Kowa service for accidental damage

[coloradoan]

Considering upgrading my binoculars and started looking at Kowa. I have been leaning towards Vortex due to the warranty, but I don't want to rule out better options. The Kowa Genesis binoculars look pretty awesome.

I know Kowa doesn't have a no-fault warranty, but do they provide repairs at a reasonable cost? I try to take care of my stuff, but I also don't want to be totally out of luck if something happens.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Kowa service is excellent. It's hard to answer your question as I cannot recall a charged repair at Kowa

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I've gotten two quotes for spotter repairs and they seemed higher than what I am used to with swaro. Over $300 to replace objective on a 553 spotter. Whether that is reasonable or not is subjective. Communication was excellent though and they do their repairs state side. I had my spotter back in under 2 weeks.

 

[Ramem7mm]

following along for feedback from others.

 

[jordan.2216]

I also had a repair/tune up on a 883 completed. I don't recall the exact scope of work, but I believe it cost me a couple hundred bucks. As @Turkeygetpwnd38 mentioned, communication and workmanship was excellent, quick turnaround, and I believe the work was done in CA. Nothing to complain about except having to pay for it ha!

 

[Loco4dux]

I've gotten two quotes for spotter repairs and they seemed higher than what I am used to with swaro. Over $300 to replace objective on a 553 spotter. Whether that is reasonable or not is subjective. Communication was excellent though and they do their repairs state side. I had my spotter back in

Same exact experience here with the same repair.

 

[Moosehunter]

Their service seems fantastic in my experience!

 

[Pistolpete28]

They fixed my eyepiece on my 99 straight spotter for free.

 

[981kirk]

Good to know. Thanks for the info. I have their upper end spotter

 

[particleman14]

I have an older TSN-884 that had never been serviced and was showing some black spots appearing when zooming in/out, so I sent a video of the problem to see if they could repair. Customer service was excellent and they confirmed they could clear those spots.

Process is: They disassemble everything and replace any worn/loose parts. Then they clean the eyepiece (in my case the eyecup was unglued and the twist-up detents were very loose, so they repaired those as part of the service.) Then they do optical testing and nitrogen reinjection. Then they clean the exterior and pack it up for shipping.

Turnaround was around 1 week, and cost under $150.

When I got the scope back, I tested it right away on my usual set of urban and estuary targets available from the balcony. I could instantly feel the optics were improved esp. in clarity/sharpness and the spots were nowhere to be found. Also, the eyepiece twist-up and focus knobs felt smoother and sturdier than before. Even the sun shade felt smoother when deploying!

Overall, I am very pleased with this service as I'm getting optical and tactile improvements. Highly recommend!