Maven B2 9x45's
Hi BF members. I'm planning to do a youtube review on my thoughts regarding the B2 Mavens, below are my notes. I'm primarily a hunter / nature viewer but thoroughly enjoy the content and knowledge base this forum has. Excuse the formatting as this hasn't pasted well from google doc's.
By no stretch am I an optic’s expert, I’ve never even done a bino review before. I have been fortunate enough to own and use some nice glass over the years (I used to trade in used optics a little). I’ve owned older Swaro SLC’s, Zeiss Conquest (old ones), Kahles, Meopta and Leica’s in 8 & 10x40/42’s. As well as looked through friends Nikon’s, Swaro EL’s, Vortex, Bushnell & Steiner’s. While comparing the Maven B2’s I had in hand my Nikon Monarch 7 8x30’s, Tract Toric UHD 8x42’s, Leica Ultravid BR 10x42’s and my larger Swarovski SLC 15x56’s. So I feel a good base of comparison of quality glass even though different zooms.
I enjoy research on things I might buy. I think the “hunt” for something is a large part of my enjoyment in getting a new item. Looking around the various FB groups, Hunting forums and birdwatching groups show’s Maven’s as well regarded. That opinion is often one sided with optics as most have paid hard earned money for the bino’s and obviously don’t like saying their money was lost on something sub par. But if you spend some time in these groups you’ll soon see that there are some real guru’s plugging the B2’s with the Abbe - Koening prism’s. So most Roof Prism bino’s use Schmidt - Pechan prism’s. I’m no expert but I recall the AK’s reflect the image 4 times, where SP’s reflect it 5 times. So the AK’s often have an image with 3-5% higher light transmission. For hunting bino’s used at dawn and dust this should relate to a clearer brighter image in low light. I read a great review and a rather telling tale of the B2’s being compared to Zeiss SF 8x42 on birdwatching forum. That’s not anything in the bino world to sneeze at as those Zeiss SF’s are pretty awesome.
After spending a fair bit of time reading around I thought the claims were worth my $$$ and I’d try them myself. A few quick chats with Josh at Outdoor Sports Australia and they were on my doorstep within a few days. Note on that - Aussies are the only country I believe to have a Maven seller. Everywhere else is via the direct with the customer no retailer business model they run. Josh’s pricing was on par with Maven’s directly and I had the glass sooner. I do hope they can soon run the demo program that Maven does directly, that would be cool to see.
Initial Thoughts upon opening and first view’s
Seems well built, nice solid feel.
Love !!! the metal focus wheel. Sharp knurling is awesome, I can’t understate how much I like this. Weird, I know - but it just feels “quality” and going back to rubber and plastic focus wheels feels a step down.
Focus speed is fast but they lock sharply onto objects without readjustment, Focus wheel pressure is just right. No play in any direction.
Weight is 941g for the bare bino’s so they are a bit heavy.
Compared to my 775g 8x42 Tract Torics and 10x42 Leica Ultravids I'm surprised I can hold the heavier Maven's steadier. With a static 60bpm HR I can notice the slight pulse in the lighter bino's standing unsupported yet its lesser in the Maven's.
The length is 7” which is around 1” longer than the majority of 42mm roof prism bino’s.
Image is excellent. Sharp right out to the last few mm of the view and even then they don't give much away.
Sharper further out on the edges than my Tract and Leica's. The very outer image is just out of focus, this small area with a small tweak on the wheel becomes tack sharp. I’m not a bino’s expert but I believe this is more field curvature. It is not a permanently blurry outer portion of the FOV like many cheap optics.
Armour is a nice slightly rippled rubber. Not a harder finish like my Ultravids but also not as soft as my Tracts. I like it.
I would like to see more armor around the front oculars. Doesn't seem much protection compared to my other bino's if these get dropped. We shall find out if I drop them I guess but I've never dropped bino's anyway.
Eye cup notch adjustments are "okay". Slightly better than my Tracts which are too loose and I have rubber o’rings on to hold in place. But not as positive at my Ultravids
Very Very slight small tool marks and chips to the black anodised finish under the right eye cup when removed. Will effect nothing yet there are no marks to the left side. Possible QC issue but very minor and I;m being fussy listing this.
