The 42 EDGs - 7x, 8x or 10x - can safely be called „premium material“ in my view.
Here is a brief „armchair response“ (meaning as lazy as can be) to an armchair query
In 2015, I did a comparative review of the premium market of binoculars:
https://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/read.php?9,426194 (sorry, all in German unfortunately)
and concluded by saying very briefly:
„- If you are looking for the widest field of view and excellent ergonomics, choose the SF
- If you want the sharpest possible image, both on and off axis, choose the EL SV
- If you are looking for the best straylight suppression and a compact format, choose the EDG
- The best center-sharpness / brightness and solid handling can be found in the HT
- If you are looking for proven mechanics and nice color saturated image, choose the HD Plus.“
I think choosing a premium bino has often more to do with personal preferences than with real substantial performance differences.
The EDG is the „oldest“ among the current top binoculars, and it doesn’t look as if Nikon is going to do an update anytime soon, but still today, the EDG doesn‘t have to hide from its newer competitors.
Details under the link mentioned above.
Just my 2 ct.
Canip