I would not dispute the Nikon's. My boyfriend uses them exclusively and swears by them. I have Celestron's and I swear by them
I do have a cheap pair of Alpen's that I carry in my Jeep. They are just that, cheap. I don't have any experience with their more expensive bino's, maybe they are OK.
For anyone curious about comparing different bino's, here is an interesting (but somewhat technical) link. Scroll down near the bottom and you will find the reports/comparisons to click on.
http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1769