Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Garrett Optical has updated it's website (looks totally different now) and some new binos have been unveiled. These are the much anticipated BIG Series-8 binos - the 85mm and 110mm models.
I am happy to announce that I am currently awaiting delivery for a pair of 22x85IF Signature binos. They should arrive in the mail today! Pics and first impressions will follow shortly. So, I apologize to all Louisiana stargazers in advance, for bringing down all of this cloudy and rainy weather by purchasing new gear.
Specs from the GO website :
Garrett Signature 22x85IF
Eye relief : 18mm usuable(?)
Exit pupil : 3.9mm
AFOV : 66°
TFOV : 3°
Light transmission : >92%
All other specs appear to be the same as the smaller Signature models previously available. (Grizzly)
I do notice that Zach has rounded up the TFOV size, which is actually a sliver under 3 degrees at 2.9 : unless he measured it and came up with 3, not sure which.
Here is the link to the product page :
http://65.61.142.119/category_s/39.htm
APM of Germany has also announced their larger models of the Series-8 binocular. The German site has the update, the English does not show the new binoculars yet.
My Celestron Skymaster 25x100 is OUT and the GO Signature 22x85 is IN!
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to add this :
       
Am I happy like a kid at Xmas? 
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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mooreorless
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/05/05
Posts: 1543
Loc: Cornpropst Mills,Huntingdon,Pa
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Hi Mike ,I know you have been waiting a while to buy what you want at the right price. Good luck with these binoculars. Have fun I know you will.:-)
Regards,Steve 
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Regards,Steve M
"the eights are better" Jim Carmichel of Outdoor Life magazine
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Marko F.
member
Reged: 12/01/05
Posts: 80
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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Looks like a great binocular, Glassthrower!
And I am happy to say I am waiting for a smaller one from the same Series-8! Mine is a Telescope Service branded 15x70 Marine, which (to my knowledge) originates from the same new product line.
I read Edz's tests (or some of them, never got to the end  ) of the Oberwerk Ultra 15x70, which seems to be yet another name for the same binocular. I was very impressed and they even look fabulous in the pictures!
I sold my Helios Stellar 15x70 earlier on so I was actually missing a good binocular of this size. I was instantly very enthusiastic about these new models, so TS got my order very quickly!
Unfortunately this time of year is usually quite cloudy in Finland. And probably will be even more cloudy when my packet arrives ...
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ngc6475
Fearless Spectator
Reged: 03/02/02
Posts: 4790
Loc: Northern Sierra Foothills
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I checked out the website and your new binocular is very impressive! Congratulations and keep us posted when it arrives!
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Walter
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
-Mark Twain
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Rich V.
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/02/05
Posts: 985
Loc: Carson Valley, Nevada USA
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Congrats, Mike!
You have waited very patiently! I think you made a good choice. And just $500.!!
I don't see the weights of the new binoculars listed, I assume these guys are HEAVY like their 15x70s. Good thing you have a sturdy Pmount.
Looking forward to your first impressions.......
Rich V
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Binoculars:
33-150x100 Saturn III, 16x70FMT-SX, 10x50 PCF-V, 10x43 DCF-SP, 10x35 E2, 7x35 E, 8x30 E2, 7x26 Custom, 8x23AS Diplomat, 8x23 Travelite
Scopes:
C9.25, 6" f8 reflector, SV80S
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Hi guys,
The mailman just came and brought me a computer cable I ordered - crushed and damaged. That is not a good omen.
This is a big package, insured for $500, and such packages are typically delivered seperate from the daily mail. A small, station-wagon postal vehicle with a metal cage in the back usually brings such packages after the regular mail has arrived. So I am still hopeful it will arrive today.
So, if they don't come today, I will be crushed like the nerd that I am, and then I will have a L-O-N-G wait for Monday's mail.
(*fingers crossed they come today*)
BTW - the 22x85 weighs 10 pounds, the 110mm models weigh a whopping 16 pounds!
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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tbourg
super member
Reged: 06/25/06
Posts: 191
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Mike,
Congratulations!!!! They look great. Looks like you'll be ready of the clear fall skies.
Tom B.
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Joad
Wordsmith
Reged: 03/22/05
Posts: 11919
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Congrats on the new binos, GT! I hope they arrive, safely and in collimation, today!
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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Mike,
Wow! Christmas in October! I can't wait to hear your first reports. If these are anything like my 15x70's you're going to be one happy Glassthrower. Good Luck!
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
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devond
super member
Reged: 08/21/06
Posts: 122
Loc: Northern CA, USA
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Oh great, now I have a 110mm case of aperture feature. Congrats Glassthrower, can't wait to hear how they perform.