Thoughts after 2 months of use
I still love these bino’s. Enough so that I sold my Leica’s and the Tract’s are also listed FS right now.
Very impressed with the 9x magnification. I’ve had a good play with these stacked up against my 8x and 10x 42mm Bino’s. Both tripod mounted and handheld - I handhold 90% of the time though.
Some of the following comments will sound obvious, but I don’t know how else to explain the pleasant view.
9x I can see more fine detail than I can with 8x - obvious !!!
9x I can see the same fine detail as 10x testing from 100 - 800m.
9x I have less handshake than 10x, similar to the 8x.
So less shake = better detail in the viewed image
I like the weight of the Maven’s. Not all is judged equal on the scales and I feel the extra mass and length give me a better hold and steadier view due to the weight.
I only notice the extra mass when swapping between bino’s immediately. In use I’ve never felt fatigued at all from the B2’s nor thought “gees these are heavy”.
I don’t notice the extra length on the B2’s other than when I go to close up my Kuiu Bino harness. The B2’s are a pretty tight fit in a regular length pouch. Would recommend an XL pouch if the 9x45’s are your only bino’s.
9x on the Maven’s gives me a comparable FOV to the Tract’s at 8x. I do slightly notice the narrower view of the Leica’s at 10x, especially stalking in timber where I might only be scanning from 50 - 150m max. I’ve come to appreciate a nice FOV as a result. Gaining a larger FOV was a deciding factor in my purchase of the 8x42 Tract Toric’s a little while back as I certainly noticed the restriction of my 10x42’s on a few local hunting blocks where I’m chasing wild dogs in often tight gullies.
I think the Tract’s give me an amazing image for the cost under all lighting conditions. No reservations recommending them at all. I can still remember the “wow” when I first got the Tract’s and I don’t change that opinion.
The B2’s just seem to offer that bit more. Is it worth the extra cost - to me, YES. Do I think I’d gain more by spending double the B2 cost on some Swaro’s or Zeiss Alpha’s. NO, Maybe LOL. I might gain another 3-5% performance in some aspect. But I’m very content with the B2’s at this stage.
Why did I sell my 10x42 Leica Ultravids. I like the larger FOV and steadiness of the B2’s more. The image was comparable IMO, I can see everything with the Ultravids that I can see with the B2’s under all conditions. I do like the focus on the B2’s more than my Ultravids. For some reason I just seemed to hunt around more for a sharp image with the Ultravid’s. That might have been the Leica’s were faster focus or the wheel lighter to turn. But in use I noticed little things like that. And as when I first opened the B2’s I just love that knurled Maven focus wheel.
It might sound stupid but my Ultravid’s being the non HD’s didn’t have a antiphobic lens coating. I can get pretty vigorous walking about and I get hot. Depending on the area, terrain and species I’m hunting, I tend to move glassing locations quite quickly sometimes. I was always getting external fogging on the Ultravid’s, I’ve tried various lens cleaners. The lens coating on the B2’s does a lot to combat this. It’s not a complete elimination of fogging. But if they do fog it clears up really quickly. Less fogging = more looking about once I’ve crested that little ridge, easier quick scanning when moving locations.
I haven’t been in a position where I’ve thought the B2’s were noticeably brighter (noticeable being a keyword) with the AK prism’s compared to my Tract’s or Leica’s. That’s just my honest take but they are ALL pretty darn outstanding in low light TBH. The B2’s might ever so slightly show a little detail within a shadow up near darkness, But it’s splitting hairs stuff and for my use, I’ve never found the need to extract that fine a detail in all but darkness. Finding an animal, even a rabbit in dry grass at 200m these will all do. I will say compare that to elcheapo $100-250 bushnells or vortex’s and the comparison doesn’t exist, the better class of bino’s will blow budget optics away in poor light.
