Once the scope is out, a lot is learned from simply analyzing service department records. That's usually where we find the most statistically significant data on how different designs hold up under average use.
That's the strategy where the customer who bought the product also serves as the durability test function.
I'll take a guess that companies who use that strategy as a principle measure of quality/durability speak the loudest about their exceptional warranty/customer service policy in media ads.
Some companies DO have either in house or use test labs to validate their product. My comment above is not specifically aimed at optics companies.
With most companies I know, marketing people and service/repair people do not talk to each other very much. There are, of course, exceptions.
I recall a guy from one of the Instagram optics companies (Atibal, I think) telling me that all this product development product is a bunch of nonsense and he can get any product configuration to marker in 6 to 12 months: just tell the chinese what specs you want and they make it. Well, that explains his products.
Serious companies have serious engineering groups and serious quality departments.
ILya
