Air bubbles in my Razors ? (1 Viewer)

[PeterPS]

Hello Pete,
It's worrying to note that you, as well as Mark, had internal issues with your units and no longer have them. This suggests to me that despite the value, overall build and optical performance as reviewed by owners and testers, the binocular hasn't been sufficiently good enough to keep for some users.
Whether this was down to an upgrade or dissatisfaction only the owners can say. Out of interest, why did yours move on? Cheeky to ask I know.
I appreciate that there are many satisfied owners of a pair of Razors.
Pat

Hello Pat,

The Razors were just one step (out of many) in my search for the best binos *for me*. I owned all the alphas and most (if not all) of the current middle-tier offerings, you name it I had it. I still believe that the (Japan made) Razors were/are quite competitive in the mid-tier range, despite the fact that range is rather crowded. However there are better options if you are willing to spend more, and personally I ended up having a small collection of high-end Nikons (EDGs and SEs), Zeiss (FLs and SFs), and Swaros (all SVs). (Leica does not work well for me).

Peter

 

[PYRTLE]

Thank you for your full and open answer Peter, certainly a learning curve there and one of some experience along the way.
Pat

 

[Swarovski Man]

Ron,

Glad to hear that you are happy with your purchase. I know that it's subjective, but I agree with you about the ergonomics of the Razors - they handle beautifully and feel superb in the hand. To my mind, they are redolent of the Leica BLs, which also look and feel great, due to the combination of painted metal and thin armouring - you really feel as if you are in contact with the equipment that you are using.

You also seem to have a better model than some of the Made in Japan examples - interesting !

Enjoy using them and please let us know of your longer-term impressions regarding the optics.

Mark

 

[giosblue]

Took the new bins out for a spin to the local nature reserve after work. Really good viewing conditions, very clear with bright sunshine. I also took my old 12x50 Alpins and my Nikon 7x20 Cf. In the bright sunshine the Vortex appeared to be almost to bright compared to the old Nikons and the Alpins. I felt a bit dazzled with the Vortex, were as the the old bins seemed to tone things down a bit. In the bright light the view from the 30 year old Optolyth was more then acceptable to my eyes. Also the view from the old Nikons was good. These 7x20 Nikon bins are really sharp with bright light. However when a the clouds came over and the light dropper, both the Nikon and the Optolyth were found wanting. The Vortex still gave a really bright clear view.

The handling of the Vortex is superb, it really is a pleasure to use them. I've only used them for an hour or so but they have impressed me. The image is very bright, it is tack sharp and to my eyes the colours are pretty neutral, no obvious cast.
I then compared them to the Nikon Monarch 7 8x30.The view from these two are different.
The Monarchs seem to have a bolder, more contrasty image than the Vortex, but it was like you were looking through binoculars more than with the Vortex. In comparison, the Vortex looked paler, not washed out by any means butwith the Vortex I got the feeling that there was less in the way of the view. To be honest,I could quite easily live with either. I think the Monarch 7 8x30 is a really nice binocular.

With regards to eye placement, I had no problems at all. I have never had any problems in that regard with any bins. Some people have mentioned glare, I was using these in the evening when the sun was quite low and it was no more than you would expect from any lens.

So, so far I'm delighted with them, the focusing is silky smooth, the lens covers are a perfect fit, you can feel air being pushed when you slide them on.Despite it's country of origin. everything I see tells me this is a quality product and I'm struggling to see what more can you ask from a pair of binoculars.

Having said that, I wouldn't mind trying some Nikon 8x42 HG's.

Ron