Mr. Monday
Active member
After careful consideration I think I will purchase a pair of Sightron SII 8x32 so that I have a good baseline to compare to. Thanks for all the great advice and recommendations!
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Best used 8x32? $850 budget (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Mr. Monday
- Start date
Kevin Conville
yardbirder
10x42s aren't 8x32s.
The stubby 8x32SEs don't hang well and are notorious for blackouts. I can't use them. I had 8x32 EIIs that had no kidney beaning issues but they didn't hang well either.
I have no experience with the 10x42SEs but I don't think you can extrapolate from your experience with them and apply it to the 8x32 versions.
No argument about the view though, they have great optics.
JerryLogan
Well-known member
I generally agree with your sentiment. But in this case, as Dennis has pointed out, the $1200 binocular is not the $675 binocular. The eBay seller offered a brand new copy of the older CL Companion for $675. He did not offer the newer CL Companion B which has much better specifications than the older version. It is this newer, improved model which retails around $1200.
Best,
Jerry
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I am surprised you went so low in price when you had an $850.00 budget. The Sightron is a good $200.00 binocular but there are big differences between it and $850.00 class binoculars like the Leica Trinovid HD, Zeiss Conquest HD, Tract Toric HD or Maven B1. The Sightron is not as bright nor will colors be as vivid as either of the more expensive choices. One of the biggest differences between a less expensive binocular and a medium priced binocular is low light performance, resolution, contrast and of course build quality. As you move up in price you get better and better contrast because of better coatings. I think down the road you will be upgrading, whereas, if you had spent the $850.00 you might have had a lifetime binocular.
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Mr. Monday
Active member
You are correct, but I don't really have a baseline to compare a higher end bin to. I have been using a cheap Nikon reverse porro for the past 10 yrs so the Sightron is actually a big upgrade for me. Also, $850 isn't quite enough to get me a good used 8x32 Ultravid or 8x32 Victory. I'll spend $150 now and sell the Sightron when I have $900 to play with and I'll buy a lightly used Victory or Ultravid.
Edit: I would be willing to stretch up to $300 as long as it's a bin with good resale value. I feel like the Sightron would be pretty easy to sell for $125-150 because it has a strong reputation, but I have also been looking at the zeiss terra and lower end leupolds.
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Mr. Monday
Active member
I would be all over these but you never see them on the used market, they aren't very popular I guess.
Hi Kevin,
To me, 8x32 EII actually do hang well, if the top cover is pushed onto them fully down. The neck strap then pulls on the binocs through the cover, making the binocs stay vertical on the chest.
Joseph