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Offline Nate

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Binocular recommendations
« on: March 21, 2021, 05:53:02 PM »
I need recommendations for a top quality pair of binoculars please
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Offline halsey

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2021, 07:50:14 PM »
Steiner 7x50 marine are common on boats I've worked on. Just glancing thru ebay they can go $3-500.

Offline TexasRedNeck

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2021, 09:15:38 PM »
Well, define “top notch”.

You can get into Zeiss, Leica, Steiner for many thousands of $$.

First should probably be, what purpose?  Hunting, birdwatching, etc?

For general purpose, I like the Nikon’s 8x42 I got for my daughter, which were about $300 and are better than the Leupold I have in my kit


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Offline KensAuto

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2021, 09:18:00 PM »
Top quality? Guess it depends on how much time you're going to spend looking through them.
Hands down, for me, Swarovski. And no, Vortex isn't as good like everyone says on the internet, but they are good for the money, and now their warranty is better than Swaro's.
I think Steiner and Zeiss are contenders but haven't used either, but a couple buddies chose Swaros over them.
The SLCs are their lower end model, and the 3 I bought were used, to keep them "cheap"...8x,10x, and 12x models.
My go tos are 10x42.
10 power is as big as you can go without a tripod.

Been using these for about 16 years and never had an issue. They were a few years old when I bought them.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2021, 10:24:47 PM »
I use Stiner binos. Same ones we used in Afghanistan, not sure of the nomenclature...
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Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2021, 09:17:47 AM »
I use Stiner binos. Same ones we used in Afghanistan, not sure of the nomenclature...

which ones, the green or black ones?
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Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2021, 09:19:57 AM »
I use Stiner binos. Same ones we used in Afghanistan, not sure of the nomenclature...

or is it these ones by chance
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2021, 09:12:44 PM »
I use Stiner binos. Same ones we used in Afghanistan, not sure of the nomenclature...

which ones, the green or black ones?
I have the green ones Nate
Kat's da#!!ed bird chewed up the curved rubber eyepieces though. Still work well though.
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Offline Bear9350

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2021, 09:41:22 AM »
Top quality in what price range.  I've looked through quite a few sets of top tier binos set up on tripods at rifle matches ($2000+). Swarovski are definitely nice. The Vortex Razor UHD binos are impressive.  The Razor HD binos are also pretty nice for the price. Vortex Vipers get the job done, but you can't pick up mirage as easily and aren't as crisp.  I have a set of Bushnell Forge.  They are similar to the Razor HD glass I think but a lot bigger and heavier.  Doesn't matter to me as they are mounted on a tripod the entire time.

Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2021, 10:10:47 PM »
Thank you all for the recomendations.

I went for the tried and true steiner M1050r (with reticle) binos that I carried for 20+ years.  I also purchased a pair of reflection filters and a tripod adapter. These come standard with the steiner legacy warranty (for life of product regardless of owner)

Ken, the Swarovski were looked at very hard.  There is a 2 part reason why the steiners came in #1 and the Swarovski's #2.

I have litteraly kicked these steiners off of a mountain side, dropped them from a chinook once or twice, bounced them around inside of several different vehicles and have no crap run them over with a 75,000lb truck. The outside was a little ruffed up, but at no point did any of the lenses crack or become fogged.

If the Swarovski 10 x 50 could honestly withstand and of what I have put the steiners through, I would have forked over the premium price for them.

https://www.steiner-optics.com/binoculars/m1050r-lpf-10x50
« Last Edit: November 06, 2021, 10:12:48 PM by Nate »
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #10 on: November 08, 2021, 05:23:43 PM »
You already know, but you'll be happy with them
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Offline cj7ox

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2021, 02:57:02 PM »
Nate also contributed to my delinquency, and coerced me to jump on the band-wagon. SMH! I purchased the same ones. I've spent a lot of time staring through army owned ones, so why not? LOL! They're a great bit of kit. Now, to get back into practice with range estimation....
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Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2021, 03:16:23 PM »
 :beercheers:
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2021, 05:57:46 PM »
I wonder if you can purchase the rubber eyepieces?
Kat's bird chewed mine all to bits
I stopped using them very much because of it
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Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2021, 11:58:50 PM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #15 on: November 24, 2021, 09:02:06 AM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?
Traded a helicopter ride for em'
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Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #16 on: November 24, 2021, 09:22:55 AM »
NICE!
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Offline Sammconn

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #17 on: November 24, 2021, 11:07:12 AM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?

