Razor HD 10x42 reviews, worth it?

[dmossu]

Hi all,

Newer to Rokslide and was hoping you guys could help on something. I have a buddy who is looking to get rid of his newer Razor HD 10x42 binoculars - they have not been used in the field yet and are fairly new.

I am looking for binoculars for an upcoming elk hunt in Colorado and was wondering how these perform. He needs the money and wants to sell them for $700 - the question is, at the $700 price point, are the Razors worth it? I know at the retail price of $1,000, there are other options. But $700 for Razor HD's to me seem like a good deal.

 

[HuntNTag]

You are going to get responses all over the place with every opinion out there.

Some folks hate vortex because they have an lifetime warranty that you will likely use at some point in time. They also are not top tier so they get ragged on because there is a lot of hype from their marketing.

Vortex markets things extremely well and they have binoculars in very many hands.

Here are my 2 cents.


The 10x42 is one of my favorite binos due to its weight and ergonomics. It’s glass in my opinion is good and you will find game with them. I used the 10x42 and 12x50’s for years with very good results. They are not swaros and for the money, there will be opinions all over the place.

I have to say, I do use swaro EL’s now and the swaros are absolutely amazing and I enjoy them thoroughly. As many will likely tell you on here, buy once, cry once.

The price between $650-$700 is fair depending on their condition. Also, there is a made in China razor and a made in Japan razor. The Japanese one is more sought after due to the plant it’s made in and the glass clarity. I have had both and I did notice less of a haze in the Japanese one and that’s all I’ve used past that point.

Is it a fair price, yes.

Are they good binos- yes

Are they the best out there, Nope!

Will you find game with them and enjoy them? Most likely and they are a better piece of glass. Don’t think you need 2k optics to see a deer or bear and I don’t think I ever missed anything with my razors over my swaros. But, there is a difference in depth of view and an extra few minutes at sunrise and sunset with the most expensive stuff out there.




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[dmossu]

You are going to get responses all over the place with every opinion out there.

Some folks hate vortex because they have an lifetime warranty that you will likely use at some point in time. They also are not top tier so they get ragged on because there is a lot of hype from their marketing.

Vortex markets things extremely well and they have binoculars in very many hands.

Here are my 2 cents.


The 10x42 is one of my favorite binos due to its weight and ergonomics. It’s glass in my opinion is good and you will find game with them. I used the 10x42 and 12x50’s for years with very good results. They are not swaros and for the money, there will be opinions all over the place.

I have to say, I do use swaro EL’s now and the swaros are absolutely amazing and I enjoy them thoroughly. As many will likely tell you on here, but once, cry once.

The price between $650-$700 is fair depending on their condition. Also, there is a made in China razor and a made in Japan razor. The Japanese one is more sought after due to the plant it’s made in and the glass clarity. I have had both and I did notice less of a haze in the Japanese one and that’s all I’ve used past that point.

Is it a fair price, yes.

Are they good binos- yes

Are they the best out there, Nope!

Will you find game with them and enjoy them? Most likely and they are a better piece of glass. Don’t think you need 2k optics to see a deer or bear and I don’t think I ever missed anything with my razors over my swaros. But, there is a difference in depth of view and an extra few minutes at sunrise and sunset with the most expensive stuff out there.




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Great info in there for sure

The Razors are pretty much brand new - that's the issue. Never looked through and Razors yet or Swaro's but have no doubt the Swaro's are better. They definitely better be for the extra $$$. I only ask because I think a pair of Razors at $700 is a great price - yes I could spend another $1k on Swaro's, but there has to be a diminishing return there for a once a year elk hunt

 

[HuntNTag]

No brainer for a 1x a year. I have mavens and razors that I rent out to clients and I have never had a complaint. My used razors usually go between $650-$675 which is a great price so $700 New is a fair price


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[dmossu]

No brainer for a 1x a year. I have mavens and razors that I rent out to clients and I have never had a complaint. My used razors usually go between $650-$675 which is a great price so $700 New is a fair price


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Awesome! I appreciate the input!

Yeah they would honestly only be used for an occasional mule deer / elk hunt in Colorado. I live in PA, so don't really need high end binos for the timber I hunt, honestly would probably go with like the Viper HD's, but for $700 why not get the Razors lol

 

[fatlander]

I’d save a little more dough and buy some used Swarovski SLCs. The used prices on Swarovski have come down a ton since the NLs were released.


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[gr8fuldoug]

In sub $1,000 I would suggest:

Leica Trinovid 10x42 from $849.99

Kowa Genesis 10.5x44 from $999.99

GPO Passion HD 10x42 - Call for RS pricing

Steiner 10x42 HX from $699.99

As a long standing supporting vendor here on the forum it would be our pleasure to discuss this with you and help figure out which would suit your intended use the best. If you've got a few minutes give us a call, 516-217-1000
Thanks

 

[Montana Craig]

For that price you can probably use them for a few years to see if you like them. If not sell them and you probably won't lose much if any.

