Wind river binoculars

gottafish · 12-17-2003, 07:40 PM

hey guys, do any of you own a pair of the Olympic compact series 10x25 mm. just looking for good quality for scouting and hunting. swarofski(spelling?) are just two spendy. any recommendations ??

The Bloodletter · 12-17-2003, 08:11 PM

Gottafish,
I don't own a pair of Wind Rivers by my hunting partner bought a pair of them two years ago and has been very happy w/ their performance. They are marketed by Leupold, though they are made in Japan, and are about what you would expect for the money. Swarovski they are not, but they come at a much more reasonable price. However, binoculars are one of those things where you get what you pay for. For a decent quality set w/o double vision or fuzz around the edges you can excpect to pay at least $300. If the Wind Rivers are in your price range, I would not feel the least bit nervous about buying a set.

Salmon Stryker · 12-18-2003, 05:47 AM

I have the Wind River 8x23 compacts and have been happy with them. If I had to do over I would have bought something with a broader field of vision rather than the compact light weight.

But as far as quality and a crisp clear image I couldn't be happier with them.

Fishbone · 12-18-2003, 07:25 AM

If you like the Olympic series, check out the Mesa series as well. I recently picked up a pair of Mesa Compacts and I am very pleased with them.

Day Late · 12-19-2003, 03:26 PM

Like Salmon Stryker, I have a pair of Wind River 8x23 that my son gave me for XMAS a couple of years ago. I like compacts and for the money they are great! Hunted elk in the snow, etc this year and they never fogged. Good luck! :smile:

Day Late

OR 663 RD · 12-28-2003, 09:41 PM

I've been looking lately and I like the Nikon Monarch ATB 8x40 binocular better than the comparable Wind River model. I found the fit and clarity to be better. They are both in a similar price range too.

My 2 cents.

Big TULE · 12-28-2003, 10:08 PM

If you want good spotting binos get any brand with a divisable factor of 5. Like 8X40, 7X35 it makes them alot more clear...

chummer · 12-29-2003, 09:10 AM

I don't believe the wind rivers come with the same warrenty as other leupold products.

Critr Gitr · 12-29-2003, 09:08 PM

Had two Wind Rivers - not the same quality as other Leupolds.... I now own the Monarch ATB - waterproof w/ lifetime warranty .... If you are anywhere that they may pick up moisture - stay away from the wind rivers.........

Norm · 12-30-2003, 07:57 AM

I just picked up a set of long eye relief cabela's 10x compacts for my dad as a xmas present. Good for people who wear glasses :smile: . Really nice optics for the $$. I don't know about the durability yet, but they are water/fog proof.

troybuz · 12-30-2003, 07:33 PM

I just recieved a pair of Wind River 10 X 50's for Christmas. I was holding out for a pair of Swarovski's...so needless to say, they wern't exactally what I wanted. Rather than opening them I went to Sportsman Warehouse and looked at the model she purchased. I found them light and comfortable to hold, but the adjustments were much too sensitive, and the optics were not all that good. :depressed:
Bottom line, the Wind Rivers go back, and I start saving my pennies.

Happy Hunting

biederboat · 01-01-2004, 04:47 PM

I know that at least some of the Wind Rivers, as many other binos, are made in China. IMO, stay away from Nikons, even the made in Japan units, I had many many problems with two different models, had a lot of difficulty getting them fixed under warranty also.

Biederboat

McBaine · 01-03-2004, 04:36 PM

As a retailer, Nikon is the worst company to deal with for warrenty repairs. Even on their "no fault" policy, they require the owner to send with the binos/scope the warrenty card. If they don't I would say 90% of the time the customer was charged. Leupold on the other had, in my 5 years behind the counter, has never charged for any repairs/replacing. Even Bushnell has a good track record with us.

One story sticks out in my mind for Nikon, recent too. Customer brings us a bad Nikon range finder, it wont turn on. So we send it off in September. Well along comes November and we get word that Nikon wants $349 to fix it!!! Hell we retail that damn thing cheaper than that. To say the least the customer was livid. BTW, the rangefinder was the Realtree Compact 400.

Jedediah · 01-09-2004, 01:13 PM

I bought a pair of Wind River 10X42 roof prisms this past fall, and I am extremely happy with them. They are very clear, easy to focus, and quite light (23 or 24 ounces)for their size.

I bought them from Bear Basin Outfitters (www.bearbasin.com). They were new 2-year old models that fit in between what are now the Olympic series and the Pinacle series (I called Leupold before I purchased them). They had a great deal on them ($279). They still list them on their website, too.

By the way, if anyone is interested in a Leupold scope, Bear Basin has some great deals right now...10% off the VXII and 15% of the Vari-X III. This puts a Vari-X III 3.5-10X40 at $381.65...AND, they are also offering free shipping.