There’s a new kid in town – Adasion. Adasion seems to be an optical company with just two products: 12×42 binoculars and a 12×56 monocular. Both are quite popular, though I expect that’s mainly due to the “discounted” price for the binoculars.
Let’s take a quick look at what you get for your money from Adasion.
If you’re in a hurry and just want to check the pricing and availability of these Adasion products at Amazon, you can click (tap) the links just below.
Adasion 12×42 Binoculars
The main, black portion; that is, the tubes are made of ABS plastic, so there’s nothing really special there.
At Amazon, part of the description says, “BAK4 prism and FMC are usually applied in professional binoculars, increasing light transmittance and providing good color reproduction.” I have no idea what FMC means in this context. BAK4 prisms are commonplace, so again nothing special to see here.
Other fairly standard features include twist eyecups, a diopter, a field of view (FOV) of 367 feet at 1000 yards, and a weight of just under 1 1/4 pounds (560g).
The tubes are waterproof, supposedly to IP55 specifications, but I couldn’t find that information at the Adasion website – only at Amazon.
Ordering the Binoculars
You can order directly from the Adasion site, if you prefer. There are some differences worth noting though, should you decide to try that route. (The same aspects of ordering the binoculars apply to the monocular below too.)
Adasion appears to accept American Express, Apple Pay, Diners Club, Discover, Google Pay, Maestro, Mastercard, PayPal, Shop Pay, and Visa. But during the checkout process, I could only see Apple Pay and PayPal.
The Amazon package includes a tabletop tripod in addition to the universal cell phone adapter.
Adasion says…
We have a 90-day return policy, which means you have 90 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
To start a return, you can contact us at thenebulabrands@gmail.com. If your return is accepted, we’ll send you a return shipping label, as well as instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted.You can always contact us for any return question at thenebulabrands@gmail.com.
The use of a Gmail account to initiate a return sounds a little suspicious, but it’s probably okay. The following information about exceptions seems out of place too, since Adasion doesn’t sell any of these types of products.
Certain types of items cannot be returned, like perishable goods (such as food, flowers, or plants), custom products (such as special orders or personalized items), and personal care goods (such as beauty products). We also do not accept returns for hazardous materials, flammable liquids, or gases.
Finally, their method of processing exchanges seems the most unusual.
The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and once the return is accepted, make a separate purchase for the new item.
If you ask me, that’s not really an exchange. It’s simply a return and a new purchase. For an exchange, you, the buyer, shouldn’t have to do anything after sending the item back.
So why are these 12×42 binoculars so popular?
There doesn’t seem to be anything particularly attractive about them. They’re not the more common 8×42 or 10×42 size. (You’ll appreciate a tripod.) The specifications are nothing to write home about.
I think it mainly comes down to the price, as I mentioned earlier. At both Amazon and the Adasion site, they appear to be heavily discounted. I have the feeling that the discounted price is really the regular price and that the pre-discount price is just an inflation to entice you into buying them and making you feel like you got a great deal.
And they may be a great deal at the lower price. I haven’t tried them personally, but many thousands have submitted positive reviews. Hopefully most of them are legitimate.
Adasion 12×56 Monocular
The 12×56 monocular looks like it’s of higher quality materials than the binoculars.
Adasion mentions dielectric and phase coatings for the glass. Fully-multicoated would be better, but I see no reference to that.
The FOV is 325 feet, and the tube is IPX7 nitrogen-filled – a good thing for waterproofing and fogproofing. It weighs about a pound.
You get what appears to be the same cell phone adapter and tabletop tripod that come with the binoculars.
I’d be less inclined to try this monocular than the binoculars because they cost roughly twice as much, even though they too are heavily “discounted”, and you’re only getting one tube instead of two. Theoretically, that should mean the higher quality I suggested earlier, but at this price point it’s really hard to tell.
If you don’t want to take a chance on the new kid, check out the tried and true Vortex binoculars or Wingspan monocular instead.
