Great optics; light could be brighter
926652
I needed a microscope for identifying plants at home (because apparently 8 hours a day in the lab is not enough) and have really enjoyed this scope. However sometimes I have to point my desk lamp down to give it a little help. The optics are just as good as the 3,000$ scope in my lab.
3986352
Excellent optics and great value. Highly recommend.
3335065
Excellent little light ( ProTac HL-X ).  The TapTen programming lets you enable and disable lighting modes you don't use.  Very bright on high, blinding.  I especially like the low and medium settings since low is still bright enough for a lot of general use and medium is bright enough to temporarily blind someone, but without the high power drain of the full 1000 lumens.

Battery life seems to be good, I haven't drained the ones that came with it.  You can also use 18650 batteries if you want rechargeable "high capacity" batteries.  The clip is good, can be used to hang in your pocket or off the brim of a hat for head mounting, but could have a stronger spring to it.

I love the tough construction, it feels very solid in the hand, and the angles on the head casing keep it from rolling around on a table.

The one downside is the beam is not adjustable.  You can't get a really wide flood, but the fixed beam does have a nice spotlight in the middle with a good transition of illumination to the edges.  No visible halo edges or dark spots.
4286287
EXCELLENT  STEINER OPTICS, COMBINED WITH LIGHT WEIGHT, COMPACT SIZE, AND VERSATILITY
4108990
Great optics, very bright, light and built very well, very sturdy.
1995985
I just got this scope, and mounted it on my crossbow. Initial impression: Impressive! This would be very comparable to the Leupold Prismatic, but that being a $500 optic, this scope is very attractive.

What I like:
- Packaging is good quality (comes in a nice box)
- Solid build quality
- Amazingly clear optic
- Great light gathering in low light
- Crisp, functional reticle
- Illumination looks fantastic; 1 is great for low light and 11 is enough for a bright summer day

What I don't like:
- I wish it had a squared crossbolt that would fit into a mounting rail's grooves more solidly
- The adjustment knobs have no lines and not the most positive click adjustments. This is the only place where I feel this optic is "cheap".

I will update more as I start shooting my crossbow with it on. I am hoping it will stand up to the challenge before hunting season. Otherwise, its going on my 10/22.

7/22/15 - I have to knock off one star. Reason: No markings for direction (U or R) on the knobs! I figured it out (clockwise clicks for Up and Right), but something written on it would have helped... Unless I got one that happened to pass QC without markings...
2944460
Produces great images and is solidly built. Only complaint is that the light source could be brighter because even with very transparent samples the image is extremely or black at the higher magnifications.
2040188
If you are going birding or will be heavily using your optic I'd look for a better pair of binoculars, but if you need an inexpensive, small, and light optic to clip onto your belt and use occasionally, this will fit the bill. The view is surprisingly clear and bright for the size and especially the price. This isn't a toy, it's actually a decent optic.

It's also not 10x, but appears to be more like 6x after comparing against my other 10x, 8x, and 7x optics. This is actually a good thing, because holding a 10x monocular steady is difficult. This gives enough magnification to see what you're looking for without being too much and magnifying your hand shake.

Depth of focus is deep enough that you can set the focus and not have to mess with it much. It has a twist out lens cup so it can be used with or without glasses. The belt clip is handy to keep it attached to your belt or pack without having to use a strap. It has an removable front lens cap than can be easily flipped down while still being attached, or at this price you could just carry it an not worry too much about scratches.

I haven't used the Vortex monocular, but comparing against their binoculars, I doubt this is much different or worse than the Vortex 8x25 which costs 2.5x more. A Zeiss or high end will certainly beat this, but for occasional viewing this works.
2296232
Great light output. The amber lenses are good for keeping a soft glow on skintones when photographing or recording. My only dislike, I guess, is how topheavy they are for the tripod feet. And I'm looking for something that will allow me to telescope them higher or lower so they aren't just table-top fixtures. All in all, though, good product that I recommend.
4735536
This reflector is very good at providing crisp, directional light with deep shadow, but with softer feather than standard 7-inch grids. It's not quite like beauty dishes, because the light is more focused and does not wrap around, but if you can fabricate a "shower cap" diffuser, this will become a bit more like a small softbox.

Another aspect of this reflector is very high efficiency. It focuses the light from the head to some 40-degree beam without wasting energy. So, when using a portable light like&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Elinchrom-EL-10292-1-Ranger-Quadra-To-Go-Set-with-1-Ranger-Quadra-Power-Pack-1-Battery-1-S-Head-1-Reflector-Cables-and-Charger/dp/B002ECE9BI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Elinchrom EL 10292.1 Ranger Quadra To Go Set with 1 Ranger Quadra Power Pack, 1 Battery, 1 "S" Head, 1 Reflector, Cables and Charger</a>&nbsp;on location and trying to compete or overpower the sun, this kind of reflector becomes very essential. I sincerely wish Elinchrom made this reflector available with a Quadra mount for this reason. This reflector, although very nice and versatile, is already overpriced, and having to pay another hundred for the conversion adaptor is not very exciting.
4129590
The 6 power by 16 mm lens combination provides a good balance between compact size, image magnification, and image brightness.  The optics are more than satisfactory for the price, providing almost non-existent color fringing and field distortion.  The carry pouch is adequate only, and I may go to a leather store for materials to custom-make my own case.

The monocular has a sliding focusing mechanism.  However, the adjustments are coarse, even with minor movement of the slider.  So it's tricky, but possible, to obtain a clear focus.  But when you do so, the image is very nice, considering the size of the optics.
2154563
For the money it's hard to beat. Could be a little brighter.
1412703
These binoculars are well constructed and the optics work great, especially for the price.  I used them on the range this weekend and I was able to see .223/5.56 holes in my paper target without any issues at 100 yards.  My only complaint is that the focus knob is loose and requires constant adjustment.  Every single time I place the bino's down, I found myself having to readjust the focus knob.  If it weren't for that issue, these bino's would easily receive a 5 star rating from me.
1911846
My old 2" reflector telescope just died, and my daughter needed to complete an Astronomy 205 lab, so I ran out to a big box store and bought this handy-dandy little pair of binoculars. I love the view! We were able to see dozens of stars in the Pleiades cluster, 3 of Jupiter's moons, and even a tiny little cloudy object that was the Andromeda Galaxy. The craters on the moon were quite dramatic, too.

Pros:
* 10x magnification with 25mm objective lens yields excellent visibility.
* No problem with my eyeglasses. I just removed them, adjusted the binocular focus, and voila, they became my glasses. Close your right eye, set the focus for the left eye, and then make any adjustments for the right eye with the diopter.
* Easy to carry and light.
* Inexpensive and sturdy enough to give as a gift to an 8 year-old.

Cons:
* 10x magnification means you need to prop your elbows or hands to keep a steady view.
* No tripod adapter.

If I had paid $100 for these, I would rate it 3 or 4 stars. But for $10, it's a 5-star value.
3044660
I haven't fully tested it yet, but I like the brightness, the accessories, and adjustability.  In particular the illumination pattern when zoomed out wide, which is wide and evenly lit.

Not the most comfortable, but I haven't fully adjusted it yet.

Perhaps a little heavy, at least compared to the cheap plastic products.  But this is so much better,  it's worth the extra weight.
644842
The light is well made, and stylish, with a handy lens cover to keep off dust and dirt. Light is bright enough, but the magnification has a short
limited range, and shows a double image at certain distances, aside from being out of focus, more than adequate for what it's intended use.
3806283
A good magnifier with light.  It's a little heavy through.