Eden ED 10x42 binoculars | Expert Review by Folkert de Boer

I looked forward to meeting the new Eden ED. The current Eden XP is a pair of binoculars I recommend to many. A great pair in terms of price-quality ratio, especially in combination with the great service. That is why I was curious to find out if the new ED could match that.

First impressions

To be honest I wasn't that impressed when I first saw the Eden ED, but I did become more curious. The pair is compact, with a striking green ring on the focus wheel and the pattern on the rubber casing is slightly different.

My wife described it quite well: '"Not sleek, modern, but a nice colour green." I think this is more a case of acquired taste. I started to appreciate the design of the Eden binoculars more and more. On the one hand the design is quite basic, on the other it still continues to intrigue me because of the details.

The matching bag is sleek and decent, but a little big, as if it was made for a bigger pair. But a pair should be used, so for me it hardly ever sees the bag. And the bag nicely fits underneath the seat of your car.

When and how

These are truly allround binoculars. Great for in the windowsill in the kitchen to take a closer look at the bird in your garden, but also during hikes when you go out to look for birds, (large) game or want to explore nature, I can really recommend it. Because of its weight and size it cannot be stored in your pocket. So for trips where weight is key and you are looking for a small pair this might not be the best choice. Because I am used to always keeping a pair close, this does not apply to me and quickly got used to the weight.

The image is bright and even under difficult circumstances, bad weather, for instance, twilight etc. it still functions as it should and you can still see all details.

Controls and comfort

Focusing is easy, but there is still enough resistance. I cannot focus on my feet (approx. 190 cm in distance), but I can focus at 2 metres in front of me making this pair also great when observing insects.

The pair is relatively heavy, but it feels great in hand and also feels balanced. As such it never bothered me. The broad neck strap is also great. In the past I often found myself wearing out my neck (even with lighter pairs), but I never noticed it with the Eden.

Advantages

• The image is good: clear, bright and sharp.
• It feels great in hand, nicely balanced.
• Despite the basic first impression it has a great refreshing design.

Disadvantages

• The pair is relatively heavy.
• The rubber casing is ridged and has a pattern (type of coffee beans) for enough grip. Dirt, however, can accumulate in these grooves.
• The edge sharpness could be better

Value for money?

I feel that the pair falls just above the cheap segment, but is still a part of the middle segment. Mostly because of the quality of its older brother, the Eden XP, I often said that this segment is less interesting, but I do have to go back on that now. The ED is much better than the XP and is similar in quality to those pairs in the middle segment, and I even think it can measure up to some pairs from the top segment.

Perhaps a little too expensive for those starting out, but combined with the service from Knivesandtools I can definitely recommend this pair to those who want to invest in a good pair of binoculars.

So yes you do get a lot of value for money.

Conclusion

A lot was expected from the new Eden ED 10x42. The model I tested for this review was a little outside of my comfort zone, because I always used an 8x32 with harness instead of a neck strap. As such I was curious to find out if this 10x42 with neck strap could convince me. And it did! Compared to other pairs it has a bright and calm image. Up until now I always preferred an 8x magnification, because it provides you with calmer images, which, to me, is more important than the additional magnification.Compared to the XP 8x42 I thought the image was just as calm, and the 10x was just that bit extra I needed to be able to see all the details I needed to identify birds.

And I think the pair simply looks great, especially because of the green cap. It does not stand out, but is noticeable enough that in the field many asked me about the pair I was using. In short, after a month of intensive use I still love using the Eden ED.