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? reasonable price for Vortex (1 Viewer)

lulubelle

lulubelle

Well-known member
I have been considering purchasing some Vortex Vipers and have carefully culled through this forum, reading quite a few discussions on them. Very helpful I must say to find people who actually know the brand and use them!! There is a gentleman here in Arlington who I spoke with who is willing to let me try his 8x42 & 10x42 Vipers. He also has an 8.5x50. He is quoting me $410 for the 8x, $420 for the 10x and $475 for the 8.5x. He also has a new pair of Stokes DLS (10x42, I think) that he quoted me $550 for. I know Eagle Optics has the Stokes for much less. Based on the discussions I have read in the forums, I feel buying the Vipers will be a good choice. I am currently using Eagle Ranger SRT's 8x42 and am looking for an upgrade in quality, but want to stay under $700. His prices beat what I see on line, especially when I look at the Vortex site. If I purchase from him, he says he will order a pair for me. Has anyone tried the 8.5's and for the quoted prices, which would you get? I plan to pick them up tomorrow and use them over the next couple of days in comparison with mine. Any advice appreciated!!
 
Google up Camera land NY and then go to their used/demo page. The binoculars from that list will look like new. Vortex Warranty goes with the instrument, not the original owner and there is no registration card. Their warranty is VIP, just as it says. Doug's prices all are all much better than those you have been quoted. CameralandNY is a top customer service outfit and you won't get any hassle from them.

Actually if you want a serious upgrade from the Ranger, get a Promaster Infinity Elite ELX ED frrom CameralandNY. They are a dealer. Search this forum for Mystery Binocular, Promaster ELX ED and Hawke Frontier ED. The Promaster/Hawke has been extensively reviewed and commented on here.
 
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Thanks Steve, I will take your advice. The prices were for new bins though, not used. He was going to let me use his just so I could compare them to mine in the "real birding world". I got this guy's number off the Vortex site when I was looking up local dealers that might have the Vipers in stock, so they would be from Vortex with full warranty, etc., brand new. I was wondering about the Promasters after reading through the forum, but they are a brand I am unfamiliar with so I was a little unsure.
Thanks!

Did take a look and the prices are actually higher than the new I could get through the dealer here, for the Vipers. For the 8x Cameraland is $499 (vs $410 here), the 8.5x is $829new & 699 used (vs $475 here), and the 10x is $509 new/$449 used (vs $420 here). The Promaster Infinity Elites ED 8x was $499 and the 10x was $509. What makes the Promasters such a better deal over the Vipers? I did read the forums & I remember the discussions saying that the Promasters seemed relatively new.
 
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Well, try before you buy. Especially the 8.5x, which is fine for stationary birding. It is too heavy for walking around all day with. Actually it is just under 30 0z..just tolerable, but will be bulkier. But it has a much narrower view than the 8x42. Eye relief, though, looks good.

I have no ProMasters yet to compare. I may experiment with the 10x version eventually. My Vipers are 8x, as I have a perfectly good 10x42 already.
 
Thanks, Tero. This guy has has offered to let me use his own Vipers for a couple of days so that I can get a good feel for them. I certainly don't need more weight! I was looking for a crisper, cleaner, better detailed view. I like my Rangers, but I find that I just can't always get the details on a bird that others seem to get. Maybe I need new glasses!! I was looking for more and better without breaking my bank and it seemed that the Vipers were a way to get that. I have talked to the people at Eagle Optics quite a bit and they are the ones who originally directed me to the Vipers. In fact when I was gung ho to get the 10x's, the EO dealer suggested that I go with the 8x Vipers to get what I was needing.
 
lulubelle said:
Thanks Steve, I will take your advice. The prices were for new bins though, not used. ... so they would be from Vortex with full warranty, etc., brand new.

What makes the Promasters such a better deal over the Vipers? I did read the forums & I remember the discussions saying that the Promasters seemed relatively new.
Click to expand...

The point is should you go Vortex, you have the full customer service and warranty. As I said in the last post, the warranty goes with the binocular. It does not matter if you got a used binocular or not, the VIP warranty still applies. So "full warranty" is not an issue.

