Wingspan Optics Outdoorsman 8X42 Compact Wide View Monocular for Deliciously Bright, Crisp Images. One Hand Focus. Lightweight, Waterproof, Fogproof, Tripod Capable. for Bird Watching and Hiking

This is my first monocular, but not my first 'distance' viewing device, from rifle scopes to many pairs of binoculars in the past, both new and second hand. For comparison I had on hand an old set of almost pocket-sized Bushnell 7x25s (not a fair comparison dude to magnification difference), old third-hand Skyline 7x50, and my own holy chalice, the Steiner Nighthunter 10x50. Going all in I compared it to the Steiners, not entirely fair as the Nighthunters collect an obscene amount of light, and are also infinite focus. My limitation in testing is not having a clear, full moon night to see how Polaris' offering delivers in comparison.What did I find? In daylight, the EagleEye is a serviceable replacement for the Steiners, at a fraction of the cost. It lacks the full-relief eye cup and focus is manual, but the clarity was almost on par. What?! I seriously did not expect it to be as sharp and bright as it, considering similar monoculars in the general ballpark (someone close in magnification, features, and price) almost all had some reasonably negative reviews, from eyepieces coming apart to inconsistent focus across the lens. The quality of the optics is great, and an absolute bargain for the price! So far as I can tell parts and build are solid (possible exception near end of review), and the focus is not only smooth to operate but uniform across the lens in all directions, from near to far extremes. Focus is controlled by the black, ribbed dial seen on the top stalk and can be easily and smoothly rolled with the index finger while still maintaining a good grip on the lightly-textured body. The technique is easy, but if you're uncertain, wear the neck leash or use two hands. Simple!One thing I like about the this unit over some competitors is that the housing is a reasonable plastic, not at all pliant but also not overly hard. A few brands are using a rubberized coating (to make their product seem more 'durable'?) which I was trying to avoid. Some modern items such as my OXO can opener had a soft, rubbery touch for grip and has broken down and become tacky and sticky in just a few short years, and there's no easy way for a consumer to tell good coating from bad when something is new. Polaris avoided that on the EagleEye and should remain pleasant to use and easily clean for many, many years to come. I think that's all any of us want any more, something that lasts more than just a few years rather than being disposable, right?Overall, for basic day hikes and ease of use and portability (plus, lower expense should it get damaged on an excursion) this is a massive win over packing big binoculars. More compact, lighter, and in daylight near-comparable imaging. Yes, images may appear a wee bit jiggly, it needs to be held still, however *any* x42 objective lens is going to cause that, regardless of the brand. If you don't have a steady hand you'll want to step down to a smaller piece, no matter the manufacturer, or use your hiking staff as a monopod if it has a thread-on top which would allow the staff to screw in to the underside of the EagleEye.Bonuses to the EagleEye: - Two lens caps! The bare minimum any sighting device should come with (or, four, for binoculars) but few apparently do, including higher priced competitors. The front attaches via a small tab to the underside of the objective lens and simply flips down while remaining attached to the housing (just like my Steiners do!). The eyepiece cap is tethered and fully removes, as one would expect. - I'll be able to use this at the range mounted on a small, tabletop tripod as a spotting scope, as it has a threaded insert embedded in the underside of the housing. - It has an attachment mount for an included neck leash (where Vortex might include a belt clip, I'd not clip a monocular on my belt that doesn't come with lens caps). The leash does have a quick release buckle, and personally the narrow 'cord' and diminutive size of the buckle made me opt to not go with it, and rather whip up something with paracord and a solomon bar for comfort across the back of the neck. - Nylon carrying case. Basic, nothing wrong with it, whatsoever. Even has a small outside pocket as well as one on the inside (opposite side of the outside pocket, good for a lens cap and cleaning cloth). I'm going to see how the EagleEye fits in a Hazard 4 "Hatch" case ( Hazard 4 Hatch MOLLE Hard-Pouch, Coyote ) for more bump-resistant carrying. I suspect it'll spend most of its transport time in a Camelbak HAWG, which may occasionally see some light bumps while out on trails, so am already seeking out a decent upgrade to the included case. For most users I imagine the case included case should prove more than adequate, however. - Microfibre cleaning cloth. A simple but thoughtful inclusion.One operational note, since the EagleEye does not come with instructions: The outer ring of the eyepiece extends ("lefty-loosey"). It only goes 2 clicks, and that's less than half a turn. Move it slowly and gently until you get the hang of it so as to not damage it, as the clicks are very light which leads me to believe this may be the one weak link to the entire package. Extend the ring for use for eye relief, collapse after. Does not affect zoom/focus, but gives your eye room.Get one, and enjoy the heck out of it!

