After purchasing a pair of Nikon Action 10x50 binoculars last spring, I thought my quest for a decent pair of glasses was over. I quickly realized that they were not what I was looking for, but decided to make due. The time is upon us, and I would like to get out and do some scouting, and with it, purchase a better pair of binos. Thanks to Don (Ricer), I decided to take a look at a pair of Diamondbacks in both 8 and 10x42's, and was very impressed with them. The price tag wasn't terrible, and they had all the features I was looking for in a reasonably priced set of optics. I had pretty much made up my mind that the Diamondbacks were going to be my next purchase, until I made a trip to Ripley yesterday to see some family. I decided to stop by The Great Outdoors and see what they had to offer. After talking with the man behind the counter, he convinced me to check out a pair of Redfield Rebels, and I have to say, I was extremely impressed.
All the specs were essentially the same as the Diamondbacks, but at a lower price ($60 to be exact). I was very impressed with the clarity of them next to the Nikon Monarchs, and the higher end Bushnells. They have all the same features as the Vortex, and also have a lifetime warranty, but the exception being that Vortex's warranty is essentially no questions asked. The attendant was telling me that Leupold bought Redfield and was trying to improve their image, literally, by building a quality optic at a reasonable price.
Unfortunately, they did not carry any Vortex Optics there, so I was unable to compare them side by side. I'm really torn about which pair I should buy. My gut is saying go with Vortex, but my wallet and eyes are saying go with Redfield. I've read many great reviews on the Diamondbacks, but there just aren't as many reviews out there on the Rebels. I was thinking about calling around to see if anyone carried them both, and maybe taking a roadtrip this weekend to compare them side by side, but was wondering if any of you had any experience with these binos? I know it's a long shot, but figured I'd at least get some opinions from you all.
Here are the specs for both optics.
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-diamondback-10x42-binocular
http://www.redfield.com/_media/downloads/Rebel_10x42mm.pdf
All the specs were essentially the same as the Diamondbacks, but at a lower price ($60 to be exact). I was very impressed with the clarity of them next to the Nikon Monarchs, and the higher end Bushnells. They have all the same features as the Vortex, and also have a lifetime warranty, but the exception being that Vortex's warranty is essentially no questions asked. The attendant was telling me that Leupold bought Redfield and was trying to improve their image, literally, by building a quality optic at a reasonable price.
Unfortunately, they did not carry any Vortex Optics there, so I was unable to compare them side by side. I'm really torn about which pair I should buy. My gut is saying go with Vortex, but my wallet and eyes are saying go with Redfield. I've read many great reviews on the Diamondbacks, but there just aren't as many reviews out there on the Rebels. I was thinking about calling around to see if anyone carried them both, and maybe taking a roadtrip this weekend to compare them side by side, but was wondering if any of you had any experience with these binos? I know it's a long shot, but figured I'd at least get some opinions from you all.
Here are the specs for both optics.
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vortex-diamondback-10x42-binocular
http://www.redfield.com/_media/downloads/Rebel_10x42mm.pdf