-D
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Clear skies,
-DevonD
Bincos: 7x35,10x25,11x56,15x50,15x70,25x100
Scopes: AT66, ST80, 90mm Apex Mak, 100mm Skyview, 8" C8
EPs: Hyps(5,8,21),Pans(22,35),Nagl(3-6),Pentax 10 XW, Orion 3.7 ED-2,Vixen 15 LV, Misc Junk
Mounts: CG-5GT, Orion XHD+PGram, Bogen 501 HDV
Toys: Power-X-Switch S2, BV3 Binoviewer
Money: zilch
---sleep deprivation indicator---
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Well, I just got back from the Post Office. They are on schedule for the delivery date of 10-16! 
Oh well. Patience is a virtue. I have waited this long and it didn't kill me. Two more days won't hurt. That gives us 48 hours to chatter over these new offerings from GO and APM.
Zach Garrett has been one heck of a first class guy when it comes to these binoculars. I was put on a waiting list and Zach hand-picked this pair for me after they were certified on the Mark-V by Cory. As the crow flies, Houma is not that far from GO (Broken Arrow OK), so barring some major abuse by the USPS, they should arrive spot-on collimated. Especially given the robust nature of these binos to start with.
I'm not at all worried about collimation - that is one of the primary reasons I decided to go with GO. With Cory Suddarth behind the bench of the Mark-V and Zach (who is an amateur astronomer as well) inspecting the binoculars, I think I am in safe hands! 
And boy, did I take a LONG look at those 20x110 and 28x110 models. But ultimately I decided against them because I wanted a FOV of 3°. The 22x85 comes darn close at 2.9+
Well that and the 16 pound weight of the 110mm models turned me off. I'm confident my mount can handle a bit more than a 10# bino. But, an extra 6 pounds of binocular AND another 6 pounds of counterweights - that I am not 100% sure about.
Really there is no other binocular on the current market to compare this GO 22x85 against. The previous Obie and GO Chinese giants, while the best of their class, are in a seperate class of binocular. Fujinon's closest bino is the 16x70 and the next bigger model is the 25x150 artillery piece. So, it's not fair to compare this 22x85 against either the Obie/GO 20x80's or the Fujinon. It's in a class of it's own, for now.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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I've just been sitting here, looking over the new GO site, and I notice a few new offerings besides the 22x85 and 20/28x110.
First, I see that the Gemini 25x100mm is available in a CF and IF version. AKAIK, the CF is a new offering. I think.
There are now 15x85, 22x85, 20x110, and 28x110 models of the Signature/Grizzly line. These are all new in addition to the previously offered 10.5x70 and 15x70.
There is also an 80mm 45° binoscope to complement the previous 100mm model. Also, both 100mm and 80mm are now offered with the option of a new fork mount or the standard mount.
Photos have not been added yet for some of these offerings.
Wow. Zach and Cory have been busy beavers lately!
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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EdZ
Professor EdZ
Reged: 02/15/02
Posts: 12581
Loc: Cumberland, R I , USA42N71.4W
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Mike,
I suspect those new 22x85s won't give up to much to your 25x100.
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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mttafire
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/02/06
Posts: 1114
Loc: midwest
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Congrats..Im strongly considering a pair of 20x80's OR the ones you just bought!! They look like a winner!! Clear skies!! shawn
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God Bless America
Binocular astronomy
for me ONLY.
8x45 Garretts
15x70 Skymasters
2 eyes!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Quote:
Mike,
I suspect those new 22x85s won't give up to much to your 25x100.
edz
I agree. The drop in 3x magnification and 15mm aperture might be more considerable if my previous 25x100 had been a FMC Obie/GO model. Since it was a MC Celestron model, then one must consider the increased light transmission into the equation. Celestron does not publish that figure, but I suspect it is somewhat less than the ~85% that GO publishes for it's 25x100IF Gemini. So, I am gaining ~10% light transmission to help offset the 15mm aperture loss. What's more, the 22x85 GO has more valuable eye relief, so I will be taking in more of the field than previously. In the end, my paralysis by analysis agrees with your statement EdZ.
