The Maven people are very knowledgeable and very responsive to questions. Just shoot them a question at their website and I am sure they will explain the transmission numbers. These guys are a whole different ballgame as Steve says. Quite a refreshing change from the big three.
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Maven B3 8x30 ... (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter FrankD
- Start date
FrankD
Well-known member
Arthur,
I understand where you are coming from now. The intent for my digibinned pic was more just to give folks an initial impression of the overal optical representation of the image. I had to do close quarters as it was dark outside at the time when I took the pics. I will try to post an outdoor pic at considerably more distance if/when I have time today.
FrankD
Well-known member
Apparently, the case is an "option."
Did you order these, or did they send them for you to try? You and Steve are always getting "free trial" bins. Let me know whose butt I have to kiss to get UPS to stop at my door weekly with a new bin, and I will put a clothespin on my nose, rub some antibiotic on my lips, and pucker up!
Brock,
These are trial bins or "review binoculars". Much like Steve if they impress me enough then I purchase them. If I don't then I send them back.
As for kissing butt, I honestly can't say. I have enough experience with that and my significant other but nothing in reference to the folks in the sport optics arena.
henry link
Well-known member
Henry,
You need to clear some PM space
Should be clear now.
Steve C
Well-known member
Did you order these, or did they send them for you to try? You and Steve are always getting "free trial" bins. Let me know whose butt I have to kiss to get UPS to stop at my door weekly with a new bin, and I will put a clothespin on my nose, rub some antibiotic on my lips, and pucker up!
Looking forward to your review. These are more in my price range and weight class, though I'd rather have the B2, which looks awesome, particularly the way I customized it.
I thought I'd made the point these are binoculars I've purchased. They did offer to send a review glass. But I figured I'd buy them anyway, so I ordered on the demo option. I specifically wished to avoid the free binocular crap. I easily could have sent them back for refund if I did not like them.
brocknroller
porromaniac
Not the Mavens in your case, although even there, "they did offer to send a review glass," but the Leupolds, Krugers and other brands (the relatively new hunting optics company that has "trophy shots" on its Website) that were sent to you free for review. Lee is another one, Zess sends him free trials on its latest bins.
How do you get free bins to review? Schmoozing with company reps while working the counter at optics shows? Visiting their offices? Leupold and Kruger have offices in Oregon.
C'mon, tell us your secret. We can't wait for your autobiography to come out ("My Life as a Freebie Optics Reviewer").
...... C'mon, tell us your secret. We can't wait for your autobiography to come out ("My Life as a Freebie Optics Reviewer").
Boy- that sounds like it would be quite the lucrative and sexy life story right there. Full of mounds of money and ladies hanging off your arms.
Alexis Powell
Natural history enthusiast
I wonder, then, if your review bin is missing a sticker. I think imports to the USA are required to have a "Made in XXX" label. So sometimes brands try to obscure country of origin with a prominent label that names a more "prestigious" country, sometimes following "Designed by ..." along with a hidden label with the real location (e.g. the Fieldscope 50ED has a prominent integrated label "Nikon Vision, Japan" but in the USA also carries a small sticker underneath that says "Made in China").
--AP
Steve C
Well-known member
Not the Mavens in your case, although even there, "they did offer to send a review glass," but the Leupolds, Krugers and other brands (the relatively new hunting optics company that has "trophy shots" on its Website) that were sent to you free for review. Lee is another one, Zess sends him free trials on its latest bins.
How do you get free bins to review? Schmoozing with company reps while working the counter at optics shows? Visiting their offices? Leupold and Kruger have offices in Oregon.
C'mon, tell us your secret. We can't wait for your autobiography to come out ("My Life as a Freebie Optics Reviewer").
I actually bought the Krugers from SWFA.
So, how do you get a review binocular? Well Frank and I have review histories here and other forums. We've taken some time developing that. Speaking for myself, I never started doing reviews with the idea of getting free binoculars. I can't imagine Frank did either. I started because I did not like what I could find. In the case with Maven, I called them and talked to one of the owners for some time. At the point of the first call, I did ask about review sample. Nobody without a review history is going to get a review sample. In my case I told him about my review history, and told him who I was at BF and various forums. He was not what I'd call cool to the idea at the outset, but if I had no history to point him at, the review thing would never have happened. The second of the owners e-mailed me granting the review idea. They had spent some time looking at reviews I had done. I then decided to buy the thing to avoid the free sample stuff. I'd return if I didn't like it.
Leupold is the only outfit to have ever contacted me first. My Oregon connection was part of it, my review history, which they knew all about at first contact, was the larger part of the contact.
So I guess what you need to do is start reviewing binoculars like Frank and I did. Each with your own inimitable style. Take your time, ignore brand labels, evaluate fairly, as you see the term, form your opinion, be prepared to defend it consistently (because you will make somebody mad...guaranteed), stick you your guns, be able to modify the opinion based on experience and reflection, and admit to mistakes. You will make them.
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According to Maven, the transmission #'s are the peak number. They said since that is what almost everyone else in the industry posts for their transmission number. So, they thought that would be the best, and most fair number to post for simply comparison purposes.
I do not know how other companies arrive at, or what numbers they use when they post them; so it does make sense from a marketing comparison purpose, to just post them the way others do.
