Explorer High Powered 12X50 Monocular. Bright and Clear. Single Hand Focus. Waterproof. Fog Proof. For Bird Watching, or Watching Wildlife. Daytime Use. Formerly Polaris Optics

This is one of those things you just can't pass up. The price is excellent and you get an amazing product. Compared to other monocular it is larger, but it is not too large when compared to binoculars. This was one of the few monocular that had a 50mm lens and an easy adjustment which are both factors in this monocular's size. I tried many other monocular at the store and I wasn't too impressed. I almost bought a 10x25 Vortex but I noticed too much shake, I didn't like the two hand focus adjustment, and the low light was minimal. This Polaris Explorer is night and day over others, even the 8x36 Vortex model that cost more.It is possible to adjust the knob with one hand but using two hands reduces the shake while spinning the knob. I do not notice much shake if I look through while holding with one hand and I think this is due to the comfortable grip. The low light capability is fantastic! 45 minutes after sunset I was still able to see objects clearly. If it is too dark to see something with your naked eye than this optics won't be picking it up either, but it will pick up objects with ease at night time in my neighbor hood but everyone has street lights and front door lights. The Polaris Explorer is amazing for star gazing at night. It will pick up stars that you can not see with your naked eye. I live in the city and I was only able to see a hand full of stars, but after looking through this I saw hundreds of hidden stars.I tested the near distance capability and I got clear images at exactly 6 ft. I also went 300 yards away from my house and I could see my front door clearly through this optic. The adjust knob is excellent. When changing distances from near to several hundreds of yards it will take several turns of the knob but when looking at objects within about 50 yards of each other there isn't much spin needed. The adjustment allows for very crisp and clear images. The clarity of this optic is extremely brilliant!The Polaris Explorer is a BAK4 prism. It does not show this anywhere that I could see online and I was surprised as it is very key in a good optic. Unfortunately I tested the waterproof capability already as it was raining while I was using it during a deer hunt, but noticed no water entry and the anti fogging works very well.The tripod that is included is small but it is solid. I have a cheap tripod and it falls over easily due to it being all plastic. The tripod that is included is constructed out of metal and is heavier. It is pretty sturdy for being placed on a table. The tripod can also be used as a grip to reduce the shake even more. The optic is made in the USA and is constructed very well. The rubber coating is durable and does not scratch easily. The case is a little large for my liking to be on my belt so I took apart my cheap plastic tripod and made a lanyard so I can carry it around my neck. The smaller lens cap is free from attachment and I have almost lost it a couple of times so I have attached it with a string and has worked well. This optic is shock resistant. I have used it almost daily and carry it on me and it still looks new.I was on the fence about this purchase for some time. Vortex has similar models with a good reputation. The Orion 10x42 is another good optic that was tempting, but some of the reviews steered me away. The Polaris website is very, very minimal and I was not able to find much about this optic besides the info on amazon. My worry was what would I do if I needed to claim a warranty if the company no longer existed. On amazon they advertise a lifetime, no hassle warranty, and I contacted them and they confirmed that there is a no hassle warranty, no questions asked for the first monocular, but the second one and beyond has a 12 month warranty to prevent abuse of the warranty. Vortex has them here because there warranty from what I understand is infinite and transferable. I like having the lifetime warranty as a piece of mind, but I still handle the optic with care. This optic will last a lifetime if you take care of it and don't drop it and keep the lens caps on when not in use. A lot of websites and blogs say that the 12x power is way too much to handle for a mono or binocular. It may be the case for other brands but not for the Polaris Explorer. My friends and family that uses this optic falls in love with it with one look through it. It produces an amazingly clear image and with a large lens diameter of 50mm; a large field of view is preserved. This is the best optic on the market today. I checked Bass Pro Shop, Dick's Sporting Goods, Academy, Sports Authority, local optic shops, and countless articles online. Plus you can't beat the price for what you get.Also, all optics with the multi-coated lenses are more sensitive than just a standard glass lens. When cleaning the lens, do not use your shirt or an eye glasses cleaning cloth. They make special material that will not scratch or damage the multi coated lense. The user manual will expand on this.

Once more, I have to give my many thanks to fellow Amazon reviewers, who purchased and gave reviews! As a novice in buying items such as this, it really helps to learn from those who know what a "good" item is, especially in a specialty category such as optics, so THANKS ALL!Although everything has already really been said about this potent monocular, and likely better than I could say it, I just want to add my five star review. I honestly knew zero about lenses when I first started a search, but was looking for a good outdoor lens to have with zoom capability that was "worth" having (in other words, that actually did some decent zooming) without spending a fortune.I did a lot of research to learn more, read up on the reviews here, and found that it seems Polaris has done a great job providing an affordable lens that provides as much quality as many higher priced brands. So, for a lot less, you don't wind up getting a lot less, which is definitely a win in my books, and so it seemed worth it to give it a try. There are better lenses, it seems, but I wasn't looking to spend three or four hundred dollars for something for which I don't have a "professional" need. It's just nice to have a good lens on hikes and such, which is a periodic and very amateur use -- so I just wanted something that would serve that purpose.This Polaris fills the bill perfectly!The monocular arrived well boxed, with a decent carrying pouch, lens cap covers at both ends (although, as noted by others, the "eye" side lens doesn't have a "keeper" attached to it, so be mindful of not losing it) and even a very small tripod. As pointed out by other reviews, the tripod is quite flimsy, and actually it doesn't hold the weight too well, but I have other tripods so it was not a big deal. Kind of just a bonus, really, that they even included one, although I think you'll find you'll want a better (and larger) one for star gazing or moon watching or anything where you want some serious stability.Hand held, it has a good grip, and you can brace yourself enough to catch a solid view of something far off, but, for sure, it's a somewhat shaky image for extended viewing, since the slightest movement provides for a jittery sighting of anything far away -- the slightest movement at your end is, of course, enough to really shake up the image at the other end. Tripod use eliminates the shake, of course, but is really not needed for just sighting something, since this is built with a terrific holding position, where it is easy to work the focus with the same hand. So, a tripod is great, for extended viewing, but it's built just right for easy and short term sightings.I was really surprised by the amazing clarity here, and actually prefer this to a set of binoculars I have -- even though they actually provide a bit more magnification than this Polaris lens, I just have never enjoyed fidgeting with binoculars to get the view just right, especially since I wear glasses. This lens worked great with my glasses, and was just quicker and easier to use, to pull focus and keep an eye to an image, even just holding it in hand without the tripod.I saw also I can even hold it up to my smartphone, and the phone picks up the image, which is very cool, although there is a "circle" effect of a darkened out area. I know there are adapters out there to overcome that, or I think so, but I'm not sure how that all works, or if that even would work with this lens and my current phone -- I just thought it was pretty awesome that I could take a "zoomed" picture through this, with my phone. The wonders of modern technology, haha!All in all, there is just everything to love about this, and what else to say, really, but it does a GREAT job of zooming in, is super easy to use, gives a crystal clear image and, despite being a tad on the larger side (versus a smaller, but less effective monocular), even so, I found it very friendly to carry, easy to toss in a backpack, and it sure seems worth having a lens that actually does a decent job, even if it takes up a bit more room that something with less bulk. The size is worth it, for the performance it provides.Bottom line, I'm super happy with it, and very glad I bought it, and definitely feel it was more than worth the asking price.I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

Well made scope. Easy to focus.Big field of view. Crystal clear bright optics.