Personal opinion -

If I could go back in time, I would tell 25 year old me to sake money, buy a decent pawn shop rifle in 308 or 270, put a kickass German scope on it, and save until I could buy Swarovski binoculars.

I have never regretted the money I spent on my Swarovski SLC binoculars, and would prefer not to go back.

I disagree with Goatkiller. At Alabama distances we don't need expensive HIGH MAGNIFICATION glass. Squeezing those first/last critical minutes in at dawn and dusk isn't any different in Arizona than it is here. Leica, Swaro, Zeiss. Buy once, cry once. I've carried the same 7x35s for 50 years. Crazy amount of money to spend in 1975? Probably.. But they still hold up.

With Low wall, yep, I've found the SLC 8's are fantastic.

Thirty years ago $300 would get all the performance you needed. Adjusted for inflation, that still holds true and buys much better lens coatings. Better is ever the enemy of good enough, as they say.

Also, I find that if you're in a position where a deer can see you, you're better off not using binoculars if you don't have to. A young meat hunter should spend his money on his scope. Over the hill trophy farmers needs the glass.

I hear this “Alabama distance” line quite a bit. Where the hell are you guys hunting, in a pine thicket? Do you never hunt a power line/gas line, clear cuts or ridges that let you a see a good distance? If people woukd get off their wallet and buy something besides a pair of old bushnell 8x32 binos, you’d see WAY more wild life and I promise you’ll enjoy your time in gods country a lot more.

For a lot of us hardwood, mountain hunters 100 yards is a long shot . That's not to say quality binos are not very helpful , they just don't need to be high power and big/bulky. Quality glass , low power with wide FOV is the ticket . That applies to both binos and scopes.

That makes sense. 42mm is what I keep on me for binos. I stand a good chance of being in a good hardwood area along side a wide open cut.

I'll add this , for many years I thought there was no need for binos in the woods. I had some , but they weren't good quality, so I never was sold on them and rarely carried them. Once I got some of good quality and gave them a chance , I'll not hit the woods without them.

Low power binos are a huge help in the woods. I wish Swarovski would make a 6x30 bino but it ain't happening. The Swarovski representative had a good laugh when I suggested that bino a few years back.

I’ve got a pair of cheap Leupold 6x30 I use in the woods. 6x30 is absolutely perfect for that type of hunting.

As a matter of fact, I do hunt in a pine thicket. With a pistol and a 2x Leupold with a Ghillie suit and a camo directors chair but I keep my Swaro 8x35's in my pack just in case.

i guess that explains your signature line

Kowa makes some 6.5 X 32 in their BD II XD line, they're next to the top of the line Genesis . They run about $400 and are very good woods binos, with a very wide FOV , but not in the class of the Genesis 8X I have . I wish they made the 6.5 in the Genesis line , they would be perfect, high end binos for heavy woods. Good binos under 8X are even harder to find than good, low power woods scopes.

My brother inherited the 8x32s, built about 1975. My 7x35s are about 1968-1970. Last deer season a fellow I hunt with (my father's best friend's son) said he wanted to show me something, pulled out a pair of 7x35s identical to mine. Like me,, he carries them constantly, and uses them constantly while in the stand. I'm sure his father and mine admired the glasses, and when one bought them, the other did too.

I've had mine cleaned/collimated twice in 50 years. I don't know about the other 2 sets. Last time I sent mine in, I asked the fellow at Suddarth "If put down my old ones, switched them for the new Leica 7x35s a second later, would I be able to see the difference?" " He said he doubted it.

Buy once, the best you can afford. I spend probably 50 to 100x as much time looking through binos as through a scope.

The problem with getting 7's or 8's is they aren't as versatile when you need them to be. I personally find the 10's will do everything a pair of 8's will do. But it's not the other way. The 8's will leave you feeling a little inadequate at times. Over 10x and you get into other issues like you can't hold them steady. I could get onboard with some 8's I just don't love them although they are common for a reason.

Most of y'all think you need 20x to shoot 200 yards so I can't imagine you'd have any use for some 7's.

I also have a pair of Swaro CL Compact 8x25 for hunting in the woods. I use them a lot as well. I also think or would agree 6x would be better. They are excellent and in the timber I think invaluable... however.... I would NOT want those to be my only pair.

I also have 2 binos. The Swarovski CL 8x30 and the EL 10x42.

Really wish the would make that CL in a 6X.

I have been impressed with my vortex razor HDs for the money. I have compared them other high end glass and they hold their own pretty well.

I am pretty impressed by the Vortex Razors as well, at least the one pair I looked through. I don't know what the price is now days but I can't imagine they are Swaro money. There are a lot of good hunters out there who simply can't afford a high $ pair of binos. Good thing the budget binos today are a LONG way better than the first pair I bought.

I just checked MidwayUSA and those "budget" Vortex Razor HD's are $999.99!