I bought a pair of the new ones since I posted this. First I'm really impressed with the optics. They are bright, clear, and focus to a really sharp view, for my eyes. I am an eyeglass wearer but these have enough eye relief so I can easily get the whole field of view..
I have an old pair, 25 years or there about.. I believe the body on the old ones are made of brass and leather wrapped.. The new ones are made of some sort of polymer at least the exterior is. Perhaps underneath is metal.. Bottom line is the old ones appear to be stouter. However there is NO comparison to the optics, the new ones are better hands down. But my pair of old ones have an internal fungs in spots and I'm sure the lense coatings have been rubbed off by many a shirttail...
If the new ones hold up I'll be very satisfied. I did return my old pair to hopefully be refurbished..
I wanted a small good pair of singe hinge bino's for bowhunting so these got the nod.
I'd probably have gone for the Leica or Zeiss but the dual hinge setup doesn't appeal to me at this time.. Pays your money ------