carlos_dfc
sage
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 243
Loc: Darlington, UK
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The 'Lidl store chain are selling these at £14.99
http://www.lidl.co.uk/gb/index.nsf/pages/c.o.oow.20050421.p.Binoculars
Anyone have any experience of these? Are they any good?
Even if they are only average, surely they must be a bargain at £15
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C8 'classic' with Bob's Knobs - 10" ATM Dob - 90mm grab'n'go mak
15x70 - 10x50 - 8x40
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matt gray
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/17/04
Posts: 747
Loc: Butte county, CA
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Carlos,
You'll probably get what you paid for with those.
matt
11x56 oberwerk
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matt
XT10
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 18806
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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I believe at least one member here has bought a pair and thrown them right into the trash can.
Maybe you'll get lucky.
edz
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Teach a kid something today. The feeling you'll get is one of life's greatest rewards.
member#21
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Michael Morris
Member
Reged: 01/05/05
Posts: 1518
Loc: Worcestershire, UK
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I bought a pair two days ago. I've already used them for both bird watching and looking at the moon and found them perfectly acceptable. Ok, they're no Leicas, but they are fantastic for the money. Telescope House have them on special offer for sale at their Kent show room for £25, so £15 is a real bargain.
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Michael Morris
8" LX200 classic with piggy-backed Orion 80ED and Revelation 66mm Apo
Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro (portable mount for Orion 80ED and Revelation 66mm Apo)
Observatory Almira Observatory Website
Co-author of NightCal Astronomical Observing Calendar Software http://www.nightcal.co.uk
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werewolf6977
Lord High Smasher
Reged: 12/15/03
Posts: 9034
Loc: Hanover, Ohio
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Level of satisfaction anyone ?
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Pete
6" Apogee/LXD55
Starhopper 6" Dob
Spaceprobe 130EQ
Black C8 OTA
WO Zenith Star 66 Patriot Edition
Sun Pak Pro 7500 Platinum Edition
8X42 Bushnell H2O Porro
7X35 Tasco
10X50 Nikon Actions (Type 7)
15X70 Skymasters
Dell Inspiron Dual Core 531s
"For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know"
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Maverick
sage
Reged: 08/06/03
Posts: 256
Loc: 41:06:38.819N 81:28:51.650W
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Although I didn't get these same binoculars, I did pick up the 8x42's from the Meade factory outlet on ebay. I'm completely satisfied!! To my novice eyes the have a sharp view, and they have prompted me to learn more about bino's. For $11.99 and free shipping, I should have bought two!! 
Clear Skies!!
Dan
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Ben Ritchie
Lost in Space
Reged: 01/31/05
Posts: 4389
Loc: Bosham, UK
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Thanks for the note - i've just picked up a pair. For the price of a round of drinks, that's not bad 
Ben.
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Observatory:- Astro-Physics 130EDT StarFire, Baader SkySurfer V, EQ6/pro
Outside:- TeleVue 76is/Vixen Porta II
Eyepieces:- 2-4mm Nagler zoom, 5mm & 6mm Radians, 9mm Nagler, 13mm Ethos, 24mm & 34mm Meade SWAs
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carlos_dfc
sage
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 243
Loc: Darlington, UK
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Been and bought myself a pair - couldn't resist 
First impressions are surprisingly very good - like Michael says, they're not Obies or Leicas, but for £15 they're pretty good.
Much clearer than the 20x50s I've been using as 'spotters' while out with my scope.
(when I'm searching a DSO - I tend to examine the area with binos first, before pointing the scope at it - a sort of 'bridge' between charts and scope)
Although the image is smaller than my 20s, I can still make out MORE detail due to better definition.
A bit soft around the edges, but the middle 70% or so is pretty sharp.
Also a much brighter image than my 20s (mainly due to lower magnification) so I'm expecting to see dimmer DSOs with these than my 20s are capable of.
Also, a good bit lighter than I'm used to, and that, combined with the lower power will make them easier to hand-hold. (although they do have a built-in tripod mount)
Build-quality isn't fantastic, but is adequate (what can you expect at that price?) Rubberised coating makes them 'feel' sturdy enough, and I can't see them falling apart within the 5 year manufacturer's warranty that comes with them.
I'm no expert, but collimation seems OK - I get a single clear circular image when I look through them - probably nowhere near perfect, but near enough for me not to notice a problem.
Overall - pretty good for the price - to me they seem as good as most other mass-market budget 10x50s (better than some I've tried) and MUCH cheaper than most.
If I could afford some good quality bigger bins, I probably wouldn't even consider them, but if like me, you're on a tight budget, they're a real bargain at £15
At this price, obviously I wouldn't be able to use them for anything like 'serious' observing, but I'm gonna use them as my regular 'spotters' (until I can afford some Skymasters) - and I'm even considering getting another pair to keep in the car permanently.
(I would say they're as good as a couple of £40 pairs I've tried recently)
Nowhere near perfect - but good value for money.
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C8 'classic' with Bob's Knobs - 10" ATM Dob - 90mm grab'n'go mak
15x70 - 10x50 - 8x40
Edited by carlos_dfc (04/24/05 03:14 PM)
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matt
Vendor (Scopemania)
Reged: 07/28/03
Posts: 10991
Loc: Chaville, France
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there is a mini-reivew of them (there's a sale here in the French LIDLs too): http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10&Number=154101
They seem OK for 20$, € or £, but it's not a steal. Not like if LIDL was handing out a €100 value.
I think I'll get one because I want binos for a "quick view" now and then, or as a "portable finderscope" when I'm looking for something, so the price is right for me.
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Matt
CI700 mount with various scopes on top.
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Michael Morris
Member
Reged: 01/05/05
Posts: 1518
Loc: Worcestershire, UK
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If your thinking of getting them HURRY! I've just popped into my local Lidl to get pair for my mum and they've sold out. They had about twenty pairs on friday morning and they'd all gone by Sunday lunchtime.
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Michael Morris
8" LX200 classic with piggy-backed Orion 80ED and Revelation 66mm Apo
Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro (portable mount for Orion 80ED and Revelation 66mm Apo)
Observatory Almira Observatory Website
Co-author of NightCal Astronomical Observing Calendar Software http://www.nightcal.co.uk
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