I haven't read this article yet, but it looks like a recent review of mid priced binos:
http://www.birdwatching.com/optics/2011midpricebins/index.html
Everyone's eyes and expectations are different which is why the advice of 'trying as many as you can' is so good. If the purchaser has narrowed his set down to one, try 3 or 4 of the same model (ask the vendor to open up the boxes and let you try them). Just because the demo pair looks good doesn't mean that the ones you take home in the sealed box are just as good, there are variances in production that affect the quality. Like one of the above posters said, sometimes the images don't line up between the two sides (a very common occurrence on low to mid priced binos), which make them difficult to look through for extended periods - which of course is important when glassing for your prey... Higher end manufacturers have better quality control which is one of the reasons they cost so much more..