Heads up this is gonna be a lengthy review but, there's a good reason for it.So I purchased this monocular for bird and animal watching. I live and work in north east PA. I work maintenance in a plant that is 90% outdoors due to the hazardous nature of the plant operations. Which gives me a unique opportunity to watch animals of all sorts because the facility I work at is literally in a valley. To the north there is a 500ish feet tall foot hill and to the south there is a well over 1000 feet tall mountain that both stretch east to west as far as my eyes can see, and the plant I work in is smack dab in the middle. Also at the base of the mountain about 100 yards to the south of the plant is a river that is stocked with fish. So as you could imagine I get to see all kinds of birds, deer, bear and other wildlife depending on the season.I do have a pair of binoculars but carrying a full size set of binoculars isn't very conducive at work. So a compact monocular seemed like a good idea. Turned out to be a great idea. The Polaris optics spotter had me worried a bit with its price. I'm glad to say I was wrong! This thing is impressive.First, it feels solid. When I pick this monocular up its got a little bit of weight to it. Not a plastic toy!Second, clarity is amazing. Again, initially I didn't expect much for the price but the view out of the optic is crystal clear. I can focus on the top of the mountain and make out fine details individual trees etc.Third, durability. I love that this optic is water proof and has a rubber shell for protection. And although I have not had it long enough to say it can withstand drops or banging around. I can say I kind of gave it an unintentional durability test. My wife and I like hiking, but I hate carrying things in hand or in a pack that I can't reach quickly. So I'm a big fan of carrying things on my belt or even on the outside of the pack for quick use. This optic comes with a cloth microfiber case (not to useful) and a hand strap. So it either goes in a bag or in your hand. This thing is way to awesome to not have access to it in a moments notice. So I am into making my own holsters and sheaths for firearms and knives out of kydex. I'm not a master holster maker but I take my time and take pride in my projects. So the first thing I did with this optic is... Make a kydex holster to go on my belt. The reason this accounts for the durability of this optic is the process by which I form my kydex. I made my own kydex press that uses a pneumatic air cylinder with 120psi of pressure. First I heat the kydex up to a few hundred degrees. Once it's pliable I place it over the object that is getting molded over. I put it in the press, hit the switch and squish! About 10 minutes later I have a piece of molded kydex. I wasn't sure if this optic could handle the process but I figured I'll never know if I don't try! I was worried about putting the 250ish degree kydex directly on this sight and what it would do the rubber coating. I was really worried about the glass and body handling the pressure from the press. And I was really worried about messing up the internals and ruining the picture. But, to my surprise, this thing took it like a champ. The rubber coating has no damage, sight picture is crystal clear and the controls are perfect. Even after being compressed for 10 minutes in the press with excessive heat.Moral to the story is, if this optic can handle this kind of abuse and come out unscathed, I'm pretty sure it can handle bird watching no problem. I highly recommend it. It worth every penny.

I have returned several other brands and models of monoculars due to bad optics, flaring, dim view, tight/difficult focus rings etc....This is not a small monocular....about 6" long. That is one reason it WORKS. Excellent in low light, one hand focus is easy. 8X gives plenty of magnification but easy to hold still.

I have been a "Binocular Die Hard " since my great grandfather gave me his oldFrench-Made Birders from the 1920's. That was back in 1969.When we upgraded to Nikon in 1990, Mon-oculars were just getting a sales push...I dismissed them as a gimmick.TODAY.... I don't carry my binoculars.....I carry this everywhere, even running on trails. Why?The idea of spotting is to be quick and these are PERFECT.I more than double my sightings in a day, even having a rare otter sighting.The visual experience is very close to binoculars and I really don't miss anything about binos...I am more excited about how I can follow and focus so much moving wildlife.There are larger sizes and fields of focus from Polaris, but this is a perfect hand held size and price.The weight and size are a perfect fit for most hands extra weight and size can get annoying to carry.Whether focusing nearby or across the lake, these point and focus at double speed with one hand only.These are certainly heavy enough to take a beating....but, for this low price, if I drop them on the trail it is not like losing Nikons.

This is a very nice monocular. It has great resolution almost indiscernible from my HD binoculars costing many times more and has a nice bright image that is only partly fuzzy at the edges. It is a genuine 10x and there doesn't seem to be any stopping down or noticeable loss of light from the prism and lenses as coatings are working well. Aberrations are well controlled with hardly any noticeable colour fringing on back-lit objects. It is very light and easy to hold and the focusing is quick, precise with just the right amount of speed to get to your focus without having trouble settling on the right position.The rubberised coating is nice to hold and the lens caps work well, with one held on by threading through the strap, the other is hinged and easy to flip. The focusing distance is about 2.5m and I would have preferred a little closer so you can look at something on the floor in front of you e.g. butterflies, but for this price I can't complain.I did get one of the very cheap 16x50s first, but they were equivalent to a very poor 8x25! so they went back and this was very much worth the upgrade. Highly recommended.I will be using it to spot golf balls in the distance and watch the wildlife while on the golf course - being light and fitting in a small pocket on my golf bag, it should be ideal.

the eyepiece or viewfinder on this lens has no eyecup or flange to allow you eye to fit without your eyelashesobscuring the image your trying to see. i found it impossible to see anything clearly without a big black shadow (my eyelashes) blocking most of the view. all it need is a rubber eyecup that would both keep your eyelashes clear of the glass, and also to block any sunglare. the annoying thing is that the image was sharp. you cant hold it with one hand and view because of the poorly designed eyepiece, i could only get it to my left eye, couldn't see a thing through my right. a sharp lens ruined just because of a phenomenally bad design, for what would actually be a cheap part

I have always struggled with binoculars as I wear glasses and have dodgy eyes....but here is the answer..only one eye has to cooperate. Can use them easily with glasses or without. This is so easy to use and adjust. Rediscovering love of bird watching. Highly recommend them. Good that they have a place to attach them to a tripod.

It has all properties of proper monocular like magnification, focus ring, eye cap and prism, the only problem that quality of all these parts are not the best and picture quiality is not great, especialy to the border - it full of chromatic abberation and lack of crispiness.

Great product. Bright imagine, very easy to use. Focusing is very easy. It seems that a long range is in focus which is very convenient. It's so much fun watching birds with it that I have recently bought another, bigger zoom scope (different brand) to get closer but it's difficult and dull, not much for this one.