I actually just had my Monarchs repaired by Nikon and am expecting them in the mail today. I was very pleased with the ease, affordability (they're way past warranty) and speed of the repair process.

I understand what Ken and Bryan (in his blog post) are saying about 8s vs 10s, and there are definitely tradeoffs, but I respectfully disagree that 8s offer as good a viewing experience as 10s, if you're using midrange-priced binos. I used to bird with decent midrange 8s, then switched to Monarch 10s and would never go back. 

It is absolutely true that it's harder to get on a bird with 10s due to the narrower field of view - that is definitely the big trade off - so for a novice birder, I would always suggest 8s. But having gotten reasonably adept at locating birds, I LOVE the size and clarity of the image that 10s offer. To me, on this point, there is no contest: 10s win.

Perhaps I would feel differently  if I were using top-of-line binos (someday!), but that's my humble opinion where midrange binos are concerned.

--Miriam Lawrence