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

I use this just about every time I leave the house on a walk, so about four or five times a week. The build quality seems just great. I haven't used the biner so I can't speak to that. The included case and cloth is nice, and I can use the case to hold my Victorinox SwissChamp (pretty good fit with room left for a small map or fire starter), if I dangle the MiniMight on the outside of my pack or in an outside pocket.Uses:Bird watching: The MiniMight is good enough to make identification and take observations at a variety of distances. I've observed a stellar's jay at 40 feet, an acorn woodpecker at 50 feet, a red-shouldered hawk at 60 feet, and a flock of wild turkeys at 300 yards.People watching: Nothing creepy, of course. But I'll give an example of the way it's useful. You are wondering if you should take a shortcut through a neighborhood that has a bad reputation. It's a few blocks away, but you think you see a couple of guys with hoods over their heads looking pretty shifty. You look through the monocular and realize it's two really cold teenage girls waiting for their mom to take them on a shopping trip.Airplane watching: From 1,000 to 20,000 feet you can determine any number of things about aircraft. Civil or military, color, number of windows, etc. This surprised me but the magnification is really that good.Hiking: Sometimes I wander around on trails without reading the map. The woods around here are pretty open, not a ton of undergrowth. I've used the MiniMight to read trail signs that were about 100 yards away up steep inclines. The benefit there is pretty obvious. Another time I was trying to identify a structure that looked like a shed, only to discover as I focused in that it was a public restroom. Couldn't have come at a better time, since I had wandered pretty far that day.Amusement: Identifying structures is really fun. I was looking at a huge water tower about 300 yards out when I saw the flock of wild turkeys below it. I've tracked animals that didn't know I was tracking them, showed my kids how to be detectives, figured out that our local hillside letter is not made of painted rocks as I had assumed, identified small curious objects in areas I couldn't get to, and answered a number of other questions that were at the back of my mind.Cons:1. Eyeglasses. Even if you fold the rubber shade back, the view is not as great with eyeglasses on. Some people are used to it; others just take their glasses off (I slide mine up my forehead).2. Vibration. You'll need a bit of patience and sometimes some slow breathing as things won't always hold steady in your view. I don't find it annoying, but some might.3. Sharpness. Some details will just never pop into perfect focus, as much as you fine-tune the focus ring. I'm OK with that and understand it as an engineering compromise. If you need quality sharpness you should not be looking at this price point, sorry.Overall: I have a couple of pairs of binoculars but I leave them at home every time. The portability here cannot be beat. You won't regret this purchase especially not if you give it a few weeks of active carry.

This is one of 18 monoculars I bought recently to make a comparison video. The Carson is the smallest of the group in terms of magnification, and has the smallest objective lens (18mm). But it's pretty sturdy, with a rubberized body and a nicely recessed ocular lens. The focusing ring is a little stiff, but images are crisp and surprisingly bright in normal use. The only change I'd make to this is replace the cheap chain and carabiner with a wrist strap.

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.

For the $ it’s fine. Focus and clarity are not so good.

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

Works great. Very compact and also clear. Much better than a similar Tasco monocular that I previously used.