Roxant Monocular Telescope - High Definition Ultra Light Pocket Telescope - Includes Compact Monocular, Neck Strap & Cleaning Cloth, Monoculars for Adults, High Powered Handheld Telescope

Purchased this item to give a boy scout for Christmas exchange. He loved it!

As far as the device itself is concerned:I feel the build quality is excellent (especially at the price point). The materials seem to be very durable, ergonomically comfortable, and weather and perspiration resistant.The rubber "armour" with raised nubs feels good in the hand and provides good purchase (good grip)- just like the handle of a well made knife should feel. The focusing ring can be operated with one hand... the same hand you are holding it with, while viewing the object you are focusing on- this is a very important operational feature for me. It provides the ability to view and turn the focusing ring simultaneously (with the same hand). It also allows the user to be discreet if viewing people- unlike using a binocular with two hands. The friction/pressure required to turn the focusing ring with just two fingers, the thumb and index finger, is just right. It can easily be turned but still hard enough to stay where you adjust it and not move inadvertantly.I do like the rubber extensions on both the front glass and the eye piece glass. On the front, the rubber serves as protection from scratching the lens and so too, the eye piece rubber protects the lens as well as allowing the monocular to be used with eyeglasses or sunglasses on without scratching the eyeglass lens. I do suggest a small design change. I feel that the eye piece rubber extensions should be able to be folded down (retractable) for naked eye use and flipped up for eyeglass users. Yours cannot do that.I agree that the magnification provided is a good compromise between viewing far away objects while minimizing telescopic "shake" for a handheld (non-tripod) mounted telescope (monocular).The image quality captured through the Roxant is quite acceptable, fairly bright and crisp considering, again, the price point. I'm assuming that you are targeting the recreational user (as opposed to a professional) with the mini/micro design that, by definition has some compromises. Again, the small size is a great compromise for one that wants a small, lightweight telescopic devise that's always handy to be carried around yet offers a decent viewing image. The best monocular is the one that you have with you when you need it. Speaking of always having it handy... I do like the choices available to carry it with you: neck lanyard provided, small cardura belt case or even, since it's so small- right in your pocket (be careful not to scratch it it get dust on it in the pocket). Regarding the belt loop case... The Velcro patch could be a little more substantial. One does not want to worry about the case flap opening when wearing it in your belt and engaging in vigorous activities such as hiking, biking, or fishing. However, at this price point, providing a case and a neck lanyard are welcome options. The microfiber cleaning cloth is also a welcome accessory for a low priced monocular.

The Below Review is a prompted response to a ROXANT email offering a free additional monocular in exchange for feedback. I did NOT have to submit this review to receive the free monocular. (The below text is slightly altered from my original response to ROXANT to be more relevant to an Amazon review).I purchased this monocular for both outdoors activities, such as camping and hiking, as well as to always have in my car in case I need it. I also purchased one other competing product to evaluate against this one.I like the shape and size for the most part. The way the lanyard loop sticks up isn't ideal, but I'm not sure how that can be improved... as insetting it might not work for the optics, and having it on the front might increase the likelihood of having the strap in the way of the front lens.I honestly don't care much about weight, size is more important. If it was the same size while twice as heavy, but used more sturdy materials, it would probably be a bonus for me.The construction is of reasonable quality for the price. As I said earlier, I purchased a competing product (Carson CloseUp 7x18 Close Focus Monocular CF-718) to check out at the same time. The other one was less expensive, but the build quality wasn't as good, and it was much more difficult to focus. I don't have too much experience to be able to judge for sure if Roxant's monocular was a great deal, but I don't feel like I was ripped off. It is still a soft plastic, and it is not a sealed design... so I suppose I would have been happier with a $15 price point.I would consider this for a gift if it were a bit cheaper, as it's not really the type of product I would gift to an enthusiast, but maybe my friends/family or some kids to play around with or include in their own car-kits.I do have some suggestions. Because this unit is not sealed, I would have liked it MUCH better if I could disassemble it (tool-less). Specifically, I'd like to be able to remove the lens housing from the scope... This would allow me to better purge it if it ever gets flooded with moisture, or would allow me to use the lens to make a fire.I like that this is a 7x scope... that is a really good magnification for sighting and judging distances, and easy to demonstrate/teach others how to do the same... as 7 Yard sizes are well known, which translates well to ~50 Yard distances through the monocular.I would love it if Roxant would come up with a monocular/binocular design that would allow for the two Monoculars to combine into a binocular. I don't know if it sounds silly, but it's easier to store two monoculars separately in the same pack than it is a single binocular, and I then have the option to share with someone.