Vortex Viper HD 10x42 or Maven C1

[Newtosavage]

Summary- Tons of people love the C1s. One person doesn't because of field of view. One person shared serious depth of field issues that bug them. I read so much about the C1s and was blown away at the overall very positive receiption.

"one person" LOL

Hey, I loved them at first too.

I see there's a Vortex-like cult following for the Mavens from guys in the Northwest. Okay, that's fine. They are really good binoculars. I'm glad you fellas like them. Some guys love their Vortex bins. I'm glad we have options.

I just sold a pair of Swaro SLC's because I like my Zeiss Conquests better. What the hell do I know anyway?

 

[idahohikker]

Not surprising that someone prefers $1000-2000 binos to $350. The outstanding reviews for the C1 speak for themselves.

 

[Newtosavage]

Not surprising that someone prefers $1000-2000 binos to $350. The outstanding reviews for the C1 speak for themselves.

I guess that's fair. I will say the C1's had as good center image quality as anything I've looked through. The FOV bothered me, but for a $350 optic I could live with that. What made me return them was actually the eyecups. They wouldn't stay extended through what I considered normal use. I contacted Maven and they told me they were designed to be that smooth (and they were) and there was nothing they could do to make them harder to move, so I returned them. Too many times I brought them to my face and one of the eyecups was not fully extended. I have $150 binocs that have better eyecups. Not smoother mind you, but they stay where I leave them.

Minor thing for most folks I suppose but when there are so many choices of good optics these days, why not get everything you want?

 

[ChrisAU]

How much extra room would you say?

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The Diamondback 12x50’s are pretty much exactly the dimensions of the CUB when folded all the way. So you can look up their dimensions and then the dimensions of the bino’s you want to use and go from there. It’s not too much, like 1/2” on one side or so and about an inch vertically with the 10x42’s in it.

- - - Updated - - -

So heres something weird. Got my Maven C1’s today, and around the house outside at dark, reading a newspaper across a room, some light testing I know, but I couldn’t make them beat my (crappy by Rokslide measure) Diamondback 10x42s. I’ll really put them to the test tomorrow and sit on a powerline and whitetail hunt until legal shooting light is gone and compare them then.

 

[Newtosavage]

Diamondback 10x42's punch WAY above their price. They are immensely popular around here. Academy can barely keep them in stock. However with some close inspection, you'll find those C1's give you a lot more detail. But it might take a tripod and a finely detailed subject at distance to see it.

 

[matthewmt]

The Diamondback 12x50’s are pretty much exactly the dimensions of the CUB when folded all the way. So you can look up their dimensions and then the dimensions of the bino’s you want to use and go from there. It’s not too much, like 1/2” on one side or so and about an inch vertically with the 10x42’s in it.

- - - Updated - - -

So heres something weird. Got my Maven C1’s today, and around the house outside at dark, reading a newspaper across a room, some light testing I know, but I couldn’t make them beat my (crappy by Rokslide measure) Diamondback 10x42s. I’ll really put them to the test tomorrow and sit on a powerline and whitetail hunt until legal shooting light is gone and compare them then.

Interested in hearing what you find in the field.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[sndmn11]

- - - Updated - - -

So heres something weird. Got my Maven C1’s today, and around the house outside at dark, reading a newspaper across a room, some light testing I know, but I couldn’t make them beat my (crappy by Rokslide measure) Diamondback 10x42s. I’ll really put them to the test tomorrow and sit on a powerline and whitetail hunt until legal shooting light is gone and compare them then.

I was in this boat as well. The C1s I had for a few weeks had me scratching my head. I love the Maven B series, and think both versions are fantastic. The Leupold BX4s are well above the two binoculars mentioned in this title.

 

[ChrisAU]

Well, I stayed in the stand for 30 mins after legal light, an hour past sunset. The far treeline is right at 445 yards from the stand. The Mavens are going back. Even at the last minute before I left I could only tell just an itty bitty difference in brightness and clarity. Just a tiny bit. Everyone’s eyes are different, but for now I can’t justify ~$200 (after selling my DB’s) and 3 oz of weight for what amounts to no useable difference. I really wanted to like them!

 

[Nuch21]

This is confusing lol. There are a lot of reviews of people who love the Mavens and alot of people who return them for reasons like you along with the eye cups etc . . not sure how to decipher all the info.

 

[ChrisAU]

Just gotta try them out, everyone has different vision. Thankfully with Amazon Prime it only costs me $8 to return them after trying them out.