Bug bears with the Maven’s
Don’t expect a big list of complaints
I would like a designated bino case for storage. Although I just keep them in the kuiu chest pouch the majority of the time. Still, at this price point you should get more than the little felt bag they come with.
I would like the eyecups to lock slightly more positively out. They do lock much better than my Tract’s which I find poor in this regard. But the Leica’s eyecups even being plastic are better in all stop positions, they bloody should be though considering the alpha price tag. The B2’s are probably on par with most bino’s though in this regard.
I would like them to weigh less. Total gram weeny comment and I know I like the mass for the steady view. But my backpacking gearlist would like less weight always. Mute point I know as I’ve already stated I like the stability from the weight.
Final Thoughts
I like the Maven B2’s that much that I’ve ordered the smaller 8x30mm Maven B3’s to try out. Again I’ve read good reports online for the smaller Maven. And I’m hopeful the few things that I didn’t like with my Nikon Monach 7 8x30’s are rectified.
It would be cool to review the Maven B1 8x42 or 10x42. These are more your traditional Schmitt roof prism bino’s and they are smaller than the large B2’s. I do believe though that aside from the less weight and mass that the B2’s have a better image than the B1’s. I believe the B2’s push the optics up into the alpha zone. But the B1’s are more in the zone of excellent optics for the price they fall within, but won’t tip an alpha over.
I’m not one to say go buy this or that. But I will say it’s certainly worth throwing the Maven bino’s in the ring for selection when your buying new optics. If cost wasn’t a factor or concern, I’d by a pair of Swarovski Swarovision EL 8.5x42’s. They are very impressive with edge to edge clarity IMO. But if you would like to put the money saved towards something else. Look at some of the excellent optics from Maven. You might be surprised with what you can get without spending $3k on glass.
One cool thing with Maven optics is you can get custom finishes. Different camo’s and anodised aluminium components. I was very tempted to go this route but for me I’m just using these to look through. As nice as the finishes are I’d rather save the cash but have the same view. I have read that the custom finish is smoother than the stock options. I don’t think that's here nor there if they are smoother but I’ll mention it anyway for reference.
Hi BF members. I'm planning to do a youtube review on my thoughts regarding the B2 Mavens, below are my notes. I'm primarily a hunter / nature viewer but thoroughly enjoy the content and knowledge base this forum has. Excuse the formatting as this hasn't pasted well from google doc's.
By no stretch am I an optic’s expert, I’ve never even done a bino review before. I have been fortunate enough to own and use some nice glass over the years (I used to trade in used optics a little). I’ve owned older Swaro SLC’s, Zeiss Conquest (old ones), Kahles, Meopta and Leica’s in 8 & 10x40/42’s. As well as looked through friends Nikon’s, Swaro EL’s, Vortex, Bushnell & Steiner’s. While comparing the Maven B2’s I had in hand my Nikon Monarch 7 8x30’s, Tract Toric UHD 8x42’s, Leica Ultravid BR 10x42’s and my larger Swarovski SLC 15x56’s. So I feel a good base of comparison of quality glass even though different zooms.
I enjoy research on things I might buy. I think the “hunt” for something is a large part of my enjoyment in getting a new item. Looking around the various FB groups, Hunting forums and birdwatching groups show’s Maven’s as well regarded. That opinion is often one sided with optics as most have paid hard earned money for the bino’s and obviously don’t like saying their money was lost on something sub par. But if you spend some time in these groups you’ll soon see that there are some real guru’s plugging the B2’s with the Abbe - Koening prism’s. So most Roof Prism bino’s use Schmidt - Pechan prism’s. I’m no expert but I recall the AK’s reflect the image 4 times, where SP’s reflect it 5 times. So the AK’s often have an image with 3-5% higher light transmission. For hunting bino’s used at dawn and dust this should relate to a clearer brighter image in low light. I read a great review and a rather telling tale of the B2’s being compared to Zeiss SF 8x42 on birdwatching forum. That’s not anything in the bino world to sneeze at as those Zeiss SF’s are pretty awesome.
