Leupold Gold Ring HD??

[GrizlyHunter]

I'm looking a pair of these, in 10x42, and was wondering if anybody had personal experience with them? I just got the new Outdoor Life issue with an optics comparison and for some reason they like to overlook the Leupold binocs but they like to consider a lot of cheaper brands??? Maybe Leupold doesn't advertise enough in OL...

Anyway, any info would be appreciated.

TX

GH

 

[Gator]

Gold ring are pretty decent, They are in the middle.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[huntindad4]

I have a friend that has a pair for his wife and they are pretty clear but are pretty heavy too which is something I kind of like but these are a bit much.

Bill

 

[Fortis]

I've got a pair and I posted my take on them on another site. Here's what I found in head to head comparisons:

Had a beautiful 65 degree day yesterday and I had little to do, so I decided to compare these great binos. All are mine, except for the SLC which I borrowed from the neighbor. I used my manfrotto tripod for steadiness, along with a resolution chart. My main goal was to justify or debunk the things we've been discussing lately. I have no bias whatsoever I assure you.

Build/Fit/Finish- I still believe the Trinovid to be the industry standard for toughness and this didn't change my mind. They, along with the SLC are rock solid and reliable. The GR HD also appear to have excellent build quality, they are heavier than today's norm (I like that), and the provided objective covers and lens covers fit extremely well, and is the best I've personally seen. I've had no issues with the Zen is this area except for the cheesy obj covers that want to fall off. Obviously this is easily fixed. Now on the subject of focus wheels, the GR is silky smooth, and the Trinovid and SLC are very close. The Zen isn't quite as smooth as the other three but it doesn't prohibit the use at all. As a matter of fact it's really a non issue. In this category I'd probably have to rank them like this........Trinovid, GR/SLC tie, Zen ED2.

Where the rubber meets the road (for me anyways):
Optics-I could not tell any difference between the SLC and the Trinovid here, so I'll lump the two together. They have excellent resolution and clarity. Colors appeared normal/accurate to me at all distances. The Zen is optically amazing. It is crystal clear, bright, slightly better resolution than the SLC/Trinovid, and colors seemed accurate to me. The real surprise/sleeper was the GR HD. While not quite as bright (very slightly) as the Zen, the colors really popped into focus. I'd say it had the most impressive view overall of all of them. I'd say the Zen had ever so slightly better resolution than the GR. Rank on pure optics......Zen, GR (very close), SLC/Trinovid. We all know that the Trinovid use technology over 20 years old. Considering this it is still amazing glass, and you would absolutely not ever be handicapped by using it against anything. All 4 got me well past dusk/legal shooting time.

 

[GrizlyHunter]

Fortis,

Thank you for the very detailed response. They sound like a great optic at a very good price, but a little on the heavy side. The weight is okay for my.

Anybody else?

GH

 

[rotorhead]

Grizlyhunter, give me a few days and I will let you know! I could not decide between the cabelas euro's and the leupold gold ring hd's, so with the great deals cabelas has going on I bought them both. I figured I would compare them both side by side and keep the one I like the best and send the other pair back! FYI on cabelas website it says the cabelas euro's are $799. When I placed the order over the phone the lady told me they were on sale for $699. I will follow up shortly with a comparison!

 

[Fortis]

I looked at those Meopta's myself. Great glass, but the thin eyecups were a real PITA for me.

 

[AzIdUtelknut]

I recently purchased the GR HD and have loved them on three outings so far. I found that the clarity between the Euro and the GR not to be close. I really felt that the GR was much, much better, especially in low light situations. The weight was helpful on a windy in the ID desert, but I think I will be less appreciative during archery hunts in the high country. The best comparison for the GR is probably the SLC. Optically the two are very, very close but I think the GR may be easier to bring into focus. The biggest advantages of the Swaro (imo) are the weight, tripod adapter, and ability to add a doubler. However the huge disparity in price (I paid $599 for the GR) outweighed those advantages. So if you are looking for a glass in the 600-700 range I think it would be very difficult to do better than the Leupold.

