Tried to like it - Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x50mm 1in Tube Second Focal Plane Rifle Scope

I think generally speaking, Vortex provides a lot of value for your money at the sub-$250 price point. Above that you get into some good and even very good optics. Razor Gen2, for example.

So I'm a fan of Vortex, but it's hard to get really excited about these cheaper scopes once you've owned and shot with nice glass. I don't want to be an optics snob, but it's just reality- optics are almost universally a case of "you get what you pay for". In this case, I had an idea that I wanted an illuminated reticle for a particular build. The CFII arrived and overall it seemed fine. Then it got dark and I tried the illumination. Yikes.

For one thing it was bright, even on the low setting. The bigger issue, however, was that there appeared to be either dust or a film of some kind on at least one of the inside lenses which caused the whole viewing area to glow red, like some weird red night vision thing. I hoped it was dust on the outside of the lens but no luck. Meh, big letdown.

To the credit of Vortex I called and then answered right away and immediately offered to send me a label to send it back to be fixed. But at that point I was just soured on the idea of a low-end scope with issues right out of the gate so I returned it, spent another $100 and got a Weaver and am now way happier than I think I would have been with the Vortex. Again, not bashing on Vortex but at this price point you need to know what you're getting into, and know they have a returns department for a reason.