Best eyecups (1 Viewer)

There are eyecups that work and some that work good and some that don't work but have you ever come across a "perfect" eye cup?

I have and I don't own them damnit. It is on the Kowa Genesis 8x33. The first time I put my eyes into them I knew it was something very different than any binocular I had ever looked through. No pressure points, it's like your eye sockets are up against a pillow and are guided to a perfect position without effort on your part. I never came close to having to reposition my eyes. I would love to own them just for that. However they are a beautifully bright sharp optic to boot. I don't know why others aren't doing something like those. As I said I haven't used anything like them.

black crow said:

There are eyecups that work and some that work good and some that don't work but have you ever come across a "perfect" eye cup?

I have and I don't own them damnit. It is on the Kowa Genesis 8x33. The first time I put my eyes into them I knew it was something very different than any binocular I had ever looked through. No pressure points, it's like your eye sockets are up against a pillow and are guided to a perfect position without effort on your part. I never came close to having to reposition my eyes. I would love to own them just for that. However they are a beautifully bright sharp optic to boot. I don't know why others aren't doing something like those. As I said I haven't used anything like them.

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In general I like Swarovski eye cups the best. They work smoothly, are very well made of steel and the eye cup rubber that meets you eye is not too BIG like a lot of binoculars are. The new Swarovski CL eye cups are a work of art. They rotate out and stop at infinite positions and are very smooth doing it. Some of the most uncomfortable eye cups I have used are on the Canon 10x42 IS-L. They are way too big and don't fit your eye sockets well. The roughest and hardest to adjust eye cups I have come across are the Zeiss Conquest HD 8x32. The ones I had would unscrew from the binocular before they would rotate out and they were very rough doing it, as well as, being cheaply made. Not good! This is a good thread Black Crow. More attention should be paid to eye cups and their design by the manufacturers. I would like to see some ergonomic eye cups that conform to you eye sockets and were more comfortable.

I think that's at least one of the things I like about the Genesis eye cup. These fit into my eye sockets perfectly and they are completely rounded with no edges to dig into anything. Seems so simple and logical to not have eyecups with edges on them. I don't know why others aren't doing this. The difference in feel is truly amazing. I think I could fall asleep with these up to my eyes.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! Falling asleep on your bins!

black crow said:

I think that's at least one of the things I like about the Genesis eye cup. These fit into my eye sockets perfectly and they are completely rounded with no edges to dig into anything. Seems so simple and logical to not have eyecups with edges on them. I don't know why others aren't doing this. The difference in feel is truly amazing. I think I could fall asleep with these up to my eyes.

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One other member here that I remember has commented on how comfortable the Tract binoculars eye cups were, and yes, they are for me too, but I don't find many ones I would want to fall asleep with! My sinuses are too sensitive to all the pressure. So I try to not press them into my face either.

This is surely an individual preference, and only you can decide it ultimately. But the Tract's are very much rounded, and inbetween large and small, so maybe they might fit more people. There is nothing to be uncomfortable there either-all rounded edges. But, there are so many designs, that I just go with the flow-if you love the bin, then you need to learn to love the eyecup...or if it's that big of a problem, then you sell them on, and find the perfect eyecup! In other words, I think you might be asking a lot for someone to design a perfect eyecup for everyone out there. Eyeglass users sometimes like the squared off versions.

If you wore glasses, it wouldn't be a problem though! Just the mechanics, which is a whole other thing to judge.

But, funny thing, I was star gazing with my Vanguard Endeavor 10x42's the other night, and I was getting sleepy using them laying flat on my bed upside down to see the stars out of my window! The eyecups on them are pretty comfortable, and very soft rubber, which I like a lot. I often use them for stargazing, because they are good for it, and comfortable to hold as well.

Here's a good shot of the Genesis eye cups.
https://nimax-img.de/Produktbilder/zoom/15277_2/Kowa-Binoculars-Genesis-8x33.jpg

If I were to buy an alpha bino right now it would be a Genesis.

Just a note that the Genesis 8.5X44 and 10.5X44 have the same eye cups as the 8X33. One of the nicest things about the Kowas is that you just put them to your eyes and there is no repositioning or adjusting for blackouts they just work. As I've said before they may be the best kept secret in optics.
Steve

I remember you saying that.

Yeah it was a whole new experience for me when I first put those to my eye. It was exactly as you said. I'd never had the feeling of perfection and comfort that I got with those. It was pretty dramatic. Then there are the optics which were very nice and very bright.

GPO, both the Passion ED and HD lines, have the best eye cup assemblies you can get.

Steve C said:

GPO, both the Passion ED and HD lines, have the best eye cup assemblies you can get.

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I agree the eye cup assemblies on the GPO Passion ED 8x32 are well made but on the one I tried the eye cups were way too short for the eye relief for me. In fact they were some of the shortest eye cups I have seen on a 32mm binocular. I had to return it for that reason.

[email protected] said:

I agree the eye cup assemblies on the GPO Passion ED 8x32 are well made but on the one I tried the eye cups were way too short for the eye relief for me. In fact they were some of the shortest eye cups I have seen on a 32mm binocular. I had to return it for that reason.

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They have the same extension, and thus practical eye relief, as the Swarovski binoculars I have owned, and most other 42 mm glass. However I did not have the 32 mm.

Steve C said:

GPO, both the Passion ED and HD lines, have the best eye cup assemblies you can get.

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Best is a very strong word. Best of what ?

Jerry

I already said that the Genesis was the best. What's all this brouhaha about? I find this disagreement towards my POV offensive. Let's move on now.B