Yep, I prefer cheap when they get the job done. I simply have no use for Swarovski glass. Completely unnecessary expense for a pair of general purpose binos IMO and I could buy a used Porsche for what those things sell for. I don't break out in hives if I notice a bit of purple fringing from minor chromatic aberration from an otherwise decent quality achromat with excellent multicoatings and precise alignment. Life is too short to fret over such things and I'll leave the cork sniffage to others. :rolleyes:

Cork sniffer here. But I guess I do my cork sniffage on a beer budget. I use search tempest or ebay to find deals, or an estate sales guy who I know. He will keep an eye out for me if he knows what I'm looking for. You can get stuff at easily 50% below retail, or more that way.

I have a pair of compact Zeiss that are fantastic. The glass is as nice if not nicer than my March rifle scope.