Vortex Optics Solo Monocular 10×36

I own a great pair of liteweight binoculars which i purchased on amazon but sometimes i’ll hike a few miles while hunting and i needed to cut down on needed equipment. The vortex solo is perfect for what i needed, i love that it contains a clip to carry on my backpack shoulder strap or on my tactical belt, both purchased on amazon 🙂 , focus is easy, glass and image are very clear. Hunting season…. Here i come.

Very handy, nice ergos, 1 year in with rough use, still awesome.

I’m probably not qualified to judge thus monocular as i’ve not used extremely high end binoculars or monoculars.

I was amazed how crisp and clear the optics was in this monocular. I found it easy to adjust. So much better than an older pair of nikon binoculars i own. Exponentially better than older cheap binoculars i’ve owned. For the price, it’s a great value.

I purchased this for a recent trip and was extremely impressed. Although the optics are not perfect, it is a fantastic value and this has become my go-to monocular (i own 3). My main complaint is with the belt clip. Although you can remove the clip itself if you don’t want to use it, you can’t remove the mount point it attaches to. The mount point is poorly located and your fingers keep hitting it’s hard edges. From a design perspective, this mount point should not even be needed, since there is already another mount point that sticks out (in a far better location) for the wrist strap. Other nit-picks include the case (poor quality) and lack of lens covers. Overall, i like this monocular and would recommend it to others.

Works well up to 100 yards. Don’t expect a spotting scope. I had planned to use this to assist in zeroing but it is not that powerful. I use it for patrol to see people and what they are doing from across large parking lots. Works outstanding for aforementioned use. Built rugged and sturdy.

Worked as advertised, i used this rather than a bino on a red stag/fallow hunt in new zealand, i wish they made this in a 12x, other than that it was perfect. I could easily fit this, a range finder, head lamp and a cell phone in my bino bivy.

I recently purchased vortex solo 10×36. I am pleased with the functionality and build quality of the mono and would recommend it to friends. I especially appreciate the vortex unconditional guarantee.

I have a wide range of optical products including binoculars (several), monoculars, various scopes (many), and ranging devices. I have had no problems and have been quite pleased with previous vortex products (spotting scope and high-end binoculars). I typically use my solo out on hikes and bird watching when i don’t want to lug the much heavier binocs. The solo is replacing an older pair of nikon binocs (8×25) that has a hinge wearing out. The mag difference between the 8x binocs and the 10x solo is quite noticeable. The solo also has noticeably better brightness and image crispness than the small binocs. Of course the field of view (fov) of the solo is significantly smaller. Size wise the solo is 5 in tall and 2 inches in diameter fitting nicely in a one-hand hold.

The focusing ring inboard of the eyepiece is rather stiff. I typically use my off hand to focus. The lanyard loop is large and designed to be worn around the neck. A belt clip is attached. However, a screw hole for tripod mounting is lacking as are lens covers.

I love the size and ease-of-use of this monocular. I purchased it for a trip to glacier and it was a perfect size and weight for the trip. During hikes, it fit easily in a fanny pack which made it immediately accessible and it was light enough that i barely knew it was in the pack. It fit perfectly in our hands and was easy to adjust so that we could see wildlife and other sights. So glad i made this purchase!

I bought this for bow hunting and camping/hiking. I tried out a bunch of differrnt binos and found that what i wanted was a good quality mono. I chose this after trying out several at gmountain. It is a little bulky for a mono but still smaller and lighter than all equivalent binos. The 36 obj lens makes it excellent at dusk and the 10x is more than adequate, even for rifle hunting, to id animals. Some have said the adjuster is to stiff but i prefer it stays where i set it. I can still adjust it with just my thumb. Comes with a belt clip, which i removed since i hang it arount my neck, also making it even more comfortable to hold. I did rig it up in my bino straps instead of the supplied lanyard as the lanyard isnt comfortable longterm and lets it flop around while walking and could hang up in my ghily suit or bow string. The optics are quite clear and holding it steady is just a matter of practice. I am very happy with this even tho its made in china, they seem to have done a good job with this.

I am an avid hiker from utah and always wanted something compact to look for wildlife while i hike! I love that it comes in a velcro case that slips on my backpack! It works really well and i am able to check out the top of the mountains very clear! Great purchase amd very rugged! Love it so far! Arrived in less then a week, well packaged with a lanyard, sturdy case and a cloth to clean the lens! So much easier to carry then binoculars!

This is my first monocular, not my first experience with optics. After an extensive online search and gathering of information this one made it.