I have an 8x Promaster ELX ED and now a 10x Viper. I have also had an 8x Viper. Optically the Promaster has an advantage over the Viper in all categories. It has a larger fov. It is sharper, brighter and provides a better overall image than the Viper. It is a larger binocular than the Viper. Being a double hinge design, the feel is different. The Promaster comes so close to presenting an image equal to the higher end, it would be difficult for most people to tell the diference. If you read my Promaster/Mystery Binocular review posts, I can't say what I said there any differently here.

Also the try before you buy offer should be used. You have to like the view you get, not someone else.
 
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No prob - I know it is frustrating when something is discussed in depth some where in the forum and people never seem to browse the posts to find info before they ask. I had done that (searched the posts I mean!) and I know I read your review while looking for info on the Vipers. All seemed to be positive about the Promasters. The last post I remember reading said something about 4-5 pairs being sold only, then someone said no they were into the double digits now! I have never heard of these and it seems that not many on this forum actually have them either. Both bins have excellent warranties backing them and good reviews, I just wanted make sure of any final pros & cons between the 2 before I purchase. Once I make this purchase, I won't (I hope!) be buying another pair for a while because a scope will be the next purchase. Thanks so much for the info!!

Ok, one more question! I looked at a post by Frank comparing the Frontier and the Promaster and while it sounds like they are neck & neck almost, it sounds like the Frontier may be the better bin. Has anyone else tried the Frontier and would you agree with Frank?
 
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I was looking for a crisper, cleaner, better detailed view. I like my Rangers, but I find that I just can't always get the details on a bird that others seem to get.
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A lot of time it has to do with very precise diopter settings. If you wear glasses, you need to check this out. The Viper has a rather fast focus, so you need to be able to very slowly focus near the final setting. I would prefer a little "slower".

Like any new pair, some break in period is needed to get adjusted to it.

The only pair I never got adjusted to was a Zeiss Conquest, after a year.
 
Good point and funny that you bring that up since I was just reading earlier posts where Steve and Frank were commenting on the slowness of focusing on the Promaster. My bins are used 100 % for birding, is the slowness of the focusing process going to hamper me? It is hard enough to keep up with a busy warbler or kinglet,without taking so long to focus that I lose the bird. Other than this issue, it almost sounds like the Frontiers or Promasters are a must have bin for the price/quality combo.
 
Well, the slow focus is one thing I'd prefer was different in the Promaster. But in use it does not seem so slow. There are two reasons for that. One is there is about 1/2 turn beyond infinity On the other end there is at least another half turn comig in from 50 feet or so. This makes seem the focus to be not as slow as it might seem on the surface. It is a try it and see if you like it I suppose. This is where CameralandNY will come in handy. If you don'tlike the Promaster, then you can return for a Viper. Now that I'm used to it, I really do not notice a problem with the focus being too slow.
 
Regarding differences in warranties...

Promaster says you need the original sales receipt and their website says there is a $25 processing and shipping fee.

Vortex does not require the sales receipt, and does not have a processing and shipping fee.
 
Has anyone had an issue with restocking fees? It would seem that after reading through many of the posts, that quite a few of you are "binaholics" and try & return with some frequency! I would like to give the Promasters a try, but if they just aren't a good fit for me, I don't want to have rpoblems with the return. I know EO has no problems with a return and to my knowledge there is no restoking fee, but they are the only ones I have ever really dealt with.
Thanks!
 
Hmm, a few might know. I only bought one item from Cameraland NY. EO has no fees and you can get a full refund, no reason needed.
 
I have used CameralandNY and Eagle Optics. I use these when I know I'm going to buy something, just not sure which one. Since I always have bought something that I had shipped and never sent them an abused product for return, I have never had a restocking issue.
 
lulubelle said:
Thanks! I will give them a try!
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It is pretty much what you have to do. Some people order two pairs and return the other before the credit card bill is due. That is about the only way you can compare two pairs.

As far as the Viper goes, it is a pretty good pair, but do not expect miracles. For 8x, it is not my sharpest pair. My sharpest pair is a Bushnell Legend 8x42 porro pair. The resolution is pretty good and the fov is reasonable. Not having seen the ProMasters, they really look good on specs and sound pretty good from the people that own them. I may get a pair. Undecided whether 8x or 10x.
 
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