woodworker414 wrote:
JimK-NY, thanks for the reply. Have to decide just how much we will use them and for what purpose.
For casual birding almost anything will do as long as they're not too heavy and bulky or too high a magnification. As the quality of the glass goes up so does the build, and therefore the reliability. I recently purchased some Vortex for a gift because Vortex stands behind their product in case there was ever an issue. It sounds like you have an inexpensive set now and a decent upgrade would put you in the $5-600 range.
Extremely expensive glass is for those addicted to birding and trophy hunters that need to maximize their precious opportunities.