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Cornell Lab sub $600 8x42 review (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Bill Atwood
- Start date
Lol, I'm so tempted to recommend 12x42 NLs for the "Can you recommend a binocular for a 5 year old?" question.
dries1
Member
Does this sound familiar?
Any discussion of best binoculars (quality/value) that doesn't include Maven or Tract (direct to consumer brands) is worthless. We have one of each and they are better than anything else in their price range. I know, I checked them all. My Tract 8x40s regularly wow highest end binocular users for 1/3 of the price. Our Maven C.1 8x40 far outshine all the usual suspects, Vortex, etc. Customer service with Maven and Tract have both been top notch. I wasted so much time with these kind of articles in the past!
Any discussion of best binoculars (quality/value) that doesn't include Maven or Tract (direct to consumer brands) is worthless. We have one of each and they are better than anything else in their price range. I know, I checked them all. My Tract 8x40s regularly wow highest end binocular users for 1/3 of the price. Our Maven C.1 8x40 far outshine all the usual suspects, Vortex, etc. Customer service with Maven and Tract have both been top notch. I wasted so much time with these kind of articles in the past!
- I can't believe I just wasted time reading your reply. Instead of spewing all of your negativity, why don't you just tell people why you like your particular brand. There is no need to get all fan-boy nasty and butt-hurt about it.
Try it like this: Personally, I'm partial to my Athlon Cronus G2 (recently paid $375) and Midas G2 (recently paid $225)
Pinewood
New York correspondent
Hello Dries1,
It certainly read as quite familiar. I was surprised that it was not signed by one of our well known contributors to the binocular forum.
Stay safe,
Arthur
Steve C
Well-known member
With that sort of mass review with that sort of approach there is no way it can amount to much. For the record none of those comments are mine. They need to get the idea that if one is holding a pair of binoculars, they have a binocular in each hand. Otherwise the common mis conception of a single binocular id a "pair" is just carried on. We've gone around and around the Mulberry bush multiple times here with Cornell reviews.
Rather than spending up to $600 on these binoculars, I think you are a lot better off buying a higher quality binocular on the used market. It will without a doubt have better build quality and will last you a lot longer, plus if you decide to resell them you won't lose that much because the binocular has already depreciated because you are able to buy them for $200 to $300 less than retail. I am always on the lookout for good buys in the Bird Forum classifieds, Astromart or even eBay for bargains on high quality used binoculars. Here are a few I found in just a short search that I would rather have than any on this Cornell list. They are over the $600 price point, but in the long run that extra $200 will end up saving you money. You should also check out Tract and Maven when buying in this price range. They are for very high value binoculars because of their direct to the consumer business model.
Vortex Razor HD 8x42 Binoculars 875874000315 | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vortex Razor HD 8x42 Binoculars at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Maven B1 8x42 mm Gray/Orange Binoculars | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Maven B1 8x42 mm Gray/Orange Binoculars at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
Nikon Premier LX 8x42 DCF HG Binoculars SUPERIOR E CF MONARCH EDG BIRDING HUNT | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Nikon Premier LX 8x42 DCF HG Binoculars SUPERIOR E CF MONARCH EDG BIRDING HUNT at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
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While we all have our own views on whether the reviews were comprehensive, accurate or fair, we should keep in mind that the reviews are aimed at non-experts, specifically people who may be obsessed about birds, but not obsessed about binoculars. These people want to buy a decent bino and then get right back to birdwatching. Such reviews are a great way to help them avoid buying junk. Later, as they get more familiar and demanding of their equipment, they can visit optics shops, ask on Birdforum etc.
It's a good one nonetheless! Hope you have a great holiday season dries.
When I buy a binocular I always consider resale, and as we all know I have a lot of experience in this area. 
I have found brands like Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Maven and Tract sell much quicker than brands like Celestron. I am not saying Celestron is not a good binocular, it is just they don't have reputation of the others. Swarovski's even at their high price point sell the fastest. Advertise a Swarovski even at $2000, and it is gone the next day. Because of Swarovski's marketing, excellent warranty and good reputation, people know they are getting a very high quality binocular.
I have found brands like Swarovski, Leica, Zeiss, Nikon, Maven and Tract sell much quicker than brands like Celestron. I am not saying Celestron is not a good binocular, it is just they don't have reputation of the others. Swarovski's even at their high price point sell the fastest. Advertise a Swarovski even at $2000, and it is gone the next day. Because of Swarovski's marketing, excellent warranty and good reputation, people know they are getting a very high quality binocular.
dries1
Member
Speaking about reviews, on CN they are now saying that the Maven 10X56 is better than the Nikon WX, laughable.
They slammed the Tract 12.5X by a guy who wears thick glasses and always sees CA. I am beginning to feel that folks with glasses see CA more often when viewing and now leads me to read reviews by those who do not wear glasses.
Roger Vine the exception, but not some of the clowns on CN.
They slammed the Tract 12.5X by a guy who wears thick glasses and always sees CA. I am beginning to feel that folks with glasses see CA more often when viewing and now leads me to read reviews by those who do not wear glasses.
Roger Vine the exception, but not some of the clowns on CN.
No way! I think spectacle wearers do see more CA for some reason.
A2GG
Beth
It's very possible especially if they have polycarbonate lenses. When I used my glasses with poly lenses for the first time I noticed CA looking up at a telephone pole (no binocular). A bird landed on top and I looked up and saw CA on the side of the pole. This was coming out of the eye place wearing my new glasses. Plus the bino has to be aligned properly with your eyes while wearing the glasses or you'll see considerable amounts of CA (from my experience).
