I agree, it’s all a matter of opinion. My issue was making this some kind of off topic battle. $300 will not buy an alpha, so why get into a fight over it? My answer to the OP would be the Hawke Endurance 7x32 ED. Less mag, but easy to hold. Price is right and the glass is quite good. Or the Vortex 8x32 DB. Small, light, good, but not ED glass. See, on topic with no attempt to start a fight.
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Looking for an 8x32 in the $300 range (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter winginit
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Zedster
Well-known member
DB is a good choice and punches above its weight. Vortex has excellent warranty service.
mulligatawny owl
Well-known member
+1 on these while you can still get them.
I suspect I may have a cherry sample ( I compared two in the shop and bought the better one)
I'm used to alpha optics and find these just astonishingly good for the price. I think I'd really struggle to find a better 8x32 sized birding bin than these for under £400 new.
Cest, I did buy the Hawke marine 7x32. The copy I received was defective, right side wouldn't focus. (I have the 7x42 monocular, which is great.) Anyway, I returned the 7x32 and decided to just get an 8x32.
Here are the suggestions from this thread that are around $300 (or at least under $400):
Oberwerk SE 8x32
Opticron 8x32 Explorer WA ED-R
Kowa BDII 8x32
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32
Nikon Monarch M7 8x30 (used)
GPO Passion ED 8x32 (used)
I bought the Kowas, waiting for them to be delivered.
With due diligence, a used copy of the Leica 8x32 BN should be added to that list.
Can't wait to hear your initial review of the Kowa once it arrives.
Zedster
Well-known member
Can’t wait for a review. Enjoy!!
Paultricounty
Well-known member
The replacement happened about 3 years ago, so I don't recall the technician's name.
Most of the attention given to these new Oberwerk's seems to be coming from Oberwerk fans and people that don't want to spend more than $200- $300 on a binocular .
Like a few others that have posted here I am not a big fan of MIC binoculars . I can clearly see that Chinese made bins have gotten much better these days but in my opinion they are still lacking that special magic that makes me happy with my binocular .
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Are you worried he might burst the Oberwerk SE bubble ? I normally feel the same as you but not on this one .
Paultricounty
Well-known member
Unless your going to be selling them next week 🤣😜. Then of course their all the best of the best , huge.
stevenberk
Active member
The eyecups of the heavy-ish Nikon AE 7x35 porros are about 45mm, as I recall. They pinch if you have a narrow IPD and a prominent nose. Any similar experience reported with the 44.5mm eyecups of the heavy-ish Oberwerk SE 8x32?
pat mitchel
Well-known member
That's an interesting question as the AE line (my 8x40 is the same diam) seems to have a sharper radius as a contact area for the eye socket and the Obies appear to be have a slightly softer radius. If you don't mind I will ask the question on the cloudy nights binocular forum .Pat
The Oberwerk SE 8x32 eye cups pinched my nose, and I am no relation to Cyrano de Bergerac. That is the main reason I returned them. The eye cups are also hard. They remind me of the eye cups on the Canon 10x42 IS_L. The eye cups on the Nikon E2 or SE are WAY more comfortable. The Oberwerk SE 8x32 doesn't have bad optics for a cheap MIC porro, but it is nowhere near an E2 or SE. For a little more money, buy an E2.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
The Oberwerk is actually better than the E2 optically in many ways, which you wouldn’t know because yours was defective. therefore you can possibly come to the conclusion you stayed. The only two things we can get from your post which is accurate is that the Oberwerk is MIC and the eyecups are to big for you. And even the latter is debatable when you say that, because of the contradictions in your posts. Whenever you use a 10 power binocular your favorite is the Canon IS 10 x 42L with the eyecups that are as big as the Oberwerk that are to big for you.
Maybe it’s not the best idea to give an overall opinion about a specific binocular when it was defective. It could be very misleading to people reading and trying to get unbiased opinions about an optic.
So what I have gleaned over the last year is that you don’t like MIC quality binos and you like the smell of German Leica’s better than the made in Portugal crap, as you put it.
The Oberwerk SE 8x32 is an immature product and should not have been released yet as far as I am concerned. The eye cups are way too big and hard and the focuser is way too tight. If they get those two things corrected, it might be ok for a cheap $250 MIC porro. Even with it being defective, I could tell it is NO match for the E2 or SE optically or quality wise. I mean, I really I didn't expect much from a $250 binocular, and I got less. I am sorry I tell it like I see it, and I am not going to mislead people into thinking the Oberwerk SE 8x32 is a better binocular than either the Nikon E2 or SE when it isn't. Then they buy one and have to return it, like I did.
Paultricounty
Well-known member
The facts don’t support what your concerned about, the reviews have substantiated the quality of the binoculars for the price point. The size of the eyes cups are totally subjective , and my focuser is very good as was a few other reviews. It’s obvious your defective pair was not a good representation of its optical quality in relation to the E2. If you did have a good one and compared it side by side and with the help of some unbiased observers then you would come to a different conclusion. Until then your opinion is way off base on these binoculars, at least as far as optically. This is good glass It’s a shame you couldn’t experience that.
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