My primary birding binoculars presently are Nikon 8 x 42 EDG, second generation. I really love the ergonomics, and the view is excellent. People considering EDG should be aware that in designing them Nikon aoparently emphasizes fighting glare and an "easy view" over optimal brightness, and some people are disappointed at what they consider to be a "dark" image.
Also, despite the alpha binocular engineering overall, my EDG binocs have experienced chipping of the finish on the focus wheel and other parts of the central bridge area. This does not affect functionality, obviously, but I always thought that this reflected badly on the way the binoculars were designed.
As for service by Nikon, we all know by now that customer service is not Nikon's strong suit, and one decides to purchase Nikon gear despite the unpredictability of service. Sometimes Nikon does very well: I recently lost one of the tethered objective covers on my EDG binocs and Nikon sent me two replacements in the mail, free. It took a few weeks but I got them. On the other hand, when I lost one of the thin rubber coverings on the front eyepieces Nikon made me send the binoculars in for a "free" servicing. That cost me $15 in shipping for a part they could have thrown in an envelope and mailed to me.
Also: I still own a pair of 10 x 42 SE porro prism binoculars, which I have always really liked. However, there are no longer parts available (such as the extendable rubber eyepiece coverings). If you extend and retract these repeatedly (as would someone with eyeglasses) they eventually crack. This can be postponed through judicious usage of ArmorAll or another rubber conditioner, but eventually the pieces will wear out. When this happened to me I asked Nikon for replacements and was told these were not available. However, since there is a lifetime warranty on the SE's they said if I sent them the binoculars they would replace them with a brand new pair of Monarch HG binoculars. At the time, I thought that was ridiculous and I turned them down. But the Monarch HG's are actually quite good, so maybe I should have accepted the offer.
My point is not that Nikon customer service is monolithically "bad," but that it is kind of unpredictable. With Zeiss, Leica, and (especially) Swarovski, you get first-class service as befits a large purchase such as alpha binocs. I do think Nikon will continue to do what they can to service EDG binoculars, but since they are discontinued we just know they will run out of parts before long. Also, it seems that most of the EDG optics sold these days, (e.g., on ebay) are items marketed in Japan, so it is dubious as to whether Nikon in other countries will service them (because they are considered "gray market.")
All things considered, there is a lot militating against buying EDG binoculars at this point; on the other hand, if the price is right, why not?
