18.8.2013

My wife has field tested these Binoculars since we received them yesterday morning.Her opinion is that they are indeed a 5 star pair of optics and she has loved using them!As far as she is concerned she found them heavier than she thought they would be, though they are among the lightest on the market and 2 oz lighter than her old Olympus 8X40's.She found them easy to set up and great for fast focussing as the focus wheel only rotates through three quarters of a turn making it pretty fast, they are comfortable to hold and very well balanced. The 8X magnification is ample enough for general birding and wildlife watching, though if you fancy a little stargazing you had better go for something stronger!

12.11.2012

I have recently purchased a set of Vangaurd Spirit ED 10x42 Binoculars to replace my old set which I have had for many years and were not great quality but did not cost that much. I had purchased a set of Nikon Binoculars from Argos ( £99.00) and was very disapointed with them. I took them back to Argos and got a full refund with no problems. This made me think that I needed to pay more for a quality set and as I will probably have them for the rest of my life I decieded that I would do my deep research project and see what was available in the marketplace. So on to Google to do the research and see what was available.Found a very interesting website called Best Binoculars and Binoculars Review

16.12.2011

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A GOOD SET OF BINOCULARS FOR A WHILE NOW AND HAVING TRIED MY FRIENDS CANON 10X30IS ONES I THOUGHT I HAD MADE MY SELECTION, MY MAIN USE IS HUNTING, / WILDLIFE OBSERVATION, AND GENERAL HOLIDAY USE, SO A LIGHT WEIGHT COMPACT SET WAS WHERE I WAS SETTING MY SELECTION, I WAS TAKEN BY THE IMAGE STABILISING FACILITY OF THE CANONS, AND THE VERY GOOD OPTICAL PICTURE THEY GAVE, BUT IN ALL OTHER RESPECTS THEY LACKED SOME ESSENTIAL FEATURES I WANTED, IE, FULLY WATERPROOF AND FOG PROOF. BECAUSE THE ENGLISH WEATHER CAN BE SO UNPREDICTABLE. IN MANY HOURS OF SEARCHING I KEPT COMING ACROSS THE VANGUARD 1040 ED ONES, MOSTLY AMERICAN REVIEWS, BUT SOME ENGLISH ONES AND I HAVE TO SAY THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED A BAD WORD YET,

14.11.2016

These binoculars are undoubtedly compact if compared with 8 x 32 designs from other manufacturers. They balanced well in my hands and felt solid and confident. The hinge of the binoculars was smooth and easy to adjust to the width of my eyes; not all binoculars are. Some have criticised the focusing wheel as aggressive; focusing from the closest range to infinity within three quarters of a turn, but I found the focusing wheel smooth, responsive and precise. So far no complaints. Under normal conditions the image is pleasingly sharp and bright, even after sunset in low light. However - and this will all depend on the use that you have in mind - I did experience a minor optical flaw.

20.6.2012

I bought these binoculars through Amazon.co.uk after reading great reviews on Binocular sites about them I was not dissapionted by their performance absolutely crystal clear views, pin sharp focus, vivid colurs really crisp almost 3D like, and SO BRIGHT.. all this with solid build quality. The binoculars are waterproof/fogproof they are phase corrected, have an emerald coating, a V-max silver coating, and an anti reflection coating, the prisms and optics use ED glass for extra low light dispersion.. all the features usually only seen in top class £600-£1000+ binoculars these Vanguard Spirit ED 10x42 binoculars are superb and can compete with Leica, Swarovski,Zeiss for a quarter of their prices.

19.8.2013

When you open the sturdy box and take the binos out, the first thing that strikes you is the amazing feel of quality.These are an amazing piece of well designed engineering.The feel of the product is just right, well balanced, nice ergonomics to fit the hands and the expandable eyepieces for non-spectacle wearers is just right, a first in binos for me. I used to wear glasses, so I retracted the eyepieces and tried a pair on and I could still use them with specs! That's a first.I tried them put on a handy Police helicopter hovering around the town, very easy to locate the moving chopper and the image was bright and super sharp. It was very easy to track the chopper as it moved,

16.10.2012

Having never really bothered writing reviews (to lazy) I was compelled to write one for these binoculars. I spent a long time visiting web sites reading reviews (as I usually do before a considered purchase). Almost all reviews rated these binoculars very highly; I have rarely found reviews from different unconnected sites agreeing on the same product.I have to agree with all the reviews I have read and was not disappointed. You hardly notice you are using the binoculars as the light and image are so perfect. The construction and quality feel is very reassuring. It has a rubber like coating that feels good to hold and 'gives'

