Recently I've heard from a couple of people who have dropped their large binocular, and collimation was lost as a result. The currently popular Oberwerk, Bear, and Galileo 15x70mm units all share the same construction. They are cast aluminum bodies, of the "German" style, that is, the objective housing is a separate piece that threads into the prism housing. The combination of cast aluminum and the German body style is not robust, especially in a larger binocular where the objective housing is several inches long. The aluminum is particulary susceptible to impact-caused distortions that do not "spring back" after the impact. The "neck" area that threads into the prism housing is also a weak spot from a design standpoint. The rubber "armor" on these units is a marketing tool, and not effective against impact-caused damage. At most is protects from cosmetic surface damage to the aluminum housing only. Any impact sufficiently strong to bend or deflect the housing will not be stopped by 1.5mm of molded-rubber sheet. These binoculars must be treated like a camera lens, or expensive eyepiece. They are not "knock-about" binoculars, cannot be tossed casually into a car trunk or onto a table without serious risk of damage. If the impact was severe enough, it may not be possible to re-collimate the binocular without replacing some housing components. Luckily, so far the dropped units I've seen have been easily re-collimated. Binoculars that will generally withstand a substantial impact, like dropping them from 3 or 4 feet onto the ground, or bumping them hard into something, will have a polycarbonate (Lexan) or FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) body in the "American" style, that is, the objective housing and prism housing are all one unit, with no weak attachment point for stress to concentrate. These are the "knock-about" binoculars that are much more able to withstand abuse. Generally they are priced above $200-$250 for something in the 60-70mm range, and are Japanese and European made, for the most part. This is the price to be paid for a low-priced binocular. While I am very pleased with the construction and performance of my Bears and Oberwerks, I know that the design itself, and materials, are not able to withstand much abuse, so I treat them accordingly. I do NOT feel that this is a flaw. One would not criticize a camera lens or Nagler eyepiece because it can't be dropped without damage. One merely has to be careful with them. Though relatively inexpensive, they are still precision optical devices. If you feel that you need a much more rugged binocular due to use by children, the general public, or for other reasons, I would strongly suggest a Japanese-made unit in the "American" body style, with a polycarbonate or FRP housing, at about double the cost. And it's still a good idea to learn how to service your own binocular if and when needed. Chuck __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com