Vanguard Endeavor ED 8420 8x42 ED Glass Binoculars – Fully Multi-Coated Optics, Phase-Coated BaK4 Prism, Waterproof/Fogproof

It was time for a new pair of binoculars for birding, but I did not want to spend $1000 to $1500 for a quality pair. Reviews pointed to the Vanguard Endeavor series and I'm glad I followed them. These 8X42 Endeavors are sturdy and waterproof and feel like they will last a long time (in any case, they come with a no questions asked Lifetime Warranty). They work well with my eyeglasses. The right-eye adjustment locks in place. Focusing is easy. They are brilliant and extremely sharp across the entire field of view (which is a bit narrower than expected). With the $50 rebate, they are 1/4 the price of top of the line binoculars, and you hardly give up any quality. (Full disclosure: Vanguard provided a gift to any purchaser who writes an on-line review-good or bad-at the vendor's site, so I should receive a lens cleaning kit for posting this).

I came across an amazing (1/2 off) deal on these Vanguard ED 8X42 lightly used at Amazon Warehouse so I went for it. Boy, I'm glad I did - they put my crappy old 10X50's to shame. Pros: - They're very high quality; they're heavy for their size but not so heavy that they're a chore to wear or hold like the 10X50's (which made your neck/arms ache after a few minutes). - The view is wide - the specs say 367 ft at 1000 yd; about 7 degrees - enough that you can see what's around your center of focus. - They're sharp as a tack - I can read newsprint at 20 feet - and the view is so bright it actually looks brighter than with bare eyes. - I see minimal coma at the edges. - The 3-position eyecups work well, the detents are firm, I don't have any trouble with them moving around with use. I can use them with or without eyeglasses without any problems. - The locking diopter adjustment is brilliant; one of the reasons I remembered these glasses over several others - once you have them set, you lock it and you're done with fussing. - The 3/4 turn lock-to-lock focusing is invaluable; focus is so fast. - The eyepiece slipcover is tight and easy to use, the objective covers are easy to slip on and off. - The neck strap is nicely made, with excellent stitching, made of thick neoprene. - The case is good quality cordura with a decent 1-way zipper. - The glasses themselves are rubbery and grippy; easy to hold without feeling cramped. Overall, top-quality kit. Cons: - The weight; they are made of solid metal, glass and rubber, not carbon fiber; the price reflects this. They're still 1/3 less weight than the 10X50's they replaced. - The bright lime-green plastic accents and thread are tacky, and should never have seen the light of day - but that's probably just me; they're tiny when viewed from a few feet away. - Unfortunately the case is so tight it isn't big enough to hold the glasses with the eyecups extended - so you're fussing with them all the time. - The glasses are somewhat prone to flare if a light is at about 80-90 degrees; worse than other lenses I've had. - There is some chromic aberration in very high contrast situations; enough that it is bothersome at times. (edited to correct chromic aberration comment)