 

[rotorhead]

After having the GR HD for about a week now, and spending as much time behind them as I possibly could this is what I found.
When I first opened the box when they arrived in the mail, I looked at these pure boring brown binoculars and my first impression was, these things are going back now! (This was the first I had actually seen the GR in person.) The brown has since grown on me. I took the binoculars outside and looked at the hillside behind my house. This is when I decided I better rethink sending them back. The colors really do pop out. They are very crisp, and clear, edge to edge. The GR HD were great in low light, they were bright and will take you well past legal shooting light. The focus wheel is smooth and very fast. It has taken a bit to get used to how fast the focus wheel is. (You will go from one side, right through focus, on to the other side before you expect it.) The eye cups have three stops, full in, one partial click out, and full out. The eye cups to me seem to be one of the only minor down fall of this great binocular. To me the eye cups are a little large, and when looking through the binoculars they rest on the bridge of my nose, causing pain to the bridge of my nose. The eye cups also hit up by my eyebrows, causing pain their also. The Interpupillary lock (or however you spell it) is pretty handy. This is the first binocular I have tried with this feature and it works pretty good. The thumb indents are alright, I think Leupold could have done a little better job with this also. (I prefer the deeper thumb indents like Swarovski, and the Cabela's euro uses.) The lense covers and objective covers are pretty nice. They actually stay on! Overall the GR HD binoculars are very very nice. You would not be disappointed if you decided to go with the Leupold GR HD'S. Also you can't beat the warranty Leupold offers. I have owned a pair of Swarovski SLC's and I would honestly put these very very close to those. IMO the Swarovski SLC has a very slight edge.
On a side note, the Cabela's Euro's are very nice also. IMO the Euro's and the GR HD'S are neck and neck. To me the Euro's Were very very slightly brighter, but the GR HD'S were very very slightly crisper. The GR HD's had very very slightly better colors than the Euro's. To my eyes you really had to look hard to notice the differences in the two. Look into them both you will not be disappointed.

 

[Gator]

so now find out what store Bargin Cave they will show up in and get them for less. So Rotor where are you sending the return Bino too. LOL


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[rotorhead]

Well gator, the GR HD's should be getting back to Cabela's shortly. They were nice, I personaly thought the Euro's were better. The Euro's honestly reminded me so much and were optically really close to the Swarovski SLC's I had to just recently sell, so I went with them. FYI that's why you don't do the buy and ask for forgiveness rather than permission. My marriage is more important than a pair of Swarovski's!!!

 

[GrizlyHunter]

Well...I finally took the plunge and bought a pair of the Leupold Gold Ring 10x42 HD's. My thoughts are now:

A) It takes a little while getting used to the brown color.
B) They are definately on the heavy side.
C) They are very, very bright and crisp. I have yet to have a friend look through who doesn't go "WOW".
D) For the price I think it would be extremely difficult to match the quality and the warranty.

I'm happy I purchased them. Now I just hope they help me fill my CO GMU #21 Mule Deer tage.

GrizlyHunter

 

[rotorhead]

Grizly, I actually sent the Cabela's Euro's back after about 3 months. The seam on the rubber armouring split on them. With the warranty on the Euro's now only being a year, I figured with those problems after 3 months, I was going to buying something with a no fault lifetime warranty. I baby everything I own so the split on the seam was not from missuse. After having the Euro's for 3 months and using them out scouting, and now having the Leupold GR HD's, I would pick the Leupold any day. Warranty put aside, to me the Leupolds just simply are that nice.

After scouting with the Cabela's Euro's for a few weeks I noticed a slight bit of blurryness in the glass.

Now that I have hunted with the Leupolds I don't have a problem with the weight issue of the Gold rings. The bino system takes care of that issue for me.


Overall Especially for $599 With the rebate, I don't think you can beat the Leupold Gold Ring HD Binoculars.

 

[Foreman4x4]

Where did you see that the Euro's are only guaranteed for 1-year?

 

[rotorhead]

When I called Cabela's customer service to see about getting the binoculars fixed or getting another pair, the gal at customer service asked how long I had the binoculars. When I told her 3 months she said fine, but anything after a year you would be on your own. I questioned her on it and she told me that's what it was, so I said the heck with that send me a different brand!

 

[Fortis]

I continue to be impressed with my GR HD's also. We just returned from guiding antelope hunters in NM. As usual, 3 of the hunters had SLC's and the other had a pair of Bruntons (actually those were pretty good). The GR HD's held their own and then some. Everyone commented on how great the glass was. Both the Swaro and GR could go well past legal shooting light. If anything the GR was ever so slightly sharper. I also have an SLCneu and have found the same things when comparing the two. I cannot think of a better combo of optical quality, build quality, and price, as the $599 is an absolute steal.

 

[AzIdUtelknut]

Have any of you found a tripod adapter that works well with the GR HD's? This is my one complaint. I really word rather have the tripod threads than the interpupilary lock.

 

[GrizlyHunter]

I haven't looked yet, but...I agree with you that a threaded nut on the bottom to receive a tripod would be a great upgrade.

I still like my gold rings though. I take them to my boys' two football games every week and I can see which direction the players are looking from the stands.

Can't wait to use them in CO-2nd season in a month.

GrizlyHunter