Tom Lock 'Series 2' 8x42 Waterproof Binocular

Really pleased with this purchase. Tom Lock is not a well known brand, in fact it is fairly new, and there were no customer reviews for this item on Amazon. There is some great feedback for the Series 1 10x42, but I wanted 8x42 for bird watching and safari. I used Bestbinocularreviews as a good resource to find more detail and test information, and these binoculars are as good as they say. Here are my initial views:Pros:- Nice size and weight- Robust feel/ good build quality- Eye/ lens cups are secure on- The focus wheel is fantastic, really smooth, made of metal and comfortable to use- Gathers lots of light giving a bright and crisp view, great for early mornings and evenings- Comfortable neck strap- The soft bag/ carry case is light and allows the binoculars and strap to comfortable fit inside- Perfectly comfortable to use whilst wearing glassesCons:- Some fringing occurs BUT was only noticeable under strong sunlight midday. I guess this would occur in most binoculars under same conditions- Bag is secured by valcro, and whilst this if fine for me, some might prefer a zip.My only side by side comparison is my existing pair of Bushnells 25x10's, and the Tom Locks beat these hands down in terms of brightness, clarity and focussing.Its worth noting that there is no branding on the bag, binocular or neck strap. for me though its the quality of the binocular that counts and I think these are excellent and great value for £99. I would definitely recommend.

After weeks of research I find these Tom Lock Very bright, clear and just what I wanted. so far I am very impressed.

Tom Lock not a brand I have heard of or indeed was easy to track down, the brand philosophy is to concentrate their budget on the product, not on branding. The result is that, on paper at least, their binoculars represent extremely good value for money. I was looking for a pair of general nature/birdwatching binoculars to replace an old pair of Optolyth Alpin binoculars that I have had for 35 years. I also have two pairs of modern compact binoculars that are fine for general use but I wanted something a bit better for low light situations, so decided an 8 x 42 would be ideal.Experience with the compacts led me to believe that a roof prism design would need to have phase correction coatings. My budget was up to £130; within this a few designs also had ED glass,Various designs by Hawke, Opticron, Celestron, Vanguard were in the mix, but then I happened across the Tom Lock brand. The binos fulfilled the basic criteria - 8x42, waterproof, Nitrogen purged, fully multi-coated, optics, BAK4 prisms with phase correction coatings. In addition, the prisms were silver coated to give higher reflectance and thus a brighter image. Close focusing a reasonable 2m and field of view 129m /1000m, eye relief quoted as 17.5mm, adequate for me as I wear specs. The price of just under £100 was low for this specification. Reviews, though limited, were good. I took the plunge and was pleased I did.In the box - binoculars and strap, cordura-type case with strap, small cleaning cloth.The binoculars themselves are quite hefty, although mid-weight for this class of bino. The rubber covering is matte and odour free, and devoid of branding, with a textured area on each barrel to aid grip. Construction generally seems good, the focus wheel is machined metal and turns smoothly. Over two full turns of the wheel are needed to go from close focus to infinity, which is a little on the high side, but it does give fine control over focus once subject is acquired. Optically, the image is bright and distortion free- these binos seem to have a large "sweet spot" with little edge blur. Colour fringing has not been a problem so far. Eye cups have three adjustment stops, but will stay in place in intermediate positions. Close focus is indeed 2m.These appear to be excellent value for money binos, although early days to test their durability, I have confience in them so far, and optically they are just what I was looking for. 5 stars for these!

I bought these binoculars in October 2015 as the 8 x 42 version and loved them but over the period I changed them out for the 10 x 42 direct with Opticalia, a brilliant organisation by the way, and loved them also. Slighter field of view but a little brighter and since I am now retired and my eyes are older this helps a lot in a long days birding. These bins are not mainstream but should be and this is a direct result of the business model adopted while ploughing the profits in to the development of the best optics at the smallest cost to us the consumer a brilliantly laudable undertaking. They are bright, extremely sharp in all lights and are very very inexpensive for the fully coated prisms and exceptional glass deployed. Fantastic, Fantastic value for money and I would not be without them. In each and every hide I am in I always meet others with more expensive and more identifiable brand names and always make a point of "swapping for a try" of my Tom Lock 2's and watch the reactions of all who use them for the first time, hilarious, if they only new how inexpensive and how expensive their glass was in strict comparison. Highly recommended in the extreme.

Focusing wheel handles great. Image is bright and sharp. I used them on safari and they had a good work-out. The rubber eye-cup came off due to the heat and vibrations in the car when we drove through the parks. Opticalia instantly offered to repair this minor issue. Super quick response from the seller! Overall, built-quality is great. Hard to imagine the £99 could get you a better pair of bins.

Very pleased. They are at least as good as my others which were more than twice as expensive. With the Tom Lock also one set of the caps are already fixed and the other easily secured to the strap. On my old ones all 4 came off and got lost.

AQ little heavier than we thought, but not bad.

These bins are a HUGE surprise. I can't believe how good they are for the price. Don't even think about it, just buy a pair. Plenty of online reviews about their tech spec but by the time you find and read them you could have bought a pair.