Compact Binocular Review
by Brian HughesBefore we get to reviewing the latest and greatest, or biggest and best, from the Bushnell Co., I would like to reach back ten years or so, and tell you about one of the best purchases I ever made!
Many, many years ago I made a deer hunt in a controlled Wildlife Management Area in Texas. This was in the east Texas piney woods region, and was a three- day hunt. With thick cover and no time to scout a stand location, I decided the best approach would be a quiet stalk through the woods. For this I would need binoculars small enough to carry all day, but strong enough to sift through the tangled forest and discern tree limbs from deer antlers. What I found was amazing!
The Bushnell Ensign 10x25 pocket binoculars I bought that day have been with me ever since. I have toted them all over Texas on deer hunts, duck hunts dove hunts and more. They are always within reach, riding in the truck most of the time, going into a shirt pocket or hip pocket when I get out. Obviously they are compact, but they are also rubber-armored, and as far as I can tell from my experiences, totally waterproof as well.
I must admit to slightly abusing these “glasses” as well. Although I really DO take good care of my equipment, these have taken some severe licks, including being dropped from the truck and run over! I know part of the blame lies in the fact that the Ensign retailed at twenty bucks, believe it or not! With so many companies charging platinum rates for binoculars today, the quality you get here is unbelievable. My rifle scope is a Zeiss, certainly a respected (and expensive!) brand, but I always check a trophy with my Ensigns, when time allows.
Now I don’t want to imply that these are the ONLY binoculars you will ever need, quite the contrary, these fit a specific purpose. But these will be the only compact, rubber-armored, camo binoculars you will need!
Now that I look at the pictures again these binoculars may be closer to twenty years old than ten!That works out to about a buck a year, really impressive!
For more information on this and other Bushnell products check the link here at TFOS On-LineMagazine.Bushnell Performance Optics - 9200 Cody - Overland Park, Kansas 66214 - (913)752-3400 - www.bushnell.com