Carson BlackWave 10x25mm Waterproof Monocular, Black (WM-025)

Just received this today and I am well pleased. Mine focuses down to less than three feet, but your experience may vary depending on your eyesight. I could read the very small print on a prescription bottle at about five feet so the glass is clear and bright, especially for this price point. I didn't test the water resistance, but I went outside and looked at a microwave tower about a mile away on a hill, and it was easy to focus and observe it. At ten power its necessary to brace any optic to get a clear view, and it was easy to hold the BlackWave to accomplish that. The focus wheel is firm but quite easy to get into proper focus. Most of the travel is at the short end. The mono appears to have a wide depth of field at the long end. Backing off the focus wheel a quarter to one half turn brings about everything from fifty yards to several miles into clear view, but by fine tuning a little the focus can be improved noticeably. This unit would also be useful for observing insects while standing over them or next to a branch. At 25mm the objective is still bright enough to see clearly on a cloudy and dim day. I don't believe this mono can be beat for the price, and even if you spend several times more I don't know how it could be any better. It fits my hand well and I'm an average guy. The surface is grippy without being sticky. The case that comes with it is well made of medium weight material and appears to be sturdy. The belt loop is securely sewn on. At this price I'm going to keep one with me and one in my truck, and maybe get another just in case, you know.

Image is nice and clear, but field of view is a bit narrow, which makes searching for the target difficult. Still, you cannot beat this for the money.

Carson Blackwave 10X25 Monocular: It gives a crisp, bright image, decent field of view, no discernible chromatic distortion, responsive, stable focus ring, and close-focuses from infinity down to 4 feet; observe a nearby frog in the swamp, or an insect right by your foot! Eye relief is rather short, so tuck your eye right into the eyepiece for full view field; not a drawback for me, but just pointing it out. In this price range, I can't imagine a better compact unit. I'm very pleased with it.

I'm legally blind and I carry a monocular everywhere to see signs or even out hiking. I wanted something decent but cheap because as often as I am using it it will get dropped and bang into thing or lost. It's a matter of time. The quality of these far exceeded my expectations. It can focus pretty close for me too. I'll definitely be ordering more in the future. I am updating this review after having several of these break. They work great for a couple of months for me then come apart near where you turn it to focus. I will admit I use it all the time and probably a lot harder than most people would. it's reasonable for the price for sure.

Was a bit skeptical based on the varying reviews, but I'm very impressed by the BlackWave. It has a nice crisp image, stays stable, good eye relief, etc. I would love for it to be just a bit smaller so it was truly pocket-sized, but it's close enough. Very satisfied and relieved not to be left wanting for an expensive monocular!

Nice scope for the price. I use it quite a bit sitting on my porch looking out over the river. Very clear and reasonably bright large screen.

These were half price of a similar Vortex model, I had a Vortex RMR it was good but I think my Trijicon is considerably better and cost more, so I don't get why Vortex became so over priced for monoculars? When and how did that happen or why? Point is the Carson is correctly priced and works well. Simple as that. I did find a pair for even a much cheaper price and they actually work well too but Carson has longevity and hold up, and this other brand Celestron doesn't have the long term data, but if you want a great deal without the highest name recognition go for the Carson, there's data, youtube videos, evidence, if you want the cheaper monocular you can buy like this one, that isn't junk, check out Celestron.

The image is soft. Better at half way but not that much. Good for emergencies, not for precise readings. **Update Review: we offer submit reviews too soon. This is the perfect case. I went for a 5 mile hike and on my way back a light drizzle started to fall. Got in my car and back home I realized that there is water inside of the glass. This is NOT a waterproof product as advertised. And that was the main reason why I purchased. Very disappointed.