So the name, then. Bit cocky? Maybe not, actually, because these Epic 10 compact binoculars from Silva are seriously high-spec. Top-quality Bak-4 glass prisms give incredibly sharp optics, with impressive 10x magnification and twist-up eyecups for a great field of view. Fully waterproof and equipped with a grippy rubberised surface, they're also filled with nitrogen gas, so they won't fog up. Of course, the real test of a good pair of portable binos is how likely you are to carry them around with you – and the Epic 10s have a dual hinge system that means they fold down really nice and small. They also weigh in at just 290g, so with any luck you'll have them to hand when you spot something epic on the horizon...
| Dimensions | 10.5 x 11.4 x 4.5 cm |
|---|---|
| Exit pupil diameter | 2.4 mm |
| Exit pupil distance | 10 mm |
| Field of view | 101 |
| Interpupillary distance | 56-74 |
| Magnification | 10x |
| Obj lens diameter | 25 mm |
| Weight | 290 g |
It’s a bit of a cliché to say, ‘this brand needs no introduction…’, but sometimes it really doesn’t. If you ever did scouts, guides or cadets, got epic blisters on a D of E expedition or went on an outward bounds residential, chances are you did it with a Silva compass in the pocket of your boil-in-the-bag cagoule.
Like so many world-changing inventions, the Silva compass began as a problem that needed solving. Back in the day, your standard compass wobbled all over the shop, making it tricky and time-consuming to get a decent reading. That is, until 1933, when four Swedes invented a liquid-filled compass. The resistance from the fluid slowed and stabilised the needle, meaning you could nail a reliable bearing in seconds. Navigation was never the same again.
But iconic as the compasses are, they’re only one part of the Silva story. They were one of the first companies to make reliable electric head torches for the outdoors, and they’ve also branched out into optics, trekking kit and other navigational gear. Tried and tested for the better part of a century, Silva’s precision instruments have literally been the difference between life and death for generations of outdoor adventurers – and as brand pedigree goes, that’s pretty much impossible to beat.
-Peter, Verified Buyer
