Product Review: The Extraordinary Svbony SV202 8 x 42 ED. (3 Viewers)

[Dipperdapper]

Evening All,

Please find attached my latest review on the new Svbony SV202 8x 42 ED binocular:

The Extraordinary Svbony SV202 8 x 42 ED. | Neil English.net

I hope you find it interesting!

Kind Regards,

Neil.

 

[Ruub Gomez]

Thanks Neil for the effort made and for the find! (Remarkable still that there is so little response from this community to an interesting post like this).

 

[Binocollector]

I already do own the SV202 in 10x50 and 8x32. The eye-relief is insufficient for me to use with glasses but apart from that they are pretty nice.
However the 10x50, despite the ED-glass, shows more CA than for example my, Made in the Philippines, Fujinon KF 10x42.
For the money there are really nice however but optics could still be improved as far as eye-relief and CA is concerned. Build quality on both of mine is excellent and fucuser buttery smooth.
There have been some negative reports however concerning quality control and customer service by Svbony. That might be the reason that they don't garner all that much attention.
I like both of mine but hardly use them because of the horribly short eye-relief. If I can live with short eye-relief, I can just use my old super wide angle porros.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Howdy Gents,

Yeah it's always a bit slow here stuck in the 'Others' forum. I suspect most folk are going directly to my website though..... I wasn't able to get on myself this morning lol. The thread on CN has gone up considerably since my last post.

Philipp: the eye relief on the 8 x 42 ED is very generous. You'll be able to engage with the entire field with glasses. Way better than the other models.

Ruub: It's a super sharp shooter and probably the most versatile of the SV 202s. I'll be using it as my 8x 42 of choice in future.

Best wishes,

Neil.

 

[Binocollector]

Philipp: the eye relief on the 8 x 42 ED is very generous. You'll be able to engage with the entire field with glasses. Way better than the other models.

Sounds good! Thanks for the info, Neil! Too bad it isn't even available yet in Germany. Neither on the Svbony homepage nor on Amazon.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Hello Philipp,

Yeah I know. It looks like it's still probably in early production at present, so may take a while to appear on Amazon.

I think Canip got his 10 x 42 unit IIRC direct from Svbony just like me, so that's still a possibility.

Listen, I'd be more than happy to send my instrument to you for a few weeks so that you can put it through its paces. I'd very much welcome your valued opinion on it and how comfortable it is while wearing eye glasses. Happy to split the postage with you. You can post your opinions on it - warts and all - right here of BF.

Fell free to PM me to exchange postal details and we can get the ball rolling.

With best wishes,

Neil.

 

[Binocollector]

Thanks for the offer, Neil. But with the UK no longer part of the EU I think shipping between Germany and the UK might be too much of a hassle, even if it is not merchandise.
I might get one anyway, when it becomes available locally from Svbony.eu or Amazon.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Ach no worries....just a thought.


It would probably get lost in the post on the run up to Christmas lol

Neil.

 

[lilcrazy2]

Thanks for the offer, Neil. But with the UK no longer part of the EU I think shipping between Germany and the UK might be too much of a hassle, even if it is not merchandise.
I might get one anyway, when it becomes available locally from Svbony.eu or Amazon.

You guys got me mildly interested after reading about these SV202 8x42's, as well as comments on other models in the past, and since I like to compare binos, I thought - what the heck. I looked on Svbony's US website and Amazon - both out of stock for $179.99.
Stumbled on the aliexpress.com website shipping from China and with Black Friday discount and $15 coupon I would up buying a pair for $113 with delivery estimated at Dec 23.
I've got some 8x42 Celestron Regal ED's, Celestron Trailseeker ED's, Athlon Midas G2 UHD's, I'd be interested in comparing them to.
Guess I'll get to see if it's live or Memorex.

 

[exup]

I've got some 8x42 Celestron Regal ED's

I have a pair of SV202 8x42s waiting for me when I return home to the UK and I too will be very interested to see how they compare to my Regals.

 

[puprescue]

not commenting on the 8X42, as i bought the 8X30. the price was $109 on EBay and i decided to take a chance, due to the glowing review by Neil of the 8X42.. they arrived today in time to do a little gawking around. i do not speak binocularese, so i'll just say these are worth buying. they are as sharp as some of my mid-mid high priced binoculars. not quite up to the Nikon E2 10X35 or Nikon 8X32 SE's, but they best some of the $250-$350 binoculars i own [won't mention names]. very sharp and bright. i would rate their sharpness more so than brightness. i don't worry about edge sharpness and don't really check it out. it's not important to me. only time will tell regarding their build quality. they will not get roughed up here....i take very good care of my optics. my vision is extremely poor, but i do not wear glasses when using binoculars. by the way, the ergonomics are very good and they are light enough to carry for an all day outing. VERY, VERY impressive.

 

[exup]

Now had a chance to have a quick look through the SV202 8x42s I received .......... I agree with Neil, they do appear to be the best of the SV202 bunch.

 

[cytherian]

Back in November I ordered a pair of SV202 in 8x42. I had been given a delivery date of late December, then remarkably 15 days ahead of schedule they arrived. Neil English wrote a pretty extensive review of this model and I found it to match my experience. So seriously impressed with them that I decided to take a chance on the 8x32 version as well.

