Customer Reviews

Nikon 8217 Trailblazer 8X25 Hunting Binoculars

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On the copy I received, the hinges for the left barrel were so loose it could barely hold its postion; the hinges for the right barrel were stiffer and how they should be, but forming the binoculars to fit my eyes only moved the loose, left barrel. Pretty bad.

Worse though was the fact that, if you wear eyeglasses (as I do) you will only be able to see a small portion of the image with these. The eye relief is just too small. Unfortunately I believed Nikon's verbiage on another site that read: "Turn and slide rubber eyecups, complemented by 10mm eye relief, allow these binoculars to be used as comfortably by eyeglass wearers as those with uncorrected vision."

Big fat lie.

So, I visited a store to try other binocs in person and found that for a little more money and a little more weight, the Nikon ProStaff 8x25 (which you can get for $90) are A) well-constructed, B) perfect for use with my eyeglasses, and C) have a sharper image. They're also compact and waterproof. Worth the extra dough, believe me.

I am a Nikon fan and have many products of Nikon. I just love these little waterproof binocluars. I think for ther size, the waterproof and adjustable eye cups they are great. They do have a dial for focusing as well and they even come with a case and are the size of point and shoot cameras. I wouldn't say pocket size but close and they are well made and heavy so a coat pocket in the winter yes otherwise they will fit into a backpack, purse very easily and come with covers for the lenses too. All in all for a small set and certainly not the highest magnification they do what they are intended to do. For me it is just hiking and using them when on the water or near the river and from high above in my city apt looking out over the river and skyline of NYC.

I"ve got 50 year's experience with good binoculars and wanted a knock-around, inexpensive pair that was waterproof, fit in my pocket like these clamshells, and had good optics (obviously). I've generally used Nikon and Bushnells, so I started with those. While these Nikons are light, waterproof, and well designed, the optics are not good, I tried three pair (including the 10x25s) over a total of two months and all three were out of alignment. They gave me headaches. I finally decided on Vortex Typhoons - which are a GREAT binocular for the money. I was amazed at the quality of the Vortex over the Nikons and Bushnells.

These are really compact, smaller than the 8 x25 Sportstars and feel great in the hands. The wide angle makes a big difference when birding as does their being waterproof and fog proof. They are as good, I feel better, than the travelite 5s although a tad heavier. Well constructed, good optics and in their price range amongst the top. Give them serious consideration or buy up at least +150$

The binoculars were better than I expected with the only exception that there was no way to secure the lens caps. The seller responded in a time fashion to my order.

8x25 Trailblazer ATB Binocular is great set of binoculars. I bought them as a gift for my wife. She enjoys their light weight and appreciates their feeling of quality construction. Her interest is watching birds and she appreciates their great performance.

I've been using these binoculars for several months now and am very happy with them. They are what I grab on the way out the door for a short hike or casual birdwatching. I like that they are light and small, not too heavy around my neck. The waterproofing is a definite plus, as I've used them in everything from heavy rain to a light snowfall. The optics are pretty good for this price range (under $100), though I would bring a more powerful pair for serious all-day birdwatching or hawkwatching.

I received these binoculars as a Christmas gift. They are light, compact & water resistant. I had never before seen binoculars with "turn-and-slide eyecups" - I like them a lot.

The instruction manual is very user un-friendly. It is written in 6 languages. Instead of separating the manual into separate sections for each language, the precautions, including maintenance & storage, are written in small segments in 3 languages on each page. This is followed by the operation sections, which is separated by language. I guess Nikon must think it's confusing, too, as there is a table of contents in the front of the manual in each of the 6 languages Fortunately, an instruction manual isn't needed much for binculars.