Athlon Optics10x50 Cronus UHD Laser Rangefinder Black Binoculars with Eye Relief for Adults, High-Powered Binoculars for Hunting and Long-Range Targets

Did a low light test with a pair of 10x42 Swarovski EL’s and I couldn’t see a noticeable difference between the two. The Swaros are a more comfortable to hold, but they don’t have a rangefinder in them either. Overall, I’m very pleased!

You get what you pay for.

First of all, my rating is largely based on the price of these compared to some competition out there, not the quality. In terms of quality, they work. The glass is clear, it doesn't fog, and it allows in plenty of light. The rangefinder works well too...I've found it to be within a yard or two of all of my other rangefinders, which is completely normal, and when testing it on targets of known distance, it's accurate to within a few yards, which is more than passable for an affordable rangefinder and for hunting purposes. However, my main point of contention with the Cronus is the price. I have a set of Bushnell Fusion X binoculars that I like slightly better, and those are $650-700. Now, the Cronus does have a 50mm objective compared to the Fusion's 42mm, but there is not a noticeable difference in performance. This also makes the Bushnell slightly lighter, though nothing significant (3-4oz). The Fusion also makes use of ARC mode far more effectively...the Cronus has this feature as well, but it's not nearly as comprehensive, as the way that Bushnell display it is more coherent. The Bushnell also allow you to switch between a black and red reticle depending on lighting conditions, whereas the Athlon are red only. That may not sound like a big deal, but to me it actually is, as the red reticle more easily gets lost against the brownish-redish coat of a lot of animals when the sun is in the sky. Last, to me the Fusion just feel better in the hand and look better, though those are admittedly subjective so I don't factor them into the score. Honestly, there is nothing that the Fusion do that's just eons better than the Cronus, and if the Fusion didn't exist, the Cronus would be amazing, but there's nothing here that make them worth $500 more, especially considering the Fusion outperform the Cronus in a few minor ways. Finally, I will say that if you're still on the fence, check out the Burris Signature HD series. I don't yet have hands-on experience with them, but there are some features that they have that neither the Fusion or the Cronus have that I find highly desirable, such as the ability to mount to a tripod, and an almost inch shorter footprint, and the build quality looks very nice. And of course, you have the Vortex Fury. I do have hands-on experience with the Fury, though I have not owned my own set. They are typical Vortex quality, they are tripod adaptable, but I don't like the display, as I found it too busy, and I don't like the button layout, but those are both subjective. Both of those are in the $800-850 price range and might be worth a look as well. Then you have the "budget" options, like the Astra HBX...those were the first pair of laser ranging binoculars I owned. While their design is...dated, and their glass quality isn't great, if you're only going to use them in clear weather, don't mind a little bit of blur, and you don't mind a literal laser body hanging off the front of them rather that being nicely integrated, and you don't mind the ranging being a second or two slower, they're a good option at under $400, though the ones I had were about 10-12 yards off, whereas everything else I've used is +/- 1-2 yards...but still, they're only $400. If Athlon dropped the price of the Cronus by $400-500, they'd be easy to recommend, but as it is, $1200 is too expensive for what they deliver in comparison to the competition.

The Athlon Cronus Rangefinder Binoculars aren't worth the money they charge. Optics are very good way better than the regular Cronus Gen 2 binoculars however the combo with the built in rangefinder has lots of problems reading past 800 yards while the Burris Signature HD Rangefinder Binoculars are night and day better in ranging much longer distances reliably and in fact are much cheaper and not as heavy and is actually tripod mountable unlike the Athlon.