Crack in rubber body. should i be concerned?

[hal0ofwint3r]

just got my leupod bx-5 santium 12x50's. today was the first full day with them. awesome binoculars. super sharp, great clarity, really good in low light and with glare sat in the cold for a couple hours before it got dark, i wanted to see how good they were with the low light and glare from the sun. i also take care of my equipment, keep glass clean, dust and dirt away, etc. just noticed these two cracks in the rubber armor, where the seam is. not sure if this is something that i should be worried about. kind of looks like water would get through here. i don't want to have to send them in already. image quality wise, these are super sharp. you can clearly see the cracks. i could probably cut out a piece of paper and could fit it in the crack if i wanted to, or my gun cleaning picks.

 

[hal0ofwint3r]

after looking some more with better light, i can see internal bare metal color inside. probably just answered my own question. looks like i'll be sending them back. water would probably get right in.

 

[morgaj1]

I would send them back.

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

Rubber armor is padding for the binocular in case of Impact and a comfort solution for your hands.

It won't have anything to do with the air tight or water tight integrity of the binocular.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I agree with what JAOAF said, but they are new and pretty good odds of the crack getting worse as time goes on. Send them back.

 

[SomeJackassOnAForum]

I agree with what JAOAF said, but they are new and pretty good odds of the crack getting worse as time goes on. Send them back.

I would send them back because they're new, but if they were my binoculars I'd call Leupold, provide pictures, and ask if they'll set up a service order and provide me a shipping label for a reskin when my season is over.

 

[hal0ofwint3r]

sorry guys, been away. i called leupold, they said the cracks are unacceptable and said to send them back and they're going to send me a replacement bx-5 12x50. i even told them to open the box and physically look for any defects before they send them to me. they just got my bad pair today, hope to have my replacement by the end of next week.