My 825 is almost sloppy in the hinge and is certainly not tight in the focus, so it is a good binocular for a couple of students who are handing off.
My favorite? Well, as I hinted in the notes, my primary birding binoculars are a Zeiss Conquest 8x30 and a Zeiss T*FL 7x42. But after the Commodore Mark II 7x50 came back from Crista last summer I spent many nights on the deck stargazing with them. They're not as gatherful or sharp as the Zeiss--but as Redford said in "The Sting," "It's close."
I can tell you the most disappointing: Sport King and Holiday Mark II. Too heavy and too "fun-house" for panning, so right-out for birding afoot.