About the product: i went for the 10×36. The feel in hand is very good, hard rubber gripy and sturdy in general, it seems well made, with good fit and finish. No protective caps is good for practical carry and quick use, bad for storage, transportation or for people who cares about maintaining gear in good condition, i personally miss the caps, not only for scratch protection but for keeping the glass clean of fingerprints, it’s really annoying having to be careful at handling.
I don’t use the pocket clip so i dismounted it but it’s good to have the option, it works. The eye relief is good with or without glasses. It works perfectly with vankey cellphone adapter, it allows using the focus wheel while mounted. The focus wheel is a little stiff as i see in other reviews, it’s true, it’s a 2 hand operation but works well, although when turning the wheel all the way to both sides i can hear a ‘sanding’ sound, like it’s fragile, but this is an assumption. The optical experience is good, i’m glad i went with the 36 objective because the light gathering is better than i expected. I can see a clear an very defined image, with just a bit of blue glare at the edge of objects, but it’s really hard to notice, not something that i consider a negative at this price point, moreover this happens only when the object is with heavy bright contrast at the background. Up to 100m the focus is excellent, past that distance the focus is very hard to find, it always seems tiny bit off focus, this is the main negative i’ve experienced so far. The second negative is a very very short range of focus, my guess is about 2m. I constantly find myself having to refocus.

Personal experience: the first time i use the cellphone adapter the eye relief plastic piece made a ‘crack’ sound and came off. I red this in another review and it happened to me too. I found myself with the eye piece attached to the adapter in one hand and the monocular in the other with the glue exposed at the eyepiece, i thought it was over, but put it back together and it’s like nothing happened. It’s a very sticky soft glue i think that allows for this to happen but beeniusing it 2 weeks after that and it works fine.
There is no tripod mount but the monocular it’s so light that i rather use the tripod attached to the cell phone adapter instead when digiscoping and works well.
I own a pair of old simmons binoculars 7×50, i believe they are from the 90s, these binoculars deliver exceptionaly good optics, a great field of view and very generous range of fucus, i could say 100m range of focus, so i’m used to that experience, that’s why i can’t enjoy the short range of focus of this monocular. The only downside to my binoculars is the weight.

General information: my options where between unknown (or barely known) chinese brands and very expensive known and established brands. The expensive leica and zeis where out of range mainly because i don’t want to babycare gear, so i started looking at these chinese ones. It seems that all brands are the same, same factory, same quality control, etc. Only the marketing changes. Too many ‘top 10 best monoculars’ videos that are obviously paid advertising. Product reviews by doubtful channels and lame or inexistant socialmedia presence. That doesn’t give me so much confidence. In a deeper subject i red on a forum that chinese bak4 is not really bak4 and that there are not really any standards in the optics industry for using that term or the famous ‘fully multi coated’. I’m aware vortex are produced in china but there are some standards by well stablished brands. At least there is customer service and warranty. So i recommend to dig into this matter of optics specs and marketing schemes if you are really into optics.

All these monoculars its hard to choose. I went with this one because of reviews here on amazon and youtube. Nice size to carry and to backpack. Havent used it extensivly yet but so far it is easy to use and power enough to see as far as i want to see.

Bottom line: decent optics for viewing at reasonable distances. Good construction. Cannot focus within 20 feet. Do not expect the carrying case to protect your lens.

Optics are decent for a monocular of this price. As others have mentioned, close (near) focus is the weak point of this unit. Objects can only be focused clearly from at least 20 feet. This number may increase in some viewing conditions. Considering the price point and construction, the overall monocular would be somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars.

But i deduct a full star when factoring in the awful carrying case. It is made of one long strip of synthetic material, folded into an oval shape with velcro to close the loop. The only thing keeping the monocular from falling out either side are two thin elastic bands holding part of the case in a ‘u’ shape. The main lens is somewhat covered by the bottom of the ‘u’, but dirt and dust can easily get in. A friend had a thin branch go right between this strip and the monocular body at this spot while hiking through brush. It made a small, off center scratch on the lens. Thankfully it is still usable but he got rid of the carry case.

The belt clip (not seen in photos) is useful and sturdy. Unfortunately, the clip makes gripping the monocular challenging and/or uncomfortable. It would be helpful if this clip could be easily removed in the field. The clip is held with 2 screws using what appears to be a loose t15 (or t16) head. I only had a t15 and it felt as though i might strip the head if i used too much pressure because it was so loose.

The provided neck strap (not seen in photos) has an effective opening measuring just over 19 inches (in other words, you could fit a flat, 19 inch board through it). This should be enough for most people to drape around their neck and under one arm while still being able to raise the scope to their eye. At the monocular end, there is a quick release clip made of plastic. A typical thin cord makes the final connection to the monocular body. The strap hole on the body is large enough to accept any number of replacement straps if desired. You can see this in the 2nd photo.

