Nikon Trailblazer (U.S.) 8x25 review (3 Viewers)

Since I'm sure lots of folks have been just dying to know what these are like, I'll use a few words to summarize: I'm keeping them. I've bought and returned a number of binocs over the past few years, tried some in stores, and these I bought locally at Wild Birds Unlimited because they suit my needs. Specifically, they are 1) compact/coat-pocket size roofs that fold into a triangle*, 2) wide field (429'), 3) magnify clearly, 4) reasonable size exit pupil, 5) not priced like an alpha. These are $80.

* The two barrels come together, in parallel, touching, folding underneath the flat bridge plate, making for a very compact binocular.

These seem virtually identical to Nikon's discontinued $60 Sportstar 8x25, of which I am a chagrined owner. I've made numerous comments on BF about how bad they are: the image is soft, and the focuser binds. These Trailblazers have addressed those issues with increased contrast (as if a veil has been lifted) and smooth focusing. (There's a little backlash in the focusing, but it's not too bad.) Now, I can take them with me anywhere and I know I'll see sharp and satisfactorily crisp images -- in the center. There is a lot of curvature, so the sweet spot is really quite small, but at least the edges don't blur out into total oblivion. It's a subtle gradation center to edge from sharp to unuseable.

Eye relief is virtually non-existent at 10mm. Even with the eyecups twisted down all the way, the view through eyeglasses is tiny circles. I usually wear contacts, so I'm ok with it.

One minor disappointment: unlike the Sportstar, the large, flat, center bridge extends all the way to the edge of the objective-end barrel. This prevents me from affixing any kind of lens cap to the objective end. If that bridge didn't extend all the way, I'd be able to use the eyepiece caps from my Sportstar for that purpose, but no.... So the objective ends are always exposed unless I fold them up each time and put them back into the soft case. I don't want to have to do that.

Oh, one other thing -- I wish they were 7x.

I'm revitalizing this really long thread (*cough*) because I discovered these binoculars are a lot better than I originally thought they were. Why? Because I had my eyes examined! Seriously, the "new" optometrist I am now going to is the first to properly diagnose my right (very dominant) eye as having a small amount of astigmatism. It's enough to make a huge difference in the quality of my vision. I wear contacts and eyeglasses (but not at the same time). For years I wondered why I just could not see clearly. Now having new eyeglasses and a new toric contact lens for my right eye, vision has become magic. And it translates to a much better, clearer view through my Nikon Trailblazers. But here's something strange: the view through my Nikon Travelite V 9x25, with its aspheric eye lenses, seems a little less clear. Go figure. In any case, I now highly recommend these $90 compact binoculars. Just make sure you first get your eyes examined....

Howard220 said:

I'm revitalizing this really long thread (*cough*) because I discovered these binoculars are a lot better than I originally thought they were. Why? Because I had my eyes examined! Seriously, the "new" optometrist I am now going to is the first to properly diagnose my right (very dominant) eye as having a small amount of astigmatism. It's enough to make a huge difference in the quality of my vision. I wear contacts and eyeglasses (but not at the same time). For years I wondered why I just could not see clearly. Now having new eyeglasses and a new toric contact lens for my right eye, vision has become magic. And it translates to a much better, clearer view through my Nikon Trailblazers. But here's something strange: the view through my Nikon Travelite V 9x25, with its aspheric eye lenses, seems a little less clear. Go figure. In any case, I now highly recommend these $90 compact binoculars. Just make sure you first get your eyes examined....

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Thanks for the update. I have cataracts, and especially my left is poor. I am surprised to see that the Trailblazers are superior to the Travelites. I would have thought that the reverse porros would be superior to the roofs.

I think I will have to wait another year to get them removed. I miss the sharper vision that I had until a few years ago. Although I have worn glassed for over 50 years my eyes corrected to 20/15. What a difference.

