cheers,
Luke
Flashback
As I rounded the bend in the creek bank, I looked ahead as far as I could see. About 80 metres in front of me, the creek turned back the other way and on the far bank was a large gum that had the soil washed from under it’s roots. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I “knew†there would be a pig in there. It was cool and moist providing welcome relief from the 43 degrees of the sun’s fiery glare. What pig wouldn’t want to sleep the day away in there?
I motioned to Cashy of my thoughts, it was his turn for a stalk. I could not, from my vantage point tell which way a (the) boar was facing or if there was one to be found there at all it was just too far and too dark. As Cashy moved in ever so quietly and cautiously, it turned out my gut feeling was spot on, unfortunately however, my lack of ability to define clearly the exact posture and positioning of the boar was our undoing as it jumped to it’s feet and started up the creek bank…
Present Day
I was recently asked to do a review on the new Vortex Solo monocular I had purchased from Gecko Archery. I wanted to add the Solo to my equipment line as it was the perfect fit for my optical requirements. I received it approximately a week prior to a hunting trip I had planned with good mate Paul Rae; we were heading to the upper end of the New England ranges…perfect timing in my books.
The first thing that struck me about the Solo was its size. For an 8x25 monocular it was certainly a compact unit. Fitting snuggly in the waste pocket of my pack I knew it would be in easy reach for frequent use over the coming four days hunt. It was of convenient size to fit nicely into the palm of my hand, yet allowed for one hand operation of the focusing dial incorporated into the eyepiece.
I had made up my mind I was going to do a full and thorough testing to enable a genuine assessment of the quality and performance of this very useful little tool. Constructed of high quality optics, the Solo gives a clear picture once dialed in to the appropriate focus distance. The eye piece is easy to turn for focusing. My one criticism would be of the depth of the rubber “lip†for the eyecup. I found in the late afternoons and early mornings, when the sun was low on the horizon and to my side, the light would too easily leak in and affect my vision quality. A simple fix of placing my finger next to my eye however and all was good. In my opinion a minor flaw in this well made product.
The sturdy rubberized outer gives great protection of the internal optics and allows a nice grippy surface for sweaty or wet hands. I can assure you the Solo is 100% waterproof. I dunked mine in the river several times and on one evening of our hunt, left it out on the bonnet of my car during 2 severe thunderstorms. Not one spec of moisture or fogginess was evident during use the next day. Even after being dropped several times over on a variety of surfaces, the Solo remained uncompromised in its performance and structural integrity.
The Solo is by no means intended for use as an all day glasser or for those wishing to sit and scan for extended periods. Vortex Optics has other products in their range that suit this requirement very well. Having said that, I found that for my intended purpose of the occasional longer sit and glass (10-15mins for me) and throughout my four days of spot and stalk hunting, I suffered no noticeable eye fatigue using the Solo.
Over all I would give the Solo a solid 9 out of 10. The size, performance and quality of this little gem from Vortex Optics certainly fills the niche for the hunter who does not want a bulky pair of binoculars hanging around their neck all day, or who like me prefer to hang a digital camera or video camera there instead. Backed by an awesome manufacturers replacement guarantee, in my opinion you’ll be hard pressed to find a better monocular for the same money.
Retailing at just $99.95 from Gecko Archery. (www.geckoarchery.com.au)