15.5.2014

I absolutely regret not biting the bullet at an earlier time as these are so easy and accurate to use. I have only used them for three days but what a difference in viewing. They are going to be used in very demanding circumstances so I will update at some point, but already I can see that they are built to withstand the daily handling that outdoor activities demand. My only gripe is the carry case does not have enough thought, ie, no internal small pouch for the cleaning cloth and another zip pulley so it can be closed from both sides thus leaving the straps sticking out at the most central point, but this is superficial and we shall stitch the pocket in ourselves and the zip, if it goes,

6.2.2014

I have used these binoculars for at least 6 months now (primarily for bird watching) and have so far been very impressed. They have responded well in all weather conditions. They are also quite light weight in comparison to a friends pair of Opticron binoculars that retail at a higher price than these. There is also very little difference between the optics and my friend was surprised when I told him how much I paid for them. At this price point you cannot be disappointed with the performance!The fact that the lens covers stay on the binoculars is also very handy because you cannot lose them. It also means that you can just pop them on and off very easily without having to fumble in pockets.The focus wheel is very easy to use and feels of good quality.

24.9.2014

I recently bought through Amazon a pair of Vanguard Spirit 10x42 binoculars to replace a pair I have owned for some year. I thoroughly researched what was available in the market place and would have liked a pair of Swarovski 10x42 but for the use they would get I could not justify the price notwithstanding that they are well worth it. I then came across an excellent site www.bestbinocularsreviews.com which together with other reviews and after much study narrowed my search down to two products both by Vanguard being the Spirit and Endeavor series which for their price came close to the Swarovski specifications.

11.8.2014

I received these as a present and don't profess to be knowledgeable about binoculars. I own both pocket and regular binoculars but these Vanguard ones are a world apart from what I've used previously. I wanted something significant to use as a test and today visited Cumbria Wildlife Trust's reserve at Foulshaw Moss to view the Ospreys nesting there. The nest is a long way from the nearest viewing point but we were able to observe both the fledglings in the nest and the birds in flight. These binoculars were a joy to use, significantly easier to focus, with much clearer and brighter image. Even to my untrained eye I was impressed on the clarity of the birds'

23.9.2013

These binoculars are beautifully made and look like military grade quality. With the attached lens cap protectors and the durable metal and rubberised finished they won't look too shabby after a few years of use.They come in a hard-wearing black nylon shoulder case which, although not cheap looking, belies the high-end nature of these binoculars. Probably a good thing because you don't want to draw too much attention to valuables.I remember that my father's binoculars used to be treated like a holy relic and, as a small boy, my use of them would have to be carefully monitored. I've got no such worries about these Vanguard binoculars because they are so rugged. As a family with two children aged 10 and 14,

5.4.2013

I had been looking for a good pair of "all-round" binoculars for nature watching/star-gazing for some time. When I saw the reviews for these on Amazon I also checked out a binocular review website, and they got top marks there too. It was slightly more than I had planned to pay, but I took the plunge and bought them anyway.I am very pleased I did. They are reasonably lightweight, robust, and just small enough to carry round on a hike (any larger and heavier and you might think twice more often than not about taking them). The case and strap is good, but I would expect something decent at this price. Best of all, though, is the image. It allows for plenty of light.

23.5.2014

At £186 plus a £40 off voucher from Vanguard this has to be the binocular deal of the decade! These binos are super, clarity is brilliant, crystal clear with great colour rendition. I actually own an old pair of Leica and a new pair of Hawke but these are far better. OK they probably don't quite match top end BIG 3 but for £146 or so what can you expect. Well what you can expect is a compact pair of top quality binos that to 99% of users will not differ one iota from the top 3 - and only the experts (whoever they may be) will notice any difference. I have been a keen birdwatcher for over 40 years and these are the best pair I have ever owned ( I bought my Leicas in my unmarried youth)

17.8.2013

Received this morning. Who could resist trying them out instantly? It also seemed a perfect day to test out how weatherproof they are considering that, because it's August and we're in the UK, it is naturally tipping down with rain outside.Minor criticism: didn't find them as lightweight as the box suggests. My first reaction on eagerly lifting them out of the box was 'geez, these are heavy'. They do however look durable enough (although I'm definitely not planning on chucking them to the ground anytime soon to test that theory).If you want high-quality binocs these are for you; the engineering is simply beautiful for the price you pay. Don't go for cheap, it's just not worth it.

Vanguard Spirit ED 8x42 - Reviews

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