Zoomies are wearable, hands-free binoculars which have been advertised on television as an inexpensive alternative to traditional binoculars. Today we offer our review of the product and seek reader input as well.
About Zoomies
Zoomies appeared in early 2013, marketed as a way to replace traditional binoculars in a variety of situations such as sporting events, travel, or even watching television.
There are two websites currently marketing Zoomies: buyzoomies.com and orderzoomies.com. Buyzoomies.com appears to be the official website being advertised and was registered on January 3, 2013, while orderzoomies.com appears to be used only by affiliates and was registered on March 1, 2013.
How much do Zoomies cost?
One pair of Zoomies costs $10.00 + $9.95 processing & handling for a total cost of $19.95. (Note that the P&H was originally $7.95 when this review was first written). You can add a second pair for another $9.95 P&H for a total of $29.90 for both.
When ordering from the website, there is no way to opt out of this second “free” set, and there is no confirmation screen for you to review your order.
Zoomies can be found in stores, often in the As Seen on TV section.
Our Zoomies Review
We looked at several factors in our review of Zoomies.
Magnification
Though the claim that Zoomies offer “300%” magnification sounds impressive, it really isn’t. 300% is just a fancier way of stating that these binoculars have 3x magnification, which is rather weak. Most inexpensive binoculars usually have magnification in the 7x to 15x range.
Materials
Zoomies feel very cheaply made, of dollar store quality.
Lenses
We could forgive low-level magnification and cheap plastic, but the most damning factor in our review was that Zoomies were simply out of focus, and we were unable to remedy this.
Ordering
We were first introduced to Zoomies by a reader who felt he was overcharged when ordering the product. In fact, Ripoff Report has several complaints regarding the ordering process, and customers unhappy with charges different than what they expected.
Television Commercial
Below is the current television commercial airing for Zoomies binoculars:
Transcript of the television commercial above:
You want a closer look but the naked eye can only see so much. Squinting doesn’t help and binoculars are big, bulky, and expensive. Introducing Zoomies, the compact, hands-free, high-powered binoculars you wear like sunglasses. Zoomies gives you instant 300% magnification that brings everything up close. Look closer. Zoomies binoculars utilize the same vision magnification technology of expensive high-powered binoculars and condenses it into micro-vision lenses that adjust easily with a turn of the focus dial, and magnify up to 300%. With Zoomies you’ll enjoy mother nature up close. You’ll be so close to the action, you’ll feel the excitement, and you’ll have a front-row view of the big game, even from the cheap seats. Holding heavy binoculars is tiring on your arms and heavy on your neck, but Zoomies binoculars are so light, you’ll forget you even have them on. And when your head follows the action, so does Zoomies, hands-free. You can even switch on the sun shade to eliminate glare without switching to sunglasses. And they’re the clear choice of bird watchers, hunters and outdoorsmen, sports fans and anyone who leads an active lifestyle. You’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing. They’re great for reading books and fine print in newspapers. You’ll love them for hobbies, arts & crafts, sewing and stitch-work, and they turn any TV into a big screen TV. And best of all, they fold and store easily in shirt pocket or purse. You can pay $200 for bulky binoculars or you can get Zoomies at the factory-direct price of only $10. Order now and get this handy neck lanyard and travel storage bag absolutely free. But wait, order now and we’ll double the offer and send a second complete set free. Just pay separate processing and handling. That’s two complete sets of Zoomies binoculars for just $10. See what you’ve been missing and zoom in on the action with Zoomies. Here’s how to order.
Bottom Line
This product is a buffet of bad features: Cheaply-construction, uncomfortable, blurry, and weak magnification. Combine that with shipping costs and confusing billing, and this product a dud. You can find a wide variety of binoculars locally, which you can test and find which ones suit you best.
Your Zoomies Reviews
Have you had any experience with Zoomies? Let us hear from you in the comments below.
Updated February 12, 2014
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