VANGUARDEndeavor ED II Binoculars, Premium Hoya ED Glass, Waterproof & Fogproof

Update 6/9/24: I've owned these binoculars for 6 months now and I still love them. The clarity and sharpness is excellent in all conditions and color is great! They come birding with me at least 3 times a week and they have held up very well and show no signs of wear. The rubber coating, optics and focus knobs all still function like new.I bought these as birding binoculars to replace my cheap $80 pair of of bushnells. The optical quality compared to those is no contest.I also tested the Vanguard binocs against Vortex Diamondback HD 10x50 binoculars and found the Vanguard binocs to be superior, offering lower light dispersion and very little aberration (purple and green) around the edges of whatever you're viewing.I tested these binoculars under multiple conditions including clouds, low-light (dawn), bright light, and in cloudy weather.These binoculars provide excellent clarity and birds and scenery appear bright and vibrant. I've never viewed birds with such depth and clarity through binoculars before. Under all conditions I was able to quickly focus on the details.The binoculars fit nicely in my large hands and the focus wheel is easy to reach. One nice feature is that the right eye diopter can lock in and out of place so you never lose your setting.I picked these binoculars up for $200 new here on Amazon and for that price they are definitely worth it, no question. The manufacturers website lists these as $399 which is not a good deal. A fair price is $200-$275.

These binos are an inspiration. Every time I look through these I am amazed by the sparkling clarity and brightness. I haven't owned high end binoculars, but have used older medium and low grade ones. I've also had a lifetime with camera optics, so know what I'm seeing. These are a revelation. Reality looks better through these! Ha ha. I was showing them to a friend and mentioned the price range and what some fancier pieces cost, and his comment was "what could they have that these don't?" In researching I learned a great deal from some reviewing websites, especially a site based in England, and finally honed in on these. It was still an investment, and every time I use them I'm glad I made the purchase. They are incredibly solid feeling, and if there is a weakness it would be their weight. They are in the middle of the field in terms of weight and I do use them in hiking, but for long range journeys I use a smaller pair. These are nicely suited for auto trips and landscape observation near my home. The company seems to have some other good products that I'll check out in the future, especially the line of day packs. These binos are made in China, and the company is in America. There seems to be few quality optics that aren't made in China, Germany, Japan or maybe a couple other countries. I had to consider the price in my decision. I handle these and see that I got the A grade quality for a reasonable price.

There's lots to like about these binos. They seem very well made - especially for the price - the field size and eye relief are good, and the contrast and color of the view is very nice. The 2 pairs I received just weren't very sharp in the middle of the field. They weren't "blurry" enough to make me think they were defective, and if you didn't compare them to anything else you might be happy. But on close inspection the sharpness needed to pick out very fine detail just wasn't there.I compared them to some of my other binoculars by reading street signs, and couldn't read any finer type with these 10x42s than I could with my ~$400 8x42 birding binoculars. I also included in this comparison my midrange-priced 10x42 porro-prism binoculars, a bulky old pair that these Vanguards were meant to replace. Wth the old porros I definitely *could* read finer type, even though they are the same 10x, so my disappointment wasn't due to my eyes or an inability to hold the 10x steady.This is the second pair of Endeavours I've tried over the past ~2 years. The first pair performed similarly, but the reviews are so good I thought I'd try another in case those were defective. Nope, it seems this model just isn't very sharp.

Very nice binoculars but my focus knob was quite stiff. I was hoping it would loosen over time but I decided to return mine. In general, it's a very nice binocular and most owners will be quite happy. It is a tad on the heavy side so if weight is an issue you may want the 8x32 model. I owned the 8x32 model for several months and was quite happy with it. The 8x42 does offer a touch more light gathering ability and thus seemed brighter at times.

About two years ago I jumped into birding. Not sure my new hobby would last and with a limited budget I purchased a decent pair of under $100 binoculars. Now I am deep in as a birder and I needed an upgrade in the sub $500 range. These are perfect. I researched the comparisons across the price point and took the plunge with this relatively new manufacturer. These Vanguard Endeavor II 10x42 are right on the money. Great clarity and sharpness across the field of view, very good in low light, mechanics are butter smooth and accurate. Weight and hand feel are wonderful, and the generously proportioned padded neck strap is a nice bonus. Right eye focus lock is pretty nifty. Having looked through the high performance $1500+ glasses of my fellow birders, there are shortcoming when compared. But my peers agree that these definitely out-perform any expectations for this price. And the lifetime warranty is an incredible, and altogether unexpected, bonus. All in all- wonderful.