Barr & Stroud 8X42 Sahara Binoculars

These binoculars for only about £67 are better than expected and exceed the spec described. They are water proof (I believe nitrogen filled), though I'm not about to drop them in any water. I don't find the weight any problem and comparing with others advertised in this respect are no heavier than any others, (even much more expensive ones). A friend who knows much more about this sort of thing than me has compared them with his own new ones which he paid over £250 for and said they compare very well with barely any more chromatic aberration compared to his own.The focus and diopter ring are firm and comfortable to use. They have a rubber finish so good grip is easy to maintain.They have a diopter ring if you need one which you can just about see on the picture but this is not mentioned. also they have the rubber eyepieces which can be twisted outwards to use without glasses - so I can use these with my glasses the first time ever. these two facts were a welcome surprise.They focus down to closer than advertised too, down to about 3 meters. (I think they quote 4m).as someone else mentioned I think the strap is nothing special but one can't complain at this price. However, they come with a lightly padded carrying case which has a much better strap. They have soft rubber lens caps both front and back, something else I wasn't sure i was getting. I chose the cheapest delivery option and i had them in a couple of days.I haven't tried them in low light yet but having been used to some very old Russian 8x30 bins they are a massive improvement on what I am used to.The seller has advertised them honestly and dispatched them efficiently so I have no problem highly recommending both product and seller and believe you can buy with great confidence.At £67 these are an exceptional deal if a 8x42 is what you are looking for. Beware of handshake if you get higher magnification, with these you can watch birds in flight with minimal re-focusing, (though a Peregrine approaching you at 180 mph might pose a problem!)

I thought long and hard before buying these. I already own a pair of 10x50 and I also owned a pair of (super budget) 10x42's which I left in a hotel room on holiday. So now I needed another pair of 42's for the next holiday so what to get. The big question was whether to go 10's or 8's. I was familiar with 10's but had never had a pair of 8's. All the serious binocular boys always seem to plum for 8's so I bit the bullet and went for them. I obviously also based the decision on all the reviews I had read. It's tempting to go and buy a pair of Nikons or Pentax or whatever - some really fancy brand but I am pretty rough on my gear, (and always leaving stuff in hotels), so I didn't want to go too expensive. So what are these Barr jobbies like? I think they are brilliant. First off the case is really well made and padded. The binos feel real quality - not too heavy but not too light either. The focus ring is smooth and it's really easy to get them to a perfect single circle field of vision. I've compared them to my 10x50's and I think these are much better. I will probably never go back to 10's as the image with 8's is so much easier to hold steady. Couple that with a bigger field of vision and I now understand why people go for 8's. Really looking forward to my next holiday although I imagine they'll be some hotel chambermaid somewhere who'll get more use out of them than me!

Great for first time birders!

Purchased as a present for my mother who has a home over looking the sea, the item works wonderfully and replaced some army and navy glasses from the interwar period. I tested them thoroughly prior to giving them to her as a previous purchase had a loose prism and wanted to check against any problems so as not to disappoint.They are wonderful glasses and the view from her first floor kitchen was remarkable we were able to see the number plate of a car perfectly about 1/2 a mile away. And detail of the buildings on the seafront of Hastings which is about 15miles across the bay. Like all Barr and Stroud products you get good value for your buck, the strap could be wider but is good and the polycarbonate body is well coated in rubber with the nice touch of having lens caps which attach to the tubes meaning you should not lose them as is the case with most lens caps unfortunately. They are nitrogen purged and therefore don't fog up or mist even on our cold winters days and are waterproof but I have not tested this last feature except for them being used in our recent downpours watching the lifeboat make its way out to sea.Overall a nicely manufactured pair of Binos which are fully multicoated and have a BaK4 prism at the price that is very competitive. Owning a Sierra spoting scope by the same manufacturer I can say I completely am pleased with the brand as all the products I have owned have performed well