VECTOROPTICS Forester GEN II SCOC-03II Review

I recently bought the popular VECTOR OPTICS Forester short scope, so I'll give my review.

I bought it for 15000 yen from 41PX on Rakuten.

As I mentioned in the section on red dot sights, I don't really care whether they're real or replicas. Also, I have a personal rule that scopes should be no more than 20,000 yen, and the Forester I'm introducing today falls within that limit, so I decided to buy it.

Up until now, I've been using both the old and new models of the Tokyo Marui Illuminated Short Zoom Scope. Both are excellent scopes with no complaints whatsoever, but I was intrigued by the Forester's popularity and decided to buy this one.

In this review, we will use the Tokyo Marui NEW Illuminated Short Zoom Scope as a benchmark for comparison, considering factors such as availability, brand recognition, and price.

Marui's scope has a 3-9x magnification, so its intended use is slightly different, but we'll use it as a benchmark.

Ideally, I'd like to use my favorite Marui old illuminated short zoom scope (1.5-4x magnification) as a benchmark because it would be a direct match for the Forester, but it's discontinued, so I can't use it as a benchmark. It's a shame.

Box and contents, exterior

Let's start with the outer box. It's the usual one from VECTOR OPTICS.

It says it's a limited edition item, but is this it?

The information listed on the side is the model name.

The back contains a list of specifications.

I finally opened the box. It was carefully packaged. Compared to the company's other products, such as their red dot sights, the contents were a little disappointing.

This is the contents.

I thought it didn't come with a mounting ring, but it was included. Unfortunately, it doesn't include a CR2032 battery.

Now let's take it out and look at its appearance and accessories.

appearance

Let's take a look at the exterior. It's quite slim and compact.

Top view

Reverse side view. It features the VECTOR OPTICS logo.

Let's compare it to Tokyo Marui's. The sizes are roughly the same. Tokyo Marui's has a lens hood attached to the objective lens (left side of the photo), so if you remove it, the Marui one might be shorter.

Finally, here are the included mounting rings. They are low-profile and use Torx bolts (a wrench is included).

In my case, I use a full-face mask, so this won't work for me because it prevents me from making eye contact. It might be fine for people who only wear goggles.

Usability

Now let's take a look at how easy it is to use.

This is where you adjust the magnification. It has a stick, which is popular these days, making it easy to change even during gameplay.

It has a slightly firm texture.

倍率は、1倍、1.5倍、2倍、2.5倍、3倍、3.5倍、4倍、4.5倍、5倍の9種類です。

Next, insert the batteries for the illumination. The VE mark is on the lid. They are CR2032 batteries.

CR2032 lithium battery
It can be used as a battery for illumination in various optical instruments.

Next, let's look at the vintage knobs (for left/right adjustment).

At first, I panicked because I didn't know how to unlock it and the dial wouldn't turn.

Pulling this knob lifts it up and releases the lock.

The photo below shows the unlocked state. It lifts up about 5mm and can be rotated. It has a nice, firm click.

The locking mechanism is also easy to use, and it's great that you can easily adjust it during gameplay. There's almost no worry of it shifting out of place.

As I mentioned with the red dot sight, I don't really like using tools.

As shown in the photo below, the elevation (up and down) can be adjusted using the same method. Since the up and down movement is frequently used during gameplay, this feature will likely be very useful.

Incidentally, the focus adjustment function is located at the front of the photo above (the eyepiece).

This is a summary of the control system photos.

Incidentally, the illumination dial is located on the left side and has 11 levels of adjustment. The only color available is red.

Now, for comparison, let's take a look at the scope from Tokyo Marui.

A comparison product is the Tokyo Marui Illuminated Short Scope 3-9x.

Magnification adjustment mechanism. While there's no rod, it has a protrusion for easy operation.

Elevation and vintage adjustment. The adjustment knob locks in place with a screw at its base. The adjustment also has a satisfying click, making it easy to use.

In terms of usability, they're pretty much on par.

Mounting ring installation

First, prepare the mounting rings. Since I use a full-face mask, I use the type with a 30mm tube diameter and an eye-level height of 35mm.

