Thanks to all of you for your opinions and suggestions. As was overwhelmingly obvious in the poll numbers, I selected an 8 power optic instead of the 10 power I thought I wanted. Traveling to the Dallas area for the holiday weekend I knew my main stop would be Cabela's in Allen, TX. Once I got to the optics counter I was met by a very cute young lady named Ashley (the same as my daughter) that was, to my pleasant surprise, very knowledgeable in optics.
I selected a pair of Nikon ProStaff 8X25's and looked at the furthest wall I could see. Ashley told me they had ranged it at about 70 yards from the front of the counter. So for my comparisons I selected a sign on that wall and focused while trying to keep the picture in my mind as I looked through other glass at that same sign. The Nikon PS's were really clear, bright, and easy to focus. As I was talking about them I mentioned that they felt solid (translate: heavy) in my hand. She asked if I'd seen the Nikon Travelites. I hadn't so went and tried them. They did feel noticeable lighter but just didn't appear as bright and clear as the PS. So ..... rule those out.
Ashley then asked if I wanted to try the Vortex 8X28's and of course I did, but hadn't seen them on the shelf. After she explained the warranty (and after y'all's recommendations) I was chomping to try them. They were pretty darn good glass but seemed to have trouble getting them adjusted precisely for my eye width. There seemed to always be a slight black corner in the upper left picture. So I adjusted them both and found the Nikons to always be clear each time I threw them up to my eyes. Rule out the Vortex's.
They had them in stock so I had to just try the Cabelas Alaskan Guide 10X25's that I thought I had wanted. They were very good glass but had already made up my mind to stick with 8X's so I handed them back to her.
Decision made. Nikon ProStaff ATB 8X25
They weigh 12.5 ounces. That puts them 4oz more than my cheap compacts but still 8oz less than my Swaros.
So there you have it. Thanks again for all the advice. I hope they get lots of elk hair viewing in a couple of weeks.