Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
I’ve used the Maven B.3 10×30 company binoculars for a year and a half now, taking them on hunts ranging from spring turkey in my home state of Wisconsin to Texas mule deer, plus another ten hunts.
My take: the Maven B.3 10x30s are the best small binoculars I’ve ever used–and I’ve used many.
Table of contents
Whether in-close and thick, as turkey hunting often is, or in the much more open landscapes of the Texas Panhandle, the Maven B.3 provids sharp, clean images, with controls that adjust quickly. All this in a small package that weighs just over a single pound and fits into my hand.
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Of course, a smallish binocular has a considerably smaller field of view than their more full-sized brethren. I find it a worthwhile trade-off, having a binocular that fits into a jacket pocket and is quick to deploy, though I certainly understand why a hunter might want a wider field of view.
Design On The Maven B.3 Binos
The Maven B.3 features an open barrel, single hinge design. That hinge works smoothly and easily, keeping the barrels in place. The central control knob features robust knurling to adjust the images very precisely.
The multi-position eyecups work just as easily and can be set in one of three positions.
My Mavens have dropped off hunting blind seats and banged around inside pickup trucks. But, while scuffed up, they’ve never taken a long drop onto a rock-hard surface. Any optic can break and of course that includes the B.3’s. But they feel solid, and with reasonable care should last a lifetime.
The Maven B.3’s sport a waterproof rating of IPX7, meaning they can be submerged in water up to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes without taking in water.
If the B.3 breaks or malfunctions, all Maven optics have the company’s unconditional lifetime warranty. As Maven’s website notes, “If your optic becomes damaged or is at all defective contact us immediately for repair or replacement. We don’t care where or when you bought it or if it was your fault or not–if it says Maven, we will take care of it.”
Of course, the warranty doesn’t cover intentionally beating the hell out of them.
Prisms
Prisms are essentially pieces of cut glass that take the light and images coming through the front lens of the unit, the objective lens, and flip the images around so that they appear right side up.
The two most common prisms used in binoculars are Schmidt-Pechan prisms and Abbe Koenig prisms. Known as roof prisms, Schmidt-Pechans are shorter and more compact than Abbe Koenigs. This is why Schmidt-Pechan prisms are found in the compact 30mm Maven B.3’s binos.
The B.3 prisms feature dielectric coatings to increase light reflectivity, which enhances the binocular’s optical performance.
Lenses
The Maven B.3 employs three sets of lenses, starting with the front or objective lenses. These large lenses have a high refractive power to gather as much of the available light as possible to enhance image brightness and transmit both to the prisms.
Next are the intermediate lenses that adjust and focus the light further. These lenses play a crucial role in fine-tuning the image and focusing it sharply onto the next set of lenses.
Eyepiece lenses are the final set of lenses, and project the focused image onto the viewer’s eyes.
All three sets of B.3 lenses are made of high-quality, Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass. They are also treated with multiple layers of Maven anti-reflection, scratch-resistant, waterproof, and fog-proof coatings.
Low Light
My Maven B.3’s handled low light well. Images seen through the binos were clear and sharp up to and then a good ten minutes into dusk.
A recent Texas deer hunt found me in a blind overlooking a green field of stubby winter wheat. Out to 180 yards in good light, I could see individual sprigs of wheat. As the dusk increased, images became less and less sharp. Yet, even as I could no longer make out the individual springs of wheat, I could still very easily delineate the lines of wheat running up and down the field through my B.3s.
Spotting a deer, hog, or coyote at near dark was easily done out to 150 yards.
Conclusions
Maven optics including the B.3 binos are made from high-quality Japanese components assembled in the United States.
Maven B.3’s can also be purchased with 6X and 8X magnification at slightly lower price points. My B.3’s feature a gray and orange color finish pattern though they are also available in black and gray. All B.3’s come with a neoprene neck strap, lens caps, and a double-layered microfiber storage bag.
Maven sells its products directly to consumers via their website. I’ve used and reviewed Maven optics and have found their direct-to-consumer operation translates to a savings of $200 and frequently more compared to the same quality optics purchased through dealers.
Maven also offers a try-before-you-buy demo program for its binoculars and spotting scopes. (Rifle scopes excluded.) This gives a customer two weeks to use an optic. At that point, the customer can keep the demo, return it to purchase a new or custom model, or return it and receive full credit (minus shipping).
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Even with direct-to-user savings, the B.3 10×30 binoculars still come in at $575.00. For people with my income, that is not exactly “budget-friendly.” But I haven’t found many high-quality products available at “budget-friendly” price tags.
Specifications: Maven B.3 10×30 Binoculars
Magnification: 10x
Obj. lens diameter: 30mm
Exit pupil: 3mm/.12 in.
Field of view (# of ft. at 1000 yds): 341
Light transmission: 94.60%
Twilight factor: 17.3
Multi-Position Eyecups? Yes
Eye Relief: 15.3mm/.60 in.
Dimensions, WxHxD: 4.7×4.6×1.6 in.
Weight: 16.8 oz.
Prisms Type: Schmidt-Pechan
Prism Reflective Coating: Dielectric
Lens Coatings: Scratch and Oil Resistant
Functional temperature Range: -13°~140°F
Frame Material: Polymer
Internal Gas Purged: Nitrogen
Tripod Adaptable? Yes
Price: $575.00
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