Telescope Reviews: Orion 20x80 Explorer and GiantView Comparison

Hey guys, I didnt kow what exactly to name this post, but I will explain as good as I can here!

ANYWAY, my AMAZING wife just surprised me on Father's Day with a pair of Orion 20X80 Explorer Binocs because she had heard me say a while back that I really wanted some Orion 20x80's! ANYWAY, she went to the local planetarium and bought what she thought were the GiantViews.

SO I opened them up and first off I was SO excited and floored that she had made the effort to go out and find these for me! WHAT A WIFE!! ANYWAYS, when I opened them up and I noticed right away they said Orion Explorer on them and the box looked kinda old, and I could tell they had been sitting at the planetarium for a while, and even opened up a time or two and played with and a few little scratches on the bino's, the metal case is kinda dinged a little and shows a little wear and tear, but she also got them for 210.00, 70 dollars less than GiantViews if I order them from the site. OBVIOUSLY, the planetarium doesnt have the newer giantview ones or they would have sold them to my wife.

I tested these binocs out and they star tested excellent, the images merge great and they show nice round pinpoint stars and the glass surfaces look flawless.

SO the big question is, should I return these and spend the extra to get the new updated GiantView version, or is the Explorer just as good, and take the 70 dollar discount and smile? Are the GiantViews any different than the Explorers, or just a different name? AND how long ago did the Explorers become GiantViews?

Thanks SO much in advance!

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~jon

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