Over the past year or so I've been slowly working my way through my astro binocular collection and upgrading each size that gets regular use to higher quality models. So far I've upgraded my 10x, 15x, & 20x binos and looking to replace my 8x next. This leaves one major size that I haven't upgraded and kinda doubtful if I will: my Zhumell 25x100 Tachyon.
Although they're handy to have around when needed I just don't find myself using the big 25x100 very often, instead reaching for a 20x80 or 15x70 (or 20x70 most often now) the majority of the time. My Zhumell's definitely aren't top notch quality, show a ton of CA on moderately bright objects, have a fairly small sweet spot, and need a good ol' conditional alignment quite often. But for a decent set of big 4" lens to bring in a lotta light for dim DSOs they do fairly well. They're also fantastic for comet hunting along the horizon when aperture is nice but setting up a scope for the short session can be a hassle.
So taking into account the price it'd take to upgrade to a better quality 25x100 and the amount of time they actually get out under starlight, I find the possibility of a new 25x100 to be pretty far down the upgrade list (if it's even on there at all). So I'm just curious:
How often others use their giant straight through 25x100 binos?
Do you find them valuable enough in your observing arsenal to need a good to high quality set, or are some of the cheaper options good enough for their intended low power DSO work?
Do you find the hassle of them (possible larger tripod & mount requirements, awkwardness of use compared to small mounted binos) to be worthwhile over smaller models or do you also find yourself using small binos more often?
Something I love about this hobby is that there's no real "right" or "wrong" with most (not all) equipment choices. Mostly things just come down to personal preference.