Looking for a new pair of binoculars, reading reviews of Vortex Razor 10x50 when I stumbled across comments that they are now made in China. We have 2 pair of older Vortex Binoculars, love them, made in Japan. Anyone have any suggestions on great $500-1000 binoculars made in a reasonably friendly democracy? Thanks.

nikon is still making in japan according to their web site.

Mine are not that expensive but were made in Japan. They are one of the lower end models in the Leupold line so you might consider looking at Leupolds.

Mine failed me at the most critical time - while on a Wy elk hunt on the day we got on the elk herd. I still managed to get my bull but missed out seeing my partner make his shot. Leupold replaced them at no charge but hopefully the higher end models are more reliable.

I like my Nikons .

Wife got me a pair of vortex for Christmas. I saw the made in China sticker right away. It is a bummer. They do seem to be good quality though. It also says on the box if they ever brake, they will be repaired or replaced free no matter what the cause or whos fault. You don't even need a receipt. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

One thing you gotta give vortex....they have done a very good job at PR. Every outdoor show on TV is sponsored by them and every magazine is full of their adds. I have personally never thought very highly of their products though. When they first introduced their rangefinder I was guiding a TV show host fellow that had one....it was junk. The readings he got weren't even close. In my opinion binoculars are the single most important piece of equipment an outdoorsman owns, and there is no substitute for quality. Swarovski and Licia are the best there is, you will never be sorry you have them. I've heard good things about Kahle too although Ive never owned them. I do have an older pair of Minox that I paid about $1000 for that are OK. Crazy thing about the TV show guys is that most of them actually use a top brand....when the cameras aren't rolling.

Warrantees are a nice feature but they don't do you any good on a 10-day hunt in the middle of nowhere.

I have nikon and vortex stuff I like the vortex and got over the china thing because they have a great warrantee and seem good quality.

Vortex really does a nice job on the customer service end , I called there last week to ask questions before I ordered another scope , he was very helpful and I got to a person right away.

heck half of my "American" made car was made in china and assembled in Ontario.

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

I was checking labels over Christmas and was highly disappointed in all the foreign made crap.
Hard for me to amagine the trade breaks companies get to the point it's cheaper/better to make 5-10 even couple hundred dollar stuff overseas cheaper than they can here.

Time to hammer these guys and quit supporting the world on our backs.

If your willing to pay two or three times more then you could get Americans to build your optics. Pay 5-6 times more and you can have Germans making your optics.

[quote=EdP]Mine are not that expensive but were made in Japan. They are one of the lower end models in the Leupold line so you might consider looking at Leupolds.

I think they all use China now at some level. I had a buddy buy a pair of Leupold binos back in Nov. and they were made in China. He asked me to have a look thru them and I said they didn't seem very clear like I expected. I have some $40 Bushnells that looked about the same. We were very surprised.
He returned them to the store for a refund. They had been on sale for $299

The phones and computers (or at least a substantial part of them) we are all using to comment on Trapperman likely came from Asia.

Unless you live off the grid with no modern goods, you have bought "Made in China."

No poop Sherlock, where did they get the technology?
I should say steal the technology.

Guessing, 75% of the stuff made in China is stolen tech. No respect for patents.

I took my Vortex 10x40s to quebec/arctic circle for caribou and black bear in alberta. work great, about 2 years old now. not sure if Japan or China, but as stated earlier. Great warranty. and are far better that my Nikons in bushnell in same 10x40. much clearer and precise.

Older model used Swarovski can be found in that price range. I got a nice pair of 8x30 for $500. Amazing clarity and almost bomb proof.

SWAROVSKI or LEICA. Buy the best the first time around. Then there won’t be a second time. I’ll

My Vortex scopes have been great with no problems .

I've heard a guy say that "if you can't see it with your naked eye then it's too far" I have vortex binoculars and I like them.

Swarovski, spendy but will last a lifetime. EL 10x42s can't beat them with a stick.

I have a pair of Minox 10x42 that I bought about 10 years ago. They are a good quality optic, that cost me about 400 bucks. I have beat the (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) out of them and they are still as clear as they were the first day I used them. Not sure where you could find them now or how much they would cost, but I'm sure google could solve that problem. And yes, I do like Vortex optics, I just don't have a reason to buy any of their products right now.

Thanks for your thoughts, all. I prefer to avoid Chinese, even if it costs me more, but acknowledge the inevitable that I can't totally avoid it, at least Chinese made components.