honcho Posted September 6, 2013 Share #21 Posted September 6, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hawke binoculars have good test reports but a well known UK optics dealer advised me they have to be sent back to Hawke ..... A little more enquiring seems to suggest this statement might potentially be misleading. Servicing can be carried out by the importer and the turn round time is usually within 1 week. I would think that is comparative, if not better, than most independent servicing, which may affect the warranty. I was also told that warranty repair work (10 year manufacturer's guarantee) would probably be a straight replacement for new. How often do binoculars need servicing? I still have my very first pair of 8x30 which were bought for my 9th birthday. They are perfectly usable and have been cleaned and adjusted once in 50 years! My youngest son has this week treated himself to a pair of 8x43 Sapphire. They are impressive, especially for the cost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 6, 2013 Posted September 6, 2013 Hi honcho, Take a look here A binocular that Leica does not manufacture .... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkCambridgeshire Posted September 6, 2013 Author Share #22 Posted September 6, 2013 A little more enquiring seems to suggest this statement might potentially be misleading. Servicing can be carried out by the importer and the turn round time is usually within 1 week. I would think that is comparative, if not better, than most independent servicing, which may affect the warranty. I was also told that warranty repair work (10 year manufacturer's guarantee) would probably be a straight replacement for new. How often do binoculars need servicing? I still have my very first pair of 8x30 which were bought for my 9th birthday. They are perfectly usable and have been cleaned and adjusted once in 50 years! My youngest son has this week treated himself to a pair of 8x43 Sapphire. They are impressive, especially for the cost. I was repeating what a well known UK binocular dealer (who has long established servicing facilities for scientific and sport optics) told me. He gave me the definite impression that his workshop was unable (for whatever reason) to service/adjust Hawke binoculars i.e. that they had to sent to Hawke. For that reason I chose a used Swarovski binocular (just serviced by the dealer) in preference to a new Hawke. Binoculars need servicing when: The focusing, or diopter correction, become stiff. The collimation needs adjusting. The optics become hazy or dusty and require cleaning. How often they need servicing would depend on how often they are used and how they are stored ... and how well they were originally made and the types of lubricant used. Old binoculars can seize up or become very stiff in use when the lubricants harden. Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted September 6, 2013 Share #23 Posted September 6, 2013 How often was a rhetorical question. I'm aware of the reasons why binoculars, or any other optic may need servicing. My point is that from my own experience servicing, cleaning and adjusting is not usually a routine and only needs to be done when obvious problems, such as those you mention, arise. When I quoted your comments to two well-know binocular and telescope dealers, their response was the same: No! The only way to find out will be when, and if, they need attention. With a quoted turn around of seven days, I'd be inclined to return them to the importer for servicing anyway. We might be splitting hairs here over nothing much at all. What is good news for anyone looking around at binoculars and 'scopes is that top quality optics are available in the mid price ranges if having one of the top five brands is not so important. Around £300 today will get optical and build quality that is far superior to what £300 would have got 20 years ago. Comparing the Sapphires that my son has bought to the Optolyth Alpin 10x42 that I paid a similar amount for in the 80's is like comparing chalk with cheese. Optolyth were very popular at one time among birders like me who could not afford Zeiss or Leica. Things have come a long way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest badbob Posted September 6, 2013 Share #24 Posted September 6, 2013 Many publications have reported on binocular differences. Bird Watchers Digest is one of many, and the last I read there had the Leica and Swarovsky well ahead of the others. I had a Nikon once, bumped it against a tree - lens misaligned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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