Which Range Finding Binos to Buy?

[Fastrig]

It's been almost a month since you started this thread.
Wondering if you pulled the trigger on something.

Not yet. Haven’t found the 3200.com binos on sale anywhere yet...too new is my guess...no hurry and I refuse to pay full MSRP price

 

[BeeMaa]

Not yet. Haven’t found the 3200.com binos on sale anywhere yet...too new is my guess...no hurry and I refuse to pay full MSRP price

Exactly.
When I got my original Leica 10x42-R's, they had just come out with a new model.
Picked them up at Cabela's for $1200.
My new 10x42 HD-B 3000 I got when the 3200's came out, again on sale.
I believe it was $500 off the original price.
When I spoke to Euro Optic about it, they said that Leica doesn't discount the price.
More correctly, authorized dealers are not allowed to sell for less than what Leica says.
If you are waiting for the 3200's to go on sale for less than MSRP, you could be waiting a bit.
Probably until they come out with something else, or maybe something used.

It looks like the HD-B's are getting harder to find.
Euro Optic is out of stock, but there's a set on eBay for $2K.

Depends on how important the upgraded features are to you.
And how quickly you want/need them.

 

[Dean2]

Not yet. Haven’t found the 3200.com binos on sale anywhere yet...too new is my guess...no hurry and I refuse to pay full MSRP price

My one suggestion, avoid the Bluetooth yada yada stuff. The more electronics they put into stuff the more issues you are going to see, especially in cold or very hot weather. I upgraded all of my stuff recently to buy the most advanced scopes, RFs, Binos etc that DID NOT have communication gear and extra electronics built into them. Honestly, unless you are target shooting or have half an hour to take a shot I really can't see the advantage to having your RF binos tied to you wind meter, phone and scope. Just too much messing around.

 

[Artur S]

Leica Germany service is outstanding.
I've ruined my geovid on an extended mountain hunt, rubber armor teared, 1 eyepiece broken / stuck, lost both covers. And all mechanisms full with dust, dirt and sand. Sent them to Wetzlar, paid shipping myself. It took them 2 weeks and I got the binos back in almost new condition with new covers and with an invoice attached. It said: payable amount for services rendered: 0,00 euros. Just paid the shipping back and forth. That was the moment I was happy to have spent 2800$ on them in 2006 or so. I am now a loyal client of Leica. Btw, I ve bought these binos in US, lost all receipts and they didn't even ask for any paperwork.

P.S. I must say that I had similar, extremely positive experience with Swarovski Austria servicing my inside fogged Z6 after falling from a horse in a steep slope with rifle on my back. Also a couple of weeks, zero fees and 2 extra turret caps added for free.

 

[Artur S]

I had fantastic results glassing in dawn and dusk / moonlit nights with my 8x 56 geovid. Its light capabilities are outstanding and I had often direct comparisons with other models/top brands. Yes, you'd be less unhappy dragging a x42 up a mountain, but the x56 is more versatile. Especially if your hunting often takes place in those promising late&early hours of the day.

 

[Artur S]

And one more point on magnification:

It's so sexy nowadays to have that double-digit xfactor. I wonder how hunters came along 30-50 years ago.

I find 8x more stable and not so shaky as a 10x, especially when you glass for hours on and on. But maybe it's just me.
And you have a better FoV and Depth of view with a 8x.
I'd love to by small 6x or 7x stalking binos, but no top company offers that magnification anymore. The Swaro Habicht with 7x are way too old in their mechanics / geometry and output.

 

[Fastrig]

Exactly.
When I got my original Leica 10x42-R's, they had just come out with a new model.
Picked them up at Cabela's for $1200.
My new 10x42 HD-B 3000 I got when the 3200's came out, again on sale.
I believe it was $500 off the original price.
When I spoke to Euro Optic about it, they said that Leica doesn't discount the price.
More correctly, authorized dealers are not allowed to sell for less than what Leica says.
If you are waiting for the 3200's to go on sale for less than MSRP, you could be waiting a bit.
Probably until they come out with something else, or maybe something used.

It looks like the HD-B's are getting harder to find.
Euro Optic is out of stock, but there's a set on eBay for $2K.

Depends on how important the upgraded features are to you.
And how quickly you want/need them.

Don't need them till next April when I leave for Africa. Have a bot watching the web for a sale, maybe hit one at Christmas is my guess. I like the new ones with the Bluetooth. No cable to mess with