I actually wanted the quick-release lever type from VECTOR OPTICS, but it was sold out everywhere, so I'll use the one from ANS.

This one's good too. The hexagonal scope mount is a nice feature.

The item on the left is the included accessory, and the item on the right is from ANS.

The height difference is this significant. It makes quite a difference.

It also has protective tape on the scope, which is nice. And it's cheap.

・ANS Scope Mount, 30mm Diameter, 25mm Height, Medium
This is a recommended product that I often use because it's readily available and inexpensive.

While integrated rings for the front and rear of the scope are also good, I chose the separate type because I'm mounting it on an M14 EBR.

Some models also come with a spirit level, but I don't see much point in them, so I haven't bought one.

Next, decide which airsoft gun you want to use as your main weapon and attach the bipod to it.

This time, we'll be attaching it to a G&G M14 EBR. First, we'll attach only the lower part to the position where the mounting rings can be attached.

Next, we'll add the scope.

Next, attach the upper part of the mounting ring and tighten the screw just enough so that the scope can be easily turned by hand.

Here's how I'll level it using my own terrible method. I fill a measuring cup in the kitchen with water.

Place this on top of the elevation knob and check if it's level with the water level. Do it carefully, as spilling water would be a hassle.

Once you've leveled it, gradually tighten the bolts on the mounting ring.

Here, tighten each part evenly, otherwise the horizontal alignment will be off, so be careful when tightening. My method is to repeat steps 1-4 in the diagram multiple times to determine the position, and then tighten steps 5-8 as a supplement. If you tighten them too much here, the force of the screws is tremendous and the scope will warp. So, it's best to leave them slightly undertightened.

The mount is now installed.

Here, we'll compare the weight with Tokyo Marui's product. We didn't do this in the appearance section because it wouldn't be fair without a mount.

First of all, the Forester weighs about 536g. I think that's quite light. It's probably about 150g heavier than a slightly heavier red dot sight.

Next up is Marui, weighing approximately 584g. It looks bulky, but it's surprisingly light. Plus, it has a quick-release mount and this weight includes the objective lens hood, so it's a close match.

After that, I changed the mount to a Geisley-type one-piece scope mount.

The atmosphere is like the following picture.

How the scope looks

This section will show you how the view through a scope changes depending on the magnification.

However, taking photos was difficult for me, and since I used an iPhone Xs camera, I'm not sure how helpful these results will be. Focusing was quite difficult. So please take them only as a reference.

The conditions are that we are observing a capybara clinging to a refrigerator at a distance of 2.5m.

VECTOR OPTICS Forester's Visibility

First, let's start with 1x.

The bezel is quite thin and easy to see through. There is a slight blurring at the outer edge of the lens, but I think it's at a level that will hardly bother anyone. The eye relief is about 25cm, and there is a great deal of freedom in adjusting the distance between the eye and the eyepiece. The reticle is a simple crosshair with thin lines.

1.5 times.

Here too, the eye relief is about 25cm, giving you a considerable degree of freedom in adjusting the distance between your eye and the eyepiece.

2 times.

At this magnification level, the eye relief is about 22cm, which gives you a lot of flexibility in adjusting the distance between your eye and the eyepiece.

2.5 times.

The eye relief is about 20cm. This magnification range is where this scope provides the best viewing experience.

3 times.

3.5 times.

4 times.

At this magnification, the eye relief is quite short, around 15cm, and the freedom of movement regarding the distance between the eye and the eyepiece is reduced. You need to be conscious of the distance between the lens and your eye to see the image.

4.5 times.

At this magnification, the image will be blurry unless you adjust the focus.

5 times.

At this magnification, the image is quite blurry and not very usable.

You could focus here, but it would be impractical because it would become blurry at low magnification.

Next, let's see what happens when the illuminations are lit.

The brightness is set to level 11 out of 11, and the magnification is 2x. It's not very bright. I'd say its performance is only slightly better than nothing.

How the Tokyo Marui NEW Illuminated Short Zoom Scope looks

Next is the Marui scope for comparison.

3 times.

The eye relief is about the same, around 25cm, and there's a good degree of freedom in adjusting the distance between the eye and the eyepiece. The bezel is on the thicker side. However, the image is clear and distortion-free. The reticle is slightly thick and simple.

