  Ultra-cool dwarfs as wide companions to subgiants, giants, white dwarfs and
main sequence stars can be very good benchmark objects, for which we can infer
physical properties with minimal reference to theoretical models, through
association with the primary stars. We have searched for benchmark ultra-cool
dwarfs in widely separated binary systems using SDSS, UKIDSS, and 2MASS. We
then estimate spectral types using SDSS spectroscopy and multi-band colors,
place constraints on distance, and perform proper motions calculations for all
candidates which have sufficient epoch baseline coverage. Analysis of the
proper motion and distance constraints show that eight of our ultra-cool dwarfs
are members of widely separated binary systems. Another L3.5 dwarf, SDSS 0832,
is shown to be a companion to the bright K3 giant Eta Cancri. Such primaries
can provide age and metallicity constraints for any companion objects, yielding
excellent benchmark objects. This is the first wide ultra-cool dwarf + giant
binary system identified.
