Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Cleaning Scope lens?

Whats the best way to clean the lens of your scope? What do you use?

this may not be a fair answer to your question but:

* in the field I use my shirt
* at home I use a synthetic lens cloth and the lens cleaning solution I use for my camera lenses

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/bombaysapphire.jpg

and nothing else

;-)

A scope's wonderful optical properties can go south pretty fast with improper cleaning. Even with the best of care, which I know isn't always possible, they degrade from cleaning.
If I insisted on using s shirtail, I'd have nothing but Leupold scopes with their super hard Diamond Coat Coatings. E

Or Rainguard HD, Leica Aqua Dura, Zeiss Lotu-Tec, Meopta MEO-Shield, Swarovski Swarodur are just a few others with scratch resistant lense coatings.

Now as far as cleaning is concerned, in the field I would use a LensPen and for thorough cleaning I use a soft brush first to remove dust and dirt followed by a liberal soaking of Zeiss spray cleaning solution and wipe that clean with a soft terry cloth type towel.

Kinda funny, although utterly predictable, that Eremicus seems to believe that Leupold is the only manufacturer to use scratch resistant coatings on their lenses.

Maybe all the others can't afford actual crushed diamonds like Leupold uses however.

In the field I too like the lens pen.

They, actually were one of the last. Swarovski's been using Swarodur for as long as I can remember and Zeiss Lotu-Tec's been out now for several years now. In all honesty, Leupold isn't known for being innovative regarding lense coatings and actually lag behind most by years. They are one of the very best at inventing new names for "technology" that others have used quietly all along.

I use a Leupold or other brand lens pen (they look like they're all made by the same manufacturer) with the brush side first and then carefully use Zeiss lens cleaner tissues. I try not to rub the lens at first but just wipe in one direction and re-crumple the tissue and do it again and again until I have it clean. The I use the chamois side of the lens pen carefully until I have all of the smudges cleared that the Zeiss tissue left.

It works for me and I've been doing it for awhile and never noticed any scratching or problems with it. The Zeiss tissues can even be bought at Wal-Mart, I noticed the other day.

I'm waitng for somebody to show up and solemnly announce you must sprinkle special Optics Pixie Dust on the lens and hold the scope straight up in the moonlight for an hour, never touching the lens........


Me?--I just spit Copenhagen juice on it and rub it with the elbow of my flannel shirt.

gently use canned air to remove debris. a microtex cloth with optical lense cleaning solution should be used gently. Binos just run under water and then dry with microtex cloth.

Casey, Casey, Casey ... to offer such ruinous advice as this is unconscionable. That is so wrong on two very important points. First, you advocate actually allowing some substance to come into contact with the lens itself. Everyone knows that the only way to clean a lens is to first bathe it with the breeze created by the beating of the wings of a (not too-large) hummingbird. If the lens has been so abused that this fails to clean it completely, the harsh measure of making a circular motion in the air (never touching the lens itself) with a cloth woven from the underhair of unborn fawns might be attempted, but the chances are good that a heavy-handed person will cause damage. Note - it is best if the lens itself and the cloth are in separate rooms when this motion is performed. If that isn't bad enough, you then suggest allowing actual, unfiltered light to touch it for an extended period. The foolishness of this notion is so obvious that I won't waste time discussing it. Best, John

I have friend who cleaned his with WD40 and oiled it down real good with WD40 before storing it. It didn't work to well

Just dunk it in the nearest stream

and then carefully wipe it off with the cleanest part of your dirty shirt.

I know guys who swear by Rain-X too.

Nikon gave him a new scope!

Probably felt sorry for him..

Parker's Perfect is pretty good anti fog stuff.

I carry one of those micro clothes sold at Wally world for $1.50 in a film can in my pocket. Keeps the dirt out and readily available.

When I bought my 3x leupold the salesman said leupold tested several cleaners and anti fog cleaners. The salesman said leupold is only recommending Kleer Vu ANTI-FOG Cleaner.

Google - kleervu.com

I bought a lot. Works as advertised, and you can purchase a very small bottle for backpacking. Works on my glasses too. matt

Lenspen or synthetic lens cleaning cloth with isopropyl alcohol, which is the major ingredient in the lens cleaning solution.