EL 8.5x42 Mk1 vs new kids on the block (1 Viewer)

[master5]

at first in Japanese Vortex Razor HD 8x42

https://www.bestbinocularsreviews.com/images/Vortex-Razor-8x42-HD-Diopter-Large.jpg

 

[jgraider]

Vortex really took the time to answer your question completely. They sound very confident that MIC binoculars are every bit as good as MIJ and I tend to agree as long as the manufacturer overs sees the production and monitors the quality which Vortex probably does. Some lower end MIC binoculars in my experience have had sketchy quality control in the past.

What would you expect them to say about their MIC $1k binos? That they suck compared to MIJ models? The reason they went to a MIC Razor and Viper HD was to put more money in their own pockets, not make a superior product. Seriously, I've never seen a MIC bino last as long as the others, and that includes a ZR EDII which literally had stuff falling off of it after 3 years, and of course Charles was AWOL.

 

[giosblue]

What would you expect them to say about their MIC $1k binos? That they suck compared to MIJ models? The reason they went to a MIC Razor and Viper HD was to put more money in their own pockets, not make a superior product. Seriously, I've never seen a MIC bino last as long as the others, and that includes a ZR EDII which literally had stuff falling off of it after 3 years, and of course Charles was AWOL.

My Vortex Razors are MIC and they are superb. I also have some 5 year Swarovski SLC 10x42 and the the Vortex are optically every bit as good as the SLCs and the build quality is excellent. A few years ago I wouldn't have considered buying MIC bins, but everything about these is spot on.
Highly recommended. I paid £680 for my 8x42 and £840 for my 10x42. worth every penny.

 

[[email protected]]

Have you tried them Dennis?

What did you think?

I have had good luck with all my Vortex binoculars except for one MIC Vortex Razor 10x42 that had something wrong with the diopter, so I returned it to the seller and got a refund. I emailed Vortex complaining that their quality wasn't as good because they moved their production to China, and they sent me a free MIJ Vortex Razor that was fine but I later sold it because I decided I liked 8x better. I have never had a MIC Vortex long enough to test it's long term durability but I do know from my experience with Vortex if anything goes wrong with your binocular they will fix it or give you a new binocular. They have excellent customer service and an excellent no-fault warranty. Optically I think the Vortex Razors are excellent for their price point and are a very good value. That is why I recommended them to you.

 

[etudiant]

What would you expect them to say about their MIC $1k binos? That they suck compared to MIJ models? The reason they went to a MIC Razor and Viper HD was to put more money in their own pockets, not make a superior product. Seriously, I've never seen a MIC bino last as long as the others, and that includes a ZR EDII which literally had stuff falling off of it after 3 years, and of course Charles was AWOL.

Perhaps your ZR experience has impacted your views.
Chinese manufacturers are very much driven by basic capitalist motivations, so they unrelentingly seek to drive costs down. Unless the distributing/marketing partner has super tight specs and enforces them zealously, quality will slip. Some auto makers such as Volkswagen Audi and GM Buick appear to have solved the problem by owning the manufacturing, Zeiss by contrast is apparently just using tight specifications.
I don't think the issue will be resolved until we get a premium Chinese sport optics brand comparable to DJI for example in the drone market.
Huawei proved that Chinese design and production could be world class even on sophisticated products. Sadly that recognition will take time to become apparent in the more backward sectors such as sport optics.

 

[jgraider]

Too much sample variation in any and all MIC binos I've tried, including Razor, Viper HD, , Athlon Midas, Hawke EDX, and Terra.

 

[etudiant]

Too much sample variation in any and all MIC binos I've tried, including Razor, Viper HD, , Athlon Midas, Hawke EDX, and Terra.

That is the Achilles heel of optics production, maintaining a high standard.
It won't be achieved with current production methods, which usually involve small batches (less than 10,000, often much less) assembled by a team that then moves on to the next batch of a completely different model.
Learning curves consequently restart from scratch each time, unless the workers are long time veterans and have been to this rodeo before.
Afaik, China is still pretty ruthless about managing the workforce, with lots of turnover, so mistakes are more difficult to identify and to correct. But these are smart people, they will get the message, just as the Japanese did before them.