Celestron vs Oberwerk - Part 2

[Kolchak357]

A couple of weeks ago I posted a thread asking for some input in deciding between two pair of binoculars. I received a bunch of good advice and ended up ordering the Oberwerk LW 11x70 binoculars. After placing the order, I went on the Walmart website to look at the Celestron model one more time. After reviewing the Walmart return policy I order a pair of Cometrons as well. A good old handheld test was done last night on my back deck.

Oberwerk LW 11x70
$149 + shipping
BAK 4, Broadband Multicoated (dark green in color)
6.3 Exit Pupil, 23mm Eye Relief, 4.5 FOV

Celestron Cometron 12x70
$64 + Tax
BAK 4, Multicoated (dark purple in color)
5.8 Exit Pupil, 19.6mm Eye Relief, 4.6 FOV

Above are the specs according to the manufacturers. My understanding is that they function more like 11x63 binoculars because of their construction. But I will leave that to folks much smarter than I am. This is just a simple user test by a guy that is pretty new to backyard astronomy.

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Both pair come with a soft case that doesn't really offer much protection. Both also come with a cover/rain guard and two caps for the objective lenses. Both also came with pretty nice (and comfortable straps). The Oberwerks came with a second strap from bigbinoculars.com. The Celestrons also included a tripod adapter. This is a nice touch but I didn't try it out. Neither pair is water proof.

Finally had a chance to get out with both of them last night. Both are of the same size and both weigh approximately 3 pounds. Really difficult to tell them apart by feel as they are of almost identical construction. Both have a nice balance to them. I was able to hold them as stable as my old 10x50's but not for as long a period of time. For me, holding the 3 pounds for more than one minute (yeah I timed it) become a bit of a strain on my shoulders. I do most of my binocular viewing in a swivel rocker, and both pair were nice to handle in a seated position. I scanned the sky for a couple hours checking out Coma Bernices, Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, Beehive cluster, sattelites, airplanes/jets, and just scanning the sky without any given destination. I also did a little daytime viewing with both pair before the sun set. But I don't think I would use them for hiking or birding. Too bulky and heavy to lug around for those uses imo.

My conclusions - Both pair were well collimated. I've heard of collimation issues with the lower end Celestron binocs, but it was not an issue with my pair. Both had a nice rubber armor coating. I could not notice a difference between the 11 and 12 power. Magnification seemed the same to me. The field of view also seemed the same to my eyes.
Differences - The Oberwerks seemed to be a touch brighter for me (coating?). My wife thought the brightness was the same. So they are very close in this regard. The color and sharpness of both were very good. I would give a slight edge to the Oberwerks but not by very much. The Celestron had a larger easier to reach center focus. But the Celestron didn't seem to hold focus as well as the Oberwerk. Not sure of the cause of this, but I found myself having to focus more often with the Celestrons.
So it seems all of the advice was correct. The Oberwerk binocs were the better choice and the Cometrons went back to Walmart on my way to work this morning. The focus issue, and slightly better sharpness were the deciding factors. For the money paid I think most people would be relatively happy with either pair.

[a100171]

Nice review, thanks for taking the time for posting!
I was on the fence about getting a pair of '70s, and was hesitating getting the Celestrons. I was actually trying to figure out some sort of clean and simple "power assist" sort of mechanism so I could do this with 1 arm, but I figured someone else has already done it. I think a tripod and my astronomy stool would work, but maybe it is time to see what others have done on the Web.

I probably have enough change in the jar to buy some, and then some...

[Kolchak357]

For under $70 the Celestron Cometron were very nice. If my wife didn't mind the weight of them, I would have actually kept both pair.

[Lowjiber]

Nice report.

My kids gave me a Cometron (12x70) for father's day last year. They were fine, except the brass inset where the L-bracket attaches came out (was stripped on outside thread) when I started to attach the bracket. I didn't say anything, just used my infamous swiffer mop for a monopod.

Thanks much.

[a100171]

Nice report.

My kids gave me a Cometron (12x70) for father's day last year. They were fine, except the brass inset where the L-bracket attaches came out (was stripped on outside thread) when I started to attach the bracket. I didn't say anything, just used my infamous swiffer mop for a monopod.

Thanks much.

That is priceless! I thought that you just used the stick, wedged into the tripod adapter.

[Lowjiber]

That is priceless! I thought that you just used the stick, wedged into the tripod adapter.

Well, I said "infamous" because so many folks have tried the idea after seeing the pics and thanked me.

[a100171]

Quote Originally Posted by a100171 View Post
That is priceless! I thought that you just used the stick, wedged into the tripod adapter.
Well, I said "infamous" because so many folks have tried the idea after seeing the pics and thanked me.

I am still a bit old fashioned...I was thinking a cotton string mop! You are talking about one of those high-tech mops!
Well off to the ice box to get a drink; I have to setup the card table near the divan for the Canasta game tonight.

[Don Kittrell]

I also find myself fussing with the focus a lot on my Cometrons, but other than that they perform good. Mine also came collimated which I was a little concerned with as well from other comments I had read elsewhere, but they were fine.

[Kolchak357]

Don, it sounds like your Cometrons are much like mine. Other than the focus issue (which really wasn't that big an issue) they performed very well.

On a side note, I picked up a pair of Garrett 12x60 for my wife on eBay for like $60 and she absolutely loves them. Lighter and smaller than my 11x70's. Much easier for her to handle. I tried them out and they are really nice.