I so, so much wanted to like these binoculars. I read review after review after review. The OVERWHELMING majority of reviews said they are the bees knees. And a small minority complained about chromatic aberration. Well, put me in the latter camp. For those of you that don't know what CA is, here's a description copied from elsewhere... "Chromatic Aberration - Chromatic aberration is the inability to bring different wavelengths of light (colors) into focus, usually producing a relatively faint halo of color around an object. It may depend on the brightness of the image and may not treat all images alike as to the color of the halo. Also, the halos may be one color on one side and another color on the opposite side. You can test for chromatic aberration by looking at a high contrast item such as an overhead wire against the bright sky. Chromatic aberration will often show up as green, yellow, or violet fringes of light along the edges of the object." Whew! That's a mouthful! But it sums it up nicely. Here's another explanation in my words. When I look through these binoculars at, say, the edge of a roof, or the tops of a copse of trees, with the sky in the background, I see a distinct halo of purple or green, depending upon if I'm staring through the top or the bottom of the lenses. This isn't a subtle, slightly there aura. It's unmistakable. It's as if you took a prism and shined a light through it, then used another prism to change the rainbow back to white light, and it missed a color or two. Make sense? And it's not just there for high contrast, straight lines. I saw an amazing purple cormorant on the Puget Sound today. Almost thought I'd made an important discovery, until I double checked with my 25 year old Nikon Action binoculars. Nope, just a regular old cormorant. So sad. Seeing as there are so many positive reviews,on Amazon and elsewhere, I suspect it may be a quality control issue. And when you consider the price ($220 when I bought them, plus a $25 rebate), it's tempting to mess around with Vanguard doing a warranty exchange. But if they're all like this, I will have missed the return window and have, quite literally, thrown my money away ('cause I'd just chuck them, they're useless to me). It's too bad, because I like them in every other respect. They are bright, light, and compact. Comfortable to hold. They appear to be very well built. And the warranty is awesome! But living in a laser show just won't do. BTW, I'm still giving Vanguard a shot. I've ordered their Endeavor ED II, their top of the line bins. Made with premium Hoya glass. Also well reviewed. Unfortunately, they are a couple of hundred dollars more (hope my wife doesn't read this review!). I will report back here whether or not they're an improvement. Update 11/17/15. I did, indeed, try out the ED II's. They are a MAJOR improvement. I still found some CA, but it's much less obvious. Additionally, the overall view through the ED II's is clearer from edge to edge. I won't write more about them, as I'll review them separately, but if you are sensitive to CA they are a much better bet. As to chromatic aberration and whether or not it matters, I've come to find that evidently some people see it, and some people don't. It's a demonstrable phenomenon, easily photographed through binocular lenses, BUT... Some people see it, some don't. I'm guessing some people see it more than others, as well, as I seem to see it everywhere. Or at least through roof prism binos. I have tried the Endeavor's, the Endeavor ED II's, Zen Ray Prime HD's, and Maven B2's (all of these got progressively more expensive, of course). It's been evident in all of them. The Zen Ray's and the Maven's are are superior to both of the Vanguard's, but roughly equivalent to each other. I kept the ZR's ($600 cheaper than the Maven's). I also went to Cabela's and checked out the top ranging models from Leupold, Nikon, Swarovski, and Vortex. Yup, still there, even in the $2700 Swaro's. Guess I'm ultra, ultra sensitive. Good to know, money doesn't solve everything.

The Quality of the image is second to none.... you would hardly see the difference against $1000 plus glass. Love the pouch and caps, great eye relief can wear with normal sized vision glasses, great weight for the quality of image.

Optics are great and fits hands well One thing that happened with mine was a screw came loose under the focus adjustment...re-tightened and alls well

I recently purchased these 8x42 binoculars. First, I think these are quality binoculars. Very well made, high end optics. Open bridge design is nice. Vanguard makes an excellent product at an unbelievable price. However, in making a direct comparison to the Nikon Monarch 7 8x42, the Nikons win. The Nikons have a significantly larger field of view. The images are brighter with the Nikons, and the colours are more natural. I found that the colours with the Vanguards were a little washed out by comparison. For example, I viewed a distant cabin across Howe Sound. With the Nikons, the red metal roof of the cabin was clearly red, even from a great distance. With the Vanguards, the roof looked brown. Also, views with the Nikons seemed more vivid, 3 dimensional and lifelike when compared to the Vanguards. As far detail is concerned, both binoculars were very close. But with the superior colour rendition, wider field of view, brighter and more vivid image, I chose the Nikons and returned the Vanguards. I should point out that the Vanguards look and feel slightly better made, have a magnesium body instead of polycarbonate, a much nicer carry case, better quality and more functional lens protectors and a better warranty (lifetime vs 25 years). But, to me, it's all about the optics, and the Nikons' optics are clearly superior. Having said all this, the Nikons were $150.00 more expensive. Are they worth it? To me, yes. But that's for you to decide as both these binoculars offer very good value for money.

Compact enough for a day pack, excellent near focus, easy secure dusk caps, very clear image. I cannot think of anyway to improve these binoculars.

These binoculars have very good optics and are easy to focus. Would recommend for bird watchers. Comes with carry case and neck strap.