Review on Vortex Optics 10x36 Solo Monocular - Boost Your Online Visibility by Bryan Cavalcante

This is my first monocular, not my first experience with optics. This was done after extensive web research and gathering information. About the product: I chose 10x36. The hand feel is very good, the hard rubber is grippy and solid overall, it feels like it's well made with a good fit and finish. The lack of protective caps is good for convenient carrying and quick use, bad for storage, transport, or for people who care about keeping gear in good condition. Personally, I miss caps not only to protect against scratches, but also to protect the glass from fingerprints, it's really annoying to have to be careful when handling. I don't use a pocket clip so I removed it but it's good to have the option, it works. The eye relief is good both with and without glasses. It works great with the Vankey cell phone adapter and allows the use of the focus wheel when installed. The focus wheel is a little tight as I see in other reviews, it's true it's two handed but works well although when turning the wheel fully in either direction I hear a "snagging" sound like it's fragile, but that is an assumption. Optical impression is good, I'm glad I chose the 36 because the aperture is better than I expected. I can see a sharp, very sharp image, with some blue highlights on the edges of objects, but it's really hard to see, which I don't see as a disadvantage in this price range, plus it only happens when an object is in high contrast is in the background. Up to 100m the focus is excellent, beyond that distance the focus is very hard to find, it always seems a little blurry, that's the main downside I've experienced so far. The second minus is a very, very short focusing range, about 2m in my opinion. I have to constantly reorient myself. Personal experience: When I first used the cell phone adapter, the plastic eye relief made a "cracking sound" and broke off. I wrote about this in another review and it happened to me too. I ended up with an eyepiece on the adapter in one hand and a monocular with glue sticking out of it in the other. I thought that was the end but I put it back together and it was like nothing happened. I think it's a very sticky soft glue that makes this possible but I've been using it for 2 weeks after and it works fine. There is no tripod mount, but the monocular is so light that I use a tripod attached to a cell phone adapter instead. when digiscoping and works well. I have an old pair of Simmons 7x50 binoculars, I think they are from the 90's. These binoculars offer exceptionally good optics, an excellent field of view and a very large focus range, I could say 100m focus range, so I'm used to that experience, so I can't enjoy the short focus range of this monocular. The only downside to my binoculars is the weight. Fun fact: My choice was between unknown (or little-known) Chinese brands and very expensive well-known and established brands. The expensive Leica and Zeis were out of reach, mostly because I don't want to wear baby clothes, so I started looking at the Chinese ones. All brands seem to be the same, same factory, same quality control, etc. Only the marketing changes. Too many "Top 10 Monoculars" videos that are clearly paid advertising. Product reviews via dubious channels and a weak or non-existent social media presence. It doesn't give me that much confidence. On a deeper topic, I read on a forum that the Chinese BAK4 is not really BAK4 and that there really are no standards in the optics industry for using the term or the famous "full multilayer coating". I know Vortex are made in China but there are some standards from established brands. At least there is service and guarantee. So I recommend looking into optics specifications and marketing schemes if you really understand optics.