Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Bushnell Night Vision products feature a built-in infrared illuminator for enhanced images in very low light for use when camping, exploring caves, patrolling warehouses or other locations where there is no ambient light to amplify. Backed by a 2-year limited warranty, the Bushnell line-up of night vision equipment is lightweight, compact and ready to use for work or for play.

Amazon.com Product Description :
Designed to fit in the palm of your hand, the Bushnell 2.5 x 42 Night Vision Monocular features a built-in dual-power infrared illuminator that works in total darkness and low-light conditions. In total darkness, the monocular sends out an imperceptible ambient infrared beam that allows you to observe objects with no other light source. The low-beam intensity can be used when partial light is available.

Offering outstanding viewing clarity and versatility, the 2.5 x 42 monocular allows you to see in the dark without being seen and alerting others to your presence as with a flashlight. Ideal for hunting, scouting games, and security and surveillance, the monocular is lightweight and easy to hold with its included hand strap. The monocular is also equipped with a tripod mount. With a viewing range of four to 600 feet and a field of view of 79 feet at 1,000 yards, the monocular has plenty of power to illuminate the night. The monocular is water resistant and comes with a two-year manufacturer's warranty.

Uses:

• Scouting games
• Security and surveillance
• Camping
• Cave exploring
• Nighttime navigation
• Night fishing and boating
• Wildlife observation
• Hunting
• Search and rescue

I ordered and returned an apparently defective unit. Amazon handled the return very efficiently and at no cost to me, and has credited my credit card for the purchase. Due to this performance I tried again and ordered the same unit again. Again it appeared to be defective, it wouldn't turn on. I was following the illustration in the manual for insertion of the two batteries. The illustration in wrong: the batteries go in the other way and a small metal piece linking the two batteries is not provided or needed in the current product. Once I reversed the batteries the unit has worked fine and I'm quite impressed with it. I'm also very satisfied with purchasing a product directly from Amazon, it fact it was the factor in my selection of a night vision scope. Other than the problem with the user manual I would rate this a 5-star product.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Product great, user manual in error
I ordered and returned an apparently defective unit. Amazon handled the return very efficiently and at no cost to me, and has credited my credit card for the purchase. Due to this performance I tried again and ordered the same unit again. Again it appeared to be defective, it wouldn't turn on. I was following the illustration in the manual for insertion of the two batteries. The illustration in wrong: the batteries go in the other way and a small metal piece linking the two batteries is not provided or needed in the current product. Once I reversed the batteries the unit has worked fine and I'm quite impressed with it. I'm also very satisfied with purchasing a product directly from Amazon, it fact it was the factor in my selection of a night vision scope. Other than the problem with the user manual I would rate this a 5-star product.

Rating: - Good value with a few caveats.
I live in a rural area on a horse ranch, bordering a few hundred acres of open space. I wanted an inexpensive device that would let me wildlife-watch without disturbing the scene, along with the slightly more practical coyote/stray dog check before I let my small dogs out in the evening.


The Good:

* For the money, this is an excellent device. Image quality is great for a Gen-1 unit, and construction quality is better than expected for the price point. The rubberized, water resistant covering & included carry case are nice touches.

* The built-in IR illuminator is tightly focused, and throws its light well. Out to 50' it provides enough light to be useful on the darkest nights, and eyeshine & reflective surfaces will pop out at significantly further distances.

* An unexpected bonus was how fun these are for stargazing! The slight magnification combined with light amplification really pulls the stars and planets out of the background. It's good enough to clearly see the fuzziness of the Orion Nebula as compared to the sharpness of a single star, for example.


The Bad:

* The brightness of the power and IR illuminator LEDs. They're really, really, bright. They're located the back of the device, just to the right of the eyepiece. A green power LED and a red 'your IR beam is on' LED.

They will consistently flash & shine in your eyes as you use the device. In my case, a simple strip of black electrical tape solved the problem, (there's enough light leakage that I can tell if the light is on or not) but it's a ding against the design that I have to even do so in the first place.

* The IR source presents a visible red light. It doesn't look like too much off-angle, but pointing directly at you, it becomes obvious. I could easily see my friend pointing the monocular at me from 50' away. It is possible to disturb wildlife with it. Again, this is easily fixed by adding a cheap IR filter, but I shouldn't have to do so.


The Ugly:

* The manual is relatively thick, printed on good-quality paper, and completely & utterly useless. It tells you how to add the batteries in several languages, and that's it. Not one mention of how to properly use the thing!

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Obviously, there are better systems available, but they are priced accordingly. And for what you pay for these, you get a large percentage of the expensive systems' performance. (Gen-1 optics, by their nature, suffer from pincushion and barrel distortion issues, and the light amplification provided is less than people expect off the bat; on a moonless night, Gen-1 would still be dark without an additional light source.)

Conclusion: A solid four stars. For hobby/home users like myself, who just wanted something to play & explore with, they're great fun without breaking the bank. More serious users will want to look elsewhere, but they already know that.

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A few hints to get the best use out of these:

* Look at a bright star in the middle of the field of view. Focus using the front ring until it is as sharp as possible. Then, while still looking at the star, rotate the eyepiece ring until the distortion is corrected. This will get you your best possible image for your eyes. Further focusing should be done with the front element only.

* The image is only sharp within the inner 40% of the field of view, with increasing distortion the further away from the center you look. The eyes' position relative to the eyepiece makes a big difference, and you may need a little practice to get the best look.

* Don't be alarmed when, after you turn off the device, it still appears to be on. The image intensifier tube takes a while to bleed down all its charge, so you can actually continue to use the device for about a minute or so after you've turned it off. This isn't a bug, it's just how these things work, so don't think yours is broken!

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Rating: - First one didnt work
First one that i received didn't work. I called Bushnell and they where more than helpful and sent me to Amazon. I called Amazon and they sent another one out same day with over night shipping. As of now its getting 3 stars because I trust Bushnell and have used many things by them and haven't been disappointed yet. If i can i will update my review when I get the new one.

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Rating: - Seems like a good value
I've only used these glasses a few times, but they seem to do just what I want. I really haven't had to use the infrared much at all since the regular power is very good in low light that is not total darkness. They seem to be the right combination of power and price.

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Rating: - Excellent Night Vision on the Cheap
This device is great. It works well on two AA batteries. Focus and 2.5 power are good to have. Wide field of view. The only drawbacks, this is Gen1 and Chinese in origin. The IR LED will glow red when in use. Use a Surefire light with IR filter or IR LED flashlight for better results. Add a Tenebraex or Killflash filter for the large lense to conceal reflection and you are set. The optical quality and view through this is great for the price. I have used more expensive gear, but for the price this is one to get. It also has a tripod mount built in so you can use it for night spotting of animals. Has a built in light sensor to shut down in bright lights. The main lense cover is a bit cheap, just blue plastic over the main lense, but this is moved out of the way for use anyway. I keep thinking this will crack or break as the plastic feels cheap, but it has held up well and has rubber in many places to protect it. I shoved this up against a video camera lense and it worked very well. Highly recommended if you can only afford one device and a cheaper one at that.

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