Customer Reviews

Bushnell Legacy WP 8 x 42 Binocular

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After doing the research, these were the binoculars I landed on. I had no specific aspirations for them. All I know is I always wanted a pair. I read everything I could on binoculars, and for the price, the design, material and construction of these make them a no-brainer. As a bonus, Bushnell is apparently a trusted name in binoculars.

I have a pair of Bushnell 7X26 Custom Compact binoculars that I bought in 1980. The gold standard of compact binos. I also have a pair of Bushnell Explorer 7X50's bought at the same time that I still use for stargazing. Both binos remain perfectly collimated to this day. They have both seen many wondrous things during the past 31 years. But I am not nearly so loyal to Bushnell as I am loyal to quality and value wherever I find it. I have a pair of Swift Audubon 8.5X44 birding binoculars that I love. Of my dozen or so binos these three have been for the most part my go-to porro prism binos. I also have a pair of roof prism binos that I am partial to. Each represents money well spent. Very well spent.

I believe I have found another excellent value in the Bushnell Legacy WP 8X42 binos. At about $65 I could not find anything that compares favorably to them. They are superior in just about every way to their most obvious competition the Nikon Action Extreme ATB binos. This though the Nikons cost nearly twice as much here at Amazon. With that said, I am not here to put down the Nikons. They are very good. It is just that after taking a close look at both binos I came to the conclusion that this Bushnell model is better engineered than the Nikon. Much better in my opinion.

Optically, the Bushnell's are better. Frankly I was a bit surprised. I figured they would be about the same. And they are in most respects save one, the Bushnell's have much less glare. For me the Nikon's were tiring. Far more so than the Bushnell's. After closer inspection of the specifications for both binoculars I saw where though the Bushnell's lenses are "fully" multi-coated the Nikon's are simply multi-coated. At least between these two binos I can easily see the difference "fully" multi-coated can make.

Then there were the little things:

The Bushnell's felt better balanced to me. Stand them upright on their objective lens and they sit like a rock. The Nikons "want" to fall over. This though the Nikon's weigh 107 grams more than the Bushnell's. The Bushnell's are solid and well balanced without being overly heavy. Very well made.

The lens barrels of the Bushnell's lay against my chest with four pressure points as opposed to the Nikon's two. The Bushnell's are easier on me and they don't move around as much.

The Bushnell eye-cups lock-in better. Set 'em and forget 'em. With that said, the Nikon's do have more detent settings but what is the point if they won't stay put?

I barely had to adjust the diopter setting on the Bushnell's but had to go almost as far as I could with the Nikon's. This could be just a poorly constructed pair of Nikons, but I thought I should mention it. I have 20/25 vision. My 20/10 days are behind me. If I had even just a little bit more astigmatism I don't believe the Nikons would have been usable by me without glasses on.

The lens caps on the Bushnell's have a more supple feel and go on and stay on better than the Nikon's. The Bushnell's lens caps feel more like quality rubber while the Nikon's feel more like cheap plastic.

If you have narrow set eyes forget about the Nikon's. The Bushnell's are fully adjustable for both wide and narrow faces.

Bottom Line:

After a fairly close look at both binos I found the Nikon's not to be in the same league as the Bushnell's. In my opinion the Bushnell's are a very good buy at anything less than $150. At $65 they are almost a steal. Thank you Bushnell.

PS: Both bino's straps are nearly useless. I replaced mine with the Bushnell Deluxe Binocular Harness for $15.

Good binoculars! I can focus on close objects, about 10, 12 feet, as well as on distant objects. An incredible deal, about 4/5 off the counter price at a local store. Very clear view.

Recievd my shippment as scheduled. I am very satisfied with the Bushnell Legacy WP 8 x 42 Binoculars. Will be used for football games go KSU!