BW/W.Ger. armored binos - questions

[BB75]

Hello-

I recently lost my favorite binoculars, a pair of 8x30 Armee Francaise Hensoldts with reticle, on a canoe trip, so am hunting for a replacement.

West German surplus armored binoculars such as these:

http://tedbrink.webs.com/germanyhensoldtferd12.htm

are common on U.S. Ebay, but I am not partial to the thick covering since I take my field glasses on hikes and birdwatching. One set I was looking at seemed to have the covering partly removed on the back plate by the ocular assemblies which led me to wonder if the entire covering can be removed (presumably with a razor or other sharp implement) to leave something more akin to this:

http://www.holgermerlitz.de/images/zeiss8x30a.jpg

I know that peeling the covering off might seem like desecration or abuse to some and would not do it without some deliberation and assurance that doing so would NOT wreck the binoculars. The armored sets are plentiful on U.S. Ebay and appear to have the features I seek, except for the bulkiness and weight.

Thanks for any help,
Brian

[nickn]

Buy a pair of 8x zeiss jenoptems

[MAUSER99]

there are hundreds of those on ebay at any given time. I just picked up a set
of Zeiss 7x50b and I must say the optics are stunning when compared to wartime glasses of 70+ years. Most vintage optics do require a servicing before using. If you shop around you can find really nice vintage coated optics used in the 20-30 $ range..