Final update: $325 later, opted for the Nikon Monarch 5 10X42. I tried both the 8X and 10X and preferred the latter, and didn't have problems with focus, following a moving object, etc.
The dollars are smaller, but this experience was similar to my hunting for a new bicycle several years back. Naively, I thought $750 was a generous budget allowance for a new road bike, and ended up paying some $500 above that (and even that $1250 is relatively small potatoes in the cycling-purchase-world!). So, paying $165 over my planned amount is a bargain compared to my bicycle hunt.