The SV202 8x32 arrived ahead of schedule for me, just like the last time. And like last time... I'm blown away. This is a marvelously good value. All I can say is, my eyes are "joyful" looking through these. Such great clarity, brightness, color saturation and pleasing field of view. I'd gotten the 8x32 on a Svbony sale over on AliExpress, where the price worked out to $88 USD shipped. I really feel like these are at least equivalent to others you might buy at $300 USD and higher. I am eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to bring both of them to a binoculars shop and do direct comparisons to models far more expensive.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Glad to hear that Cytherians!

Yes indeed, these are phenomenal performers!

The deal of the century methinks.

The SV 202 8 x 42 ED is the only full-size roof I'll be holding onto in my collection. Such a wonderful instrument.

Regards,

Neil.

 

[Vesplume]

Thanks Neil, I bought these binoculars after reading your review.

I also have the 8x32 ed but met an issue a few months later with the rubber of the eyecups, not a big deal. That's why I hesitated to buy the new model. Thanks to your review, I saw that the coating is not exactly the same on all the SV 202 devices (purple on the 8x42 and red on the 8x32 and 10x42) and told myself that maybe they are also different binoculars in terms of build quality.

I got them for 135 euros during the Black Friday event, so I think they are really good for the price.

 

[cytherian]

Glad to hear that Cytherians!
Yes indeed, these are phenomenal performers!
The deal of the century methinks.
The SV 202 8 x 42 ED is the only full-size roof I'll be holding onto in my collection. Such a wonderful instrument.

Regards,
Neil.

Frankly, if I was going to have only one set of binoculars, it would be the SV202 in 8x32. It's remarkable how closely they perform to the 8x42. Despite a 10 mm objective lens difference, the 8x32 is nicely bright. Swapping back and forth between the two... and I really don't notice much of a difference. Where the 8x42 shines is the larger eye-box. That leaves you more room for your eyes to rove around a little from the central focus before blackouts occur. This is what gives me a larger "viewing stage" in the 8x42. But the 8x32 is so nice size-wise. That'll be the binoculars I take with me packing.

 

[cytherian]

Thanks Neil, I bought these binoculars after reading your review.

I also have the 8x32 ed but met an issue a few months later with the rubber of the eyecups, not a big deal. That's why I hesitated to buy the new model. Thanks to your review, I saw that the coating is not exactly the same on all the SV 202 devices (purple on the 8x42 and red on the 8x32 and 10x42) and told myself that maybe they are also different binoculars in terms of build quality.

I got them for 135 euros during the Black Friday event, so I think they are really good for the price.

I'm very curious -- what happened with the rubber of the eyecups in just a few months? At one point during my forum roving (might've been over at BF or Reddit) I saw someone mention the rubber covering of one eyecup separating from the metal underneath. Naturally, with a price point this low, there may be some skimping in areas, like a glue for the armor. I'm basically not going to chance it and will be mindful to keep them out of prolonged heat exposure.

 

[Vesplume]

I'm very curious -- what happened with the rubber of the eyecups in just a few months? At one point during my forum roving (might've been over at BF or Reddit) I saw someone mention the rubber covering of one eyecup separating from the metal underneath. Naturally, with a price point this low, there may be some skimping in areas, like a glue for the armor. I'm basically not going to chance it and will be mindful to keep them out of prolonged heat exposure.

Yes, the same thing happened to me. The rubber covering came off from the metal part of the eyecups.

Nevertheless, this is not a big issue as I said. For example, I can fully retract or extend the metal part and then replace the rubber covering. Or I can press on the rubber covering against the metal part and turn the eyecup at the same time, it works.

So there are many ways to fix the problem, including applying glue or Scotch tape.

In addition, on one of my pics, we can see that the effective eye relief is better when I don't put back the rubber covering. So this issue turns out to be actually an advantage for eyeglass wearers.

 

[Dipperdapper]

Thanks Neil, I bought these binoculars after reading your review.

I also have the 8x32 ed but met an issue a few months later with the rubber of the eyecups, not a big deal. That's why I hesitated to buy the new model. Thanks to your review, I saw that the coating is not exactly the same on all the SV 202 devices (purple on the 8x42 and red on the 8x32 and 10x42) and told myself that maybe they are also different binoculars in terms of build quality.

I got them for 135 euros during the Black Friday event, so I think they are really good for the price.

Hello Colvert,

Thanks for your feedback and for alerting me to your YouTube channel.

You took some good footage of the SV 202 8 x 42 ED.

Unfortunately I have only one: the 8x 42 but I absolutely love it.

Been testing it against £300 -£400 binos recently. I found a good match with the Hawke Frontier ED X 8-42(£400), but the Hawke suffers from quite a bit of glare and some internal reflections compared with the Svbony. It's been a thrilling adventure!

Best wishes,

Neil.

 

[Vesplume]

Hello Colvert,

Thanks for your feedback and for alerting me to your YouTube channel.

You took some good footage of the SV 202 8 x 42 ED.

Unfortunately I have only one: the 8x 42 but I absolutely love it.

Been testing it against £300 -£400 binos recently. I found a good match with the Hawke Frontier ED X 8-42(£400), but the Hawke suffers from quite a bit of glare and some internal reflections compared with the Svbony. It's been a thrilling adventure!

Best wishes,

Neil.

Many thanks for your kindness and interest !