Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too many to mention..
Sancho, every bin you listed is still available, so what are you waiting for? Just give up the ciggies and pints 'o Guinness, and you'll have enough "punts" to buy all three in a year.
Frank, With all the bins you've bought and sold, it's a wonder you can remember the regrets at all. I think it would come down more to which sample of which bin you regret selling?
Every one you listed is still available, and perhaps with the exception of the 7x42 FL, within your reach if you stopped buying 10 old porros each week.
Black Crow, A tip on bidding on eBay. Keep more than window open at a time. Follow the bidding in "real time" (depending on your connection speed) on one window. In the other write your highest bid and be prepared to hit the button in the last 3 seconds (or however long it takes for your computer to refresh the page). You still might not win because you don't know the limit of the top bidder, but at least it won't be because you couldn't respond quick enough in the last few seconds when auctions are usually won.
Henry, You can buy another 10x50 SV EL (all you need to do is find a rich patron) - unless it was the best sample out of several you tried - but for selling the CZJ 8x50 Nobilem "Super", I suggest you wear a sign on your back for a week that says KICK ME, I SOLD MY "SUPER". That might help you feel better (after your butt swelling subsides
mayo, I sold my pristine FMC 820 for $250, and it doesn't hurt any less, I can tell you.
So we'll start with that
1. Swift Audubon 820 FMC (too much pincushion and field curvature at the edges but on axis the sharpest bin, bar none. I would challenge an 8x42 FL to beat it. Still have my 820 MC, which at least helps ease the pain a bit. Fat chance of buying another, and even if I managed to find another FMC 804, I doubt if it would be as good as this sample. I had another 804 FMC, which had less distortion and better edges, but it wasn't as sharp on axis. This was like having a 10x bin without the 10x shakes.
2. EO/Celestron 10x50 ED. Only a handful were made, so it's gone. 5* FOV got to me and the poor balance, tiny prisms and BIG objectives, but I could have mounted it. Less CA on axis than any other bin I've tried except the ZR 7x36 ED2, which after all is 7x. To get as "clean" a centerfield in 10x bin was remarkable. My Nikon 10x42 SE has low CA, but it shows up around birds in high contrast situations where the 10x50 ED showed none. Lost and gone forever, oh, my darling, Clementine.
3. CZJ 8x50 Octarem. Crash of '08. Got laid off. Something had to go. Could have sold the 8x32 SE (which could have replaced later, but the rumor mill said the SE was a goner and the lack of supplies at US stores seemed to confirm that, but I later found out that Nikon simply stopped stocking US stores and decided to send them only as "special orders" - thanks, Nikon, it would have been nice for buyers to have known this). So off it went to a friend, who I'm sure takes good care of it. In hindsight, I should have followed the wisdom of the Godfather: Leave the SE, take the cannoli.
In truth, I'm not terribly upset about this one, because I think the Doctor 8x56 Nobilem would be better than the Octarem - whiter image, no "dancing light" in the EPs, no diffused ring of light around the edge of the field on the night sky, and rubber armored. But I would lose a whole degree FOV, and the Nobilem would cost me almost twice a much.
4. Nikon 8-16x40 XL Zoom. Best zoom, maybe only good zoom bin ever made. I could be testing my other optics at 64x like Henry!
5. Fuji 6x30 FMTR-SX. Had two of these before I learned about the Harper HyperDrive (TM) that Ed invented that turns both IF EPs at the same time. The 6x30 FMT was not the most comfortable bin to hold, but it gave me one of the best views I've ever seen through binoculars - super 3-D effect and top notch contrast and color saturation that are at least as good if not better than the alpha roofs I've tried - those EBC coatings were way ahead of their time.
Shouldn't have said that, because now somebody reading this post with cable modem and a 5x accelerator will outbid me the next time one comes up for sale on ebay. As it is, I paid $100 more for the second sample than I did for the first.
There are probably more, but it's too depressing to think about. I'm just going to turn on my Sun Ray full spectrum lamp, eat a big bowl of the Creamery's "Death by Chocolate" and fight off seller's remorse blues on this rainy, overcast day.
Brock