A reasonable monocular?

[Douglas-001]

I am not dressing up as a nazi and changing my name to Fritz. Last October my wife and I were in Arizona. Tucson, Phoenix, Marana, Fountain Springs or whatever they call it....should be "Broke Fountain" cause the fucker wasn't working...Sedona, Flagstaff, Winslow....and the scenic spots in between. I brought a set of Bushnell 8X36 binos that worked fine but I had to stop and retrieve them from my pack if I spotted something worth a closer look. Tried to carry around my neck for a bit, uh....nope. So I recently stumbled across the Vortex line of monoculars, one even has a belt clip which is great, they are made in China, not so great. Do any members have experience with a monocular that they can recommend? I would use it to take a quick look and then reach for the binos if needed, or possibly a small set of binos that could be carried much easier. Most likely the optic would be secured to a shoulder strap. My wife is familiar with binos, but she wears glasses and I thought that the monocular would be an easier optic. As always, thanks for any advice and help!

Doug

 

[Eustice]

I have the Vortex Recon R/T 15x50. I’ve had it for several months but thanks to terrible weather and the virus nonsense I really haven’t gotten to play with it extensively but it’s not bad. I compared it next to my Sig Kilo 3000 but it’s difficult for me to make a comparison. The binos are 10x and the Recon is 15x so comparing field of view or even how an object several hundred yards away looks is not going to be a fair comparison.

I will say the Recon isn’t bad. I’ve glassed stuff out to 200 yards from where I work and am able to read some pretty small signs at about 150 yards. The most difficult thing i find is holding it still while unsupported. That model is pretty big. Bigger than a lot of the 8x and 10x offerings so hanging it around your neck may not be the most convenient option. But it does come with a pouch that could be put on the outside of a pack so the fumbling would be to a minimum.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

In Monoculars we carry Hawke Monoculars. They're good solid optics. No, not the greatest of the great, but certainly good quality worth carrying and not expensive

 

[RTH1800]

On eBay you can find older German monoculars. Hensoldt, Zeiss, Hasseablad etc.

 

[pmclaine]

What would Dan Crenshaw recommend?

 

[RTH1800]

Yeah. Zeiss makes several even today if I remember that are pretty good


I have two of the Recons because I wanted a reticle. They make it in 10x and 15x. They are both made in Japan, so quite good quality wise

Yes, not going to find reticule in the older German monoculars.

 

[jphil108]

I have the vortex 8x recon with the Mil reticle, I would it definitely recommend it for size, it has reasonably clear glass, and the reticle is pretty effective for ranging. It doesn’t have any real way to mount it to a tripod if you wanted, you could make a bracket to bolt on over the belt clip.

it came with a belt holstered carrying case but it’s pretty bulky just about doubles the size of the whole unit and the cover flap doesn’t hold down very well.

My big complaint is that it doesn’t have lens caps And the shape of the over-molding makes it difficult to put regular scope caps on it so you kinda have to have a carry case for it or clip into a bag/chest harness. It requires a really close eye relief to get a good field of view and it isn’t super fast to get a good view with glasses on. If you have any shakes or tremors, it can be a little difficult to range stuff from a standing position but that’s probably true for any handheld monocular. with support it’s been pretty solid and checks out against my rifle reticles. I’ve been having fun ranging stuff in my neighborhood without neighbors seeing a big scary rifle pointed their way.

all in all a better option for me than similar size binoculars. Pictures attached, pocket pig sticker for scale.

 

[Guns4570]

I have both of the above mentioned Vortex's. The 8x I use for bowhunting and other things on my hunting lease year round. The 15x Recon I bought on here a decade ago and it has been my elk hunting optic since and its becoming more useful evaluating deer horns too as I get more into my 60s. If you have deeper pockets the Recon is the best available monocular available that I am aware of for still affordable price. The 10x for most uses would work for a person with normal vision. However if you are very near sighted and wear progressives like I do the 15x offsets the target your looking at being shrunk to clear up the image.

 

[Yasherka]

I have the Bushnell 10x. Very nice glass, mil reticle, rubber armored, belt clip. It also has a picatinny rail so you can mount ....a chainsaw I guess. It's probably a little bulkier than the others mentioned here but I have gotten good use out of mine.

 

[bunsen27]

I've had a Bushnell Legend Ultra HD Monocular for about years now and it is awesome! I started with the Vortex models but to me the Bushnell blows them out of the water. I use it for varmint hunting primarily, but it would serve you well for other uses. It comes with it's own pouch as well as a belt clip, and lanyard. It also has attache lense covers.

 

[Douglas-001]

Oh you dirty dog.....

What would Dan Crenshaw recommend?