 

[idahohikker]

If your budget is under $500 and you're not really picky, you'll love them like almost everyone. They're a clear winner in that category. If you have more money to spend, go with the better binos--Maven B series, Nikon Monarch, Leica, Meopta Meostar. I think it's relatively simple.

 

[matthewmt]

Just gotta try them out, everyone has different vision. Thankfully with Amazon Prime it only costs me $8 to return them after trying them out.

Bummer.

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

 

[wannakillabigbull]

This is confusing lol. There are a lot of reviews of people who love the Mavens and alot of people who return them for reasons like you along with the eye cups etc . . not sure how to decipher all the info.

They're a $350 pair of binoculars so they make a lot of compromises in order to get a nice clear image. Those compromises bother some people more than others. If you're very particular, like myself or some others on this thread, you might decide to go a different direction. If you're not very picky like idahohikker then you'll absolutely love them and think the bang for buck is impossible to beat. Neither opinion is invalid.

 

[jspradley]

I have a pair of Viper 10x42s... they are decent optically, build quality is subpar in my experience. You'll probably need the warranty at some point...

 

[idahohikker]

This thread is more critical than my others on the site about the C1s. Part of it is not sticking to the question of best buy in the price range. Read reviews on Amazon and see all the glowing reports by people who have expectations in line with the price. Sweet options around $1000 or so which is good for a lot of guys.

 

[ChrisAU]

I'd like to point out that the 10x42 Diamondbacks I compared the C1's to for 2 hours yesterday were also substantially better than a pair of 12x50 Diamondbacks I had. Maybe I just got a good pair? I really was excited for something noticeably better, and they just weren't, which is especially disappointing considering I didn't have Vipers or Razors that I was using for comparison.

Maybe my vision is only as good as the DB's?

 

[Newtosavage]

This thread is more critical than my others on the site about the C1s. Part of it is not sticking to the question of best buy in the price range. Read reviews on Amazon and see all the glowing reports by people who have expectations in line with the price. Sweet options around $1000 or so which is good for a lot of guys.

"Best" buy is subjective. There are so many competitors in the under-$500 category these days that it is absurd to claim one is "best." One is only "best" (if even then) for one person. That's it. And that's only if that one person hasn't tried everything that is available, which is pretty much impossible. So the "best" a person can hope for is to feel they got at least what they paid for, if not more. With 40+ years experience of using binoculars to hunt and bird watch, I can tell you that I feel there are literally dozens of binoculars in the market under $500 that give a person more than they pay for. At least, that's my feeling based on what I've used in the past. Binoculars today are SO MUCH BETTER than they were just 20 years ago, it's amazing. There are $200 binoculars today that literally blow away "alphas" of the 1980's. So perhaps my frame of reference is skewed.

Things are changing so fast today too, that it's really impossible to declare a "winner" in any binocular category, no matter how badly someone wants to, or how much someone wants to defend their choices. I frankly don't see the point in that anyway other than being reassured about one's own decision.

The Maven C1's are great at several things - well above their price point - and weak at several things - well below their price point.

Every optic is a compromise. None are "best" or "the winner" except in one person's mind.

 

[wannakillabigbull]

Maybe my vision is only as good as the DB's?

I compared DBs to C1s and got a totally different result. The C1s were much better than the DBs in dang near every category, and not by a small margin. I wish I knew why because I hate saying that on a forum when someone else came to a different conclusion.

The Maven C1's are great at several things - well above their price point - and weak at several things - well below their price point.

This is exactly what I've done my best to point out in my posts about the C1s on Rokslide and elsewhere.

I don't see the point in declaring anything "the best" in a subjective category unless you're saying it's best for you.

 

[ChrisAU]

I compared DBs to C1s and got a totally different result. The C1s were much better than the DBs in dang near every category, and not by a small margin. I wish I knew why because I hate saying that on a forum when someone else came to a different conclusion.



This is exactly what I've done my best to point out in my posts about the C1s on Rokslide and elsewhere.

I don't see the point in declaring anything "the best" in a subjective category unless you're saying it's best for you.

I think there is a lot of variation among DB's. Like I said, the 12x50's I had sucked, and I mean I had them with me yesterday while comparing the two pairs of 10x42's. My vision is only correctable to 25/20 in my right eye, but I am 15/20 in my left eye. I do wear contacts in both eyes to get to those levels.

I guess since its another optic that was in the same test environment I should mention it, my 3-15x42 Razor HD LH scope blew all of them out of the water. At 10x I could see much more detail through it at 450 yards than I could with either bino.

 

[Newtosavage]

I think there is a lot of variation among any of the Chinese-made optics, which is why I tend to avoid them like the plague.