Range Finder Binoculars

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JDMiller

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Just looking for some insight on people's experience with different range finder binos. My range finder just bit the dust and archery season is quickly approaching.
Do I bite the bullet and dump ~$1500 on a set, or spend roughly half that on a good range finder. Stuck on the fence on what I should do.
Also, any thoughts on the vortex binos. Good? Bad? I own a razor spotting scope, and my father has a set of their binos which he just got repaired through their lifetime warranty. Hard to buy anything nowadays that doesn't have lifetime.

Thanks for any input in advance.
 
I have the Vortex Viper 10x42 and I am very happy with them. Family members have the Razors in 8x42 and 10x42 and are very happy with them. My son had to get a new replacement pair under warranty and they were good on the turn around and he got a new pair in place of his 7 year old unrepairable ones. Most binoculars are pretty good these days it seems to be more a question of price and customer service as to where you decide to buy. Go to somewhere where you can look outside and compare a number of models and sizes.
 
BigUglyMan said:
Get out your wallet, close your eyes and buy the Geovids.
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BUM is correct. I bought mine as an open box demo from CameralandNY and also qualified for a rebate. Got them for I believe $1600 CAD (dollar was par of course). Never regretted the spend for a second - they are heavy, but the combo of excellent glass and simple, accurate and reliable range finder is tough to beat.
 
canucklehead said:
BUM is correct. I bought mine as an open box demo from CameralandNY and also qualified for a rebate. Got them for I believe $1600 CAD (dollar was par of course). Never regretted the spend for a second - they are heavy, but the combo of excellent glass and simple, accurate and reliable range finder is tough to beat.
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X3 buy once, cry once
 
Keep up n mind Vortex "electronic" warranty is only 3 years so let's say you drop $1750 on a set of Furys after 3 years and an issue you have a heavy ass set of Binos worth far less than your spend.

You don't save much if any (some cases more) than buying a nice set of Gino's and a range finder. This way if ones breaks the other is not useless and you can upgrade each instead of the whole system

Just my late night rambles.
 
I have a pair of the Bushnell fusion 1 mile binos/range finder and really like them. I found the glass better than vortex vipers in a side by side comparison multiple times.
 
For bow hunting I find my Geovids are to big for up close encounters and still use a small rangefinder for ranging when the game gets within 100 yards. I bought a set of the Razor HD binons and for my eyes the single diaptor adjustment would not let me focus the glass in. Vortex was subperb and sent me 2 more pairs until I was happy so you can't beat their warranty but it will be tough to beat the Leica glass. In the end theirs a set of binos for different budgets and applications
 
Foxer2373 said:
Keep up n mind Vortex "electronic" warranty is only 3 years so let's say you drop $1750 on a set of Furys after 3 years and an issue you have a heavy ass set of Binos worth far less than your spend.

You don't save much if any (some cases more) than buying a nice set of Gino's and a range finder. This way if ones breaks the other is not useless and you can upgrade each instead of the whole system

Just my late night rambles.
Click to expand...

Just because things break outside of warranty doesn't mean they can't be fixed.
 
JDMiller said:
Just looking for some insight on people's experience with different range finder binos. My range finder just bit the dust and archery season is quickly approaching.
Do I bite the bullet and dump ~$1500 on a set, or spend roughly half that on a good range finder. Stuck on the fence on what I should do.
Also, any thoughts on the vortex binos. Good? Bad? I own a razor spotting scope, and my father has a set of their binos which he just got repaired through their lifetime warranty. Hard to buy anything nowadays that doesn't have lifetime.

Thanks for any input in advance.
Click to expand...

My advice, only purchase a good pair of binoculars. I hunt the open prairies, Rocky Mountains, parkland and boreal forest .......never needed a range finder. Between my son
and I, we harvested over 300 big game animals without such unnecessary tool.
 
Do I bite the bullet and dump ~$1500 on a set, or spend roughly half that on a good range finder.
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Or almost triple that and buy the Swarovskis and do it right. I've occasionally been guilty of being 500% off on my day-dreaming prices too. Probably why I have the Leicas.
 
BigUglyMan said:
Get out your wallet, close your eyes and buy the Geovids.
Click to expand...

This is a good option if you want the range finder and binocular combo - I mean best option. My friend has one and it truly is amazing. On the other hand you can pick up a really nice set of binoculars and a Leica 2000-B rangefinder for about 1/2 the price. The Leica 2000-B offers many of the features of the binocular combo, including the ABC program. However, unlike the binoculars, you cannot upload your own ballistics but rather have to use a chart of 12 profiles with 3 settings for each - 100 y/m zero, 200 y/m zero and MPBR y/m. That gives you a total of 36 options in meters and in yards. It also measures angle, barometric pressure, temperature in order to compensate for those factors.

For binoculars I did a fair bit of research, mostly on birding websites and decided to go with a Zeiss Conquest HD in 10x42. They were $1100 and the 2000-B can be had for around $800-$1000 depending if it is on sale or not. Other good options for binoculars are Meopta HD, Leica Trinovid HD for about $1200-$1300, Kowa Genesis Prominar for about $1500. This means you can be set for around $2000 to $2500 as compared to +$4000 for the Geovid HD-B.

You just have to decide what is the best route for you.
 
Foxer2373 said:
Keep up n mind Vortex "electronic" warranty is only 3 years so let's say you drop $1750 on a set of Furys after 3 years and an issue you have a heavy ass set of Binos worth far less than your spend.

You don't save much if any (some cases more) than buying a nice set of Gino's and a range finder. This way if ones breaks the other is not useless and you can upgrade each instead of the whole system

Just my late night rambles.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on the benefits of stand alone bino's and rangefinders, but where did you hear that Vortex is not lifetime on electronics?
As far as I know Vortex is the only company that is lifetime on electronic elements of their optics..... leupold for example, is lifetime on glass and mechanical components but limited on electronic parts.
 
Can-down said:
I agree with you on the benefits of stand alone bino's and rangefinders, but where did you hear that Vortex is not lifetime on electronics?
As far as I know Vortex is the only company that is lifetime on electronic elements of their optics..... leupold for example, is lifetime on glass and mechanical components but limited on electronic parts.
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Nikon's new Laserforce binos are also Lifetime No Fault Warranty including electronics, also not in the Geovid price bracket.
 
JDMiller said:
Just looking for some insight on people's experience with different range finder binos. My range finder just bit the dust and archery season is quickly approaching.
Do I bite the bullet and dump ~$1500 on a set, or spend roughly half that on a good range finder. Stuck on the fence on what I should do.
Also, any thoughts on the vortex binos. Good? Bad? I own a razor spotting scope, and my father has a set of their binos which he just got repaired through their lifetime warranty. Hard to buy anything nowadays that doesn't have lifetime.

Thanks for any input in advance.
Click to expand...

If your going Ram hunting etc. Go with Swarvoski Binos with the Range finder built in.. Had many Vortex/Leopold Binos etc. only to fail in harsh conditions. Swarvoski will be your first and last pair you ever buy. Expensive, Around $3200, but well worth it when you have a 11+ year old ram infront of you. Just my two cents
 
Thanks for all the insight and suggestions from everyone! Did a little research and number crunching on my own end and decided to just buy a separate range finder for the time being. Money's a little tighter than normal as I'm getting married in a couple months. With archery season coming up in a couple shorts weeks here just bought what was available, a bushnell trophy extreme with angle calculations built right in. Maybe next year when not as many expenses will be occurring, I'll invest in a final pair of range/binocular combo for any future serious hunts.
Thanks again all!
 
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