A demo Tract Toric is ten times the binocular that the Athlon Cronus and Viper HD is. Both of these are chinese made, the Toric is Japanese and far superior.
I like the 409 foot FOV on the Vortex Viper HD 8x42 a lot better than the rather narrow 377 foot FOV of the Tract Toric 8x42. The narrow FOV has always been a weak spot in Tracts line of binoculars. Plus Tract is just another rebranded product that doesn't have any presence in retail stores like Vortex does, so I could very well see them going the way of Stryka in a few years, and then you would be stuck with an orphan and your lifetime warranty would be pretty worthless. I feel Vortex is going to be around a lot longer than Tract will and quite a few other members do also.
"Vortex is honestly one of the brands I'd be least worried about. They've done a great job of building a solid reputation, especially in the hunting and shooting world. They've become my default recommendation when I see random folks asking for binocular advice because they're widely available, have a reputation of good support, and basically every binocular they make is somewhat competitive in its price range."
"I'm with Josh here, Vortex is the one "cheap" brand that I'm NOT worried about. They are widely known in the birding and hunting world, and those Amazon search results? Guess who also appears at the top of nearly every search? Believe it or not, despite their bad rap in this enthusiast forum, in the "normal" world the $200 Vortex Diamondback is the premium splurge option for someone who thinks binoculars cost $35. Nikon Monarch and Vortex Diamondback are THE two recommendations when someone wants to upgrade to non-junk optics but isn't ready able to spend a fortune.
I see more Vortex used by birders out in the field than any other non "premium" brand, except perhaps for Nikon Monarchs. Vortex really pioneered this business model as the "direct-to-consumer upstart brand with an amazing warranty and optics that play was above their price point" and they've made it this far. Their binoculars have consistently bested low to mid-price tiers in all sorts of comparison tests. Years before the now decade-old Conquest HD shook up the mid level market, the Vortex Viper line had an established death grip on the "90% of alpha optics for 1/4 the price" award. And, again years before the Conquest, the Razor line was the first widely known optic to have the reputation of "imperceptibly close to alpha optics for half the price". Someone says "I want a premium scope, but I can't spend $3-4K on a Swaro or Zeiss or Leica". The most common answer will be "get a Razor HD". Their reputation and market presence is just solid, and they seem to have their marketing sensors tuned right. I don't see the fall of the Zen-Rays and Styrkas along the way is relevant to the elephant in the room. Vortex is 15+ years past the teething stages during which those other companies collapsed."
Just a heads up since this will impact current and prospective owners of Styrka optics. A birding acquaintance informed me that he tried to get his binoculars serviced under warranty and was informed that Styrka has closed their doors and is no longer servicing warranties. Their website is still...
www.birdforum.net
