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Review: Theron Wapiti LT 8x32

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Klamath View Drop Down
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    Posted: November/18/2011 at 17:13

 

Some time back, I got an unexpected package in the mail.  It was a simple, 8x32 open bridge binocular.  It was green and black and said only waterproof, 8x32, field of view 420' @1,000 yds on the focus knob.  A note just asked for evaluation and an opinion as to whether or not it was worth trying to market.  This simple, aluminum mirrored prototype has morphed into the Theron Wapiti LT

 

I'm not totally sure if Theron plans to phase out the Wapiti HQ with the Wapiti LT.  The LT is for Lightweight.  The optics are similar, but the ergonomics are quite different.  The open bridge LT is lighter than the piano hinge of the HQ and has a wider fov, so as it stands, there is a selection of two nice binoculars at about the same price point.  The release LT  has somewhat different and better multicoatings and dielectric prism coating compared to the prototype. Otherwise, except for being all black, it is the same body style.  They were supposed to be green like the prototype, but they came in black.  There still is practically nothing on the binocular.  There is waterproof, 8x32, and Field 8*/140 m/1000 m lettered on the focus wheel.  There is a small, silver Theron badge between two parallel silver lines on the left objective barrel of the binocular, that’s it.  It has a very basic nylon case, without strap, but with a belt loop on the back.  It comes with a cleaning cloth and an unmarked, stretchy foam type neck strap that is just the right length.  It has objective covers and a standard rain guard.  The objectives are tethered.  However they are a little different than typical in that the caps have an inner ring that presses into the objective housing.  The exposed ends of the barrels past the bottom hinge are very short, and I doubt a standard style tethered rain guard would work.  That was what came with the prototype and there simply was not enough room there for that to work.  These covers work just fine.  The tether rings are snug enough they will stay put.  It is a bit of a pain to pop the covers into place on the end of the objective, but once done they stay put too.

 

This seems fairly typical in size and dimension to many other open bridge 8x32 class binoculars.  In particular, I note the nearly identical physical appearance of binoculars from Kenco and Vixen.  There is a striking resemblance to the Minox 8x33 Comfort Bridge as well.  The Theron is 5x5.4 inches in dimension (5.25 in with the eye cups fully collapsed).  They have the same 58-82 mm IPD adjustments listed in the AllBinos reviews of the Kenco and Vixen.  The diopter is right eye and is adjusted by pulling the focus knob forward to engage the diopter.  The Theron weighs 20.0 oz with covers and strap.

 

The large focus knob is both comfortable, and easy to manipulate.  The focus operates through somewhat over one full turn, but less than one and one quarter.  Viewed as a clock face, there are about 14 hours of rotation.  The rotation is on the firm side, but smooth and has very little slack (play, slop, whatever adjective you wish).  The binocular focuses counterclockwise to infinity and has a close focus of about 6.5 feet.  One half turn of the wheel takes the binocular from close focus to 100’.  The other one half turn goes from there to infinity, with the rest, about ¼ turn, going past infinity.  The depth of focus seems to me typical of other 8x glasses I have.

 

After reading some recent threads dealing with various 8x32 binoculars, linked below, the Theron looks better to me than the similar Kenco and Vixen came across in the AllBinos reviews.  The bird forum link is for the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32, posted there by FrankD.

 

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=211793

http://www.allbinos.com/190-binoculars_review-ixen_New_Foresta_HR_8x32_WP.html

http://www.allbinos.com/203-binoculars_review-Kenko_Ultra_View_OP_8x32_DH.html

 

The Theron seem to me to more exemplify the comments on the Sightron.&nbs

Steve
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted". William Bruce Cameron

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