Brunton Echo Pocket Scope Monocular

I have, for years, carried a small set of binoculars on my canoe/camping trips. I got the smallest, lightest set I could and they still were heavy and took up a 5" x 1" x 3" space in my pack. Recently I got the idea from a fellow solo-tripper on the monocular. Wow! what a difference it made for me. This is about the size of my thumb!

I found a webpage (somewhere) that told me what I wanted to know - what power to get??? The old binoculars were 10xsomething...but I learned - for what I want - I want low power (less shaky images in low power with a monocular) - so I am really glad I learned that. this is plenty powerful for my needs:

checking for portage trials from the water, looking at wild animals, looking ahead at water routes, etc...this is just about perfect. I got the orange so I can find it in a hurry from my pack and the small size means it also fits nicely in my PFD pocket. all in all I really like it.

This is a great little scope. It fits in my pocket (or on my belt with the case). Very clear and sharp images. I've used it for watching football, marching bands, birds, seals, boats, whatever. It focuses easily, and I can use it with my glasses or without (which is a definite plus for me).

This scope is perfect for people that want something small to carry around, so they'll actually use it.

I have wanted one of these for years. As an irregular outdoors guy, I cannot justify the expense or bulk of binoculars, but I do like being able to zoom in on some of the things I see. I also like it that this monocular lets me magnify small objects up close.

As you must expect with cheap optics, the light collecting performance of the Brunton Echo is mediocre, making it useful only in full daylight. This is not a criticism, just a fact; there is no such thing as cheap, high-quality optics. If its high quality, it is expensive. There is no getting around that. However, if, like me, you only want an instrument that you can dump into your pocket and use for casual, recreational viewing, this is a good blend of low cost and serviceable quality.