4 times.

It looks pretty good even at this magnification.

5 times.

This area is also nice.

7 times.

The image starts to blur because it can't focus properly.

9 times.

It's quite difficult without adjusting the focus.

The illuminations will be turned on. Both are at 3x magnification and maximum brightness. The brightness is infinitely adjustable.

"Red"

绿

These are quite bright and come in two colors, red and green, which is nice.

Summary of how it looks

Regarding the image quality of the Forester, the distortion is quite minimal from 1x to 3.5x magnification, offering excellent performance. At this magnification range, you can use it without adjusting the focus. Furthermore, the extremely thin bezels are a notable feature.

The eye relief is also quite wide within this range (up to about 3x magnification), and you can still see even when the distance from your eye to the lens is about 25cm, so there is a great deal of freedom in adjusting the distance between the eyepiece and your eye.

However, image distortion and eye relief begin to worsen rapidly from around 4x magnification.

Also, the reticle illumination is quite dim, so if you're going to use it, you'll probably need to use it at the maximum level of 11.

Reticle preferences are subjective, so it really depends on the individual. I personally prefer simpler designs (although I initially liked overly complex ones).

As a result, in my opinion, it's quite well-suited for use at low magnifications, from 1x to 3.5x.

Lenses that excel across the entire spectrum are virtually nonexistent, and this product was likely designed with a focus of 2x to 4x magnification.

I think this is a pretty high-performance scope.

On the other hand, Tokyo Marui's product is also quite good; the image doesn't distort much from 3x to 7x magnification, and it works without needing to adjust the focus. The eye relief is also almost the same as the Forester.

The illuminations are also quite bright, making them very visible, which is wonderful.

However, some people might find the thicker bezel a bit bothersome. I personally don't mind it much.

This product is probably designed with a target multiplier of around 3 to 7 times.

As a result, when used at a slightly longer distance, Marui's products also perform quite well.

Comparing them, the Forester is probably better for low magnification, while the Marui is better for high magnification.

It seems that our target magnifications don't quite overlap. I think this is because our design targets are different.

Summary

At this price, the performance is quite good.

Low-magnification lenses, in particular, are difficult to manufacture (distortion is noticeable), yet they produce remarkably clear images. Furthermore, the longer eye relief allows for greater freedom of movement, reducing the time required for aiming.

However, using high magnification (4x or more) to find distant targets might be a bit difficult.

I think this scope is well-suited for quick aiming at short to medium ranges, just as the sales pitch claimed.

However, no matter how quickly it appears, it's still just a scope, so it can't match the speed of a red dot sight.

Therefore, I found it to work very well to fix the magnification somewhere between 1.5x and 3x depending on the situation and use it while moving around.

On the other hand, Tokyo Marui's products are also quite good, and are excellent for targeting and spotting opponents at a slightly longer distance.

Marui's product is also quite good, but the Forester didn't give me the same feeling of excitement as the Vector Optics red dot sight.

In conclusion, I think there are different recommendations depending on your fighting style.

What's more, and I think it's purely by chance, the actual selling prices are almost the same, the weight is the same, but the magnification is different—a miracle that makes things very favorable for us when choosing between them.

Both are excellent products that you won't regret buying.

If you'd like, you can use this as a reference and choose what suits your own style.

Actually, this older model from Tokyo Marui is fantastic. The magnification is 1.5 to 4x, which is great, but it's unfortunately out of production.

Rumor has it that American company Reapers has a nearly identical model; I'll look into it and share the details later.

・VCTOR OPTICS Foresta GEN II 1-5x magnification, 24mm lens diameter
　I think this is the definitive low-magnification short scope. I highly recommend it. If you're considering purchasing from 41PX, you can go to their Rakuten shop via the link to 41 Military.

・ANS Scope Mount, 30mm Diameter, 25mm Height, Medium
　This is a recommended product that I often use because it's readily available and inexpensive.

・Tokyo Marui NEW Illuminated Short Zoom Scope 3-9x Magnification, 32mm Lens Diameter
At a price under 12000 yen with a mount included, this performance is amazing. Highly recommended if you're aiming for slightly higher magnification.