Nice belt clip and lanyard.

The monocular is perfect for anyone who wears glasses and has a very hard time using binoculars.
My only complaint is that amazon shipped it in a soft envelope, and when i received it the box that the monocular was in was crushed. However, vortex makes strong products and it doesn’t appear to be damaged.

Fits in your hand for viewing. Easy to grip with adjustable eyecup for when wearing glasses.
Handy clip for attaching to belt, pocket. Also included carry/storage case and lanyard.
Optics are good, both for nearby 10 yard humming bird observation, intermediate and long range view.
The adjusting ring is quite stiff when rotating, but will most likely loosen up over time.
Also have their binoculars that also offer a different but equally satisfying experience. Prefer the monoc for almost all activities.

Well, it’s bright, sharp and… Much heavier and bulkier than the specs suggested to me… I’ve pored over reviews, photos and specs before deciding on my purchase, yet was still surrprised of its bulk and heft once it arrived and i got to hold it….

In fact i almost gave it 3 stars instead of 4 because for me, the focus adjustment is very awkward while looking through it due to rather tight/heavy action and very unfortunate placement just above the viewing ocular…. Lastly, i found it difficult to keep it from ‘blacking out’ so they seem to be very sensitive to eye placement…..
I gave this monocular to a friend as a gift soon after purchase because of these issues….

However, based on the many reviews by others, including those performed in the field and under rugged conditions, this monocular is very tough so i didn’t want to rate it unfairly low… The brightness and sharpness is very good indeed…. Just not the right item for me and what i’m looking for…. If you have the chance to do so, try to handle this monocular first hand in a store or via a friend who might own one before squeezing the trigger on the buy button…

I still might pick up the more compact 8x

Im an avid outdoorsman (search and rescue) as well as former military sniper so i know my optics pretty well. I was looking for something that i could carry whenever out and about in the woods that was lighter and less bulky than my subcompact binos. Until buying the vortex solo i carried a pocket monocular by brunton echo pocket scope which is very small and light but lacks magnification and the image quality is relatively poor. To fill the gap between my high end binos and the pocket scope i bought the solo.
The solo is extremely ruggedized (tho lacks an objective lens cover) and has a solid feel (not to mention some weight to it). The optics are not adjustable but provide a very clear viewing field. Carrying case is somewhat open to the elements (as mentioned by other reviewers) but aside from possibly exposing the glass portions to scratches from dirt, etc. Its not that big of an issue and has a decent belt loop/snap to carry it by. Additionally the solo has a heavy duty removable metallic clip (that probably accounts for 30% of the product weight!).
Overall this is a quality optic, especially for the price. I would prefer a little smaller and lighter but havent seen anything of similar quality/affordability on the market that would meet this requirement.

Purchased the vortex 10×36 monocular to use for target archery. I wanted something lighter than a pair of binoculars to spot arrows with from distances ranging from 30 to 70 yards.

Pros: i love the belt clip, it’s almost the length of the entire monocular and it’s not too stiff which makes it easy to slide onto your belt. The monocular fits nicely into my hands and the optics are adequate. It’s a lot lighter than carrying the binoculars i was using before.

Cons: what i don’t like is the eye relief, i do wear glasses, but it could use a bit more relief. The focus ring is stiff, i basically have to use my other hand to focus with, i was really hoping to be able to view and focus all with one hand. The only saving grace is i’m usually viewing from a fixed location.

My only other complaint is not the fault of this product, but it’s harder to hold the monocular as steady as a pair of binoculars and that’s obvious because you’re only using one hand to hold the monocular up. In retrospect it may have been better to go with the 8×36 as it might have been a bit easier to hold steady.

10 x 36 vortex solo monocular. A decent monocular for the money. I use mine for deer hunting, generally from elevated stands. The monocular is sharp and easy to focus. It is quicker to use in my situation than binoculars. I like the weight, it seems to be easier to keep steady. I removed the belt clip as i use the lanyard. It doesn’t have good low light resolution, it is difficult to see details at about sundown (generally about 30 minutes before dark). Seems to be pretty rugged and is waterproof (i have tested it in light rain but not underwater). Wish it had lens caps. All in all a good buy for the money but not much good for details in low light.

Update: as others have complained, the focus wheel is now impossible to turn. I am sending back and see if the warranty service is satisfactory.

2nd update: sent back to vortex and they corrected the problem and shipped back. No charge. Works great now.