thanks again Julian,
indeed most of the letters in names took some working out AND were no real help in deciding what suited.
that's why it was great to have members' experiences to draw on to narrow down the type of binos that suit me.
the AA at Cloudy Nights has done lotsa well structured comparisons that helped me eliminate some other possibles and informed my 'half good luck and half good management' choice of the Pentax. I could not find his name to give him his due credit. a small bio says he has been involved in CN and writing articles/reports since its inception.
i'll now keep an eye out for the best deal, and check out any that come up . second hand. . . until i just order 'em new
L