I’m looking to upgrade my Vortex Viper HDs. Have a budget in the $1500 range. I’m a Swaro fan but not sure I can get into decent Swaros at my budget. I prefer 10 power with objective lenses in the 40 mm range. What’s out their at my price point that’ll be a good upgrade from my Vipers by Zeiss, Meopta, Swaro etc?

The eye cup on my 50 year old Leitz pair has given up, and I expect I'll go back with a Leica. The Swaro or Zeiss are equally good options. I like the 7 or 8 powers for general use around Alabama, so most of what I'm looking at is in the $1,l00 to $1,300 range.

RedHawk rifles website has Demo Zeiss SFL 10X40 binoculars for $1,449. Field of view is 345 feet. That is good for a 10 power binocular and has the T* and Lotutec coatings.

I got lucky this time last year and Euro Optics had the Zeiss Victory HT 8x54 binoculars in Demo for $1,600 and I couldn’t resist that deal. Those binoculars new are around $3,000.

The Swarovski EL 10x42 binos are on sale now at Eurooptic. At $1999, it's a little more than your budget but worth every penny.

Get a Cabelas Club card. Buy the Swaro SLC when they run a 10% or 15% deal.

I bought a pair of Steiner Ranger Extreme 8x56 earlier this year. You'll need to order them from the UK but they are fantastic. Unreal in low light. The only con is the outer edge isn't as crystal clear as the 2k plus options but that has no effect on the way I use them. The other good part is that the exchange rate is almost 1 to 1 right now so anything you order from there is significantly cheaper than in the past.

The Leica 10x42 is very impressive and only $999

Got a pair of Leica Trinovid 10x42s. They are awesome for the money.

I got a set that will turn a 4 point into an 8 point. Bushnell something.

Meoptas are very nice.

Swaro 12x50 EL…. Best binos made for gun hunting food plots & large fields. Can find them for $1,500-2,000 used. Look @ Rokslide etc and you will find a good used pair in your price range.

If not, break out and spend a hair more - Swarovski 10x42 Pure are unbelievable and great binos. However, they do not compare to the 12x50 EL in low light. You can find all very discounted online if you’re not in a hurry.

Red Hawk, as well as Europtics, has a demo section. I got a great deal on Zeiss 10x42 that was a non-handled floor model (aka, in a glass display around the neck of a camo -clad mannequin). Some are Expo demos, some in-store demos and handled a little, but no scratches, etc.

Take a look at Kowa Genesis XD

https://sportingoptics.kowa-usa.com...is-44-105x44-prominar-xd-binoculars.html

That’s what I’ve got. They’re perfect for hunting those long power lines.

Leica

Leica hands down every time….texas taught me there are none finer

Buy the best used Swaro's you can afford; they have great customer service and lifetime warranty.

Decided to cheap out and not spend $1500. I ordered Zeiss Conquest HDs. Zeiss has a $200 off promo and Eurooptic covered the sales tax so they're $799.00 shipped to my door. Everything tells me they're a pretty good upgrade from my Viper HDs. If not, they'll go back and I'll continue shopping.