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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Gear > Putting the Alpen Apex Binos Through the Paces
Putting the Alpen Apex Binos Through the Paces
Bryce Mann - JHO ProStaff
- Sierra Foothills, CA
January 03, 2008
I was asked by Jesse (James, JHO Chief Bottle Washer) to help out in the JHO booth at the Bass Pro Fall Classic at their newest store in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. and to take part in some of the seminar presentations during this event. This store happens to be in the same town as Alpen Optics, makers of popular binoculars and other outdoors optics.
Good Glass Great Price
The author found the Alpen Apex to be a really good binocular for the money. |
After speaking with Alpen’s friendly staff they agreed to have a pair of the Model 495 Apex binoculars sent over to me for a field test.
My first experience out in the field with the new binoculars was at a gun dog challenge put on by members of a couple of the southern California Quail Unlimited chapters. A bright and sunny day looking over natural grasslands made it clear that this was not a true test of the ability of this equipment and I could hardly wait for the real test coming in a week.
The real test I am speaking of pitted several brands of binoculars with similar dimensions to a long range, in the field comparison during adverse conditions. Our X-zone mule deer hunt was to take place in the Inyo national forest and out to the Nevada border and from the Owens River valley to Death Valley National Park.
Cool mornings and the high altitude on White Mountain led to foggy conditions for my eyeglasses, but not for the coated BAK4 lenses. The twist-up eye cups are a big plus for those of us who wear spectacles. During warm days in the river bottom flats, looking over long distances, I had no problem with heat waves or any loss of clarity at the edges of the view because this model has PXA phase coating and HR metallic coatings. Dusty conditions of the canyons near Death Valley also presented no trouble, because the 495Apex binoculars come standard with good fitting dust covers for both the eye pieces and the objective lenses, which are both quiet and easy to use.
As are most binoculars these days, the Alpens are rubber armored and comfortable to hold when glassing over long periods of time. I was able to compare them to several other brands and models, including the Minolta 10x50, Nikon 10x50 and Nikon 10x36, Leupold 10x42. The Alpens outperformed all of the others in at least one category, whether it was brightness, clarity, ability to focus, or cost.
At a suggested price from the manufacturer of $447 the Alpen Apex performs like some of the more expensive European manufactures but certainly outperforms them at the cash register. I use the Alpen Apex 10x42 binoculars when guiding hunts because they are compact, light-weight, and do a fine job. These are good equipment backed by a lifetime warranty, sold and serviced in the USA. You can check out the complete line of binoculars, spotting scopes and rifle scopes on the web at www.alpenoutdoors.com.
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