Interesting twist on a terminology.  :beercheers:
I just don't want to wind up missing a digit or limb.  I can sometimes get in a hurry to get results.
Sam

Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #18 on: November 24, 2021, 12:10:44 PM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?

Interesting twist on a terminology.  :beercheers:

There was only 1 thief in the army samm :grin:

I just happened to be very good at securing unsecured property while at the same time educating those that needed it...hahahahaha
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Offline EL TATE

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #19 on: November 24, 2021, 12:25:06 PM »
I always heard my buds talking about it as "acquiring" things. you didn't find it, buy it or steal it, you acquired it.
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #20 on: November 25, 2021, 09:09:05 PM »
I always heard my buds talking about it as "acquiring" things. you didn't find it, buy it or steal it, you acquired it.
TRUE!

Things mostly magically appear from some means of acquisition other than ordering it through official channels.

Case in point, my little helicapeter operation in Kandahar.

We showed up with nothing but our knickers and a couple of helicopters. First deal we made was for some space on the "Mustang" ramp at KAF to park them and some Army maintenance support for the big items like pulling off a rotor head or yanking off a tail-boom.

Next we traded something we didn't own for a mil-van that was converted into an office.

Next came several loads of gravel and some engineer work to smooth it. Then we traded a third of a bottle of Vodka for a 60KW generator, then a 1000 gal fuel tank for it

I was able to aquire M4's, AK-47's ammo, grenades, morphine, all manner of combat kit, NVG's, radios, antennas, even black top!

We traded a couple of off the book flights to some FOB somewhere for a HMMV. Traded several lifts of something for some folks who didn't exist over to a base that didn't either. That scored us a Prado suv, several Hilux pickups and a couple of cars whose name i cannot pronounce.

We made a deal with someone to carry fresh food over to some forgotten Army FOB for a week or two, and that was a sweet deal. We traded the service for real rooms in a real building which got us out of tents. And we back charged the Air Force for all the blade hours.

I made a deal to set up what amounts to an in-country regional passenger service for an airline called Kam-Air. They would get me names and locations, then I would find some reason to go there, pick up the people, and bring them to Kandahar where they boarded a jet to get out of the country. In exchange I would get seats on their jets to Dubai so my people could get into and out of country. For the longest time, I'd send people over to get 6 bottles of Vodka or something clear to trade for something I needed in Kandahar. All right under the noses of the best military security in south west asia. Well, the MP's with dogs were getting my stuff too!

We even started to develop something like an airline to get some Russians flying IL-76 Ishylins to bring us in cargo I needed like helicopter parts and we would supply them with paying passengers getting out of that crap hole. Now that was a flaky deal for sure because, the ruskys weren't always flying to airports requiring passport checks, so a couple of times people would show up at an airport in another country with no record of ever having arrived there.

I had a real Catch-22 Milo Minder-Binder thing going on. But then all at once some bigger than life USMC Colonel showed up and wanted to do everything by the book. Of course I had no permission to be on the ramp, I owned absolutely nothing that I was using, now 4-5 buildings, nor did I have papers for all the employees I had.

Funny thing there. Some companies would bring in say 50 laborers from Bangladesh for a contract. They would only pay the workers half their wages, then just before renewing the contract the companies would up and quit, leaving everyone and everything there. I estimate there were 3,000-5,000 workers on Kandahar Airfield who weren't employed at all. They couldn't get off base, and had no money. So I'd hire them to wash our helicopters, our cars, our clothes and let them live anywhere. Like in the tool room, on top of the tool room in the rental cars that we didn't pay rent on, in holes, heck I didn't care. Sometimes I'd get the Russians to give a bunch of them a flight out all under the noses of the not so watchful Air Force.