If these Signature/Ultra/Premium models had not hit the market, then I would have likely bought the Stellarvue 20x85(90) or the GO Triplet 20x80. I looked long and hard at both of those as well. But, even though the Celestron 25x100 is far from perfect, the step down to 20x80 was too much for me, even with the better coatings. It is easy to get spoiled on the brute force muscle of the 25x100 Skymaster. Views are bright, nebulae look great. If I was going to step down in aperture and magnification, then I wanted a substantial and noticeable increase in view aesthetic. I did not feel that the current pre-Signature binos offered that. I guess I will begin to find out monday if I made the right decision. My gut says I did. Now, I just have to stop thinking about that 28x110! (my tripod could handle it, not sure if the mount could. As excellent as my p-mount is, it was not designed for a 16# binocular and 16# of counterweight! Ouch. And besides, I believe that any FOV less than 3-degrees is tiptoeing into the proper realm of binoviewer equipped scopes.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Rick
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/12/05
Posts: 2574
Loc: Tokyo, Japan
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Quote:
Really there is no other binocular on the current market to compare this GO 22x85 against.
I think the Steiner 25x80 would be a good matchup, especially if they could still be had for the price I paid last year.
-Rick
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www.japanastro.com
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Quote:
I think the Steiner 25x80 would be a good matchup, especially if they could still be had for the price I paid last year.
-Rick
I completely forgot about the Steiner. Yes, if they were a bit closer in price, then they might beg for a comparison.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Guess what arrived early today? About an hour after I get back from the PO and the PO employee said monday....
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Another -
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Yet Another -
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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more -
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Celestron Skymaster 15x70 for comparison -
--------------------
Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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First impressions - HEAVY. Heavier than the 10# quoted. I have not weighed them yet, but I require ~1# more counterweight to make these balance, as opposed to my 10# 25x100 Skymaster. Built like the proverbial tank.
LARGE. Except for the objective tube circumference, these seem every bit as large as my 25x100 Skymaster. Prism housing is much larger than the 25x100 Skymaster.
Coatings are EXCELLENT. Hard to see any detail at all in my face or in the reflections. The glass looks purple in the photo, but is more greenish purple in person. Depending on the angle viewed, the glass seems to vanish altogether. Tubes are well blackened.
Exit pupils perfectly round, no cutoff suspected.
Dayime viewing - no noticeable false color when viewing tree branches/leaves against background blue sky. However, today was/is very cloudy, so not very bright outside.
Focused on a cellphone tower about .5 mile away. Was able to read text on a large sign posted on the tower equipment. Text remained readable until moved to the extreme edge. No appreciable dropoff in brightness is noticed near the edge of field. View becomes a little muddy near the extreme edge and can be re-focused to crisp.
It's just now getting dark. Cloudy sky with very few holes. No stars can be seen yet. I will be staying up late hoping for some holes to see some stars and further judge performance.
The increased eye relief over my Skymasters is taking some getting used to. I was accustomed to the tight ER of the Skymaster, and I find eye placement a bit tricky with this new pair. I'm sure this is me and not the bino. I just need to get used to them.
So far so good. But the real test is yet to come.
Clear dark Signature skies...
MikeG
--------------------
Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
Edited by Glassthrower (10/14/06 09:25 PM)
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RAF
member
Reged: 10/13/05
Posts: 54
Loc: Arapahoe, NC
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Nice looking glass!!!
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pcad
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/17/05
Posts: 1501
Loc: Connecticut
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Congratulations Mike! They look awesome.
I see that the armor style has changed. Pebbled instead of ribbed. The lenscaps look like the traditional style that fit over the housing.
Cloudy nights? Not surprised, the new equipment/bad weather troll couldn't possibly miss those things, they're enormous!
Peter
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Peter
Telescopes 25 - 318 mm
Binoculars 15 - 88 mm
Microscope 50x - 1000x
Edited by pcad (10/14/06 09:19 PM)
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14686
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Yes, it's a textured subtle-grainy rubber armor. Green. Not the same ribbed style as the smaller Signature/Ultra models.
Objective covers are slip-on, not the captive type. The fit snug.
Fit and finish is very good. Oddly, they appear unbranded. "Garrett Optical" does not appear anywhere on the binocular. It is simply stampled "22x85" "LONGEYERELIEF" and the FOV expressed in m/m.
Clear dark skies...
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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ngc6475
Fearless Spectator
Reged: 03/02/02
Posts: 4790
Loc: Northern Sierra Foothills
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You have a very handsome binocular, Mike! It looks very well made and I'll bet the views it gives are at least as nice! Good for you!
--------------------
Walter
"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
-Mark Twain
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Joad
Wordsmith
Reged: 03/22/05
Posts: 11919
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When you're used to tight eye relief, a long ER takes a bit of getting used to, but it doesn't take long and you'll like it!
Nice looking binos there, sonny!
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cota_scope
sage
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 356
Loc: sioux city ia
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Re: Garrett Optical Signature 22x85mm - New Glass!
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