skewered for my "expensive" bins (1 Viewer)

[bonesmalones]

So my friend here at work is NOT impressed with the smokin' deal I got on a pair of Nikon EDG 8x32 on eBay recently. He sent me over this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-x-50-wide-angle-binoculars-94527.html

I told him I'd post it here on birdforum to get educated feedback from you guys. He swears anything over around $100 USD is an insane price for bins. So here they are. Remember, only available for a limited time...

 

[OsageArcher]

Maybe for him, anything spent over $100 is just wasted - if he can't tell the difference then he's right!

Everyone knows Harbor Freight is THE place to go for fine binoculars! And Taco Bell for fine dining...

 

[coolhand68]

Any time anyone suggests I may have plummeted from Mount Sanity because of what I spent on a pair of binoculars that will last me a lifetime, I ask them if there is any way they can get their money back on that $3,000 they spent on a one week vacation to a crowded tourist trap that they didn't even enjoy.

I'm not a golfer, but I don't question why someone would pay over $1,000 for a set of nice Callaway clubs when they can get a perfectly fine set of Wilson clubs for under $200. Some people appreciate quality gear while others are more frugal or practical in terms of their gear simply serving a purpose.

 

[bonesmalones]

"Some people appreciate quality gear while others are more frugal or practical in terms of their gear simply serving a purpose."

coolhand - I get this and agree with it. But why do these frugal people insist that I've lost my mind when I've paid what they see as an exorbitant sum for something I enjoy? It's annoying...

 

[chris butterworth]

Good job you didnt get a pair of Swarovski's. This isn't his car, by any chance? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zastava_Skala

Chris

 

[Troubador]

You will find Leica and Zeiss bins in our house, but we drive a Skoda.

We think the Skoda is brilliant, others wouldn't be seen dead in it and spend £5,000 - £10,000 more.

It's just individual priorities, but yes I too sometimes wish the 'preachers' would pipe down.

Lee

 

[jmepler]

Rated "5 stars" at Harbor Freight, just read the reviews:

"... these binoculars rate with the best I've ever used ..."

"These are just as good as much more expensive binoculars."

"No need to buy expensive name brands just for the name."

"Much prefer these to my Swarovski 8x32 SV, my Nikon 8x32 SE or my Nikon 8x30 EII" (Okay, I made up that one).

The only negative was the green color.

I started out with a $10 pair of Bushnell binoculars. They were not great but better than nothing. Especially since I didn't know any better.

Mike

 

[Binastro]

. No, he probably drives a Trabant but obviously not in the rain.

About 1967 I took my new Minolta SRT 101 to the USA and my relatives with whom I stayed could not believe I would spend £118 on a camera.
I used the camera for a least 10 years with its great F1 .4 standard lens with which you could photograph into the sun with no problem at all.
nearly every photo was a keeper.

It was a lot better than the Kodak rangefinder 35 camera that I used on my previous visit to the USA and which was all I could afford.
This latter camera has been voted as one of the worst looking cameras made but it did take photographs, which were not that bad. And I did all my own processing and enlarging.

So different people just have different priorities.
some people who could easily afford buying the best of anything once a week choose to buy rather ordinary products.

For astronomy I use some very downmarket binoculars that do their job excellently.

One of the best variable star observers uses a completely beaten up half of a 10×50 Japanese binocular.
It performs its task flawlessly and has done for many years.

 

[chiffchaff123]

Ive recently bought a pair of Zeiss binoculars for £700 and couldn,t be happier. Im the kind of person that likes quality things and i always strive to get the best i can afford.Im a firm believer of 'you get what you pay for'.
Anthony

 

[normjackson]

About 1967 I took my new Minolta SRT 101 to the USA and my relatives with whom I stayed could not believe I would spend £118 on a camera.

Ah well you see, they hadn't seen the relevant adverts :
http://betterphotography.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/SRT20-minolta.jpg
Remember the UK (1974?) advert with the heading "Sometimes it takes a tragedy to prove a point" above a photo of a burnt out Minolta camera retrieved from a house fire? Was never quite sure what it proved exactly...

bonemalones if your friend at work is annoying you, each time before approaching said individual dab yourself generously with the cheapest and nastiest aftershave known to man before boasting about your latest odoriferous bargain.

 

[bonesmalones]

Ah well you see, they hadn't seen the relevant adverts :
http://betterphotography.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/SRT20-minolta.jpg
Remember the UK (1974?) advert with the heading "Sometimes it takes a tragedy to prove a point" above a photo of a burnt out Minolta camera retrieved from a house fire? Was never quite sure what it proved exactly...

bonemalones if your friend at work is annoying you, each time before approaching said individual dab yourself generously with the cheapest and nastiest aftershave known to man before boasting about your latest odoriferous bargain.

That's funny! It was a stinkin' good bargain!

 

[james holdsworth]

Take a look at top audio equipment or camera lenses and they make binocs. look positively cheap.

 

[perterra]

Not meaning to be a smart ass, but dont tell them what you paid and you dont have to worry about being judged, one way or the other. None of their business anyway

 

[bonesmalones]

Not meaning to be a smart ass, but dont tell them what you paid and you dont have to worry about being judged, one way or the other. None of their business anyway

True enough. But he googled Nikon EDG. I didn't tell him the price. I was just showing him how great the view was through them.

 

[ceasar]

So my friend here at work is NOT impressed with the smokin' deal I got on a pair of Nikon EDG 8x32 on eBay recently. He sent me over this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-x-50-wide-angle-binoculars-94527.html

I told him I'd post it here on birdforum to get educated feedback from you guys. He swears anything over around $100 USD is an insane price for bins. So here they are. Remember, only available for a limited time...

Hey! It's Las Vegas right? He probably has another hobby to throw his money away on. People who live in glass houses...........and that sort of thing applies there :smoke: if anywhere!

Bob

 

[NDhunter]

Any time anyone suggests I may have plummeted from Mount Sanity because of what I spent on a pair of binoculars that will last me a lifetime, I ask them if there is any way they can get their money back on that $3,000 they spent on a one week vacation to a crowded tourist trap that they didn't even enjoy.

I'm not a golfer, but I don't question why someone would pay over $1,000 for a set of nice Callaway clubs when they can get a perfectly fine set of Wilson clubs for under $200. Some people appreciate quality gear while others are more frugal or practical in terms of their gear simply serving a purpose.

Your analogy with golfclubs has some meaning but not much. With golf
clubs, it is much less about the equipment, but more about the operator,
as in skill level.

With optics, a nice binocular will help many, even those with vision that is not
at a high level.

And for those with Eagle Eyes, the good glass, is even more enjoyable.

Jerry

 

[perterra]

Your analogy with golfclubs has some meaning but not much. With golf
clubs, it is much less about the equipment, but more about the operator,
as in skill level.

With optics, a nice binocular will help many, even those with vision that is not
at a high level.

And for those with Eagle Eyes, the good glass, is even more enjoyable.

Jerry

And a lot of times its an ego booster. As was told to me years ago, I'm more impressed with the guy with $130 weathered binoculars that have all the writing worn off of them from years of use than the guy with high dollars that appear unused.

It's enjoyable if it matters to you, like cameras, flyrods and bicycles, it matters more to be good with what you have. If it doesnt matter, then it's of no importance,

By the way, this isnt meant as a slight to anyone.