TOTALLY agree with this comment on the VORTEX... incredible clarity, robust and excellent value for money!! Out of the Swarovsky stable...You might want to check out the Vortex Viper line. Real quality scopes with a Leupold warranty at very reasonable prices
That's unfortunate. Were they Monarch 3's? I have several Monarch 3's, VX3's, Zeiss HD5's and all are excellent. The edge would be to the Zeiss as it has a 5x zoom ratio as opposed to 4x, and it has better light retention in low light.I bought and returned 2 Nikons. Dirt and debris in the tube and the eye relief was supposed to be 4" measured out at 3.
It may be a little late but Leupold has a $100 rebate on their VX-3 line of scopes that are purchased before the end of the year.