Ben is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys climbing, mountaineering, hunting, and fishing. He has spent more than two decades balancing work and passion, providing professional web development, software development, IoT, hardware design, and consulting services, while enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer.
When Ben isn't in the field, he enjoys building radio control vehicles, fpv drones, and tinkering on a wide range of hobby and commercial electronics projects. He combines his outdoor life experiences, with his technical skills to bring an expert perspective to GearLab. Ben is also passionate about researching products, diving into technical specifications, developing testing plans, collecting data, data analysis, and running products through the gauntlet to determine the best products and values for our readers.
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Benjamin Hickok
Review Editor
Showing 1-15 of 17 by Benjamin Hickok
Best Binoculars of 2024
What are the best binoculars? We took 16 different models through rigorous outdoor testing to find out. We went...Editors' Choice
Vortex Viper HD 8x42 Review
Hitting a near-perfect balance between price and quality, this is a great pair of bins for enthusiastic wildlife...Editors' Choice
Zeiss Victory SF 10x42 Review
This is an incredible pair of binos that offers a premium experience at a premium price, but a couple of other premium...Editors' Choice
Nikon Monarch M7 10x42 Review
With good clarity and brightness, this model can definitely improve the quality of your next wildlife walk. However...Best Buy
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x42 Review
Offering potentially the best price-to-performance ratio of any bins currently on the market, this model is a great...Best Buy
Celestron Nature DX 8x42 Review
For those seeking a low cost introduction to birdwatching, or those that want an inexpensive way to get a better look...Best Buy
Nikon Trailblazer ATB Waterproof 10x25 Review
A decent option for good clarity in a compact format.Top Pick
Vortex Diamondback HD 8x28 Review
If you're looking for binos that are both inexpensive and lightweight, look no further. These tiny optics pack an...Adorrgon 12x42 HD Review
Lackluster performances across many of our test metrics leaves a lot to be desired. You'll want to look elsewhere.Bushnell H20 10x42 Review
We were uninspired by this pair of binoculars that provided poor performance and collimation.Nocs Provisions 8x25 Waterproof Review
Everyone wants to see an underdog win, but the performance of these budget binoculars is on par with the price point.Swarovski EL 8.5x42 Review
Crystal lenses and thoughtful design touches make the Swarovski EL the best binoculars you can buy. If you want the...Nikon Prostaff P3 10x42 Review
An affordable pair of binoculars that failed to impress where it matters most.Leica Noctivid 10x42 Review
Leica offers top-of-the-line optical quality in the Noctivid, but slightly misses the mark on a couple of design...Nikon Monarch M5 8x42 Review
Combing great optical quality and exceptional brightness with a mid-tier price, these binoculars are a decent option...
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