The 8X42 Silverline I have are probably exactly the same as the BL. I really like them! I now pick them when I normally would have picked the UVHD+ 8X42. A smaller, lighter-weight binocular than the UVHD+ since it has no armoring. About 1.5 ounces lighter. I can't tell any difference between it and the UVHD+ optically. My Silverlines have the same eyecup type as the eyecups on the Retrovid, the push/pull style.
I edited to say that I don't think the BL/Silverline is current production but they can be found pretty regularly.
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Do you use the BL Sliverline for yachting? Birds can spot you a mile away with those flashy sliver barrels on land! I remember reading the ad copy for the Sliverline on Leica's website, and it showed large boats in the background and it said they were popular with the yachting crowd. I can definitely see Thurston Howell III's wife, Lovey, with a pair of these.
Some male birds are attracted to shiny things since they pick them up and put them in a collection to attract a female. Forgot what species, saw that on "Green Planet" with David Attenborough, and it was pretty amazing the things they picked up including women's jewelry. The Cabela 8x32 Guide is smaller than the BL but it's built like the Swaro CL, so there's plenty of room between the barrels to wrap my fingers around.
I liked the retro look of BLs (the all black version) when they first came out. There was a store, can't remember the name now, and I'm not sure if it's still in business, but they were selling the BL Silverline at a steep discount. However, I think those bigger, double hinge Noctavids would work better for my shaky, apeman hands.
The BL has two optical barrels and a middle barrel for the focuser and bridge, so I'd have to hold them like a sandwich. Tried that with the 8x32 LX, and it didn't work out. None-the-less, the Silverline would look nice on my yacht. Or it would have before Bitcoin bit the dust, and I had to sell it.