After spending a fair bit of time reading around I thought the claims were worth my $$$ and I’d try them myself. A few quick chats with Josh at Outdoor Sports Australia and they were on my doorstep within a few days. Note on that - Aussies are the only country I believe to have a Maven seller. Everywhere else is via the direct with the customer no retailer business model they run. Josh’s pricing was on par with Maven’s directly and I had the glass sooner. I do hope they can soon run the demo program that Maven does directly, that would be cool to see.
Initial Thoughts upon opening and first view’s
Seems well built, nice solid feel.
Love !!! the metal focus wheel. Sharp knurling is awesome, I can’t understate how much I like this. Weird, I know - but it just feels “quality” and going back to rubber and plastic focus wheels feels a step down.
Focus speed is fast but they lock sharply onto objects without readjustment, Focus wheel pressure is just right. No play in any direction.
Weight is 941g for the bare bino’s so they are a bit heavy.
Compared to my 775g 8x42 Tract Torics and 10x42 Leica Ultravids I'm surprised I can hold the heavier Maven's steadier. With a static 60bpm HR I can notice the slight pulse in the lighter bino's standing unsupported yet its lesser in the Maven's.
The length is 7” which is around 1” longer than the majority of 42mm roof prism bino’s.
Image is excellent. Sharp right out to the last few mm of the view and even then they don't give much away.
Sharper further out on the edges than my Tract and Leica's. The very outer image is just out of focus, this small area with a small tweak on the wheel becomes tack sharp. I’m not a bino’s expert but I believe this is more field curvature. It is not a permanently blurry outer portion of the FOV like many cheap optics.
Armour is a nice slightly rippled rubber. Not a harder finish like my Ultravids but also not as soft as my Tracts. I like it.
I would like to see more armor around the front oculars. Doesn't seem much protection compared to my other bino's if these get dropped. We shall find out if I drop them I guess but I've never dropped bino's anyway.
Eye cup notch adjustments are "okay". Slightly better than my Tracts which are too loose and I have rubber o’rings on to hold in place. But not as positive at my Ultravids
Very Very slight small tool marks and chips to the black anodised finish under the right eye cup when removed. Will effect nothing yet there are no marks to the left side. Possible QC issue but very minor and I;m being fussy listing this.
Thoughts after 2 months of use
I still love these bino’s. Enough so that I sold my Leica’s and the Tract’s are also listed FS right now.
Very impressed with the 9x magnification. I’ve had a good play with these stacked up against my 8x and 10x 42mm Bino’s. Both tripod mounted and handheld - I handhold 90% of the time though.
Some of the following comments will sound obvious, but I don’t know how else to explain the pleasant view.
9x I can see more fine detail than I can with 8x - obvious !!!
9x I can see the same fine detail as 10x testing from 100 - 800m.
9x I have less handshake than 10x, similar to the 8x.
So less shake = better detail in the viewed image
I like the weight of the Maven’s. Not all is judged equal on the scales and I feel the extra mass and length give me a better hold and steadier view due to the weight.
I only notice the extra mass when swapping between bino’s immediately. In use I’ve never felt fatigued at all from the B2’s nor thought “gees these are heavy”.
I don’t notice the extra length on the B2’s other than when I go to close up my Kuiu Bino harness. The B2’s are a pretty tight fit in a regular length pouch. Would recommend an XL pouch if the 9x45’s are your only bino’s.
9x on the Maven’s gives me a comparable FOV to the Tract’s at 8x. I do slightly notice the narrower view of the Leica’s at 10x, especially stalking in timber where I might only be scanning from 50 - 150m max. I’ve come to appreciate a nice FOV as a result. Gaining a larger FOV was a deciding factor in my purchase of the 8x42 Tract Toric’s a little while back as I certainly noticed the restriction of my 10x42’s on a few local hunting blocks where I’m chasing wild dogs in often tight gullies.
I think the Tract’s give me an amazing image for the cost under all lighting conditions. No reservations recommending them at all. I can still remember the “wow” when I first got the Tract’s and I don’t change that opinion.
