagleoptics.com/binoculars/leupold/leupold-hawthorne-7x42-binocular

Bob
 
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I would say my RSPB High Grades are the same binocular too. I've had them over six years now. Mine are 10x42 but I know they did 8 and 7x42s as well. I would have to spend alot of money to get anything better than these, the build is superb
 
I would say my RSPB High Grades are the same binocular too. I've had them over six years now. Mine are 10x42 but I know they did 8 and 7x42s as well. I would have to spend alot of money to get anything better than these, the build is superb

The RSPB HD bins(nowadays) are all Made in China though they are very good. No more 7x is available since RSPB switched to another Chinese manufacturer.

I have a pair of 8x20 HD in original China label (direct from China)priced much lower than UK. Their optics are JUST marginally behind Alpha's compact and the quality is superb.

I saw this 8x20 ED listed in Ebay UK at a very good price, but no more now.
 
The RSPB HD bins(nowadays) are all Made in China though they are very good. No more 7x is available since RSPB switched to another Chinese manufacturer.

I have a pair of 8x20 HD in original China label (direct from China)priced much lower than UK. Their optics are JUST marginally behind Alpha's compact and the quality is superb.

I saw this 8x20 ED listed in Ebay UK at a very good price, but no more now.

The High Grades pre-date the RSPB HD's and were made in Japan. Still superb binoculars though.
 
Just out curiousity, if the Weavers are the same bin as the Meade Montana then why wouldn't you get the Meade for $99 instead of the Weaver for $200. Last I checked Meade still had them on their website. I bought a second unit early this past fall and was impressed with all of the characteristics mentioned above for the other models.

If there was one area I wanted slightly better performance it was the apparent sharpness. That may have been the result of the contrast level but I cannot say with 100% certainty at this point.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks Frank,
Their outlook and specs are identical, but not sure if they are 100% same. I did some search and couldn't find any Montana selling @USD99. Would you furnish the link.
Thanks
 
Andy

When I think back on all the reviews I have read on the 7x42 Meade's, Fujinons and Discoverers, everyone seems to comment on the relatively small sweetspot and fuzziness and distortion at the edges. I believe the 7x42 Grand Slams were discontinued in 2007 or 2008 when Weaver changed the body style, so I would have to believe they would behave similar to the others. Whats the point of a extra wide FOV if its not usable? And after all, Meade had trouble dumping the Montana at $99 and NatchezSS has had the 7x42 Weavers at $150 for the last 18 months or so and still haven't got rid of them.

I have a pair of Canon 7x42 A WP's that I picked up a little while back that have a 7* (368 ft) FOV, have a sweetspot close to 90% and are sharp almost to the edge with very little distortion. They look very similar to the Minox that Highway Dog linked to, both spec wise and appearance wise, but I don't know how the Minox is optically.

But the ones that I like the best are the 6.5x32 Meopta Meopros. Others like the 6.5x32 Vortex Fury, but I had both side by side for over 2 weeks and sold the Fury's to another member.

Tom
 
I owned the Minox model for a brief time several years ago. Very sharp and bright. I felt the field of view was a bit narrow for my tastes though and the image seemed very "flat" for lack of a better term. I would certainly agree that they do offer better than average edge performance but at a cost to field of view.

I honestly don't remember how large the sweet spot was on the Montanas. Average? I don't remember it being a major issue though there is a notable amount of field curvature around the edges. My main complaint, again, with the Montanas was with the apparent sharpnees/contrast. It just wasn't as good as other bins I had on hand at the time. At the same time I had the last Montana I also had a Pentax WP 8x42. The Pentax easily beat it in terms of apparent sharpness and contrast.

...and for what it is worth, I checked and it does not appear as if Meade has the Montanas on their website any more.
 
Thanks gentlemen for those valuable info. Seems the Grand Slam might not be a wise choice though having a big discount.

Actually I am looking for a roof prism bins (not neccesary a EDC) @7x or 8x max. I just pick up bins only some half year ago with very less hand-on experience for different brand names though hobbied at photography for many years.

Apart from this Weaver, Bushnell Legend HD 8x36, Burris signature Select 8x32 (BU300185) and ZR ED2 7x36 are also in the shortlist. Being a Thai at local standard income, I just fit for something not more than USD300.

Any other suggestion please ?

Andy
 
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Tom

What did you like better about the Meopta ?

Bruce

But the ones that I like the best are the 6.5x32 Meopta Meopros. Others like the 6.5x32 Vortex Fury, but I had both side by side for over 2 weeks and sold the Fury's to another member.

Tom
 
Thanks gentlemen for those valuable info. Seems the Grand Slam might not be a wise choice though having a big discount.

Actually I am looking for a roof prism bins (not neccesary a EDC) @7x or 8x max. I just pick up bins only some half year ago with very less hand-on experience for different brand names though hobbied at photography for many years.

Apart from this Weaver, Bushnell Legend HD 8x36, Burris signature Select 8x32 (BU300185) and ZR ED2 7x36 are also in the shortlist. Being a Thai at local standard income, I just fit for something not more than USD300.

Any other suggestion please ?

Andy

Out of the list you provided I would pick the Zen based on optical performance and customer service. Another to consider is the Hawke Frontier ED 8x36. It has received some positive reviews though I have yet to handle that configuration of that model.
 
John Cota, who made Frank's and Tom's buying and selling habits seem tame by comparison, held on to very few binoculars. He was more of a tester than a user and definitely not a collector.

Two of the binoculars he kept from the big box of binoculars he had were the 8x30 EII and the Canon 7x42.

As an amateur astronomer, he was focused on edge performance, and the Canon delivered in that regard, though the narrowish 49* AFOV would probably give me tunnel vision. Ditto for the Minox 7x42.

The Nikon 8x30 EII's edges are fine for me - pinpoint sharp to 70-75% out and then still useable almost to the edge for birding. No "Ring of Fire" at the edges, the fall off is gradual.

The 8x EII did sell for around $300, but since they are only available now overseas, they cost about $400-$450 shipped to the US. But perhaps cheaper to ship to Thailand from Hong Kong. Worth saving the extra money for, IMO.

The other issue is that Thailand's climate is tropical, so a non-WP bin would not a suitable choice in monsoon season. BF member Horukuru uses a Nikon 8x32 SE non-WP porro in Borneo, also a tropical climate, but he has WP bin backups for when he needs them.

If you are not concerned about having a bin with sharp edges, but are willing to trade off edge performance for a wide FOV (still somewhat useable beyond the "sweet spot"), the Zen Ray 7x36 ED2 is WP, very sharp on-axis, has excellent chromatic aberration control, good ergonomics with its open bridge design, and the customer support is excellent. I don't know if they ship to Thailand.

My beef is that there's too much pincushion in the 7x36 model, straight lines curve inward, which gets progressively more noticeable at the edges.

Not everybody is bothered by this. Not everybody even notices it. But I did want to qualify my recommendation with that note.

It's somewhat higher than your budget - $375. If you do buy one, make sure it is the upgraded version with the baffles to reduce "veiling glare".

http://www.zen-ray.com/shop/binoculars/zened2/zened2-7x36.html

Brock
 
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