Boots 10X50 Bino's Made in Hong Kong

[Xgaze]

Hello all,

These are for sale in my local charity shop for £15. I had a look through them, they seem okay.
They don't seem to be coated and not 'Japanese made'. I think they are the Admiral II model?
Does anyone have a set - are they worth the £15?

Thanks,
T

[DaveL59]

No idea where they may have been made but somewhere far east most likely, much as Dixons Prinz and Chinon brands were. I think one of mine was Phillipines made tho I can't recall exactly now. I'd expect they would be coated, at least single coated so a blue-ish tint. Never tried any Boots ones but probably they'll be very much like the Japanese made ones from that era (80's), so should perform reasonably well.

Thing to check is that they are clear and everything moves smoothly as well as the alignment of both sides when viewing. If all is good then that's not too bad a price IMHO, they'll be a bit heavier than modern ones, being metal bodied vs composite and so may feel cold when using outside at night. Do they have a tripod screw mounting (often on the end of the central hinge)? That may be handy to keep them stable if you plan on using them for astro.

[Merlin]

Look through the big ends of the bins to check if there’s fungus inside.

[Xgaze]

Thank you both for the replies and advice.
I bought them and promptly donated them back to the charity shop after I tried them and, my Swift Ascot Mk1 30x50 out peformed them!

On a brighter note: my inlaws had original Carl Zeiss Janoptems they have given me - immaculate condition and outstanding seeing! Although, they are low power, I am still looking forwards to testing them on the night sky.