Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

(DISCLAIMER: this is a toy. It is basically an infrared flashlight with a camera to let you see the infrared -- which IS pretty neat, but you should be aware that this is not "true nightvision", which is to say, light amplification. This toy originally retailed for about eighty bucks and has since been discontinued (there are newer models now). Do not purchase this from 3rd party sellers that have it listed for hundreds of dollars, because for that price you could buy a pair of actual light amplification night vision goggles.) I think my title is a pretty good description: fun but wildly impractical! But I saw night vision goggles for this price and thought that this is a toy I can't do without. It's actually really, exceedingly cool provided you do not attempt to use them to navigate. For example, go get a toilet paper roll. Close your left eye. Hold the roll up to your right eye and start walking around. This is identical to the experience you will have with these goggles: VERY narrow field of vision in one eye. That said, they do what they say and the construction seems pretty rugged and kid-friendly. You'll need a phillips head screwdriver to get the batteries in and out. The whole thing is basically made of rubber it looks like it could survive a bit of rough handling. If you look at the picture of the item, the big thing in the middle is the camera, surrounded by some high powered infra-red LEDs. Those can be switched on or off. When on, they visually glow a dull red but act as a floodlight for the camera. In front of the right eye you have another bank of lower powered LEDs which do not glow when on and act as a lower-powered light source for the camera. This lets you switch between "stealth" (no glow, lower visibility) mode and "observation" (slight glow, higher visibility) mode. The left eye is covered with a simple plastic cover which is on a hinge and can be opened for a source of "normal" vision. The view itself, as mentioned, is very narrow, but quite good. You can certainly turn off all the lights and make out the interior of your house in great detail, although I have to say the narrow scope and false color sets you up for a real "Blair Witch" feeling. I was actually thinking you could get a great haunted house by making people wear these in a pitch black environment. I think you'd have a hard time using it for anything practical (including, say, hide-and-go-seek) simply because it feels dangerous trying to move around while wearing them. You're asking to trip on or bump into something. Still, I'm keeping em. Too cool not to have for this price. (P.S. I now see that they have another version of this toy that gives you two monitors, one for each eye. I haven't tried that one, though.)