Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsThese are excellent binos
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2021
I just completed hands-on comparisons of several binoculars. In the test group were (in order of my preference):
Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x32
Carson TD-832ED 3D series 8x32
Athlon Midas UHD (ED) (non-G2) 8x42
Hawke Frontier HD X 8x32
Sightron Blue Sky II 8x32
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x32
Athlon Talos 8x32
Starting with the Athlon Talos 8x32: last place in no way means these are poor bins. In fact, I kept these - and I may get another pair for my wife. Considering the low price, these are excellent (brightness and sharpness were very good), well-constructed, wide FOV (field of view), a little chunky yet semi-compact binos. Plus, Athlon offers a worry-free, no-fault warranty. I'll keep these laying around the house or in the car.
The next three, Vortex Diamondback HD, Sightron Blue Sky II and Hawke Frontier HD X, showed me I can tell the difference between ED and non-ED glass, as none of these have ED glass and that's primarily why they finished behind the top three. My advice: pay extra to get ED glass. ... Of these three, I liked everything about the Hawke's.. smooth focus wheel, good balanced and tactile feel in the hand, excellent case and worry-free, no-fault warranty. With its ED glass, I'd be willing to bet the Frontier ED X (I reviewed the HD X) would be my top choice, but at $450, it broke my $300-ish spending limit. Same goes for the Vortex Viper: a step up from the Diamondback for sure, but at a much higher price. I couldn't decide which I liked better between the Blue Sky and Diamondback (Vortex has a better warranty), I liked them both, just not as much as the Hawke.
The Athlon Midas UHD (now offered in a "G2" version) is not made in 8x32, so it was a little unfair to include this 8x42 here, but it showed me that although the lower-light capabilities of a 42 are nice, they come with extra bulkiness and I needed a smaller unit because I travel with my binoculars four days out of the week. If I had a slightly more stationary lifestyle, I might opt for the 8x42 version from all of these companies (among bird watchers, 8x42 is the most popular choice). This is an excellent bino with a wide FOV. I can see why they earned Wirecutter's current top binocular choice.
Even so, I felt the Carson 3D 8x32 was better still, but only by a very small margin. I vacillated between the Midas and the Carson 3D, but the lighter weight Carson won out for second place on my list (if you can, do your own tests). The FOV is not as wide as the Midas (392ft vs 426ft), and that is a negative. Even though it was up against a 42, the Carson seemed equally bright (sharpness was good with both). And, like the Vortex, Hawke and Athlon, it too comes with a worry-free, no-fault warranty. With easy focus acquisition and excellent viewing image, it would have been my keeper had I not sampled my top pick below.
Perhaps I just got lucky with this pair, but the Celestron TrailSeeker ED 8x32 was better than the others by a noticeable margin. I now know what it means when someone says the image "pops" when looking through quality glass. Every time I brought these to my eyes I was amazed at the bright, vivid, edge-to-edge sharpness and excellent color rendition - it surprised me every time. An additional plus is the slender construction. The only negative so far: like the Sightron, these have the old-school "materials and workmanship" warranty vs a customer-pleasing no-fault, worry-free warranty... plus, you'll pay shipping there and back if you have to send it in. ... We'll see how well they hold up long term, but, for the price, the image these provide is simply outstanding.
