CarsonMiniMight 6x18mm Pocket Monocular with Carabiner Clip (MM-618)

I live in the country where there are lots of birds. I have a very good set of binoculars for birding, but they don’t focus closer than about 20 yards. Great for distant birds, but I couldn’t see the birds that landed close in my back yard, so I couldn’t identify them. With this tiny monocular I can easily observe the small birds I couldn’t focus on with the binoculars. The focus ring is smooth and brings in a sharp image. Surprisingly good optics. Not a very wide field of view, but that’s not a problem, since I only want to look at one bird at a time. Field is wide enough that spotting the small birds is not a problem. I like the very small size. I can have my binoculars for longer range, but when I need to see something much closer, this little monocular stows easily in a pocket and is quickly accessible. Not great for longer distances (but not bad, all things considered). Not for prolonged use, since you have to keep one eye closed. It works great for what I need.

Wanted something small to take when traveling. For enjoying the view and watching wild life. This works great for my intended use. Arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Included a case and a cleaning cloth.When purchasing the ROXANT Mini-Monocular I also purchased a Carson Mini-Monocular to compare. They are about the same quality and price. Either is a great purchase I highly recommend. They are about the same size, smaller than I expected for the viewing quality, amazing. The Carson is only three inches long! The Roxant is slightly shorter (see my comment regarding the eye cup) which might be the reason for the slight difference.The Carson is a little heavier and because of its shape and a little wider, not as conveniently sized as the Roxant. However, the shape is very comfortable to hold. And the extra weight makes it FEEL as though it is better quality.The packaging on the Carson was very difficult to open. The Roxant was in a simple box, no problem!The eye cup on the Carson is a longer, at least twice as long as the Roxant. This makes the Carson easier to use (and slightly longer). When I hold the Roxant against my eye, in bright light, it reflects my eyelashes. Making the Roxant a little more difficult to use than the Carson. The Carson can be rested on the eye socket. Therefore, it is easier to hold the Carson still for better focus at a distance.The Roxant case was much smaller and more convenient than the Carson case. However, the Carson case is made of canvas and I'm guessing a soft polester interior. The case from the Roxant is either plastic or rip stop (hope it is ripstop). It also has a soft interior. But does not appear to be as good of quality as the Carson case.Roxant High Definition Ultra-Light Mini Monocular Pocket ScopePros: a little smaller, light weight, small case, decent qualityCons: shorter eye cup, more difficult to focus, case quality?Carson MiniMight 6x18mm Pocket Monocular with Carbiner ClipPros: small, light weight, decent quality, good quality case, easier to focus, comfortable to holdCons: case larger than needed, packaging was a nightmare to open

Overall: pretty good. For 13 bucks: great! When shopping for optics there are two facts: high quality lenses are expensive, and size matters. Manufacturing top quality lenses requires precision and expensive materials. There is simply no way around this. For the most part “you get what you pay for” definitely applies to optics of all kinds. Is a $1000 binocular or monocular twice as good as a $500 model? Maybe not, but if you want good quality you should be prepared to spend $100 or more. Also, when it comes to any optic used to see long distances, bigger is better (in terms of image clarity and brightness). This product is small and cheap, but, for what you get it is an incredibly good value. In bright daylight, the image is very clear for its size. It’s tiny and fits in any pocket. It comes with a cute little carrying pouch. And it’s ONLY $13! My only complaint is that the rubber eye cup doesn’t roll back for eyeglass wearers. I can use it with my glasses on but the image is twice as large if I put it right up to my eye. If you are in need of serious optics for bird watching or hunting you will be disappointed. If you want something to carry, unobtrusively, in your pocket that will let you see things you can’t see with the naked eye... this is it! Oh yeah, did I mention... $13?! Well worth it in my opinion.