For two months now I have been testing a pair of binoculars that often get mentioned in posts where members are looking into relatively inexpensive pair that offer decent quality for a reasonable price. Hopefully this review might help those in such a position going forward. The binoculars I have been testing are the Hawke Endurance ED 8x32. I bought these for £199.00. I needed a pair that I could put in my motorcycle tank bag and not care much if they got knocked about.
These are the 2024 model. I have owned every derivative of Hawke Endurance, Frontier, Sapphire, Pro-Stalk binocular there is and it’s a brand that I have always been impressed with, how do these fair.
These 8x32 are so small I almost class them as compacts. I can slip them into my coat pocket when on foot. They take up little room in my tank bag, perfect for what I need them for. For an 8x32 they feel quite heavy but very solid, not uncomfortable on a long walk. For weights/dims see Hawke website.They come in a quality case with an inner liner, much better than the “hessian sack” that my Swaro’s come with. The bins feel very solid indeed.
Ergonomics seem pointless mentioning as what suits me may not suit you. I’ll concentrate purely on the image quality which is surely the most important aspect of the test. All previous models I have owned have without doubt exceeded my expectation of what a quality image should be from a budget offering. However, every one of them gave a slightly warmer colour tone than was true of the real-life image. The coatings create this effect, and I have noticed it most vividly on the old Tasco scopes from years ago. It looks lovely but it isn’t a true rendition of the subject you are viewing.
These 8x32 do not have this warm hue. The image quality in this set has impressed, it is so true to reality, crystal clear in fact, I find it difficult to compare with any alpha binoculars I have owned. The overall brightness of the image is within a few percent of any top end binocular I have owned. I find no distortion out to around the last 5% of the view. Absolutely zero colour fringing and no rolling ball effect. These are the best Hawke binoculars I have tried but I haven’t tried any of the higher end Hawke binoculars from current years. If they are on a par with these then I find it hard to justify spending the extra on the high-end stuff like I have.
There are a couple of niggles though that I find annoying. The focus wheel, whilst very smooth in operation it is so easy to skip past the sweet spot and then have to return either way to dial in that perfect spot, the rate seems rapid. The other minor niggle is the flip up lens caps on the objectives. They are so stiff they keep returning up into view and it took me a while to realise it wasn’t my eye position at all. The lenses are set so far back in the body I see no need for them, so they are off.
In closing I would say that anyone with a budget of £200 or less might consider taking a look at these, I’m sure they won’t be disappointed.
These are the 2024 model. I have owned every derivative of Hawke Endurance, Frontier, Sapphire, Pro-Stalk binocular there is and it’s a brand that I have always been impressed with, how do these fair.
These 8x32 are so small I almost class them as compacts. I can slip them into my coat pocket when on foot. They take up little room in my tank bag, perfect for what I need them for. For an 8x32 they feel quite heavy but very solid, not uncomfortable on a long walk. For weights/dims see Hawke website.They come in a quality case with an inner liner, much better than the “hessian sack” that my Swaro’s come with. The bins feel very solid indeed.
Ergonomics seem pointless mentioning as what suits me may not suit you. I’ll concentrate purely on the image quality which is surely the most important aspect of the test. All previous models I have owned have without doubt exceeded my expectation of what a quality image should be from a budget offering. However, every one of them gave a slightly warmer colour tone than was true of the real-life image. The coatings create this effect, and I have noticed it most vividly on the old Tasco scopes from years ago. It looks lovely but it isn’t a true rendition of the subject you are viewing.
These 8x32 do not have this warm hue. The image quality in this set has impressed, it is so true to reality, crystal clear in fact, I find it difficult to compare with any alpha binoculars I have owned. The overall brightness of the image is within a few percent of any top end binocular I have owned. I find no distortion out to around the last 5% of the view. Absolutely zero colour fringing and no rolling ball effect. These are the best Hawke binoculars I have tried but I haven’t tried any of the higher end Hawke binoculars from current years. If they are on a par with these then I find it hard to justify spending the extra on the high-end stuff like I have.
There are a couple of niggles though that I find annoying. The focus wheel, whilst very smooth in operation it is so easy to skip past the sweet spot and then have to return either way to dial in that perfect spot, the rate seems rapid. The other minor niggle is the flip up lens caps on the objectives. They are so stiff they keep returning up into view and it took me a while to realise it wasn’t my eye position at all. The lenses are set so far back in the body I see no need for them, so they are off.
In closing I would say that anyone with a budget of £200 or less might consider taking a look at these, I’m sure they won’t be disappointed.
