Maven b.1 vs b.3 replacing Vortex Diamondback

[VenaticOppidan]

I have had a pair of Vortex Diamondback 8x42 Bino's since 2016 that have served me well, but lately I am over them, the eyepieces don't adjust right and overall they feel cheap and there is a lot of distortion on the perimeter of the glass when looking through.

I am trying to decide between the Maven B.1 10x44 vs. B.3 8x30. I generally use the binos for eastern hunting. Mainly deer, turkey, and ducks, as well as 1-2 trips out west every year. There has been several times were I wanted more powerful binos, but 8x as seemed to be a good general magnification, plus I have a 20-60x80 new model Viper spotting scope I use out west.

My question is this. I know that the higher quality you get in glass, the more light that will be transmitted, so if I went from an 8x42 Diamondback to a 8x30 Maven B.3, would I notice a significant difference? Would I really regret not going with the B.1 10x44?

The B3 is much lighter. 8x has served me well out west as well. This past year I spotted my buck at 1.25 miles in sage with 8x Diamondbacks, then cross referenced w my spotter. Open to any input. Have never handled the Mavens but have read nothing but good things.

 

[Firehawk]

The Maven B1 10x or 8x42 is a terrific, well built, full size binocular. The B3 is a terrific compact style binocular. Similar glass from what I understand, although I have not looked through the B3.

I have the 9x45 B2 and absolutely love it. Bright, good FOV, sharp images, decent depth of field. Overall I am extremely pleased with it. Initially I wondered if I would dislike the size difference of the B2 vs B1 as the AK prisms in the B2 make it "bulkier". That said, I haven't ever thought "this is too big, bulky" whatever while hunting. They are easy to hold and overall a terrific optic.

I live out West. I use my binocular often on a tripod to look through the basins I frequent for mule deer especially. I also carry either a 15x bino (new this year for me) or a 65mm spotter. I much prefer the viewing experience through a binocular, so I am more apt to leave the spotter at home, and choose a bino that performs well on a tripod. If I were choosing between the two optics you mention, I would likely choose the B1 10x.

That said, if your hunting style is more still hunting through cover, ambush points etc., that 8x30 B3 would be an excellent choice, smaller and a little lighter. I know that Steve C has absolutely loves his B3 and it is on my short list of optic choices.

Both of those optics will be a HUGE improvement over your Diamondback. The Diamondback plays well in its price range, but the two Mavens you are considering will outclass them in a hurry.

Best of luck!

 

[307]

If you're only going to have one bino, get the b1 in 8x42 or b2 in 9x45.

I love my 8x30 but they're more limited compared to my 9x45.

I really liked the b1 8x42s I used to have, they're the one optic I regret selling.

 

[CApighunter]

I went from diamondbacks in 8x and 10x to the B2 in 9x. Best decision I’ve ever made.

 

[swanny]

You wont regret any of the upgrades. I went from Diamondback 10x42 to the B1 10x42 this year, night and day difference. Clarity, low light, are all huge upgrades!

 

[JRMiller]

Even the C1s will be a huge upgrade over the diamondbacks.
If your leaning towards only one pair i’d get the 10x44 or better yet the 9x45

 

[VenaticOppidan]

Thanks for the insght Mavenites! Gives me a lot to think about, but makes me feel good that I am going in that direction.

It feels like from the comments the B1 in 8x or 10x is gonna be my best choice for an all round mid size general purpose bino for my Eastern uses as well as western exploits.

Im leaning towards the 10x right now....

 

[Firehawk]

Thanks for the insght Mavenites! Gives me a lot to think about, but makes me feel good that I am going in that direction.

It feels like from the comments the B1 in 8x or 10x is gonna be my best choice for an all round mid size general purpose bino for my Eastern uses as well as western exploits.

Im leaning towards the 10x right now....

If you can hold a 10x steady by hand, then you are absolutely right. I struggled with that a lot, so I went down the 8x route and didn't feel terribly restricted by not having more power. With the Mavens, I liked the B2 better than the B1 so my choices at the time were 9x and 11x. I went 9x and coudn't be happier. My buddies all went 11x and they love them. I can't hold them (11x) steady enough with my hands. On a tripod, they are terrific. So...make sure you can handhold your primary bino steady enough to get a good stable picture. Both an 8x or 10x will work on a tripod. Hope that this helps.

 

[VenaticOppidan]

If you can hold a 10x steady by hand, then you are absolutely right. I struggled with that a lot, so I went down the 8x route and didn't feel terribly restricted by not having more power. With the Mavens, I liked the B2 better than the B1 so my choices at the time were 9x and 11x. I went 9x and coudn't be happier. My buddies all went 11x and they love them. I can't hold them (11x) steady enough with my hands. On a tripod, they are terrific. So...make sure you can handhold your primary bino steady enough to get a good stable picture. Both an 8x or 10x will work on a tripod. Hope that this helps.

That does help a lot, i appreciate the advice. I may pick up a demo pair and see what i like better. 8x or 10x

 

[mtwarden]

I agree if you are only going to have one pair, 8/10x42 is going to give you very good bang for your buck.

That said, the little 8x30's are money! Mine serve two purposes, I use them when I'm hunting a lot of thick, dark timber AND my wife can use them if we go birding, go to Yellowstone, etc. So get married and you can have two pairs of binoculars

 

[nobody]

Anything I would say has already been mentioned. Toilet paper tubes taped together are an upgrade over the diamondbacks even, so going to even the C1 will be a GIANT upgrade!

