Brunton Echo Monocular 7x18 – Compact Lightweight Pocket Scope for Travel and Hiking – Orange

I Have purchased several of these Very light and easy to use (holster is flimsy and pretty much useless, but overall quality of the scope outshines this defect) Pretty durable (except holster), ( I broke one but it was dropped onto rock from over 3m) UPDATE I have used several of these for some years now and they do have a durability issue over time. In a pack or pocket with some significant jostling but not dropped two have started rattling then stopped working; and a third is just starting to rattle. This is trail running level of vibration over several months so I have replaced 3 of these. Still excellent value for price and the size is perfect for my use case 4.5 stars perhaps... Price and weight are the main reasons I keep using these I would need to go thru 15 of these to hit the price of a Leicia at 2x the weight.

Can't give 5 stars on principle. That being a monocular should be 8x and 25mm or better with at least a 3mm exit pupil and clear, weather proof optics. This Brunton Echo is 7x, 18mm, and with a 2.6mm exit pupil... but it weighs less than 2 oz and fits almost anywhere.I'd give 5 stars to the Bear Grylls (Bushnell) 9x32mm monocular, which is about $40, much larger, and about 5oz, and so doesn't break the bank for a high quality optic (prices skyrocket after this one)... if you like the sound of the Grylls, get one quick, I understand they're discontinued.So enough whining...The Brunton works for my needs. When you're hiking or backpacking, you sometimes want to "see who or what" and a monocular is just the thing for that occasional need, since it's small, light, and given that, why not?7x is just enough (8x would be better, more than 9x you can't hold steadily enough for a stable view).18mm is just enough (25mm would be better, 32mm even better yet but getting heavy and bulky).2.6mm exit pupil gives just enough light (3mm would be better, more than that is again comes with being heavy and bulky).The Brunton comes in bright colors - helping with "where did I set that down?".Like any optic, take care of it, don't bang it or drop it.It's good enough and priced right for those who can live with good enough. (Still looking for a small 8x25mm in the $30 range, though.)

This is great thing for mountaineering, where the weight is the clincher. Just 1.8 oz! And there are bright colors, I picked up the orange one, should help me keep this thing in place. Not the best optics though, and 18mm doesn't give comfortable view like the 36mm, sure not, and it is not sealed and filled with inert gas, so after while you will find a dust inside and in the cold morning there will be condensate as well... BUT at such LOW WEIGTH there is no other option of similar quality, especially under 20 bucks. And the built quality is not bad at all, not perfect, but better than expected for this price, no issues. I would not recommend use it in low light conditions, but it is related to any optics in this range. In mountains especialy above snow line there is too much of sunlight, so this thing works pretty good giving promissed x7 zoom.

During a super cheap sale on the orange ones I got four of them to toss in the car, pack, etc., and found them to vary widely in optical quality. One was junk, but still useful for a basic quick look. One was mediocre, one was "good", and one was pretty darn sharp. It's such a pity they have ZERO quality control as far as actually looking through them goes because they apparently have the potential to ALL be as good as the best I received. For the sub-par ones I imagine the prisms are assembled by ham-handed factory workers with greasy fingers..Fit and finish was good on all, they're light as a feather, very compact and both focusing and holding can be done with one hand. Close focus is under two feet and can come in handy for lots of things just out of reach.But like I said, the optics are a gamble. So, you'll love it.. IF you get lucky.

I work in a warehouse environment, and I use this little scope every day to read SKU numbers and recipient information on products from the ground, up in racking 20ft above me. It's lightweight, rugged, and focuses easily. Most importantly, it's easy to carry with me on a constant basis on the job. It tucks right down into my tool pouch, and it's pretty easy to keep clean in a very dusty environment. I wouldn't say the optics are very high quality, but it's perfectly good for a spotter scope that you need to be able to keep handy. I can read fine print off labels on anything I'm standing under. This thing has saved me countless hours of forklift driving.

At first I liked this product. It seemed well-made, the optics were good, and it was compact. I wore it on a lanyard around my neck and under my shirt (for protection) in a warehouse-type setting to read the serial numbers off boxes placed on the upper shelves of the storage racks. After about 30 days of use, I noticed one day that the viewfinder was dark. Opening it up, all the optics fell out in a disorganized heap. I was unable to reassemble the resulting mess. Terminal malfunction after 30 days -- unacceptable. Potential buyers: this product is in no way robust but on the contrary quite fragile and not suitable for daily use or challenging environments. Brunton, if you are listening, I'd like to hear from you.

Seems to work OK. It's supposedly a 7x scope but it seems less than my 7x riflescope. I haven't used it in wet conditions yet... that will be the real test but it seems OK for the price.

The price is right. It is small and light. The image is just not very clear. As the old adage goes. "You get what you pay for"