Are Simmons Binoculars Any Good?

B

Bruise Lee

Joined
Aug 4, 2002
Messages
363
I see these on sale cheap - I'm talking $20 for 8x40 binoculars, $15 for 7x35, $10 for the mini 12x25. Are these worth picking up, or are they junk?

At this price I'm definitely not expecting Steiner or Canon Image Stabilization quality, light gathering capability, sharpness, etc. I'm just wondering if they are good enough to throw into the bailout bag in the car, bring to football games, or to the beach for girlwatching.:p

So, should I save my money for a Swarovski, or are these usable enough for casual use?

Oh, I also see a 8x21 monocular on sale for $8.

Bruise
 
With optics as with knives, you definitely get what you pay for.

Go to a dealer. Set up a pair of cheapies & a pair of Leica/Swarovski/Zeiss bins on a tripod or wall. Look at a sheet of newspaper 50 yards away. Sneer at the cheapies. Buy Leica/Swarovski/Zeiss!

“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.”

John Ruskin (1819-1900)

"Buy the best and only cry once."

maximus otter (1955-?)
 
Listen to Otter(geez, did I really say that?)

Simmons is a low price optics company. You get what you pay for. Buy quality and only cry once.
 
maximus otter said:
With optics as with knives, you definitely get what you pay for.

Go to a dealer. Set up a pair of cheapies & a pair of Leica/Swarovski/Zeiss bins on a tripod or wall. Look at a sheet of newspaper 50 yards away. Sneer at the cheapies. Buy Leica/Swarovski/Zeiss!

“There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.”

John Ruskin (1819-1900)

"Buy the best and only cry once."

maximus otter (1955-?)
Click to expand...

Right. I still have my 7x20 and 8x21 Nikons from more than 20 years ago. I've been enjoying their decent quality all that time instead of making a sour face at something cheaper for a few decades. However I still remember that I was only $35 from the Leicas... and I wish I had gone one step further.
 
Larry B. said:
Cheap Bino's will give you a headache.
Click to expand...

Larry B is right. I live close to a Cabelas, and their bargain cave is full of cheap binos that were returned by dissatisfied customers. Lots of Leupolds and Japanese binos too. Very few European binos though.

IMHO, Kahles and Minox are almost as good as the high-end German and Austrian brands, and much better than American and Japanese brands. I own Minox, but liked the Kahles a little better. I just happened to get a great deal on the Minox!
 
I've had the monocular for a couple of years now, and its not bad. But it IS a monocular, with no problem of barrel alignment. I use it as a jacket pocket spotter thing for very casual use when I don't think I will need my binocks.

I think for looking through binoculars without a headache get a good pair and don't try to save money. Pentax, Stiener, Nikon, Leupold, Lieca...
 
imho for the $$ the simmons optics are ok, of course zeiss/etc is better, they cost 5-10X as much they should be lol.

depends on how much ya use them, when ya use them (ie light out, dusk, etc) and how ya are gonna use them (ie birdwatching vs serious hunting, etc)

if i was only gonna use them occasionally for BS around the house, snooping on the neighbors, the park, etc, i would probably go cheapo myself.

as much as i agree the higher $$ ones are great i always cringe when i spend a lot of $$ on optics, usually buy a mid range scope, dont like it, then buy a leupold, its really more expensive in the long run lol.
 
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