Review: Redfield Rebel Bino's

For the past year, I've been on the hunt for new binoculars to replace my aging Bushnell's. Not only have they been used heavily, but technology has advanced so much that it was simply time for a better pair. After doing a lot of research, I settled on the Redfield Rebel 10x42 bino's. Hunters know Redfield for their quality scopes and now they're making binoculars and range finders.

Let me get the technical spec's out of the way first. The Rebel's are 5.9" long, weigh 26.4 oz.'s, have a field of view of 341' at 1,000 yards, and a close distance focus of 4.3 feet. They are a roof prism design utilizing BAK4 prisms and fully multicoated lenses. The Rebel's are fogproof, waterproof, and have an armored aluminum body. They are black in color and come with lens covers, neoprene neck strap, and a carry case. 

Redfield Rebel 10x42 binoculars

My criteria for new binoculars included a set price range, roof prism design, and ten power magnification. The roof prism design is more compact than porro prism designs and I wanted a higher power than my previous pair. Obviously, the higher the power the more "shake" you will notice when looking through a pair of binoculars. That's something to keep in mind if you don't have steady hands. 

The Rebel's lenses are fully multicoated which means every lens and lens surface has been coated multiple times. Generally speaking, there are three types of coating: coated, fully coated, and fully multicoated. Coated is the least extensive type and means only certain lens surfaces are covered. This is normally used on cheaper quality bino's. Fully coated is the next step up and covers all lens surfaces once. Fully multicoated covers every lens surface with several coats, as I mentioned, and is used on high quality binoculars. These coatings help with light transmission, anti-reflection, and glare. 

In addition to the high quality coating, the Rebel is built using BAK4 prisms which are made from higher quality glass. BK7 prisms are made of lower quality glass and are found in cheaper quality bino's. BAK4 prisms provide much clearer, sharper images. Most manufacturers will specify what kind of prisms and coatings are used in specific binoculars, but if you find some that don't, you can bet they're probably cheaply made. 

I've used my Rebel's while hunting and I am more than impressed with the quality of these binoculars! The view is sharp and crisp from edge to edge. Light transmission is exceptional. They feel solid and well built. The focus wheel turns flawlessly - there's no catch or looseness. The eyepieces adjust for people who wear glasses, but unlike older binoculars where you folded the rubber eyepiece down, these eyepieces twist up and down. The armored finish provides a very secure grip and I can attest that they are indeed fogproof. 

I watched two bucks from my stand this past weekend and was very pleased with the image these binoculars produced. I have a pair of Steiner binoculars that I don't use for hunting because they are too large. Anyone who knows anything about binoculars knows Steiner produces quality stuff. I literally cannot tell a difference between the Redfield's and the Steiner's just by looking through them. And my Steiner's cost four times as much. 

In addition to the 10x42 model which I have, the Rebel is also available in an 8x32 version. If you prefer a porro prism design, Redfield makes a Renegade line consisting of a 7x50 model and a 10x50 model. Now for the cool part...the Rebel 10x42 will run you $150. That's it. Try finding quality bino's with the features of the Rebel in that price range. They are few and far between. 

I am extremely pleased with my choice of binoculars to replace my old Bushnell's. Binoculars are very much a personal preference item, but if this is the style of bino you like, you should have these on your short list the next time you're shopping for a new pair. 

I know Cabela's and Bass Pro sell the Redfield's. Gander Mountain does not as of the time of this review, but I'm sure there are several other places that do. You can see the Redfield binoculars on their website: Redfield Binoculars. They did it right the first time with these optics.