Most of you will be familiar with Burris from when the range-finding and ballistic-drop-compensating Eliminator series of scopes became popular in New Zealand. It was unique in what it offered and found a firm following amongst some hunters. Although that type of scope isn’t my style, Burris has made a name for itself in New Zealand and has launched a series of scopes and binoculars in the mid-price to premium bracket named the Signature Series. On review are the 10×42 Signature binoculars, and here’s a breakdown on how they handled testing:

Value for Price – the Burris Signature binoculars retail at $1099. Given the quality of the glass and the Burris Forever Warranty, these are a good buy. They sit in the middle bracket for price.

Weight – coming in at just under 700 grams means the Burris are relatively lightweight for equivalent binoculars. For optics that don’t come with inbuilt electronics or range-finding, these would land in the lower third for weight. For the majority, this doesn’t matter, but if weight saving is important to you, then it all counts!

HD Glass – the Burris lenses are high definition, and when compared to two other brands in the same mid-price range, they were comparable to one and remarkably better than the other. The lenses are super sharp and good in low light.

Lens Covers – standard rubber lens covers come with the binoculars. These are held in place by a rubber ring and, typical of the design, are likely to fall off once the rubber loses some of its elasticity. There are only a few binocular designs I’ve seen with a workable solution and none in this price bracket.

Focus Ring – when testing a focus ring, you should be looking to see how fine the focus is you can achieve, if there’s any play or looseness in the ring, and what tension holds the dial in place when it’s in focus. Too loose and it’ll turn too easily; too stiff and it becomes slow and hard to turn. The Signature binos achieve a particularly good focus and have perfect tension – there’s no play in the dial.

FOREVER WARRANTY – “NO QUESTIONS ASKED”

Burris’s promise that their warranty is good in perpetuity – no questions asked – is a massive boost to any premium product. We ended up putting this to the test as we had a small screw come loose under the rubber protectors of the ocular cups; it worked itself loose while on a hunt, but luckily, I managed to secure it. True to their word, the binoculars were replaced – no questions asked.

SUMMARY

The Burris Signature HD are a no-nonsense, compact, simple, robust pair of binoculars. The glass is great and reasonably priced for non-fluorite high-definition lenses. For $1099, you get a great standard binocular with a fantastic warranty. It’s unfortunate the tiny screw came loose for me, but it was a great chance to see the warranty kick into action – the binoculars were replaced within the week.

A testament to these binoculars is that I’ve purchased this model – as it suits my style of hunting. Premium glass and range-finding binoculars are great, but the price coupled with weight are two reasons you’ll always find me with a pair of mid-price range, sturdy, compact optics – just like the Signature HDs. I have a range-finder for the range and use a sturdy pair of 10x for glassing.