Vortex Solo 10x36 mm Monocular

Excellent for the money
In optics, like everything else, you get what you pay for. For $110, I rate this as excellent. The Vortex does not have the super resolution of a Zeiss or Leica, but you aren't paying $300+ for it either.

Don't get me wrong, the optics are clean and clear and I would buy another one of these if I ever lost this one. Construction is excellent. It's heavier than it looks in the pictures (hint: read the specs before you buy) it comes in at under a pound, but not by much.

The only negative is that the included carry case has open sides and there are no lens caps. Not really a big deal considering that when using a mono in the field you're going to wear it around your neck or clip it to your belt for quick access - which means that lens caps would just get in the way during real-life use.

Yeah, I'm happy with the performance - for $110, I'm really happy with the performance.

Bottom line: Solid build, clear optics, easy to use, excellent design...
Vortec Solo 10x36
Wonderfully clear and sharp. Good product for the price. The only changes I would like to see are short focus and eye relief like the 8x36. 15mm will work with glasses depending on distance of the lens to the eye. 18mm would be a lot nicer. It would also be handy if it focused down to say 6 or 8 feet rather than closer to 20'. Other than those two things it is great. Not too heavy or bulky to carry. The focus ring could be a tiny bit wider.
perfect hiking companion
I go on several-hours-long hikes so I'm choosy about the gear I want to lug around. I had previously bought a 7x18 Brunton Echo and a 30x50 Yukon scout but one was not enough and the other too much magnification. With the 30x magnification scope it took too long to find what I wanted to look at in my view finder. So by then I had often missed the bird or the deer. There is an average distance of the things I want to look at while in the woods. They're not miles away but rather the blaze on the tree ahead or the deer 100 yards off or a turkey vulture overhead. For that kind of stuff the Vortex Solo 10X36 is perfect.

The image is large, bright and beautiful. As mentioned elsewhere, the case is the weakest link. I don't mind the open case so much but the snap that secures it, well... it didn't. So I sewed the button tight and now it's a fixed loop. So scope excellent and case "not so much". But in the end I'm glad I bought this monocular. It's perfect for hiking , I think.

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