Hawke Endurance ED 8x25 monocular review

This pocket-sized premium monocular offers solid construction and performance with it

Hawke Endurance ED 8x25 monocular
(Image: © Gavin Stoker)

Digital Camera World Verdict

The Hawke Endurance ED 8x25 monocular is a portable, shirt pocket-sized monocular weighing just 150g, while twist-up eyecups and a slightly stiff ridged focus wheel allow for both comfort and precision. Delivering a commendable sharpness at a very fair price, as long as we can get to grips with the very compact size of the device itself, the Hawke Endurance ED 8x25 monocular comes recommended as a decent everyday observational tool for bringing the faraway just that much closer, and for as long as light levels allow.

Pros

  • +

    Compact proportions

  • +

    Waterproof and fog-proof

  • +

    Fair value for money

  • +

    Reasonable level of sharpness belies its size

Cons

  • -

    Lower powered in comparison with most binoculars

  • -

    Focus ring stiff on our sample

  • -

    Small-ish 25mm objective lens isn’t the best for low-light observation

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As a tool for bringing the faraway that much closer you’ll perhaps be considering the best monoculars over the obvious alternative of the best binoculars or spotting scopes, for the increased portability the former offers. And, well, in being roughly the size of a tube of Smarties, a Sherbert Fountain, or a Cuban cigar, the Hawke Endurance ED 8x25 monocular is certainly conveniently pocket-sized. 

In fact, it’s so diminutive that if we hadn’t attached it to our wrist via the provided strap – a small carry pouch is also included in the box, which can be attached to a belt – then we might have misplaced it. It’s broadly similar in that respect to the equally portable Leica Monovid 8x20 monocular, only the Hawke option is a whole lot more affordable. It’s lightweight too at just 150g.

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Gavin Stoker

Gavin has over 30 years’ experience of writing about photography and television. He is currently the editor of British Photographic Industry News, and previously served as editor of Which Digital Camera and deputy editor of Total Digital Photography

He has also written for a wide range of publications including T3, BBC Focus, Empire, NME, Radio Times, MacWorld, Computer Active, What Digital Camera and the Rough Guide books.

With his wealth of knowledge, Gavin is well placed to recognize great camera deals and recommend the best products in Digital Camera World’s buying guides. He also writes on a number of specialist subjects including binoculars and monoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, trail cameras, action cameras, body cameras, filters and cameras straps.