Please reccomend me a cheap pair of binoculars

[colubrid]

I don't know anything about binoculars. I want to spend $25.-$35 and get the most bang for the buck.

I will not be using them for hunting. I need them to check waves in Indonesia that are 200 max yards away. So a lot of the nighvision and heat sensitivity things others look for I don't need. Just a small lightweight compact pair of binoculars. Preferably something salt mist won't destroy the lenses.

 

[Lee D]

Optics are one of those things that ya get what you pay for. I wanted a small lightweight pair for my glovebox and wasted money on Tasco and Busnell cheapies. Eventually I stepped it up a bit and bought a $60 set of Nikons, and they’re leaps and bounds ahead of that junk I was buying.

 

[Pomsbz]

I bought my son a pair of Bushnell 10x32 binoculars which came in at $30. Nice little pair for occasional use.

 

[not2sharp]

Here’s a tip. If you can, buy the binoculars in the evening and test them outside. What you want to do is to focus on a star. The betters ones will reduce the star to a small pin point. What you are checking is primarily the collimation, the alignment between the lens. Whether you pay $40 or $4,000 for a pair, there is often significant variation between different examples of the same sku. So pick a model and try several examples; your eyes will thank you for it.

n2s

 

[colubrid]

That's a great tip. Thank you!

 

[colubrid]

I am checking the Nikons on eBay.

 

[Sundsvall]

$25-30 is not much to work with. You can get used nikons for about $100 that will be well made enough to be useful.

 

[jgang]

What Sundsvall said. I highly recommend the compact Steiners. Sierra Trading Post used to carry several versions that are actually quite good for right around $100. I keep a pair in my truck all the time.

 

[CSG]

Sorry but $30 binoculars are a total waste of money. You need to consider spending $150-200 for something that won't disappoint.