Hilkinson 8x25 Waterproof Compact Monocular

Bought this for my wife, who wanted something small and light enough to carry with her 'without noticing'.Good points - light weight, comfortable in the hand; colour rendition is accurate, eye relief adjusts well for use with or without glasses; focus ring allows good control when changing focus; close focus distance is excellent, 5 or 6 feet. Central area focus is sharp; image bright in good light.Not quite so good - the focus ring is rather too stiff to be turned with the index finger and thumb when used one-handed - this may ease with use, but we are tending to hold the monocular with one hand and focus with the other; sharpness of focus falls off towards the outer edge of the image, if compared to more expensive monoculars.All in all a very practical and good value device, we recommend it and would buy another.

Small, compact, solid and well made.No object distortion at either end of the focusing scale. No colour aberation as far as I can tell. Have actually tested min focus distance and found it slightly less then stated, both indoors and out in good light.Personally I wish ,( like the majority of optical/ photography equipment), that it wasn't in green and black. If you drop it in long grass, leaf litter etc, or as it's getting dark, it will be very hard to find. Perhaps a bright coloured band?Before I am given a patronising lecture about being seen by wildlife, I do know about camouflage and concealment after spending numerous yrs in the infantry. Also, if the creatures can see this when it's in your hand, they must be oblivious to your shape, shine, silhouette sound and movement, so seeing a bit yellow wont orange won't make a difference.Besides my personal lines above, this is a lovely well made product and highly recommend it.

Bought the 8x25 version a year ago. Visited German in-laws who were so impressed with it I handed it over on the spot, earning many brownie points. Got home and immediately ordered another one - it is superb, barely longer than my hand is broad, comfortable to hold, very light. Image quality is very good in centre, falls off to the sides but perfectly acceptable... especially for this price! 8x magnification is easy to hold steady and 25mm objective means it is bright enough to use in very dull conditions - even indoors, where it will focus down to about 1.5m or so, which is great for art galleries that hang pictures so high that you cannot see the detail. I have had some funny looks, and sometimes been told not to take photos, but when I explain that it is a monocular they have been OK about it (it helps that I look decrepid enough to need visual aids!)Now my wife is starting to use it more & more, I will treat myself to the 10x25 version.

I mostly bought this for it's close up ability, and it performs excellently in that respect. As a very compact and lightweight monocular, I couldn't fault it. It feels robust and is just the right size.

Comfortable and easy to use with one hand. Nice clear, bright optics with no noticeable clouding or lens flare. Focus ring can be used between finger and thumb and as others have said is tight enough stay 'locked' in position. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and carry unobtrusively in a pocket. Always in my pocket now when I'm out and about. Very pleased and definitely recommended.P.S. 8x25 provides much a brighter image without much loss in magnification.

decent product for the price paid

The viewing quality is good for the money but not amazing. Nice company size to fit into a women’s handbag or coat pocket. We took them to the zoo and my wife really enjoyed having it.

Very pleased with this purchase it is exactly what I wanted. Really good for close up viewing of birds, airport timetables, bus numbers etc. I am partially sighted and this is just the ticket.