Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Probably done with Swarovski

This is simply a heads up to all Swarovski owners - I hesistate to even post this as there are a bunch of Swaro loyalists, one of which was me....

I have owned 15x56 binoculars for a while now (older SLC's and new HD's) and about every other year I have to send them in for service as they always start to fog randomly. My hunting style is usually backpack or hike in, setup and glass. Always kept in a padded case and have never taken a horse tumble, wind blow over on tripod, or a tumble down the mountain. I am in the field between 60-90 days every fall and glass for literally hundreds of hours every fall. I do not lend my glass out.

The first time they gave me a discount if I upgraded to the new HD's a few years back (500$ cost to me ), the second time it was 300-400$, and just this afternoon they wanted to charge me again as I experienced internal fogging for a third time in 5 years.

All three times their technicians have "observed impact damage to the binocular", none of which I can see on my end upon mailing in, nor has an event happened in the field in use.

Long story short I give props to their customer service manager as him and I had a productive chat a while ago. Very stand up dude who said the right things for the right reasons. He offered to cut my repair bill in half and I told him that's not why I am calling. He trusts his technicians analysis, I trust how the binocular has been treated. I told him it concerns me that their binocular has had these issues since its not a manufacturer's defect and something that apparently I did, which is the concerning part as there was no event on my end. I did laugh when he said it was probably damaged as I was taking my pack off my back and setting it on the ground right after I told him I carry it around in a padded case, which was the impact most likely he said.

I am rambling now but this is simply a heads up as some of the experiences I have seen, read on this very forum, and have heard hearsay about may not be how it is any longer.....

Swarovski makes the best big eyes in the world but I will be moving away from them at this point as I am not changing my hunting style and cannot baby these bins any more, for binoculars that have to be repaired every other year on my dime. It's unfortunate but there is anther company who is 99% of what Swaro's glass is who has better customer service, let alone 1/3 less expensive. It also riles me up a bit on principle, which honestly is the main reason...

This is not a rant and I'm not even upset, nor am I even bitching. This is simply a friendly heads up if someone is going to purchase a Swarovski product or is thinking about sending something in. When topics on glass come up the warranty is often discussed and this is simply context for that discussion.....

Everyone have a super fall...

I know Greg to be a stand up guy, honest, straightforward, a hunter with lots of experience. If he says it, I'm banking it.

Sorry to hear about this Greg. I bet you're still able to find stuff to shoot at with the new glass..........

Ok Greg, what are you going to replace the Swarvo with?

Curious on that myself

While my rifle was at the smith getting a new barrel I dropped off a set of Talley LW ring/bases for him to mount my Swarovski Z5 5-25x52. According to the smith the scope bound up and the paralex adjustment would not work at all. Several attempts to resolve the problem failed. The local Swaro dealer recommended that the scope be returned to Swaro for repair.
Swarovski charged me $250 to replace the main tube. There was no damage to the tube, not even a scratch and it was gently used since purchase.
I emailed Swarovski and asked how they could justify charging me the $250 but they didn't have the decency to even answer the email.

My 15x56 have been back for fogging 3 times now.. I still haven’t used better 15’s so they stay. Gets old tho

Makes 3 of us......

I just had a z5 BT returned to cabelas, and replaced by them. Mounted, sighted in, and set the little zero stop thingy ring. When trying to set the distance turret rings, the elevation turret moved poi down instead of up. Can't understand how it could work backwards. It had me fried enough I called my bud 30338 to see WTF I was doing wrong. Ha! turned out it wasn't me......

Meopta?

Sig?

Zeiss SF's,,,,done

If you can find an optics guy (who sells the big three), and he’s willing to be honest, he’ll tell you Swarovski binoculars go back for repairs more than the other two. They’re just more fragile.

Actually for the OP's write up, it sounds like the bino's have been babied, & surely not abused.

If they can't take that kind of use, I'd be done with them too, & it likely would not have taken me so long to make that decision.

I've had a pair of Leica Trinovids for longer than I can remember, on & off horse & ATV, hiking. back of trucks, etc., & they've never had a single issue & I fully expect they'll out last me.

Similar experience with my BIL who is really hard on stuff.

MM

So they make a 15x56 SF?

I'd say that's likely true, but as far as high end glass goes, Swaro probably sells more that the other two combined, by far. Greg had told me of his Swaro CS problems previously. Took me by surprise. If I leave the 10x50SV's, I will go straight to Meopta Meostar HD's. They have superb optics and are built like the old Trinovid BA/BN's........almost bulletproof.

I have had a couple of Swaro 15s. My current one is pre-HD and I put a couple hundred hours on it a year. I don't baby them. I carry them in a pack with a t-shirt wrapped around them. I had them blow over on a tripod one time. It chipped one of the objective lenses. I sent them back and said that I wanted both lenses replaced. They quoted me $200 and completely went through the binocular- even replacing the armoring.

Mine have never fogged. I guess I better not upgrade them as these things are bullet proof.

Guessing Meopta 15x56 HD's

Geez, sorry to hear it Greg.

Talk about nickel and diming a guy.

Did they make you pay and say it was your fault?

Meopta all the way baby....

I'm all in. Been running their S2 spotter for a bit now and it's world class. I had a small issue last year (power adjustment knob just spun in circles as it got dust bowled (remember Clint?) and 8 days later I literally had a new spotter and eyepiece.... I called on day 6 to make sure Meopta received it and they said look for a package in the next day or two. I did and no questions asked, boom I look like a rookie with a brand new rig....

I've spent some serious time in the last month or two with their 12's and now have some 15's heading my way....

I will not have any issues glassing I assure you. I do not take this decision lightly.