Home > Consumer Reviews > Barska Blueline 25x30 Spy Scope

This scope is pretty good quality for its price. The brass is good and heavy. It focuses a good, clear image. It feels good to hold and is easy to handle. The only problem is that it looks larger that it actually. The sight picture is a bit small which makes it harder to adjust your eye to get a more full image. But after using it a while, you get the knack. I like it.

I was surpised when my 13yr old son requested a spyglass for Christmas. I started pricing them and realized they are either very cheap or VERY expensive. Not knowing how much he would actually use it, I did not want to pay too much, but I also didn't want to get a cheap one that wasn't usable. He was very excited when he opened it (I had convinced him he wasn't getting one) and immediately went outside with it. He knew it would take some time to know how to use it just right. Seems quite pleased still.

quality built, not lke the cheap scopes. it appears to be real solid brass. very nice product.

Nice to look at NOT look through. It's extremely hard to focus and steady so making it largely impractical in the field. Nice an office decoration.

This is an exellent buy if this is your first brass spyglass. For being so sheap this sure is good quality, every part of it is verry accurate. I really do have seen a lot worse. People who do not CARE to examine and learn for themselves OR are not used to handle and use spyglasses may have some problem getting the focus right. In any case the focus is really sharp when you do get it right.

You need to twist the smallest tube to change the focus depth. Pracise make perfect!

Even thou its not verry big in size i found that it was as "big" and heavy as i would tolerate for easy carrying and easy use in a larp. You may carry it in a small beltbag, and it fits nicely in your palm.

The only bad thing about it was the fake-leather. I bought it to use on a Pirate LARP (Live Action Role Playing) and i had to remove the plastic "leather" and sew on a new real piece of darkbrown leather myself.
Besides this, modern brass items are often lacquerd with a special clear brass protective lacquer, witch makes it impossible to corrode. I wandted that antique feeling since im using it on larps. So in order to get that old look to it I took everything apart (total disensembling), and polished off the lacquer using a grinding machine with a verry fine polishing rondell, and reassembled it. Afer two months it looked like a movie prop, corroded (darkened) and beautiful.
However I do not recommend anyone to do this UNLESS you are a craftsman who knows how to work metals and have basic (proffessional) polishing skills. If you are going to do this, be extra careful to remove the glass parts so that you dont accidentally polish them! And be careful not to grind away any metal or you may destroy it completley.

There are more than five, exactly the same, spyglasses here on Amazon.com, here are three of them: This one you are reading about "from" Barska, and this one Cstar MG-25C 25x30 Pirate Scope Monocular and Brass Telescope in Presentation Box and this one Specialty 25 x 30 mm Brass Spyglass Telescope, they look exactly the same and comes with the same fake-leather carrying case. Then you have two more but with different handels Masterpiece Collection Lookout 25x40 Telescope, Brass Spy Glass, Real leather finish and Brass Telescope with Wood In Leather Case. They are all manufactured in the same place and distributed to the different vendors.

Im about to buy "Orion Aristocrat 12x30mm Brass Hand Telescope" and 15" Telescope - Captain's Spyglass and try out the same process. Wait for my rewiev.

I hope my rewiew was any help to you!
Have a Good Larp!
:D