Not a single thread on the compacts? (6 Viewers)

[Tantien]

Me too!

I agree! And was a bit perplexed that this forum was oddly silent about this when I was researching the Opticron T3 Trailfinder 8x25s (that I did get from Eagle Optics).

They were a fantastic price-point for such specs ($95 at this writing) and so I bought two. It was a decision between: MINOX BV II 8 x 25, Sightron SI825 8x25, and the Pentax UCF WP 8x25 Reverse porros. And I'm glad I made this choice.

But first the bad news: I'm going to return one of the two. One of them has focussing issues--there is something in either the left barrel being dimmer or slightly "off" that makes focussing really touchy/fussy. So back it goes for a replacement.

Good news: The second one however works perfectly and does not exhibit the same behavior. The build is a quality armoring and feel; near focus is great (unlike so many other cheap compacts) and the padded case was well made and more than just a sleeve.

Optics are very clear and relatively bright--not like a $300+ 8x32 of course--but I did not buy them with this expectation. They are nicely compact, lightweight and perfect for a day trip where birding is not the main focus but you'd like a quality lightweight pair of binos would serve as a "backpack pair" just in case.

Anyway: add one more data point from me on their compact binoculars. Hope it helps.

Did I miss something, or is there really no thread on the compacts offered by Opticron?

There are at least the T3 Trailfinders, both as 8x25 and as 10x25 versions. And then there are the Adventurer WP DCF models with their double-hinge design. I have not checked for others in the lower price range, but at least the Trailfinder had an earlier version or two. Would be nice if we could get kind of a summary of the differences.
Opticron compacts have been dealt with in the less brand specific threads. But most often one has to search around quite a bit. An example for a thread with some info on Opticron compacts is the one I had started: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=285365

But for a quick search/info, it would be convenient to have the opinions and infos in Opticron's "own" forum.

Also, I notice that Eagle Optics in the US has a very limited selection of the Opticron compacts.
But I also notice that there seems to be a somewhat constant change of Opticron models in this field. Thus, not sure the Adventurer is still being produced. Somewhat irritating as it makes it hard to try to compare and to base one's decision to buy on some info that does not come from the company's own marketing division. :-C