MINOX BL 8x44 BR (2 Viewers)

Has anyone tried the Minox BL 8x44 BR out? Or the 8x33 model for that matter.

Look very good on paper but I can find no reviews anywhere on the net.

Lightweight for their size, good fov, being 44mm they should b nice and bright one would hope.

They have caught my eye but I can found out very little about them and no stockists near by.

I have seen the 8x44. I thought it was pretty nice. The only other binocular I looked at in that shop was the 8x43 HG, and I thought the BL compared pretty well considering the price difference. This was not a critical evaluation, and in any case I do not claim to be a binocular evaluation expert.

I have mixed feelings about the Minox BL's. On the one hand I think they have a very easy, natural view -- an 8x42 I looked at a couple of years ago impressed me this way, and they seem to have that reputation (see http://featheredgeoptics.com/petespick-binoculars.htm). On the other hand I don't like how they seem to try to hide the fact that they are made in China (I didn't see any marking on the binoculars or the packaging to indicate this).

Another similar binocular (wide FOV, double hinge, a little less expensive) that I haven't tried but have heard good things about is the Alpen Wings ED 8x42.

Hi baj,

I have mixed feeling about them and I've not even seen them in the flesh yet. The spec on paper looks great but I have a nagging doubt that something is not quite right and I kind of expect to be disappointed when I do get to try a pair out.

They look very similar to Opticrons new version of their Verano binoculars but the specs are very different. The Veranos are much lower priced. I think that is what gives rise to my doubts. I suspect the Minox are over priced. If they are chinese made (which I didn't know until I read your post) then I suspect even more strongly that they're over priced.

I'd still like to try them out though.

I was curious about the lack of country of origin labeling, so I emailed Minox and got the following response:

"The BL's are developed and measured in Germany, but they get produced in China."