As OP I'll mention my findings with my new setup: Nikon ED50 with fixed 27x eyepiece, and Velbon Ultra 455 with OEM head: the scope and the 27x eyepiece are keepers. Without the fixed eyepiece I would have returned the scope - the 13x-30x has too little eye relief and too a narrow field of view - just as I'd been told.
I tested the ED50 against my only other scope, a 55-year-old 60mm Kowa TSN-1 with fixed 25x (and 40x and 60x, but I didn't test them). For what it's worth, the 13-30 had slightly better field of view than the TSN-1 - I counted 6-1/2 fence boards across my backyard with the 13-13x compared to 6 boards with the TSN-1 25x. with the ED50 I counted 10.
I did a dollar bill test at 50 feet, and the ED50 derived smaller details, but the TSN-1 did surprisingly well, I thought. I could see tiny leaves on the dollar bill with the Nikon, but could guess pretty well what they were with the Kowa.
With colors, the Nikon won easily.
If you had to use a scope to drive a nail, the 53-oz Kowa would be my choice.
The Velbon Ultra 455 is a mixed bag. I like its portability and sturdiness, but it's too high for my height. Sure, I can shorten the legs, but that cuts into the easy-deployment character of the tripod - pull, twist, scope. I have to pull, twist, push each back in a little and measure against each other, then scope. And I'm carrying around metal I'll never use. I may keep it for home, leaving it set up, or car trips where I can leave the legs where I want them, but I think I still need something for travel.
I've tried twice to replace the heavy head that might allow me to extend the legs perhaps fully - an Andoer (wrong size base screw) and Kakafoto cheap ball head (couldn't tighten it enough to keep it from rattling).
It's a process, and I'm learning. I appreciate your help.