On Wed, 07 Jun 2006 23:37:29 GMT, "Glen \"Wiley\" Wilson"
wrote:

Anecdotal experience: On several recent deliveries, the boats had
well-used Steiners aboard. Without exception, the Steiners had
mechanical problems of various sorts that rendered them useless.
However, I have trouble believeg that this is typical. The ones I've
handled in stores seem optically as good as my Fujinons, and don't
feel that flimsy. Any comments?

I have a pair of 7 x 50 Steiners that I like. They're about 2 years
old and have seen 7,000 miles of salt water trawler cruising in that
time. Low light visibility is excellent at night, and the optics are
crisp.

I do try very hard to protect them from the elements and mechanical
shock, something not always easy to do on a sailboat. I agree with the
advice about keeping an inexpensive pair for the guests to knock
around with. An additional advantage is that your "good" binoculars
remain properly adjusted for *your* eyes, a big advantage when you
need to see something quickly in low light conditions.