One might say “NEW”, but the Vortex Diamondbacks have been around for a very long time. They have been referred to as “the workhorse of price versus performance” for years in the Vortex line. However, a top of the line company like Vortex hasn’t made it to the top by resting on their laurels. They have made it to the top and intend to stay on top by getting the very most out of each and every optic they build at every price point. So, they have taken what is already one of their top sellers and improved on it. Best of all, they have been able to do this without a huge price increase.

Side by side, you wouldn’t even consider the old Diamondbacks to be in the same family or price point as the new ones. The new version has an extremely sleek design which is very similar to the higher price point optics. The open, single hinge design allows for a good portion of the barrel to be used to grasp onto. The thumb grooves on the bottom of the barrel also allow for a good form fit to your hand. If you like putting your binos onto a tripod for long hours of glassing, you will be happy to know that these come tripod adaptable, with the 3.8” screw fastening right into the hinge assembly.

The viewing experience with these binoculars is nothing short of spectacular, especially when you consider that the binoculars are less than $300. They have roll-up eye cups which have specific stops. They are very smooth and the mechanical feel to this new design is usually only found on higher end optics. The large focus wheel is very smooth and precise as well as the diopter adjustment on the right barrel. Many binoculars of this price often have very stiff adjustment mechanisms, but that is not the case with the new Diamondbacks. The fully, multi-coated and dielectric coatings provide a bunch of fancy words on how these roof prism binos allow light in and how much is to pass through these optics. From a layman’s standpoint, this equates to a quality set of optics that will get you identifying your target well before and after legal shooting light.

The new Diamondback binoculars from Vortex are hands down one of the best price vs performance binoculars we have had the ability to test. They are backed by the absolute best warranty in the industry. It’s called the VIP Unconditional Lifetime Warranty and we have tested it over the years with other products and it is the most dependable, hassle-free warranty in the business.