Help- Buying a used spotter

[lmeyer]

A local pawn shop has a kowa tsn 884 for a screaming deal. I haven't seen it in person yet but pictures look like the glass is in good shape. The housing has several scuffs on it. I'm thinking about picking it up. When I go look at it in person, does anyone hava checklist of what to check or look for before buying? This will be my first venture into high end optics, so my highest level for comparison is an athlon ares.

 

[LaHunter]

Make sure the focus & power adjustments are in good working order
Look into the scope body through the lenses for any ‘debris’ or loose parts inside. Gently shake and listen for rattle
Make sure you understand the Kowa repair & warranty policies

 

[lmeyer]

Thanks for the info. Is kowa easy to deal with on repairs?

 

[gooberfish]

I would check to make sure that it "snaps" into sharp focus easily across the zoom range and at different distances. I have an 883 (also bought secondhand, FWIW) and it never feels like I have to fiddle to get the focus just right. The scope's pretty durable, but if there's multiple scuffs it's always possible that it was dropped and knocked out of collimation.

That being said, the Kowa warranty follows the scope rather than the owner (at least as of a few years ago, according to some old threads and employees on here) so you should be covered. Only thing to keep in mind is that if the scope was originally sold in e.g. Japan, you'll still have the warranty but would need to ship to Japan for repairs. Not sure how to check this other than messaging Kowa with the serial number.

I hope it works out for you! It's a fantastic scope and you should have no regrets grabbing it.

 

[270-300]

1 make sure the lenses do not show visible damage. Especially the eye piece.

2 if it has a thread off eye piece check the lenses under that.

3 make sure the body has no damage that would indicate the purge gas has escaped. Look for the seals around the lenses bulged, dents in the tube, drop damage, make sure the threads by the lenses are still concentric

4 feel the adjuster wheel. Make sure the sled does not bind inside the tube at any point in its travel.

5 get it outside into natural light and look more than 50 feet. Preferably 500 yards or more. Look for light transmission errors, and make sure the focus does not stay hazy. Optics that are scratched will flare when facing the direction of the sun but not pointed at the sun. Optics that have focus issues or gas purge issues will never get crisp pictures at distance.

6 remember you will always find better deals so dont try to hard to live with this one.

Good luck. Ive bought many optics used and only been burned once.