I do not know how other companies arrive at, or what numbers they use when they post them; so it does make sense from a marketing comparison purpose, to just post them the way others do.
Your reviews and Franks are well worth a pair of binoculars to a binocular company. They are usually very accurate and help others decide what to buy. It is hard to judge the durability and longevity of a binocular but your optics reviews I have found are generally right on. Who would even try a Sightron or Bresser if Frank hadn't given them a thumbs up. Turns out they are good binoculars and excellent values for the money. For my little reviews I even got a free pair of binoculars once. How do you think I afforded my SV's Brock? Just kidding, I won't say what brand I got free but my point is a pair of binoculars is cheap payment for a good honest review.Not the Mavens in your case, although even there, "they did offer to send a review glass," but the Leupolds, Krugers and other brands (the relatively new hunting optics company that has "trophy shots" on its Website) that were sent to you free for review. Lee is another one, Zess sends him free trials on its latest bins.
How do you get free bins to review? Schmoozing with company reps while working the counter at optics shows? Visiting their offices? Leupold and Kruger have offices in Oregon.
C'mon, tell us your secret. We can't wait for your autobiography to come out ("My Life as a Freebie Optics Reviewer").
Tom Bombadil
Tender of Forests
I am in agreement. I have reviewed products given to me, or loaned to me, for free and I felt completely free to say whatever I wanted about them. If anything, I think that I felt that I could be a bit more objective about them than if I had paid for them, wherein I might have been a bit biased to justify a purchase.
Before my reviews (which were most IT and audio products, but once upon a time did include a few binoculars and telescopes) I clearly stated to the manufacturer rep that I would be absolutely as objective as I could be. If they didn't like the review, then too bad. As an example, I was once given an audio interconnect which sold for several hundred dollars, and I gave it an extensive evaluation period against some $20 cables I purchased from Radio Shack. In the end, I concluded that while the expensive cable was very well constructed and had impressive looks, there was no discernible difference in sound quality between the two. I wrote it up that way.
I have not detected any significant favoritism in Frank's reviews. I'm not in a position to say if his reviews are without flaw or that he doesn't employ the best methodology, but I do find them of value and feel that he gives a very good faith effort.
FrankD
Well-known member
Sniff....sniff, you guys are bringing a tear to my eye.
Seriously, thank you for the kind words. I have never hesitated to post the good or the bad regardless of the optic or how I obtained it. Admittedly, I usually post more about the optics I like rather than the optics I don't. A flaw on my part.
Seriously, thank you for the kind words. I have never hesitated to post the good or the bad regardless of the optic or how I obtained it. Admittedly, I usually post more about the optics I like rather than the optics I don't. A flaw on my part.
brocknroller
porromaniac
Over the past 12 years or so, I've commented on dozens of bins I've either owned or tried as loaners (not from companies, from individuals) on CN and BF, but I don't think I've actually arranged those comments in some type of format like you and Frank do on BF and Optics Talk.
I once compared 20 bins side by side in my backyard. Steve (mooreorless) took a photo of the table with all the bins on display. I used to be a test maniac. Got that from reading BVD and also from John Cota, a guy who sold me a lot of used bins at good prices. He would buy a bin, test it, and then usually sell it a few weeks to a month later. Like Frank, he'd often buy more than one sample to test. For example, he had five Canon 10x30 IS bins, so he could find the one with the best stability.
Steve gave me a cutout square from his 1951 AF resolution chart, and I used my Nikon 8-16x40 XL Zoom as a booster, which I think is also what Henry uses. I kept a book with all the results, but it was ruined in a flood in the cellar (sewer backed up, so it wasn't something I wanted to dry out). But I didn't really care about posting results, I was just doing it for me, so I could compare the bins. In some cases, I had more than one sample of the same bin. That was an eyeopener because I found that sample variation runs rampart at all price points. The most consistent series of bins I tested was the SEs, but even those had some variation.
I had some money back then and could afford to own a half dozen or more good bins at a time, and I would sell some and buy others year over year. Now I can't afford to do that, so if I started reviewing bins in-depth, it's going to take quite a while to build up a backlog I can use to show companies. OTOH, I've written close to a thousand articles over the past 22 years, so I could show them those. Many are online. A review is a type of writing, however, I've read some reviewers, even some who have their own Websites and have easy access to many bins, but who can't write a proper English sentence. Their writing is sloppy as if they were writing an email or posting to a forum, without checking grammar or spelling or punctuation. It sometimes bugs me.
Thanks for the tips. I understand about developing a style, but if Frank starts off one more review with "a big brown truck pulled up in front of my house today," I think I'm going to pull my hair out.
stereotruckdriver
Well-known member
I have an all black 8x30 headed my way. I had to pay for it though!
Cash only on my part Brock, don't use credit anymore!
Bryce...
Cash only on my part Brock, don't use credit anymore!
Bryce...
Sweet... another review forthcoming!!! I love you guys!!! (so where's the emoticon with the BIG lips???)
CG
I agree the mechanical and optical performance are key. However, I don't see the appearance customization as a gimmick. It is nice that one can have a choice if they care to do so. So much of this has been lost over the years. I dread the day when our cars are all one color and our food one flavor...:-O
As I've mentioned before, I like camo. Those goofy squiggly lines and masses of color are pure sexy... (and quite functional). My sidekick doesn't agree and is fan to most things pink and purple.
CG
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