[harold9649]

Lots of chat about this Hawke Frontier ed but how does it compare to Nikon Monarchs 8x42 size .
Thanks H

[Kevin Purcell]

Longer and a bit heavier.

The view is no comparison

[harold9649]

Thanks kevin
Really appreciate your inputs as me being a novice it is good to get good info .I have tried a pair of HawkeEDs but it was a shop in a shopping precinct so wasnt a good place to try them although the feel seemed ok and they seemed to be well made i will try to test them at a reserve .Have just read a review in Januarys Bird Watching magazine and they got good marks.
Thanks for your reply.
H

[Kevin Purcell]

Originally Posted by harold9649

Thanks kevin
Really appreciate your inputs as me being a novice it is good to get good info .I have tried a pair of HawkeEDs but it was a shop in a shopping precinct so wasnt a good place to try them although the feel seemed ok and they seemed to be well made i will try to test them at a reserve .Have just read a review in Januarys Bird Watching magazine and they got good marks.
Thanks for your reply.
H

I hate testing bins indoors ... more useful for screening out those you really don't want. But less good for determining if a decent possible bin will actually work for you in the field.

Another possibility is buy and return ... in the US (and I suspect in the UK) Hawke give you thirty days to try then bins and return them (in new condition) if you don't like them. No questions asked. I find this to be the most reliable way to try out bins in a familar environment. After a couple of days at most I know if they're keepers.

Though that said I doubt you find a similarly good set of bins at that price point (especially in the UK) without a much bigger outlay (though some Omicrons porros like HR WP will give you slightly less optically for less money).

[Steve C]

Harold,

I have a Promaster ELX ED and a Nikon Monarch, both 8x42. There is really no comparison. The Nikon is not even close. The big things that will smack you up side the head are the fov, resolution, sharpness and color.

[Tero]

They are 8x42 hawke are so good, you don't even need 10x42 to see what the Monarch 10x42 would see. Just kidding, but yes, check them out before you buy the Monarch. I had Monarchs for a couple of years and they are a pretty good average for the name brand products. I replaced my Nikons with Pentax...but they are again in the same price as Hawke, even Pentax SP.

[Steve C]

Originally Posted by Tero

The 8x42 hawke are so good, you don't even need 10x42 to see what the Monarch 10x42 would see.

Tero is being facetious here, but he is far closer to the truth than he might realize

[harold9649]

Thanks everyone for the feedback i will decide soon as to what to go for The frontier looks to be a good spec .I was originally thinking of the 10 x but i wear glasses and noticed the eye relief is better on the 8x and also the FOV looks very good on the 8x.What are your thoughts on 8 o 10 x .
H

[Steve C]

See post #18 in the 10x Frontier/Promaster thread in Others, just below.

[Kevin Purcell]

Originally Posted by harold9649

Thanks everyone for the feedback i will decide soon as to what to go for The frontier looks to be a good spec . I was originally thinking of the 10 x but i wear glasses and noticed the eye relief is better on the 8x and also the FOV looks very good on the 8x.What are your thoughts on 8 o 10 x .
H

This thread (it's the one SteveC mentions) is all we have so far on Chinese ED 10x roofs.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=126656

Of course if you want to get one and contribute a review of the 10x to BF ...

[Oggy]

A pair of 10x43 Frontier ED's arrived today so will try them out and let you have my opinion .... unfortunately it was to dark today by the time I got home to open them. First impressions are that they sit nicely in the hand, but the strap supplied is way to long for my liking ... I want to cut it, what is the best way then to seal the edges to stop it from fraying??

[Kevin Purcell]

Originally Posted by Oggy

A pair of 10x43 Frontier ED's arrived today so will try them out and let you have my opinion .... unfortunately it was to dark today by the time I got home to open them. First impressions are that they sit nicely in the hand, but the strap supplied is way to long for my liking ... I want to cut it, what is the best way then to seal the edges to stop it from fraying??

Oh, that's a feature!

You can easily wear the bin bandolier (or sash) style across your chest with the bin at the hip. Works very nicely. The bin doesn't flap around when you walk. For a "ready position" pull the bin around so it sits at about belly button height. The move to the eyes from there.

Best way to cut the nylon fabric is with a heated sharp knife The knife does the cutting and the heat seals the nylon. A more risky approach is to cut with a cold knife or scissors then seal with a flame (close but not touching). There is a bit of a knack required

Looking forward to your evaluation.

[NWBirder]

Originally Posted by Kevin Purcell

Oh, that's a feature!

You can easily wear the bin bandolier (or sash) style across your chest with the bin at the hip. Works very nicely. The bin doesn't flap around when you walk. For a "ready position" pull the bin around so it sits at about belly button height. The move to the eyes from there.

Best way to cut the nylon fabric is with a heated sharp knife The knife does the cutting and the heat seals the nylon. A more risky approach is to cut with a cold knife or scissors then seal with a flame (close but not touching). There is a bit of a knack required

Looking forward to your evaluation.

I used to like holding binoculars close to my chest so there is no bouncing around. But after trying some long strap by placing the binos on my hip, it seems to work better for me. Well, you never know unless you try it.

[FrankD]

Oggy,

Any other comments after having used them for a bit of time now?

[James Bean]

Oggy, Try using the strap 'doubled' so that the retaining clasp secures the strap where the neck pad meets it, both sides, just about at your shirt lapels. If it's still too long for you, measure the length you want and cut the strap ends carefully with scissors in a semi-circular fashion; then use a cigarette lighter to heat-seal the ends, thus giving a neat 'professional' finish as well as stopping the ends from fraying. I've done it lots of times with camera straps. How about a report on your experience so far with the Hawke Frontier ED ?