I know there is a big difference in binoculars. I got my first pair for Christmas in 1968. A pair of Mercury 7x35, great glasses when you haven't had any. They still aren't too bad. My second pair was a pair of $30 Tascos. I bought a compact pair of Bausch and Lomb glasses, OK but not worth much after looking through the Swarovski glasses. The eye relief is great, no need to take off my glasses, but the $1,680 price tag sets me back. There is no comparison to the cheap glasses I now have. I will probably wait for a year, by then they will cost $1,800 !!