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[xFREDx]

i like what HuntNtag said and agree with it. if you are upgrading from a cheap pair you will most likely be blown away. Their is a larger gap in performance from a 0-300 pair of binos to $1000 pair compared to a $1000 to the top of the line in my opinion. You could use them for the rest of your life and be perfectly fine with no issues.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Good response from HuntNtag.

If they are a made in Japan model and in good condition, I think $700 is a decent price. If they are the newer made in China version, I'm not sure I would pay $700. I have seen better quality binos sell for $700 and lower in the classifieds here. If you are patient, I would recommend waiting for a pair of Meopta Meostar, Zeiss Conquest, Nikon Monarch HG, Maven B2 or Japanese Razors in the same price range.

 

[JNDEER]

Lots of guys will say to wait for Japan glass and dump the China glass. Doubt many have ever had both in hand at the same time to actually compare them.

IF ... you have the money and wanted to upgrade your current optics then at $700 brand new is a good price. Any of the sub $1000 bino are a huge upgrade compared to the $500ish bino.

I personally favor the more warm hue you will get from say them, SLC and zeiss optics compared to the more cool hue of the Meopta, EL etc version.

however- if you have never had multiple optics in hand at the same time to see the differences- the razors will be just fine at that fair price

 

[xFREDx]

yeah i would keep your eyes out. I am constantly buying used binos to test againts my Swaro SLC and EL's. I just picked up a new pair of Leupold 8x42 BX5 for $500. Yes, cheapest i have seen them new was $925. The guy showed me the receipt when we bought them and they still were in the package. compared them last night to the SLC's, yes my SLC's are 10x and these are 8x. The eye relief is better on the Leupolds. Overall i was impressed with them and if i had $700 to spend on binos i would look at these if you can find them used. They did have one weird thing. when i first go to put my eyes in them everything is blurry until i blink then it is crystal clear. They show slight CA but it isn't bad and for $500 i don't think you could beat it. I don't like the diopter adjustment and it does have play in it but overall stiff to turn it. I would just keep your eyes out if they are China model of Razors. Lots of good glass out there for the price point in the $700 range.

 

[Spiral Horn]

Agree with HuntNtag, good advice. Most here have either owned or used many different binoculars over many years of hunting and developed our own preferences. Unfortunately we sometimes forget the perspective of someone new to hunting optics.

The most important consideration for binoculars is intend use. If it is a DIY unguided Elk Hunt where you’all will be using tripods or spending hours scouring terrain, then the best quality optics one can afford are a must, and size/weight are less of an issue. That‘s different from constantly carrying them and occasionally looking at a bull at several hundred yards to see if he’s a shooter. So, it‘s a compromise of power, size, weight, optics, features and price. One thing is for certain, when better quality optics are purchased, the buyer is much more likely to use them. Have seen too many times where guys buy a lesser glass their not satisfied with and they end up staying in camp or in the truck.

My primary recommendation is, if spending $700+ on binoculars, make sure you are thrilled with them. That way you’re likely to use them much more than if you’re not. To do this, handle and look through as many quality binoculars as possible to get a sense features and optics that you like vs those you don’t. Cabelas, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Birding Centers, are great places to compare — as well as borrowing a hunting buddy’s pair.

Many fine recommendations already posted here. In your situation, in the $700-1k range, I’d stay with established brands with good warranties, that are more likely to still be in business 10 years from now. Such as:

- Leica Trinovid 10x42
- Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42
- Meopta Meostar 10x42
- Kowa Genesis 10.5x44
- Vortex Razor 10x42 (since you’re already looking at it)

 

[bakyrd831]

I have a pair of el Sv 12x50s and just got a pair of Japanese 12x50 HD’s and to my eyes it’s very close in clarity and resolution. I will agree that depth of field is better on the swaro. Another thing is the vortex has some CA present with snow on the ground, and the vortex has a warm color biases. But I don’t think the swaro are worth 3x the price. I used both and wouldn’t miss a deer with either.

 

[Wildbill17]

The razor 10x42 is a good deal at 700. I have been looking for a while and they don't last at that price point for long.

 

[golfbum]

I have owned a lot of the alpha binos and still really like the razors. I’m confident that I would not miss anything with razors that I would see with any of the alphas I have owned.

with that said i am using alphas but was really happy with every razor I owned, which has been several!!!

 

[Alpine-Drifter]

They are great as long as you don’t look through your buddies swaro’s. I have the brand new razor spotter and it’s fine, but the clarity of the picture in my swaro binos are much better. At the end of the day you will be well off with the razor’s.


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[Southern Heritage]

It’s been answered a bunch but I run sworski and I think they are better in low light by far and clarity by some. I have two buddies who run razors. One is honest the other is jealous of anything nicer then his.
one says he can tell a huge difference between the two.
the other said there the same and much cheaper. So anyone who runs sworski is stupid.
Again I couldn’t tell a massive difference except last light was night and day.

 

[CoStick]

I went from SLC to ZEISS conquests, I prefer the ZEISS. Everyone has different eyes

 

[Deerbuster21]

What’s the best price you guys are finding these at?