Regards,
Jerry

Jerry, I didn't mean to imply the Trailblazers are better than the Travelites; really, they are not. When I said the Travelites were worse, I meant that they seem a little worse when I wear the toric contact lens vs. wearing a regular contact lens... or without any eye correction at all. In terms of sharpness and snap-to-focus, the Travelites are still better, and the Travelite's focusing mechanism has zero slop, whereas the Trailblazers do have some. In fact, that slop affects the right-eye diopter setting. The diopter setting, relative to the left barrel, changes depending on from which direction you are bringing the binoculars into focus! I still highly recommend them, especially since their FOV is a very large 8.2°, and the outer field is still useful for spotting movement of birds in the trees.

Howard

Hi Howard,
Thanks for the clarification. I have a pair of Travelites, and like them for their small size, and good clarity.

I admit that a large FOV is really nice and an advantage also.

Regards,
Jerry

Howard,

Those Trailblazers aren't phase coated, right? I had an earlier 10 x 25 Sports Star which wasn't. It also had a wide FOV. I sold it to a friend who uses it for hunting. He's real happy with it. I recall you had some problems with the Pentax 9 x 28. It has real long E. R. Maybe it would work better for you now? It is phase coated but has a narrow 294'@1000yds FOV.

Bob

Hi Bob,

The Trailblazers are not phase-coated. Interesting that, a few years ago I tried a Minox 8x25 that is phase-coated, but despite its much higher list price, it was no better (at the time) than the Trailblazers. I was astigmatic at that time, too! I wonder how they'd perform for me now.

You mention the Sportstars; I have the 8x25 version that I thought were awful. I looked through them today and found them pretty sharp now when used with my new toric contact lens. They are still not as good as the Trailblazers in terms of contrast and the infamous veiling glare.

I never looked through a Pentax 9x28 at least because it has a very narrow field. Yes? The 9x25 Travelite is narrow enough for my tastes.

Howard

Howard220 said:

Hi Bob,

The Trailblazers are not phase-coated. Interesting that, a few years ago I tried a Minox 8x25 that is phase-coated, but despite its much higher list price, it was no better (at the time) than the Trailblazers. I was astigmatic at that time, too! I wonder how they'd perform for me now.

You mention the Sportstars; I have the 8x25 version that I thought were awful. I looked through them today and found them pretty sharp now when used with my new toric contact lens. They are still not as good as the Trailblazers in terms of contrast and the infamous veiling glare.

I never looked through a Pentax 9x28 at least because it has a very narrow field. Yes? The 9x25 Travelite is narrow enough for my tastes.

Howard

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The Travelite 9x25 and the Pentax 9x28 have the same FOV. I'd hang on to that Travelite because Nikon doesn't make a 9 x 25 anymore. And Nikon no longer has the waterproof Pro Staff ATB reverse porros. I had three 9 x 25 Travelites at one time, I gave 2 of them away as gifts to relatives who were going on cruises and I lost the one I kept. Good thing I have the Pentax!

Bob

PS: Let me correct that about the Pro Staff ATB reverse porro binoculars. Apparently they still are made but there is no 9x25. Navigating Nikon's website is like going through a maze!

Bob, I have no plans to release the Travelites; they're that good. What they really do suffer from, though, is veiling glare, and it shows up even when the sun (or even a bright sky) is far out of the field of view. I originally wanted the 8x25 version, but since its apparent field is so much less than the 9x25's I opted for the latter.

I agree about the veiling glare on the Travelites. Their edges are better than the Pentax has too.

The Pentax has a touch of astigmatism on the edges which can't be focused out. It's long eye relief makes it easy to use and it's objective lenses are set very deeply into heavily blackened tubes so that glare is very well controlled.

It's tough too. My son used it when he was an exchange student in Chile and he trekked with it through southern Peru (Machu Picchu), the Lake Titicaca region of Bolivia, where he accidentally dropped it off the shore into the lake, and through Northern Chile. It stays in my car now.

Bob