Avocet DE-LUXE 8x30 WIDE ANGLE (1 Viewer)

I bought these binoculars through eBay because they looked so attractive.
When they arrived, the condition was indeed remarkable, and the seller kindly later advised that he had found them at a house sale.

There is no eye relief, as had been expected, but sharpness at the centre is excellent, being better than Pentax 8x32 ED DCF.
Although the field is quoted as '446ft at 1000yds' it is really a bit less than the 7.5* given for the Pentax.

The view is an easy one, with outer limits distinct and focus falling off gently from the centre.
They are not as bright as the Pentax but I was surprised to find them so good, and still to be so useable.

The only marks are those shown in the photos, the label on the focus shaft being plain silver with no visible text at all.
The mark on the end of the same shaft (indistinct in the photos) is indeed 'JAPAN' but the age and manufacturer are unknown.

Any info. about this model would be welcome.

Hi, This sounds a nice vintage Japanese glass, it looks well built. From the style, it looks very similar to the 8x30 Swift Ascot model , except that has a red diagonal flash and the IPD scale is slightly different. The Ascot was made by made by JB 56 Hiyoshi Kogaku Co. Ltd. They produced binoculars for many brand names, as did other Japanese factories, but I wouldnt be surprised to discover your Avocet was made in the same factory. The owner of an Avocet I saw for sale way back insisted it was a Swift, but I am since reliably informed Swift never made a model called Avocet, it is not a Swift, however the similarity to many Swift models is obvious. The owner of that Avocet felt it was as good as his Zeiss Jenoptem and from your description that sounds likely.
Look to see if you can find a JB number anywhere, usually on the hinge bars, but could be hidden somewhere else, if you can find one it will help identify the maker. Nice find anyway.

Thanks for looking Bencw and for the advice. Still cannot see a JB number anywhere. Correction, the FOV is better than 7.5, and probably around 8.5 degrees, there is a fraction of ER when the rubber eyecups are rolled down, and they don't seem to have perished. In some lighting the covering of the body is dark grey, rather than the black shown in the pictures. Weight with plastic neck strap, which seems fine as well, is 750gms. I had the soles of a pair of shoes crumble completely to dust after a few years but the rubber guards around the objectives seems ok too.