I received the Oberwerk 25x100 IF on November 10, 2009. I received them from UPS Ground and the box was intact and it had written in large red writing "Extremely Fragile-Delicate Instruments". I opened the box to see multiple foam peanuts and then I saw a second box. I opened that box and there were multiple levels of bubble wrap. I then saw a heavy duty aluminum case with keys included. I opened the case to find the carrier strap. I took the binoculars out and inspected them briefly. They felt very secure and heavy. I highly recommend a serious mount for these. I use a Quickset Professional Video Tripod. Hurricane Ida has dampened my excitment but I will repost later when I have clear skies with more reviews. I own a pair of Celestron Skymaster 25x100. It had decent optics but the built in mount was horrible and it felt very insecure even on a professional mount. I can tell the Oberwerk is going to be a far superior binocular.