The right compact binocular for a serious birder - Kowa 8x25mm Roof Prism Binoculars

As I got more and more serious about birding, I purchased increasing expensive binoculars, and finally purchase a pair of Swarovski EL's about 12 years ago. At the time, I seriously thought they would be the last binoculars I purchased. I was absolutely convinced that no better optical clarity was possible - and still believe that (but I understand technology has improved, so I'd be willing to look through new binoculars, but there's a limit to what my eyes can perceive).
But for many years I wanted a pair of smaller binoculars, or compact binoculars, as a "back-up" pair or to keep handy in the car or at my office. But I couldn't justify the cost of a new pair of binoculars - after all: I'd purchased my "lifetime" pair, hadn't I?
My father was coming to Alaska to visit last summer, and that was the excuse I needed to buy a 2nd pair of quality binoculars. I wanted both of us to have binoculars around our necks in the car as we drove the Dalton Hwy - I didn't want to have to pass a single pair back and forth between us. So I got online, and researched many reviews and options. As a birder, I occaisionally see articles about optics, so I knew something about what was out there, but hadn't researched the area deeply for several years.
In the end, I decided on a pair of Pentax 9x32 AND these Kowa 8x25 compact binoculars. I'd had a cheap pair of double-hinged compact binoculars many years ago, and did not like them, and found them hard to use. So the single hinge design of the Kowa 8x25 appealed to me.
Sure enough, when they arrived, they struck me as tiny, but I was amazed at the optical clarity. The first afternoon they arrived, I went to my local lake and experimented with all three binoculars set on a picnic table in front of me. Swarovski (the best clarity, but not overwhelmingly so), the Pentax (surprisingly comfortable open hinge design), and these Kowa's which had a bright full view, crisp. And... they were "tiny". So light and comfortable. I was just super pleased. True - I can't fit them in my pocket, but I keep this pair at my office and they are so small, they're always ready to go if a group of us takes off for a work assignment for the day.
I saw a comment that one reviewer had tried three pairs of these binoculars and thought each pair had some misallignment problem - what I saw as I experimented with these small binoculars was that the two tubes are so short, the close focus is sharp, but it's hard to get both eyes to "overlap" exactly. At a distance of 20' or more, I had no problem, and the image was sharp, clear, and both eyes were working together.
The neck strap is no wider than a shoelace, and I was concerned about that at first, but the binoculars are so light, the neckstrap works fine. The lens caps have a small tab that would allow you to thread the neck strap through them, so they'd always be with the binocular. I don't use my binoculars that way, and for awhile I would just carry the lens caps with me and place them on the Kowa before stowing them. Now - the lens caps are in a drawer at home, and the binoclar is stored in the case on a shelf in my office - that works well for me.
Overall, I'm very, very pleased with this compact binocular.
Pros: compact, quality optics, single hinge
Cons: not quite as good as my full size, lens caps

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.