Value means getting more than you paid for, and that’s exactly what you get with Vanguard’s Endeavor ED binoculars. For binoculars with the performance and features they offer, you would typically pay 50% to 500% more.
The MRSP on the Vanguard Endeavor ED 1045 is $499, but I found them on Optics Planet for $399 and on Amazon for $379. Until November 30th there is also a special running from Vanguard that you can get a shooting stick or other accessories free when you buy a pair of these great binocs. The direct link to the promotion is: https://www.vanguardworld.com/index.php/en/os/component/content/article/6-other/137-free-shooting-stick-with-binoculars-purchase.html
The Endeavor provides 10.5 x magnification with 45 mm objective lenses. Typical sport binoculars in this power range have 42 mm lenses. The larger 45 mm objective lenses gather more light with an inconsequential trade-off in weight and size. Compared to the Vanguard ED 10 x 42 binoculars, the 10.5 x 45 add a little more than an ounce in weight and 2 mm (less than eight hundredths of an inch) in width. The added brightness is well worth the minimal weight penalty.
To get the best image quality, binoculars have to basically do two things well: transmit as much light as possible, and focus the image clearly. Glass lenses reflect some of the light from their front surfaces and the inside of their back surfaces, anyplace that glass and air touch. That’s the flash you see if you happen to be in front of someone using binoculars or a telescope. Anti-reflection (AR) lens coatings assist in light transmission and also reduce ghosting and flare. Binoculars designated as AR “Coated” have a single layer of coating on at least some of the lens surfaces. This helps but multiple layers are much more effective. You’ll know if they have multiple layers if they say “Multi Coated.” “Fully Coated” means that all glass to air surfaces are coated, and the very best binoculars have “Fully Multi Coated” lenses, like the Vanguard Endeavor.
The second problem area for light transmission is the prisms. Quality binoculars generally use one of two types of prisms: poro prisms or roof prisms. You can tell if a pair of binoculars uses poro prisms because the objective lenses are wider than the eyepieces; the prisms are mounted side-by-side inside the binoculars.
Roof prisms are mounted in-line, making the binoculars sleeker and more compact, however roof prisms require better coatings and more precise manufacturing than poro prisms, which is why roof prism binoculars typically cost more. The Vanguard Endeavor uses a combination of roof prisms, BaK4 prism glass (which is superior to BaK7 glass used in cheaper binoculars), and special phase coatings, for optimum performance.
Of course, the quality of the lenses is responsible for the quality of the image, and the Endeavor uses ED or extra low dispersion glass which makes the very best lenses. Binoculars with ED lenses actually use a pair of objective lenses, or a lens couplet, in each tube to reduce chromatic dispersion. Chromatic dispersion stems from the fact that the different colors or wavelengths of light which make up white light (think rainbow), focus at slightly different points, creating a slightly fuzzy image. The second lens in the ED couplet corrects the dispersion created by the first lens, resulting in a sharp, clear image with fine detail resolution. That’s important if you’re trying to count the points on a deer at 300 yards or to see anything in low light conditions.
The Endeavor utilizes a magnesium alloy body for lightness and strength, rubber cladding to ensure a secure grip, and is nitrogen purged to eliminate fogging and protect the internals from oxidation. They also incorporate O ring seals to make them waterproof. That doesn’t mean you can take them to 90 feet on your next diving trip. They are guaranteed waterproof to 3.3 feet, which is more than enough to keep the rain out and provide a little insurance in case you drop them in the water at your duck blind.