Product Review
Tasco 10 x 25 Monocular
The housing,
which comes in black or camo, is an armoured rubber design that protects it
from rain and snow as well as a decent amount of shock absorption.
Although it
boasts a field of view of 115m, I was able to focus on streets signage over
200m away quite comfortably.
My next test
was its shock absorption (Tasco clearly states in their product manual NOT to
drop any of their products!), which I’ll readily admit made me a little
anxious.
I stand at 186cm
tall so I dropped the monocular from three heights. The first was from a waist
height of 100cm, the second was from my eye level height of 170cm (This is
possibly the most common height from which it would be dropped.), and the last
was from a height of 210cm in which I had my arm raised to its full height.
After I
coaxed my heart from my throat and back into its proper position I found that,
on close inspection, that the monocular didn’t have a scratch on it and still
viewed perfectly. I recommend that you
DO NOT drop your mono/binocular; let idiots like me do it for you!
My next test
was its weather proof abilities, and since I am yet to be able to make it snow
or rain, I did the next best thing. I had a shower! As an ex-watch technician I
always told my customers that no matter how waterproof your watch says it is,
never wear it in the shower. The heat and steam from a shower can expand and
penetrate the tiny O-rings that seal the device, so you shouldn’t even have it
in the bathroom!
So, what did
I do? I slipped the small attached strap over my wrist and took a nice long hot
shower. I figured 15 minutes was long enough and, although I had gained a
little more bravado after the drop-test, I was still a little anxious about the
results of this test. After drying and cleaning the lenses with the polishing
cloth provided I found that not only did it still view perfectly but there was
no fogging within the lenses which tells me that no moisture got inside.
This
monocular could be used by anyone really, keeping in mind the distance you wish
to see. It should be considered a part of any kit; whether you are a hunter,
fisherman, in the military or protective services. And its economical price
means that it’s a great gift idea as well; I bought mine as an initial part of
my hunting kit, I needed something that would do the job and didn’t cost a
fortune, then when I upgraded I thought I could give this one to my son. I
think I’ll just buy another on for him and keep this one.
For a reasonably
price optics unit you really shouldn’t look too far past the Tasco 10 x 25
Monocular; for less than $50 you’ll be buying a quality unit that will last you
a lifetime (if you take care of it as recommended). Weighing in at only 88
grams it is not cumbersome in the slightest and will fit just about anywhere on
your kit or your person.
I expected
to find the ribbing on the unit to be a nuisance but on the contrary I found it
quite useful when focussing on an object, it rolls quite smoothly between thumb
and forefinger. And additional advantage to using a monocular is that, once I
was focussed in and had steadied my hand, I then had a free hand to use.
The only
drawbacks I found to this unit were two; firstly the wrist strap is a bother,
it doesn’t really get in the way but I can’t ever seeing myself using either,
and secondly the pouch’s belt loop is a single sewn in strap, which means that
if I want to attach to any part of my kit aside from my belt then it’s almost
impossible. (It’s too small to fit on your average web belt and its vertical loop
means the strap needs to come in from the side.)
What more
could I want from the Tasco 10 x 25 Monocular? If anything I’d like to see them
develop a small tripod that you could clip the unit onto so you could stand it on
places such as; the roof/bonnet of your car, in a hunting hide, etc.
All-in-all this
little monocular has really grown on me and I think it will retain permanency
as a resident of my kit for many years to come. Go…get one…I dare ya!
So, down to
brass tacks…
Includes:
- Wrist strap
- Carry pouch
Specs:
- Magnification: 10 x
- Field-of-view (at 1000 yards/meters): 288 ft. / 115 m
- Exit pupil: 2.5 mm
- Prism type: Roof
- Weight: 4.7 oz
- Objective lens diameter: 25 mm
- Lens coating: Fully coated
- Focus type: Eyepiece
- Colours Available: Black and Camouflage.
Price:
- $43.16 AUD (This is with your Kit Bag Club 10% discount)
Where to get it?
Buy on-foot:
Kit Bag
Unit 7 / 14 Farrall Road
Midvale
Perth, Western Australia 6056
Unit 7 / 14 Farrall Road
Midvale
Perth, Western Australia 6056
Opening hours 0900 – 1700 hrs, Monday to Friday (WST)
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