I feel a bit sorry for Doug and Leupold on this one. This wasn't going to end well given the state of the strength of opinions on the subject. Doug comes across looking naive and probably damages his relationship with Leupold to boot. Leupold haters get to have a bigger field day and the poor sods who showed up from team Loopy probably damage their career's to some extent though I suspect it's also likely that 24 hour campfire members take their own reputation as "impossible to please" to a new height with management. Probably not the end game Doug was looking for.
I will continue to use Leupolds when I want a light weight option, but not without a bit of paranoia now, waiting for failures, that will likely not happen but waiting non the less.
"Leupold haters"? I highly doubt that it's a segment of guys who thought "hmmm, Leupold is a USA-based sport optics company that aligns very well with my hunting/shooting interests. Yup, I'm sure of it, I hate 'em".
What you are calling "Leupold haters" are predominantly regular guys like you and me that have had too many negative experiences with Leupold products to ignore. Most of them would really like to trust Leupold once again, but the company refuses to acknowledge and repair the major hurdles keeping these guys from doing so. I am one such individual. I would be happy to use Leupold riflescopes if I had the confidence in their function that I have in scopes like NF, SWFA, Bushy Elite Tac, etc. That doesn't seem "impossible to please" to me. I have no hate for Leupold, and I want them to come around and gain the reputation that they ought to have, and it frustrates me that they refuse to do what it takes. If NF can do it, so can Leupold. But they won't because they choose to look the other way.
