Evaluation of the Orion Arcadia Spotting Scope for Astro and Birding?

Anyone have comments or experience with the Orion spotting scope? I'd like it
primarily for birding but astro is also a possible use.
--
Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet
(Formerly Homo habilis, erectus, heidelbergensis and now sapiens)

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& exercise promoter

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On Tue, 16 Nov 2004 20:12:15 GMT, "W. Watson"
wrote:

Anyone have comments or experience with the Orion spotting scope? I'd like it
primarily for birding but astro is also a possible use.

Not that one, but I had an opportunity to look through one of the
generic Chinese models, an achromat priced at about $225.00
I was shocked at how well it peformed. Sharp as could be asked
for, well built, a serviceable zoom eyepiece and the only drawback was
some colour at maximum magnification. It used to be you had to
spend about $600-$700 for this level of quality. I remember trash
like the Bausch & Lomb Discoverer spotter which cost $400 and was
terrible, both optically and mechanically.
The Chinese instruments are no doubt very similar to one another
and the one I looked through would do any birder very well.
-Rich