The B2’s just seem to offer that bit more. Is it worth the extra cost - to me, YES. Do I think I’d gain more by spending double the B2 cost on some Swaro’s or Zeiss Alpha’s. NO, Maybe LOL. I might gain another 3-5% performance in some aspect. But I’m very content with the B2’s at this stage.
Why did I sell my 10x42 Leica Ultravids. I like the larger FOV and steadiness of the B2’s more. The image was comparable IMO, I can see everything with the Ultravids that I can see with the B2’s under all conditions. I do like the focus on the B2’s more than my Ultravids. For some reason I just seemed to hunt around more for a sharp image with the Ultravid’s. That might have been the Leica’s were faster focus or the wheel lighter to turn. But in use I noticed little things like that. And as when I first opened the B2’s I just love that knurled Maven focus wheel.
It might sound stupid but my Ultravid’s being the non HD’s didn’t have a antiphobic lens coating. I can get pretty vigorous walking about and I get hot. Depending on the area, terrain and species I’m hunting, I tend to move glassing locations quite quickly sometimes. I was always getting external fogging on the Ultravid’s, I’ve tried various lens cleaners. The lens coating on the B2’s does a lot to combat this. It’s not a complete elimination of fogging. But if they do fog it clears up really quickly. Less fogging = more looking about once I’ve crested that little ridge, easier quick scanning when moving locations.
I haven’t been in a position where I’ve thought the B2’s were noticeably brighter (noticeable being a keyword) with the AK prism’s compared to my Tract’s or Leica’s. That’s just my honest take but they are ALL pretty darn outstanding in low light TBH. The B2’s might ever so slightly show a little detail within a shadow up near darkness, But it’s splitting hairs stuff and for my use, I’ve never found the need to extract that fine a detail in all but darkness. Finding an animal, even a rabbit in dry grass at 200m these will all do. I will say compare that to elcheapo $100-250 bushnells or vortex’s and the comparison doesn’t exist, the better class of bino’s will blow budget optics away in poor light.
Bug bears with the Maven’s
Don’t expect a big list of complaints
I would like a designated bino case for storage. Although I just keep them in the kuiu chest pouch the majority of the time. Still, at this price point you should get more than the little felt bag they come with.
I would like the eyecups to lock slightly more positively out. They do lock much better than my Tract’s which I find poor in this regard. But the Leica’s eyecups even being plastic are better in all stop positions, they bloody should be though considering the alpha price tag. The B2’s are probably on par with most bino’s though in this regard.
I would like them to weigh less. Total gram weeny comment and I know I like the mass for the steady view. But my backpacking gearlist would like less weight always. Mute point I know as I’ve already stated I like the stability from the weight.
Final Thoughts
I like the Maven B2’s that much that I’ve ordered the smaller 8x30mm Maven B3’s to try out. Again I’ve read good reports online for the smaller Maven. And I’m hopeful the few things that I didn’t like with my Nikon Monach 7 8x30’s are rectified.
It would be cool to review the Maven B1 8x42 or 10x42. These are more your traditional Schmitt roof prism bino’s and they are smaller than the large B2’s. I do believe though that aside from the less weight and mass that the B2’s have a better image than the B1’s. I believe the B2’s push the optics up into the alpha zone. But the B1’s are more in the zone of excellent optics for the price they fall within, but won’t tip an alpha over.
I’m not one to say go buy this or that. But I will say it’s certainly worth throwing the Maven bino’s in the ring for selection when your buying new optics. If cost wasn’t a factor or concern, I’d by a pair of Swarovski Swarovision EL 8.5x42’s. They are very impressive with edge to edge clarity IMO. But if you would like to put the money saved towards something else. Look at some of the excellent optics from Maven. You might be surprised with what you can get without spending $3k on glass.
One cool thing with Maven optics is you can get custom finishes. Different camo’s and anodised aluminium components. I was very tempted to go this route but for me I’m just using these to look through. As nice as the finishes are I’d rather save the cash but have the same view. I have read that the custom finish is smoother than the stock options. I don’t think that's here nor there if they are smoother but I’ll mention it anyway for reference.