As travel becomes more accessible, and more of a focus is given to the great outdoors, hobbies such as mountaineering, exploring and all round outdoor loving is on the up.
A great way to experience more of your natural surroundings is through the eyes of binoculars. Capable of taking you closer to the action than ever before, binoculars are becoming increasingly popular among nature lovers.
Click here for more reviews of Bear Grylls Binoculars
However, until recently there has been a gap in the market for a really affordable and durable pair of binoculars, that can be thrown around without the risk of breaking a very difficult to repair and expensive piece of kit.
Bushnell Powerview Bear Grylls Binoculars Video Review – Watch Below
Enter the Bushnell Bear Grylls 10×42 Binoculars, a product looking to become the damage proof, high quality yet affordable binocular of choice.
But can it really be considered durable? Is the only reason people don’t mind damaging it because it’s generally not very good?
All of these questions will be answered in this comprehensive review, all shall be revealed…
You can also see our list of Top Bushell Binoculars or the best hunting binoculars and our list of the best birdwatching binoculars.
Bushnell Bear Grylls Binoculars Specifications
| Bushnell Bear Grylls 10x42 | Bushnell Bear Grylls 8x25 | |
|---|---|---|
Size | 10x42 | 8x25 |
Eye Relief | 17 mm | 13.5 mm |
Field of View | 305 ft/1000 yds | 360 ft/1000 yds |
Close Focus | 12 ft | 14 ft |
Lenses | Multi-Coated | Multi-Coated |
Weight | 25 oz | 10.2 oz |
Dimensions | 12 x 12 x 7 | 3 x 7 x 9 |
| READ REVIEWS | READ REVIEWS |
Main Usage Of The Bushnell Bear Grylls Binoculars
Named after the infamous explorer himself, these binoculars are designed to take a real beating. With a shockproof, weatherproof and waterproof housing, this bargain pair of binoculars are perfect for the budding explorer, both young and old alike.
The design is ergonomic and comfortable, with a non-slip rubber armor for absorbing accidental bashes while providing a firm grip and weatherproofing.
The enclosure protects premium grade BaK-4 prisms and fully multicoated optics providing excellent image quality over a wide 42mm lens.
This makes these binoculars ideal for those long treks or hunting outings, creating an ideal balance between wide landscape viewing and focusing in on your targets.
Capable of taking a battering when scrambling up and slope, but light enough to not be encumber-some these well designed binoculars are set to be the perfect companion.
Not only are they excellent feature wise, they can be picked up for under a hundred dollars, but they are shipped with a limited lifetime warranty.
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Glass/Lens
Where the Bear Grylls’ may offer a bargain price, unlike other cheap binoculars they haven’t compromised on lens quality.
Offering fully multicoated optics an premium grade BaK-4 prisms, light transmission is preserved throughout the structure, delivering a well balanced, well light, high quality image.
The coatings around the optics are anti-reflective, and prevent unwanted light entering the binoculars meaning image quality on the viewing end is optimised.
Magnification
These Bushnell binoculars provide a 10x magnification over a 42mm objective lens.
This provides a field of view wide enough to enjoy landscapes, yet focused enough to hone in on a fixed point of interest, such as a swooping bird or deer hiding in the brush.
Long range observations are now effortless, but also it has a short range focus of as little as twelve feet.
Image Quality
The quality of the image produced by these binoculars far outstretches their price tag.
With numerous features you’d expect to find on binoculars more than double the price, you really are getting expensive image quality at a bargain price.
Light transmission is preserved by the BaK-4 Prisms, ensuring delivery of a crisp and clear image, at a more than viewable resolution.
There is also a large, easy to access, central focusing knob for quick and easy adjustments, making these binoculars ideal for couples.
Eye Relief
Featuring twist and pull eyecups, these binoculars have ample space for even the horn rimmed spectacle wearing glasses user. With a massive 17mm between cushion and lens, wearing glasses is no problem at wall while operating these binocs.
However, some issues have been raised over the width between the lens being too small to match up to everyone’s eyes, so testing a pair is advised before buying.
Pros
The major positive about these binoculars, is that just like their namesake, they are hard as nails.
The rubber enclosure is a great shock absorber as well as waterproof and fog proof features adding to the overall durability.
You can drop these, scrape them while clambering, and use them in pouring rain and they will still be just as functional, and all that for under $80!
Cons
These binoculars suffer where many sub $200 pairs also suffer. The built-in lens covers are incredibly flimsy and prone to breaking off.
Where these binoculars have a durable body, the same can’t be said for the lenses, meaning that no lens covers will likely result in scratches that are going to affect viewing quality.
Conclusions
All in all, I have to say that I am flabbergasted at the price of these binoculars. At less than $100, you really can’t go wrong.
They are ideal for slinging in your bag and hitting the road with, quite literally due to their shock absorbing exterior.
Where they are not completely without fault, being a little heavy and with cheap lens covers, for those to be the only draw back shows that you’re going to get a great quality product, along with a lengthy warranty.
It’s worth baring in mind that although they are heavier than their competitors, they can hardly be described as heavy.
These really are ideal for the adventurer, or just a binocular beginner, you can rest assured that you can drop these with peace of mind, all the while obtaining an image quality that is hard to beat at under $300.