The B2's are going to let more light through and be just a hair brighter because of the Abbe Koenig prism system versus the B3's traditional Schmidt Pechan prism. Having said that, it's not like the B3's are going to suck. The biggest downfall, in my opinion, is the small objective lens of the B3. 30mm will really limit your glassing time, depending on how you use your binoculars. I would look at the b1 in an 8x42 if you're stuck on 8x, because you'll get a bit smaller package and more light let through to your eye because of the 42mm objective.

If you really want a sweet spot, I would buy some B2 9x45's! Not too much to use back east, but will work phenomenally if you do ever make it out west. Sounds like you've got the money, why not just buy once cry once?

 

[Steve C]

The B 3 is essentially a smaller version scale model of the B 1. The B 3 really surprised me with how well it handles low light. Zero issues in typical hunting legal light conditions. The B2 9x45 and the B3 8x30 as a combo will do anything I need done. If I feel the need for something smaller than the B2, then I loose nothing with the B1.

One thing to consider is that for whatever reason, more people seem to he issues with eye relief or lack of eye cup extension with any 30-32 mm glass than with the 42-43 class binoculars.

 

[VenaticOppidan]

Anything I would say has already been mentioned. Toilet paper tubes taped together are an upgrade over the diamondbacks even, so going to even the C1 will be a GIANT upgrade!

The B2's are going to let more light through and be just a hair brighter because of the Abbe Koenig prism system versus the B3's traditional Schmidt Pechan prism. Having said that, it's not like the B3's are going to suck. The biggest downfall, in my opinion, is the small objective lens of the B3. 30mm will really limit your glassing time, depending on how you use your binoculars. I would look at the b1 in an 8x42 if you're stuck on 8x, because you'll get a bit smaller package and more light let through to your eye because of the 42mm objective.

If you really want a sweet spot, I would buy some B2 9x45's! Not too much to use back east, but will work phenomenally if you do ever make it out west. Sounds like you've got the money, why not just buy once cry once?

I am 100% trying to eliminate redundancies in gear, and i have no problem paying money for quality.

I never really used binocs back East. Bought the diamondbacks for my first trip out west, now i won’t go hunting without Bino’s, love em, and i want good glass. I am always an advocate for good glass on rifles, now i gotta live how i preach and upgrade the Bino’s.

Your the second person to mention the B2 9x45, so I’m gonna have to give them a look. I didn’t want something overly large or heavy, do these have any issues being carried in a standard Bono harness?

As i said, 8xs have worked fine for me in the cheaper glass spotting things from a long way off, maybe a 9x is the move....

You all have provided great insight. Appreciate the conversation.


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[nobody]

I am 100% trying to eliminate redundancies in gear, and i have no problem paying money for quality.

I never really used binocs back East. Bought the diamondbacks for my first trip out west, now i won’t go hunting without Bino’s, love em, and i want good glass. I am always an advocate for good glass on rifles, now i gotta live how i preach and upgrade the Bino’s.

Your the second person to mention the B2 9x45, so I’m gonna have to give them a look. I didn’t want something overly large or heavy, do these have any issues being carried in a standard Bono harness?

As i said, 8xs have worked fine for me in the cheaper glass spotting things from a long way off, maybe a 9x is the move....

You all have provided great insight. Appreciate the conversation.


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Absolutely, always happy to help. My advice is worth what you paid for it, so keep that in mind

The B2 definitely is larger than the B1 or B3 (and definitely bigger than your Diamondbacks), but all the big name bino harness companies make one that fit, like Alaskan Guide, Marsupial, FHF, and Kuiu. And it's not like they're so big that they're intrusive. If they were, Maven wouldn't sell any. Honestly, because of their size, the ergonomics are insanely good. They're easy to hold, and it's nice that you can firmly grab one barrel in each hand. Makes you feel like you're holding them way more secure!

You won't notice a huge difference in magnification going from an 8x to a 9x realistically, but you definitely will see a difference jumping up to a 45mm objective from a 30. Seriously, out west, it'll gain you like 30-40 minutes of glassing on both ends of the day. That's up to like an hour and a half of hunting light every day!

Anything from 8-10x is great for western hunting, but the real treat comes with lots of light transmission. That comes from larger, appropriately sized objective lenses. You don't need a 60 mm objective or anything nuts, but anything below a 40 really hinders glassing time.

One other thing to keep in mind with the Maven's (any of them), they offer their test drive program where you order a pair of their Demo binos (some that they've had on the table at trade shows and stuff), take them out and test them for two weeks out in the field and real world scenarios. Then, at the end of two weeks, you either keep them and they charge your card with like a 10% discounted price, you mail them back and they don't charge you (just pay return shipping), or you mail them back and order some customs. It allows you to get them in hand and test them against other stuff before you actually buy. That's how they got me, it's totally worth it!

 

[DK23!]

If you're only going to have one bino, get the b1 in 8x42 or b2 in 9x45.

I love my 8x30 but they're more limited compared to my 9x45.

I really liked the b1 8x42s I used to have, they're the one optic I regret selling.

You will like the 9x and they aren’t that much heavier.

 

[VenaticOppidan]

Still havent made a final decision between b1 and b2... gonna be one of the 2 in the new year... thanks for all the input


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[fightthenoise]

B2 9’s here. One of the few things I got right when I first started buying gear years ago. No desire to upgrade them. Medium marsupial gear or large FHF. Putting my face behind them is one of my favorite things about hunting season.

 

[VenaticOppidan]

Well, went with the b.2 9x45’s, and boy are they nice. Can’t wait to use em for spring Turkey and an Idaho spring bear hunt....


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