ksbird/foxranch
Well-known member
Some friends and I were recently looking at and trading binoculars from our collections when we noticed that the letters JB22 kept showing up on binoculars that were not only high quality in their day, but were quite comparable to binoculars made today by the best brands like Leupold, Steiner and Swarovski Habicht porros, and most all the roofers. In some cases their bins were designed to have the sharpest view and in other cases they were designed to have the most extremely wide view (try 520 feet at 1000 yards from a 7x50, a true 10 degree FOV that is unheard of in a 7x50, or a razor sharp, fully super multicoated [Pentax style] 7x35 with an incredible 604 foot wide FOV view at 1000 yards [11.5 degrees]). We know that some years back the Japan Optics certification process changed and so the final assembler didn't need to mark their products any more, but does anyone know whether the company Itabashi Kogaku Kikai Seisakujo Inc.,Tokyo is still around and if they assemble binoculars any more, or whether they might have been bought up by another company? If anyone knows what they make now, please let us know.
