Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics What is a "refurbished" scope? Why does Nikon offer them?

What is a "refurbished" scope?

Why does Nikon offer them?

Are they any good?

Would you trust them?

Do they have the lifetime warranty?

i own 2 refurbs i purchased from natchez and they are fine...personaly i cant tell the difference between them and brand new ones. i agree for some reason nikon has so many of those...i believe they are ones that have been sent in for repairs and then were resold after sending customer a new scope..im really not sure on that...you may be able to contact nikon and or natchez and ask them why and what the deal is

if you find out id like to hear your reply on this also...ive wondered this same thing for a long time but have never thought to ask

Doug can give you a more definitive answer. I have worked for optics companies in the past. Refurbs fall into any number of categories. Many times they are simply open box products used at shows or demo's. Sometimes they are products that have been returned for various reasons and repaired to specs. From Nikon, refurbs are going to be like new.

Several of the Nikon refurbs do not carry the lifetime warranty,you might want to check before you buy.

Ahh, I was afraid that may be the case.

This has been my experience as well. I have an ED50 spotting scope and a range finder that were both purchased as refurbs. I tried to find some indication that they were something other than new and could not. The warranty was 90 days IIRC, but at 1/2 price I'm willing to take the chance. I've had the range finder for a few years and the spotter for about a year and have had no issues. I've heard rumors that by presenting them as refurbished they can offer them at a price that is lower than the minimum advertisted price agreement.

The only warranty difference I could see on my ed 50 was it will cost me $10 to use if I ever need to instead of free. Natchez

I don't know if there is any truth to the idea that a refurb may get a bit more attention than it had in original manufacture simply because they want to make sure it won't come back again. ?????

I've always wondered why Nikon has to refurbish so many scopes.

Seems like it would be an indication of poor quality to me. Have they really had that many scopes sent back for repair?

Seems like it would be an indication of poor quality to me. Have they really had that many scopes sent back for repair?

I agree. I notice that I never see their upper end stuff on refurb like the edge or fieldscopes

I would think if that was the case they would have the same warranty as they did when new.

Personally, I always thought it was a way to 'unload' excess inventory using price discounts as an incentive. I have a hard time thinking those are all returns, etc. Just my opinion.

Several years back I noticed the Nikon refurbs had a pathetic warranty. I called Nikon and inquired if this was correct or if they had the full warranty. The Nikon rep said that their refurbs only had a 90 day warranty on them. My response was that if they thought they'd only stay together 90 days why would I want to buy one that I planned on using longer than that? I mentioned the Leupold and Burris warrantys and told the rep if they really planned to be in the business they needed to get with the program. His comment was that it was the way Nikon had chosen to market the product. I haven't bought one and don't see myself buying one with that kind of a no confidence warranty.

On the excess inventory issue, I tend to agree. You see too many scopes being offered as refurbs or the famous 'show models'. Been to the shows, there aren't that many on display to sell hundreds later at those specific discounts. It gives everybody an out to get rid of their old stuff. As long as the warranty is there I could care less. Never had one that was bad.

Champ, agree w/all. The Japs and China seem to try unloading every ship of product they can in the USA, their biggest customer I would believe.

A 'limited' warranty is trumped by Leupold LIFETIME....buy clean used Leupy's for value.

Zeiss has tons of refurbs.

They are all the returns on warranties that they have received. Depending on what is wrong they fix them or gut them and use the tube. I imagine they would warrantee them if they fix them to like new condition. I would think it would be a good way to get a good scope on the cheap.

Do they have a link for them on their website. What are the prices like??

+1

Yhe warranty issue bothers me...nut if you are looking to save a buck.. it might work for some.

I have also seen the Nikon refurb scopes at natchez.. on Nikons website they mention they will repair any scope for $10. Does anyone know if this includes these refurbished scopes??

I am a fan of Nikon glass. I am hesitant like a lot of you though due to them appearing not to stand by their product.