If you'd have given me a couple more years I'd be the equivalent of a mayor employing thousands doing whatever I wanted and getting the Air Force to cover the cost. I even had a deal with the South Africans to build me an actual compound with a mini airfield right outside the wire of the Air Force base...My own little village, but then some pesky Taliban started playing war again shooting at aircraft and blowing up things. They blew up part of that little compound I was building and that ended that.

So, ya, you can get anything you want given enough time...Oh did I mention we were negotiating to get our own four engine cargo plane for a trade with the hajis in Dubai?
« Last Edit: November 25, 2021, 09:19:59 PM by Flyin6 »
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Offline cj7ox

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2021, 01:26:17 PM »
Instead of McHale's Navy, it was Harward's Helos! LOL!
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Offline Sammconn

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #22 on: November 29, 2021, 01:33:34 PM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?

Interesting twist on a terminology.  :beercheers:

There was only 1 thief in the army samm :grin:

I just happened to be very good at securing unsecured property while at the same time educating those that needed it...hahahahaha

I've always considered it a temporary re-allocation of goods.
I just don't want to wind up missing a digit or limb.  I can sometimes get in a hurry to get results.
Sam

Offline Nate

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #23 on: November 29, 2021, 04:32:31 PM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?

Interesting twist on a terminology.  :beercheers:

There was only 1 thief in the army samm :grin:

I just happened to be very good at securing unsecured property while at the same time educating those that needed it...hahahahaha

I've always considered it a temporary re-allocation of goods.

 :likebutton:
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Offline Flyin6

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #24 on: November 29, 2021, 05:32:15 PM »
Did you secure unsecured property or purchase them?

Interesting twist on a terminology.  :beercheers:

There was only 1 thief in the army samm :grin:

I just happened to be very good at securing unsecured property while at the same time educating those that needed it...hahahahaha

I've always considered it a temporary re-allocation of goods.
So, same way in your Army then?

Funny, because I know it to be a fact.

My first kevlar vest that fit over there came from "Tex" a master corporal who I met and became friends with (Still is). He didn't like the vest I wore and built me a custom thing. He was there with the guys from Edmonton, which was before the Frenchmen showed up from Quebec.  So exactly is that you have two COMPLETELY different peoples of the Canada anyway? Ontario west to almost the coast, and Nova Scotia are all the same...and nothing like the Quebecers. Those mont-real people never gave me a dime, and I happily returned the favor, but the guys from all over the central and west gave up their second born with a smile
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Offline Sammconn

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #25 on: November 29, 2021, 09:05:05 PM »
Oh the Van Doozes…

Oh I misspelled idiots….
Oops, did it again.

Well shoot. I am of the same opinion.
And the Quebeicstanners want all our guns…
Grrrr…
I just don't want to wind up missing a digit or limb.  I can sometimes get in a hurry to get results.
Sam

Offline EL TATE

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #26 on: November 30, 2021, 11:19:36 AM »
Oh the Van Doozes…

Oh I misspelled idiots….
Oops, did it again.

Well shoot. I am of the same opinion.
And the Quebeicstanners want all our guns…
Grrrr…

kinda like the opposite of TX. just let em secede. they can keep their maple snow, and you can keep your guns. win win. 
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Offline Sammconn

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Re: Binocular recommendations
« Reply #27 on: November 30, 2021, 03:08:46 PM »
Can I hear an amen for them to go...

Factually, they never signed on as part of Canukistan, and I'm quite confused as such that they have so much power.
But alas, I'm a mere mortal that is waiting with cold hands...
I just don't want to wind up missing a digit or limb.  I can sometimes get in a hurry to get results.
Sam

 

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